As soon as we stepped out of the foyer, we were in the living room. The furniture was plush and inviting. A hand-carved, spiral stairway led up to a second level. My gaze rose, following the twisting stairs, and I was surprised to see such an open floor plan.
An intricately carved banister circled the upper level, making it easy to see the various closed doors. Must be bedrooms up there.
“Wow,” I whispered, slowly turning around so I could take it all in.
“Mum loves the idea of country living, but she can’t stand actually living in the country.” Simon laughed. “So, Dad built her this house instead.”
“It’s…” I didn’t even have words. “Amazing,” I finally said.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.” His eyes twinkled as he took my hand and dragged me through a set of double glass doors. “See.”
I stepped outside, and once again, I was struck speechless. An enormous swimming pool was set into the ground, but it wasn’t rectangular, or even oval. It was bulbous, with inlaid steps on each end, complete with a slide, too.
Canopies of leafy trees surrounded the pool, giving it just the right balance of shade and sunlight. In the center was a bar—fully stocked—and a few feet behind the pool was a stone fire pit. Reclining lounge chairs were positioned around it.
“Pretty neat, yeah?” he said.
“Yeah.” I laughed.
“C’mon, I’ll show you where you can get changed. Normally, we’d just use the pool house, but Dad’s renovating it.”
He led me back inside and gave me a quick tour before showing me the bathroom—which I was positive was bigger than my and Abby’s bedrooms combined.
“Just come on out when you’re ready,” he said.
I nodded. He closed the door, and then I was alone. I blew out a shaky breath. At least Olivia wasn’t here. Yet. Maybe she and Trent had decided to go somewhere else. I frowned, then scowled, unsure if them not showing up was a good thing or not.
Pulling my swimsuit out of my bag, I hesitated. The red flowered bikini stared at me, daring me to put it on. Abby had given it to me, swearing it made me look hot. But right now, I just wanted to be covered. Chewing on my lip, I shifted on my feet. I could always wear my T-shirt over my bathing suit.
Ugh. Stop being so lame.
I quickly changed out of my clothes and shoved them into my bag. Taking another deep breath, I opened the bathroom door, and instead of seeing the hallway, I got an eyeful of flesh. Smooth, perfect, male flesh covering broad shoulders and ripped muscle. Light blue swim trunks hung enticingly off his hips.
It wasn’t Simon.
“Do you make it a habit to creep around outside bathrooms? Is that like, your thing?” I asked.
Slowly, he turned, and my breath hitched. Eyes as blue as the ocean met mine, and then they dipped lower, his gaze a heated caress as he assessed me. Or rather, as he visually devoured me. Goose bumps exploded all over my body.
Suddenly very aware of what I was wearing, I crossed my arms over my chest as if that would somehow cover my exposed skin. Trent raised a brow, the corner of his lip following suit, and it was the sexiest look I’d ever seen. My stupid, traitorous heart beat like a caged animal, and Trent’s smirk morphed into a full-blown smile.
It was like he knew how my body reacted to him. But that was impossible.
“Okay,” I said, drawing out the word. “Add creepy staring to your list of talents.”
He laughed, and every nerve in my body came alive. I didn’t know if I wanted to run or stay, to laugh or cry or throw myself into his arms.
“In my defense, you are standing there half-naked,” he said.
I glanced down at myself—why, I had no idea. I was hyper-aware of the fact that I was showing more skin than I had covered.
“I’m wearing a bikini. Surely, you’ve seen one of those before,” I said.
“I’ve seen a lot of bikinis before.” He took a step closer, and I couldn’t force my legs to move, even though I knew I should. “Just never on you.”
My heart stuttered in my chest, but I refused to give in to his obvious flirting. Not when I was standing in Simon’s house.
“Of course not. We just met.” I gave him a dirty look. What was up with this guy?
“Of course,” he said, his tone cool.
Without another word, I stepped around him and headed out to the backyard. Simon was already in the pool. He was attaching a net to one side, while Olivia fastened the other. I piled my stuff on a lounge chair.
When Simon noticed me, his eyes widened, and my face heated. Trent appeared beside me—seemingly out of nowhere—and I gasped with shock.
“Apparently, you’re a ninja, too.” I shook my head. “I didn’t even hear you come outside.”
He chuckled but didn’t say anything.
Oliva climbed out of the pool, her svelte, tanned body dripping wet. It was unfair how gorgeous she was. “So much for my wish that you stayed home. Or, I don’t know, fell down and knocked yourself out,” she said.
Before I could think about what I was doing, I raised my middle finger at her. Her jaw dropped. How was that for being a meaner girl? I couldn’t wait to tell Jaxon everything.
Trent snickered, and Simon let out a loud whoop.
Olivia scowled at me, then glanced at her brother. “Classy one you got here, Simon.” Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she smiled sweetly at Trent and took hold of his arm.
Hot jealousy singed my insides, which was ludicrous. I had no reason whatsoever to be feeling this way, especially about a guy I didn’t even know.
“What happened to Ethan?” I asked Olivia.
She waved her hand dismissively. “He’s
