“I’m wearing a swimsuit,” Lyric said and spun around. “It has a skirt on it.”
“Very cool. Your mom has the same kind of suit.”
“Let’s stop talking,” Rock told the girls. “Go swimming.”
Skylar lifted her orange plastic glasses and glared at Rock. “I’m going to retire you.”
“Yeah!” Lyric cried, hitting a note high enough to make Rock flinch. “Don’t bully!”
“Okay, I think we’ve had enough quality time with the bros,” I said as Nova ushered the girls away from Rock.
“Zodiac might be right about them,” Rock muttered to me.
Pointing at my VP, I warned, “Zip it or we’ll have a problem.”
Rock suddenly smiled. “You’re so whipped. Enjoy swimming with the hellions.”
“You’re retired,” Skylar growled at Rock and lowered her glasses. “I don’t talk to bullies.”
Rowdy laughed at how the five-year-old dismissed Rock and walked away. I left my club brothers to poke at each other while I guided Nova and the girls to the indoor pool. The room echoed, startling Nova when the door banged shut behind us.
“The water should be warm,” I said and stepped into the pool. “Have you gone to the Sleepy Eye Community pool yet?”
Nova set down her bag and looked around. “Not yet.”
“It’s a long walk,” Lyric said as she dipped her toes into the water. “I’m not scared of the pool.”
“We still need to be careful,” I said and backed deeper into the water to allow the girls to take another step down.
Nova adjusted her simple black swimsuit. I knew she was thinking about eyes on us, but no one was around besides us four. Once she made sure she was properly covered, she put the pool rings on the girls so they could float.
I watched them from the deep end and waited until Nova chilled out. I dunked my head a few times. Nova finally glanced at me. Her lusty gaze made me smile.
“Boone,” Skylar said and began kicking her legs. “I’m coming to you. Don’t let me drowned.”
“I won’t.”
“I’m swimming!” Lyric cried, kicking her feet and spraying water at Nova.
Laughing at their enthusiasm, Nova lost her edginess. My condo had been her secret place. Sharing this space with the girls felt like she was losing something special.
But this complex was my home, making it their home, too. The sooner the girls felt comfortable here, the more tightly they’d be wound into my life.
NOVA
My lust felt wrong when the girls were present. Over the last few days, I had struggled with spending time with the three of them. Boone was so sexy, and my body craved his touch. Every time my lust took over, I felt guilty and sinful.
Swimming was normally a fun activity with the girls. Our new Baton Rouge house had a nice pool, and we spent plenty of time in the water whenever we visited. I never got flustered there. Of course, I didn’t have a wet Boone distracting me nearby.
“How come you don’t swim at the Sleepy Eye pool?” he asked and swam up behind me while the girls floated at the deep end.
“It’s a long walk,” Lyric told him again. “We can’t walk that far. We’ll fall down.”
“Why can’t you drive?” Boone asked and hugged me to his chest. “There’s a shower and bathroom for you to change after you swim.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” I mumbled.
“Or you were too shy to flash your fine ass for the entire neighborhood to see,” Boone whispered in my ear before letting me go and swimming closer to the girls. “My sister and I used to race when we were little. Goldie always beat me until I got bigger. Then, I crushed her.”
