“Staying for the night? Yes. I promised you private swimming lessons. It’s why I had Shana help you buy a swimsuit.”
“Oh, but my swimsuit…”
“Is already here,” Angelo said as the elevator doors opened to a hallway. There was a single door at the end of the hallway that led to the penthouse. After Angelo opened the door, she found one of her brand-new suitcases sitting in the living room beside one of the green ones for Angelo.
“How on earth—” she just shook her head.
“Asher and Colton are closet romantics,” Angelo said with a shrug. “You should have everything you need in there. Including your bathing suit.”
He led her through the stunning suite which was a mixture of lavishly decorated and yet somehow felt comfortably lived in at the same time. She spotted a guitar on a stand next to some very sparkly little girl boots. She’d learned from Veronica that Thad played the guitar and sang. He’d met Veronica at an open mic night at her coffee shop. The guitar had to be his.
“Are those kids shoes?” she asked.
“They’re Lyra’s,” Angelo said with a grin. “Thad brings Veronica and Lyra up to the penthouse when they want to spend the night downtown. There are four bedrooms, a living room, akitchen and of course the indoor pool.” He pointed to the foggy glass door ahead of them. When he pushed the door open, she glimpsed a small pool and a hot tub built into the roof. Steam rose up from the pool’s surface but thankfully didn’t block out the view of the stars through the glass ceiling above.
“Why don’t we change and get wet?” He teased with a wicked grin.
Kara followed him into the master bedroom, still partially in a daze as Angelo retrieved their suitcases and set them on the two luggage stands. When she opened hers, she found her toiletry kit, a change of clothes, her pajamas, as well as her bathing suit. Her bathing suit was a two-piece dark forest green suit. It wasn’t overly skimpy thankfully, but she still felt a little shy as she removed it from the suitcase. Yes, Angelo had seen her naked, had made love to her, but somehow this felt… different. Not that she could explain why. She snuck into the bathroom, unzipped her gown and removed her sandals, underwear and jewelry before she slipped into the bikini. When she was done, she found the bedroom empty and tiptoed toward the door that led to the pool.
Angelo stood at the edge of the pool wearing dark blue swim trunks. His back was to her and he suddenly dove in, the move so effortless that his body barely made a splash. Angelo was strong, sexy and graceful. And there she was, awkward, and yet…so turned on her skin was almost burning with heat. She approached the far end of the pool where there was a silver handrail and steps leading down into the shallow end of the pool.
Angelo’s body glided sleekly beneath the water toward the steps. Then he surfaced just as Angelo slicked his dark hair back as he rose out of the water.
“I promise you it’s warm,” he said with a grin.
She placed one foot into the water testing the temperature. It was warm, perfectly warm. She stepped down once, then again, the water slowly enveloping her up to her breasts. Angelo’s eyes hadn’t left her face as he slowly walked through the water toward her.
“I like your bathing suit.” He reached up to touch her hips and stroked the gold rings that held the bikini bottom together on the sides. It was a very flirty kind of suit, leaving a lot covered but hinting with some bare skin in places. She was surprised that it was comfortable and was glad there was no thong. Her top was tied around the back of her neck in a bow and another gold rings connected the two cups lifting her breasts up a little.
“And here I was thinking you were crazy to go swimming in the winter.”
She realized in that moment what a wintry night it actually was. It was New Year’s Eve. She didn’t mention that to Angelo. They planned to stage a breakup in the new year. As she stood close to him in the warm water she knew that she didn’t want to stage that fake break-up. She wanted this to be real. She wanted to keep him. Angelo held up his hands, catching hers as they met in the shallows.
“Ready to hold your breath?” he asked.
She nodded and they both plunged down beneath the surface together. She blinked against the water around her and stared Angelo’s face illuminated in the glow of the underwater lights.
They pulled her close, their mouths meeting in a kiss underwater before he urged her to the surface again.
Laughing, she pushed her wet hair back and wiped water from her eyes.
“Let’s start at the beginning.” He urged her to lay on her back in the water. He kept her up on the surface with one hand on the small of her back. She stared up at the stars above, enjoyingthe weightless feeling and Angelo’s hand touching her. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he gazed down at her.
“To float in this position you need to slightly cup your hands and move them in a gentle rhythm back and forth across the surface of the water. You press down slightly with your hands near your hips.” He cupped one of her hands and shoved her how to do as he was instructing. “Move the water beneath you as you continue to push it down. Like your hands are paddles moving back and forth on a horizontal plane it will keep you afloat. Try it.”
He removed his hand from her back and she moved her hands like he’d shown her. She stayed afloat, only dipping down in the water a little.
“Good, good.” He helped her to stand in the water again. “Now, swimming in any direction, you can use those slightly cupped hands like paddles. He bent over the water showing her his fluid arm movements as he performed the crawl stroke. She carefully studied how his hands moved and how he turned his head as he pretended to breathe.
“I’ll do a single pass down and back, going slow. Watch me carefully.” He slid deeper into the water and began to swim. She was so lost in watching the beauty of his body that she forgot to watch his stroke entirely.
When he returned to her, her face flushed. “Could—could you do it again? I forgot to focus.”
With a chuckle, he dove into the water again. He barely created a splash at all, his hands elegantly dipping in the water as he swam down and back again.
“Ready to try?” he asked. “Remember that the other part of the pool is the deeper end, but don’t panic. Remember your hands will get you to the surface if you keep your fingers together and slightly cupped.”
She ducked down into the water and propelled herself forward as she’d seen Angelo do, then she was moving through the water! She kicked her legs in a steady rhythm and held her breath, moving her arms in sure careful strokes. Her body moved easier and faster than she expected with the efficient pull of her arms.
