Page 42 of Teach Me Your Ways

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CECE

Inoticed him watching me while I swam.

It wasn’t the first time. Grady had a habit of lingering when he thought I wasn’t looking. His gaze tracked my movements through the water like he was memorizing them. It didn’t bother me. If anything, it amused me.

The water had always been my element—my dad was a diver, and he’d dragged me out to the ocean every chance he got while Mom was off flying somewhere. I could hold my breath longer, move faster, and glide smoother than anyone else in training.

Grady was getting to see it first-hand.

I loved the feeling of being weightless. Even if I was weighted down with gear. It was freeing.

Finally, after what felt like hours of drills, he called it. “We’re all good. Done for the day. Good job, everyone.”

Lina looked like she was about to collapse. Then again, she’d probably only eaten two celery sticks for breakfast in some misguided attempt to stay “bikini ready.” As if any of us were here to model. She wobbled off to the locker room, too exhausted to even toss her usual flirty smirk Grady’s way.

“You killed it today,” Grady said, nodding at me as I pulled myself out of the pool.

I smirked, shaking water from my hair. “Just try to keep up.”

“I didn’t know I was dealing with a mermaid,” he joked.

“Just call me Ariel.”

“Is your song, Under the Cece?”

I groaned. “That’s terrible.”

We laughed together like it was the most natural thing in the world. Just a man and a woman having a nice time together. Not breaking any rules. Not crossing any lines.

“You could have told me you were dive certified before I implied you weren’t,” he said.

I grabbed my towel and rubbed my hair. “You assumed I couldn’t dive. I enjoyed proving you wrong.”

“And you definitely did that.” He grinned.

“You think Lina is going to be able to survive?” I asked, only half-joking.

Grady glanced toward the locker room where Lina had disappeared, then back at me. “She’ll be fine. The ocean dive site isn’t that challenging, and she’ll have both of us watching out for her.”

His eyes tracked a droplet of water as it rolled down my neck and disappeared beneath the neckline of my wetsuit.

“Good,” I said softly. “Sounds like she’s precious cargo.”

Grady’s jaw tightened, and I saw his hands clench at his sides like he was fighting the urge to reach for me.

“Cece,” he warned, but there was no real heat behind it. Just that familiar note of barely controlled want that made my stomach flip.

I took another step closer, close enough that I could smell his skin beneath the scent of chlorine. “What?”

“You know what.”

“Do I?” I tilted my head, letting my eyes drift down his chest.

Lina emerged in yoga pants and an oversized sweater, looking like a zombie. She mumbled something about needing coffee and shuffled out without another word.

I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know about that girl.”