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He shook his head and frowned. “Nope, still only getting bits. I’ll come closer.” He swam to the edge, until he was directly under her. “Sorry, tell me again.”
“I said—”
But nothing else came out, because he reached up, grabbed her, and tugged her into the pool. Rachel screamed until water filled her mouth. She kicked to the surface, wiping her face as she glared at him. “I am going to kill you for that.”
The lunatic laughed. “Aw, come on, Rachel, the situation was begging for it.”
“
No. It wasn’t.” She started swimming toward the steps.
The pool was about seven feet deep, except for a wide ledge around the edges, where the glass ended. That ledge varied in height, making it possible to sit in some parts of the pool. But right now, she was in the middle, and she couldn’t touch the bottom.
As she passed Harvard, a strong arm wrapped around her waist from behind. “You’re cute when you’re all wet.” He nuzzled the spot where her neck met her shoulder. “What will it take to make you forgive me?”
“There is nothing you could do that would make me forgive you.” She wriggled against his hold, their legs moving gently in the water, keeping them afloat.
“Nothing?” he whispered against her ear, and her body melted a little.
“No. That was uncalled for and juvenile.”
“Maybe a little,” he conceded. “But I’m trying to teach you how to play.”
“What you’re doing is driving me crazy.”
“Again?” His teeth nipped at her earlobe, making her clutch his arm. “I know how to fix your crazy. Didn’t I help with it yesterday? When we got home from work and you told me that I was too perfect?”
“I don’t recall that conversation.” She remembered the kiss though, all too well. “It couldn’t have been very memorable.”
“Then, let me remind you.” Before she could even decide if she wanted to object, he turned her and pinned her against the side of the pool, where she was able to stand on the ledge. The water lapped at her body, sliding over it in a sinuous tease.
“I told you that I didn’t want to kiss you again,” she said, sounding a little breathless.
He cupped her cheek, turning somber. “I won’t ever take anything you don’t want to give.” Suddenly, she found their positions reversed, with Harvard leaning back against the side of the pool and her standing between his legs. The width of the ledge made it impossible not to be within touching distance. “If you want me,” he said in that dark, deep voice that made her shiver, “you can have me. I’m all yours. I promise not to touch until you ask me to.”
Chapter Sixteen
Come on, Rachel. While Harvard outwardly appeared relaxed, inside he was a knot of desperation. You know you want to; come on. Take the step. Come to me. You know I’ll take good care of you. Come on…
Her usually guarded expression had disappeared, and the war of indecision waging inside her was written all over her face. Harvard said nothing; he just waited. Willing her to take the step toward him. Wanting her with every molecule of his being.
Dark hair fell in thick, tangled strands, clinging to her cheeks and throat before falling around her shoulders. The black silk of her tiny pajamas was plastered to her like a second skin, revealing everything. He wanted to look his fill at her lush curves, the swell of her breasts, the hard nubs of her nipples. But he couldn’t. Not yet. Maybe never if Rachel chose this moment to decide he definitely wasn’t worth risking her heart over.
Choose me, Rachel. Want me. Need me the way that I need you…
Eyelashes fluttered as her gaze met his. “This doesn’t mean anything,” she said, her upper-class English accent sounding a little rough around the edges.
Harvard didn’t reply. She was lying to herself. They both knew that if she touched him, it meant everything.
She watched her palms flatten on his chest as if in slow motion. Her pale pink skin stood in decadent juxtaposition to his own rich brown. They were a study in contrasts. She was slender and delicate; he was bulky and strong. She was classy and sensual; he was rough and raw in his sexuality. She could be volatile and cutting, while he was calm and measured. There was darkness within her, and he was more than willing to be her light.
If she let him.
“If you’re doing this to help me get over what happened to me, then I can tell you, it’s pointless,” she said absently, her fingers tracing the ridges of his abdomen. “I dealt with that a long time ago.”
“Rachel,” he said, his voice a rumble filled with need, “trust me when I say sexual healing isn’t foremost in my mind. You’re forgetting that I’ve been chasing your touch since the first moment I set eyes on you.”
“Oh, no, I remember.” Her smile was pure devilment. Most likely, she was replaying their first encounter, during which she’d slapped him.
