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Now, I closed my eyes and let the water run over my face.It had been six years.He hadn't forgotten me.I sucked in a breath.I certainly hadn't forgotten him.The skin on my breasts and abdomen tightened in response to my memories.The way he touched me, the way he kissed me...
Stop!I couldn't let myself remember those things.I was married and he had a wedding ring on too.It certainly hadn't skipped my attention, although I purposely hadn't asked about it.I didn't want to know.And it didn't matter anyway.I was here with Andrew.The point of this trip was to fix things.For Ben.
The water was still too hot; I adjusted the tap so cold water streamed down, cooling my skin and my memory.
Despite everything, when Leo touched me and held my hand, there was no denying the sparks between us.Andrew had seen them too.I groaned and turned the taps off.I couldn't see him again.It wasn't a good idea.Besides, it was a big hotel.I could avoid him.I had to.
Grabbing a towel from the rack, I wrapped it around my shivering body and went into the room.Andrew was lying across our bed, fully clothed, snoring.
Thank God.
I didn't bother with pajamas and slipped into the other bed, pulling the blankets tight around me.
There's no point.I can't see him again.
"I won't see him again," I whispered to myself.
I had gone to bed resolute in my decision.I wasn't going to see him again.It was the right thing to do.The responsible thing.Married women weren't supposed to respond to complete strangers the way I had with him.And after almost six years, he was a stranger.So the best thing was never to see him again.Then there wouldn't be any question of appropriate responses.
But my subconscious had different ideas.My dreams were full of visions of Leo.A mixture of past memories and my imagination combined to create vivid images that woke me more than once, my body on fire with the thought of him.
It doesn't count if I saw him in my dreams.After all, I couldn't control that.
Right?
So, since I'd already technically seen him in my dreams, it probably wouldn't make a difference if I ran in to him by accident.
At least that's how I reasoned it to myself when I changed into my bathing suit and slipped out of the room at dawn.Andrew was still snoring in our bed, oblivious of everything.Even if I hadn't have been extra quiet, he wouldn't have noticed my absence.
As soon as I pushed through the heavy glass doors leading from the casino to the deck, the difference in atmosphere was distinct.Cut off from the chaos inside, the gardens were an oasis of calm.Later in the day, they would transform into a wet dance party.But for now, it was serene.It was only six thirty but the air was already thick with heat as the sun worked its way up in the sky.The water would be a welcome relief.
There was only one other swimmer working his way across the pool with clean, easy strokes.I took the lane next to him.
I didn't have goggles with me or even a proper suit for swimming laps.It had been years since I'd swam seriously, so I hadn't bothered to pack anything.The green bikini I was wearing was a gift from Nicole last summer when we went to the lake for a weekend.She was still on her never-ending quest to get me into something sexier than my black tank suit.I'd only worn it the one weekend, but this trip seemed like a good time to bring it out.
Conscious of my skimpy bikini, I sat on the edge of the tiles and slid into the cool water instead of diving as I once would have.I pointed my hands over my head and pushed off the wall with my feet.
I rocketed through the water and when I broke the surface, slipped into my old rhythm of a front crawl.It felt good.More than good.The water streaming past my body, the slight burn of my muscles as they stretched and pulled, made me feel alive.Like I had finally woken up.At some point, I passed the other swimmer, approached the end, seamlessly took a breath, tucked under and executed a perfect flip turn, pushing off the wall.
I still had it.
How could I have ever given this up?I swam throughout my pregnancy because when I floated, I felt weightless and it gave my back a break from the heaviness in my belly.But after Ben was born, there was never any time to get to the pool.Andrew didn't like to be left alone with the baby.He said he didn't trust himself, that he wasn't good at the dad thing.And when Ben got older, life got busier.Somehow, swimming, like most things, took a back seat.
With every stroke I took, I increased my speed.As I approached the far wall, I took a deep breath, preparing myself, and dove under for the flip.But there was a body standing where I planned to make contact.In a rush of air, I blew out hard and bubbles spewed from my mouth.I pulled up and broke the surface, coughing and spitting, directly in front of the man standing in my lane.
Leo.
"I'm sorry," he said."I didn't mean to get in your way.Are you okay?"
"What are...what are you doing here?"I finished coughing and wiped the water from my eyes.
"I was swimming," he said with a glint in his eyes.
Of course he was; I knew he'd be here.Wasn't that the reason I'd come down to the pool this morning?I was hoping he would remember.And he had.Only I didn't expect him to be in the water, let alone standing inches in front of me, naked from the waist up with drops streaming from his hard chest.
If time had affected his body, it was only for the better.The urge to run my hands across his stomach filled me.How was it possible that after six years he could look better than ever, while I...I crossed my arms over my exposed stomach.
I shook my head in an effort to focus."I can see that," I said."What I meant was, why are you swimming?"
