AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I force the air from my lungs and give my head a barely perceptible shake.
Not once have I ever felt beautiful.
More like average.
Dark brown hair and wide eyes that match in shade. My brows are thick but not overly so, and my cheekbones certainly couldn’t cut glass. My breasts are a little too generous. Definitely more than a handful. It’s one of the reasons I quit dance in high school when I started to feel self-conscious in a leotard. All that cardio kept me toned, but that’s no longer the case. My body is soft and curvy.
Heat fills my cheeks as self-doubt eats away at me.
“You are, Juliette. So fucking beautiful that it hurts to look at you sometimes.”
My eyes widen at the compliment.
It’s difficult to imagine him feeling that way about me. Not when he could have any girl that he wanted. The way they throw themselves at him is difficult to watch.
So I don’t.
To hear him state otherwise blows my mind.
“Are you gonna get in on your own or do I need to come get you?” There’s a beat of silence. “Because you know I will.”
The gruff promise in his voice has my core clenching. It’s carefully that I settle on the edge. A hiss of breath escapes from me when my ass hits the cool tile and I tentatively dip my toes in. Ryder’s eyes stay locked on me as I lower myself into the pool. My arms and legs slice through the water. It feels so odd not to be wearing a suit.
And yet…
There’s something strangely freeing about it.
I expect him to close the distance between us, but that’s not what happens. He gives me both the time and space I need as he continues to tread water a dozen or so feet away. As the quiet settles around us, my muscles gradually loosen. Even when I dip beneath the surface and swim a few laps, I’m still ridiculously aware of Ryder’s presence.
It’s always been like this with him.
Even when we were children.
There was just something about him that drew me and held my attention captive.
Shoving that thought from my head, I say, “One more thing to check off.” Even though I keep my voice pitched low, it still echoes off the cavernous walls.
“Yup. We’re working our way down the list.”
It doesn’t matter where I swim, he turns, gaze staying pinned to me. I’m never out of his line of vision.
“Maybe I should have asked for your help a while ago.”
“Why didn’t you?”
It’s not a question I need to think about. “Because we’ve never really been friends.”
He closes the distance between us one lazy stroke at a time until there’s no more than a foot of space to separate us. “We were always friends,” he says quietly. “I would have helped you with anything.”
Maybe.
“You’ve always been careful to keep your distance.”
“So have you.”
I lift my shoulders in acknowledgment. “It just seemed safer that way.”
“Guess we’re rectifying that situation.”
