AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There’s no reason to spend money on swimwear either.”
“Asinine argument number two over and done.” I check an invisible box. “Let’s go.”
“What was number one?”
“That power play during my first yoga class.”
A shy smile crawls up her face. “Your face was priceless.”
“You were sexy as fuck, and I spent the whole meeting after trying to think of gross things to avoid getting hard.”
Her eyes crinkle at the corners. “Really? I thought you were arrogant and wasting my time.”
I grab her chin and use my thumb to move her bottom lip, adjusting my voice to a higher pitch. “Just kidding. I wanted to climb you like a tree and have your Thor cock stuff me until I choked.”
She laughs and turns away from me. “Yeah, no. Didn’t even cross my mind.”
“Woman, you bruise me.”
“Your ego, maybe. Now... let’s do this.” She extends a hand.
“Not even a little?” I ask, fearing another rejection.
“Nope. I thought you would eventually give in. You’re too competitive to not take every tool to make yourself better.” Quietly, she adds, “I still think that. Now I also think of Thor and him hammering me, so you got what you wanted.”
I lead her out the door and to the pool. We bandaged her leg as best as we could. Lots of ointment, Saran Wrap, athletic tape, more plastic wrap, more tape. She looks like we might have to unwrap her for two days, or cut her out of the plastic, but she refuses to evaluate me from the sidelines.
Before we even make it there, the French doors off the great room open. “Pay the woman her paper, Layton. Y’all took long enough. Were you stretching it out so you could steal her money? I’m heading upstairs for a nap. If I’m not up in two hours, wake me?”
“Done,” Livy hollers over my shoulder. “We’ll save the money. Margaritas on me when Kimpton allows for it.”
“You’re on!”
She closes the door and Livy stands on the stairs in the shallow end.
A year ago, I didn’t worry about handrails. Today, I wonder when I’ll stop thinking like a man who needs them, even if I refuse to admit it. I clamp my jaw and remind myself to fall forward if I think I’m going to slip. Better a face full of water than the impact on my tailbone.
I make it unscathed, except for my adrenaline, which is spiked, and my mind, which is fucked. When will this ever go away?
“Layton?” Livy’s hands move on me. Her fingers move through the scruff on my face. “Tell me about the beard.”
“What?”
“Why the beard?”
“Why not?”
“When was the last time you had one?”
“Scruff? Lots. A full beard? Never.”
“Guessing you don’t want to be seen right now?” She ducks under the water, not waiting for an answer.
I submerge my body, shirt and basketball shorts still in place, and dip back to float and relieve the pressure in my hip and back.
When Livy pops back up, she’s at my head, her arms under my lats using her fingers to straighten my shoulders. She eventually moves around, lifting my hips, holding my back without tension, but aligning my spine. “Where does it feel the best?”
“Where you’re touching me.”
