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Kye McBride had been Carson’s best friend in high school. He’d been up to the house to help Carson several times and would’ve come up more if he didn’t have so much work on his family’s ranch. He taught math at Lark Springs High.
Carson had never thought about Kye working with Olivia before. Did her dislike for Carson’s friends extend to Kye or did the two get along now? He’d have to ask Kye about that the next time he talked to him. “On Monday, I need you to work here with the rest of the crew. But I’ll take your thoughts about the paint color into consideration.”
“Fine.” She turned and strode away, muttering, “Taking my thoughts into considerationwouldbe a first.”
So that’s how that day went. On Sunday, he didn’t see Olivia in the morning, which was fine. She had the day off, and he was relieved he wouldn’t have to constantly check on her to make sure none of his crew had gone AWOL to flirt with her.
Midday she went to the pool. He knew this because when he walked outside to speak to the deck crew, Carson found the whole lot of them nearly at a standstill, watching her glide through the water. She wore a black swimsuit that showed off her curves.
She wasn’t tan. Just the opposite, in fact. Her long dark hair and black suit emphasized her pale skin. She looked like Snow White out for a swim. Carson was used to seeing bronzed beauties at the pool or beach. Somehow Olivia’s fair skin was even more eye-catching.
Carson conducted his business with the deck crew, reminded them that they needed to actually look at the boards in order to nail them together, and hiked over to the pool to talk to Olivia. He waited for her at the shallow end.
She was swimming slowly, lazily almost. Her arms arched out of the water, caressing it more than pushing through it. Her form wasn’t studied or precise. He could tell she’d never been on a swim team, but her movements still had enough grace that it was hard not to watch her.
Well, her grace and a few other things drew his attention. He probably shouldn’t be taking in the length of her body the way he was, letting himself stare outright. It was hard not to imagine what it would be like to touch that wet and glistening skin. It was hard not to wonder…
He took a deep breath to clear his mind. Man, it had been too long since he’d had a girlfriend. He was going into withdrawal. Thinking crazy thoughts. And if he was getting this sidetracked by Olivia, what chance did his crew have?
She glided up to the edge of the pool and looked at him questioningly. “Do you need something?”
Oh yes. So many things. “What are you doing out here?”
“You said I could have Sunday off,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, because you told me you were religious and wanted to do churchy things.” He waved his hands in a circle as though presenting the scene as evidence. “This isn’t a churchy thing.”
“I couldn’t go to church. I’m a prisoner here, remember? Just like Belle. And you don’t have a library so I had to make do with the pool.”
“Churchy things,” he emphasized. “You threatened to call my pastor if I made you work on the Sabbath and then you showed up here in your swimsuit.”
“It’s a pool. You’re supposed to wear a swimsuit.” She cocked her head in mock confusion. “Haven’t you ever seen all those signs at public pools that say you can’t wear street clothes in the water? I just figured you wouldn’t want me to wear my pajamas or tennis shoes.”
Was she really this clueless as to the effect she had? He jerked a thumb in the direction of the deck. “See all those guys? They’re working a lot slower with you out here. You’re too…” Beautiful. Alluring. Desirable. He couldn’t bring himself to say any of those words. “Distracting,” he settled on.
“Then why are you over here scolding me instead of over there scolding them?”
Yep, clueless. He lifted his hands in frustration. “Oh, I don’t know. I figured I wouldn’t try to change thousands of years of human nature with one stern lecture.”
“Fine. Next time you hold me captive, I’ll bring a wetsuit.” She pushed off the edge and swam in the other direction, clearly ignoring him.
He walked down to the other end of the pool and waited for her there. He would try a different tactic. He wasn’t staying to prolong his time with her or stare at the way her long legs cut through the water. Or to consider the curve of her waist. And other curves.
When she reached him, he said, “With your skin type, you’ll burn to a crisp in about five minutes. I’m only thinking of what’s best for you. You should go back to your room.”
She sighed, swept up to the edge, and held onto it to talk to him again. Her dark hair puddled and swayed around her shoulders. “If you didn’t want me to swim, you should’ve made a sweeping, vaulted library in the house. I don’t know what else to tell you.”
“I’ll download some ebooks on your phone.”
She shook her head. “It’s not the same. Captives want a room with so many shelves you need a ladder to reach them.”
“I’ve got rooms. I’ve got ladders. Take your pick.”
“Metal ladders aren’t the same.” She was getting ready to push off and start swimming again.
“Don’t think I’ll let you skip work tomorrow if you have a sunburn. I won’t.”
“I’m wearing sunblock. And if you need to know, the reason I’m out here is I’m trying to loosen up my sore muscles so I’ll be able to work better tomorrow. The jacuzzi takes a while to heat up.”
