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They both look over at me, giving me a quick nod to let me know they heard me before going back to swimming circles around each other.
Sitting on the side of the pool, I swish my feet through the water. I’m only out long enough to take a breather. If I could bottle up their energy, maybe facing these hard decisions would be a little easier.
I knew better than to get involved with Chase. He may be separated, but the man is still married. He’s surrounded by drama. He managed to trap me right in the middle of it when he wanted to one-up Emily during that trip in Detroit by lying and saying we were together, and I fell right into his trap. I’m confident that if I hadn’t fake kissed him that day, nothing else would’ve happenedbetween us.
Even thinking about that kiss sparks something inside of me. Chase Woodson is a charmer. He’s the type of man that somehow draws women in and makes them feel worthy. The way the man handled my body was nothing short of a miracle. He was careful and kind. He gave me exactly what I needed. That was until he decided he was done, and then things turned disrespectful. Maybe it was his way of pushing me away, of telling me without words that he was no longer interested.
I pull in a weak breath, smiling at the boys when they once again look over their shoulders to make sure I’m still close by.
“You’re fine,” I tell them. “Don’t worry about me.”
“They are not fine!”
I snap my head around in the direction of the angry voice.
“You’re home early,” I say stupidly, like the man doesn’t have a right to come and go from his house as he pleases.
“And it’s a good thing I am,” he snaps. “Boys, out of the pool.”
Grumbled complaints come from the boys as they swim toward the stairs to climb out.
Chase doesn’t bother to hide his hatred for me as well as he did last night.
“I told you the boys are not allowed to swim in the pool when I’m not home and out here with them. Is this what you’ve been doing? Letting them swim against my direct orders?”
I blink at him, confused.
I thought we’d moved past that phase where he didn’t fully trust me with his kids.
“I was watching them the entire time,” I say, trying to keep a calm tone.
I’m not exactly impressed with his implication that I’m not responsible enough to keep an eye on the two of them.
Without looking at the kids, he hands them each a towel as they approach him.
“Daddy, we begged her,” Cole says.
“She was swimming with us,” Cale adds. “She never went inside for snacks.”
Went inside for snacks?
I’d never leave kids in a pool. I wouldn’t even leave them on the decking with the warning not to get in because kids don’t listen when they’re excited to do something. Put a cookie in front of a hungry kid, tell them not to eat it and walk away, the cookie would be gone no sooner than the second you turned your back. I know better than to walk away from a tempted child.
“We need to talk later,” he says, his tone only a hair from being rageful.
It leaves me confused and once again on the verge of tears.
I turn my head back around, my eyes locked on the ripples inching along the surface of the pool.
I know he told me not to let the boys in the pool without him. It’s not something I forgot, but it was so hot today, and the boys were begging.
Maybe he’s only acting angry because he needs an out. Maybe this is his way of getting rid of me. I broke one of his rules, and despite the many rules we broke together, this is the one he can use to fire me.
I sit so long my feet begin to grow numb, forcing me to stand.
I’m heartbroken as I pull a towel from the rack and wrap it around myself.
I guess this was always supposed to happen. This job was never permanent. The second I lifted up on my toes and pressed my mouth to his in that hotel lobby, it was the beginning of the end. It’s been a glorious time, the way he’d grin from my doorway each night and sweep his eyes down any exposed skin with a salacious, hungry grin on his handsome face.
