The person in the lane beside me straightened. Water dripped down broad shoulders and over a chest I knew too well. He squinted at me like he couldn’t quite place me. For a second, relief flickered. Maybe he wouldn’t recognize me beneath the cap and goggles. Then his expression shifted.
“Claire?”
Great.
Heat rushed to my face, even though I was half submerged in chlorinated water.
“You were in my lane,” I said defensively.
“You drifted,” he countered.
Typical.
He pushed wet hair back from his forehead, studying me more closely now.
“You swim?” he asked, sounding almost impressed.
“I used to compete,” I replied.
That surprised him. His eyebrows lifted slightly.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, needing to redirect.
“I taught an MMA class. I like to come for a swim after. It’s a good release for my muscles,” he said.
Of course it was. The universe clearly had a sense of humor. Silence settled between us. The pool echoed faintly with the hum of the filter system.
“You always seem to have a way of barreling into my life,” he suddenly said, and that ticked me off.
“You always seem to be getting in my way,” I countered and ripped off the goggles.
He held my gaze. I was still breathing hard from the laps. Then it felt like the air shifted between us.
“Is that such a bad thing?” he asked, the fight leaving his tone.
That did something to me and I softened inside. “I don’t know. I came here with a plan to get answers, and you keep getting me off track.”
“I’m not much of a planner,” he countered.
“What does that feel like?” I asked, genuinely wanting to know. I had never been someone who drifted. Not even before Sophie disappeared.
“Liberating,” he said. “I used to come and go as I pleased.”
“What changed?” I asked curiously.
“Eric getting married. My family needed me to step in.”
“Right,” I said. He had mentioned something about that before.
“And being a wanderer can get kind of lonely,” he admitted.
He licked his lips. My gaze dropped to his mouth. I thought of his glorious tongue and the way he ate me with such hunger. Something in my lower belly clenched, and I took a deep breath. I licked my lips and swallowed the excess saliva in my mouth.
“I’m going to kiss you now, Claire, so if you don’t want me to, say something. Push me away. Do anything. Because right now I need my lips on you,” he said, swimming toward me slowly.
I had time to back away. To protest. But that’s not what I wanted. What I wanted was him kissing me breathless. When he reached me, he moved us toward the wall and then his lips landed on mine. Wet. Warm. A heated current buzzed through me, burning every inch of my body. My arms wrapped around his shoulders. He pinned me to the wall. The kiss was fast, wet, and filled with lust. I moaned into his mouth.
“I’m going to touch you, Claire,” he said, breaking the kiss for a moment.