Page 36 of Hide and Keep

With my hand around her arm, I jerk her body to be in front of mine.

“Let’s take a look outside, shall we? See what we find.”

If that fucker isn’t in here, he’s probably out there somewhere.

“Help yourself. I didn’t get all my laps in yet so…”

Ever tries her bullshit again, but I catch her one-handed…also again.

“You just got done running a mini marathon. You’ll survive missing a couple laps.”

She fights me the entire way to the partition, but she’s short and the water makes her weightless, so I drag her over by her bicep, all while exerting minimal effort.

“Twenty-six laps.”

I snort. “That’s excessive.” Anything more than a few curls to lift her pom-poms would be.

“Just because you’re out of shape doesn’t mean—”

“I kept up with you the whole time.”

“Barely.”

I battle the urge to shrug or react in any way that’d make her think she won. Doesn’t matter how ugly it was, I still kept up. A few more runs together and I’ll be gapping her ass instead.

Probably. Her legs are pretty short.

They’re toned though. Like fucking jacked. I don’t know why the guys she fucks with waste time on her neck. If it were me, I’d be feasting on Ever’s thighs all night long.

But. It’s. Not. Because she hates me, I hate her, and she’s my…client? Is that what bodyguards call them? Or executive protection…whatever Arthur said. Agents? I don’t know the official jargon yet, but bottom line is I’m her guard and she’s my responsibility. I’m being paid—well—to be around her, so regardless how tempting her thighs may look—or would probably taste against my tongue—I will not be sinking my teeth into either of them and sucking until the only sounds coming from her mouth are incoherent screams of pleasure.

Although…shutting Ever up does add another layer of appeal.

“Go under,” I tell her at the glass. There’s not enough space to fit one head under, let alone two. We’ll both have to go underwater.

“No. You want to go out there, go ahead, but I’m staying—”

I fit my palm over her mouth and plug her nose with my thumb and index finger before tugging her below the surface. Holding my breath, I go with her, and the second we’re under,without any sound or distractions, we end up just staring at each other. Surprisingly she’s not fighting anymore, only studying me curiously as I slowly move us sideways.

Ever’s not so bad like this—silent and compliant. And the way she looks at me… It’s different from how other people do. They either shamelessly stare at my scar or they make it so insanely obvious that they’re trying to look everywhere but directly at it. Ever doesn’t do either. She just meets my eyes.

Except for now as they trail down my body, widening when they reach my waist. I follow her gaze, making sure my swim trunks—

Shit. I’m still in my motherfucking boxers. I didn’t consider my attire before coming down here. I just fucking ran.

So what? They cover as much as swim trunks do, they’re just a different material. And have a hole in the crotch…that’s currently gaping wide open. Fuuuck.

Ever’s hand enters my vision as she hesitantly reaches toward that opening. The water’s stinging my eyes the longer I keep them open, but I ignore the pain, riveted on Ever’s slim hand going right for my—

Pain erupts in my palm from Ever’s teeth biting into it. And that hand I couldn’t look away from? It becomes a fist with one solo finger sticking out from the rest as she flips me off. Her foot collides with my stomach next, making me release her and allowing her to shoot backward out of my reach.

We surface at the same time.

“You bit me!”

Sure enough there’s a complete mouth imprint of each and every one of Ever’s teeth wrapped around my palm where she clamped down on the middle and side of it. If she’d bit me under different circumstances, I’d be pretty fucking turned on right now.

As it stands now, I’m…still kinda turned on. She bit me. It hurt but…not in a bad way.

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