Page 10 of Honey Bun
He pushed his hair back. He had no idea how he made my body tremble. “You can leave your pants on the beach.” He winked at me. “We’ll pick up new clothes before I bring you home.”
He was calm and collected. I was a disaster who Bob always said was never satisfied. I’d caused his anger, I realized. I’d truly failed at being a wife to Bob if Arman made my pulse speed up.
I left the water, and I heard how my pants squished as I walked to the rocks. As I reached to take them off, I said, “I’m sure they’ll dry, but you need to promise not to look.”
He wiggled his finger for me to join him again. In his private property in the cove, we were alone in the world. “I promise no such thing, and no one will see you except me. Remember, I’ve seen you in a bathing suit.”
I wiggled my stuck-to-my-body pants off and wished I was still the girl he knew, the one who knew nothing of the world. I went behind a rock and finished undressing. “That was before I gave birth. I never returned to that size.”
No more words were spoken. I tugged to check that my T-shirt covered my white cotton underwear. Then I headed back into the water, and his eyes widened. I went below the water for cover as I neared him.
He said, “You’re prettier now.”
Heat rose in my face. I splashed him back and plopped into the water to swim. “Arman, that’s sweet, but I saw pictures of you and your fancy dates online.”
He did the breaststroke beside me. “Most of my ‘relationships’ don’t last more than a month.”
I slowed down. Bob had not only turned the entire congregation we’d belonged to against me, but he’d also had relations outside our vows. Arman was single and handsome, and there was nothing between us.
I lowered my head. “Why? Because you enjoy the single life of a trillionaire?”
“No.” He stopped and treaded water beside me. “Because no one else compares to you.”
The memory of when he kissed me for the first time in these very waters replayed like a vision. I let out a sigh and let go of that fantasy. We weren’t on track for romance, and I knew I was reaching.
To steer the conversation away from my wishes, I said, “You’re still a sweetheart, Arman, and you know just what to say to calm me down. If I take this job, I need to know my daughter will thrive. Neither of us has ever lived in the city.”
He came closer, and my heart leapt. His voice was low. “If you’d let me know you as a friend and not a boss, I could help.”
I deflated like a balloon. He’d stated the truth—he just wanted to be friends. This was why I hadn’t asked him about the women he’d mentioned.
“How?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I can ensure that you have a nanny for your daughter, and you won’t have to pay. It will be my gift. I’ll make sure she has everything she needs while you settle.”
I pressed my lips together. I hadn’t expected that offer. I shook my head. “I don’t want someone interfering in my relationship with my daughter.”
He playfully splashed a little water my way, missing me entirely. “Up to you, but you’d be the boss, not anyone else.”
“Okay.” I continued to swim. He stayed close, and I said, “Friends?”
His gaze narrowed, probably because of the sun and the water. “For now.”
I lowered my head in the water to muffle my response as we swam. “Ohh.”
“I can wait for good things,” he said between our strokes.
Like me,I thought, finishing that sentence the way I wanted. I treaded water and splashed him this time. He stopped, and I said, “You’ve never waited for anything in your life.”
He lifted his shoulders. “I’m learning.”
I threw my head back and laughed. If I took him seriously, I would be in trouble. “And you’re still flirting. You were always irresistible when you did that.”
He moved next to me, and his voice was low. “You were the only one who ever said no.”
The charm oozed off him. I’d missed him. I swam toward the open waters. “Oh, is that why when we were kids…?”
I trailed off. I wasn’t able to ever mention our innocent kisses of years before.
