Page 31 of Summer Escape
It was like time had been suspended. My heart was pounding, heat pouring through my body, my fingers tingling with the desire to join her. To touch her, kiss her. To be with her.
It would be so easy. There was no one here but the two of us, and she was already naked.
When she'd mentioned getting out of the tub so I could shower, I'd come to my senses and got out of there. Alone in my bedroom, I berated myself for thinking about my roommate that way.
I'd seen her naked when we were teens plenty of times, but she'd definitely filled out since. She was a woman now, and I wanted to explore her body all over again. I wanted to get reacquainted with her, to discover all the amazing ways she'd changed.
When she called through the door that the bathroom was available, I wanted to ask her to stay. I wanted to take a shower with her. I wanted to soap her body and suck one of those nipples into my mouth.
Instead, I took note of the locked door that led to her bedroom and ran a cold shower, trying not to inhale the smell of lavender, the scent I'd always associate with her from now on. I showered as quickly as I could and then got out, blowing out the candles. I got dressed and headed downstairs, hoping she wouldn't ask me if I was looking at her naked body in the water. I wouldn't have a good answer for her.
She'd be appalled if she knew what I was thinking. It was so out of bounds for our arrangement that she'd have every right to kick me and Hayden out of the house.
I thought I was a gentleman, but confronted with a certain set of circumstances, I apparently lost all sense of reason and control.
Saylor had already set the table. I placed the covered fish platter in the center of the kitchen table we almost never used, preferring to sit at the counter or outside by the pool.
"How did it go with Hayden's friend?" Saylor asked, placing a serving spoon in the potato salad.
I carefully uncovered the fish, trying to figure out what she was talking about because I was fixated on how I’d walked into the bathroom and found her naked in the tub. Right, Hayden was with a friend. "It was fine. Her mother was there."
"You can trust Hayden," she said carefully, as if she was afraid of overstepping.
"It's hard to pull back on those protective instincts, especially as she gets older. What if boys come over?"
"She's still young yet," Saylor said, a smile curving her lips.
"She'll be dating before I know it." I served her fish that fell apart, just how I liked it.
"Oh, I think you'll see that coming and will be able to adjust." Saylor appeared to be amused by my comments.
I shuddered, not wanting to think about Hayden dating. "I wanted her to make girlfriends here."
"And she is. Mission accomplished," Saylor said as she spooned potato salad onto her plate.
But Hayden wasn't in the house, which is how I ended up walking in on Saylor in the bathroom. Would we be able to steer clear of each other while Hayden was gone? Would I be able to rein in my baser instincts?
The voice in my head reminded me that I'd already dated Saylor. It wouldn't be a big deal to start something up again. It wouldn't have to mean anything.
But even I knew that was a lie. This thing with Saylor had always been bigger than anything else I'd ever experienced.
"I'm sorry about earlier—" Saylor's cheeks were flushed. "I wasn't thinking about you coming home and needing to use the restroom upstairs."
"It was my fault. I should have knocked." Every time, no matter whether the lights were off or not.
"It was on me. I should have locked your door."
"It wasn't a big deal." It was a huge deal. I got an eyeful of her breasts that I'd never forget.
"Yeah?" Saylor asked, and I realized my mistake. I was sending her the message that I hadn't cared to see her naked.
"I mean, it's obviously a big deal. You were naked in the tub." Why was I stumbling over my words? I hadn't felt this awkward since I was a teenager taking a girl to a dance for the first time. I should be a lot suaver than this.
Saylor looked up at me, her expression vulnerable. "You were able to see?"
"I should have looked away." I didn't have any regrets.
Her cheeks flushed pink.
