Page 13 of A Lady's Heart
She wanted to play it that way? Fine by him. He picked her up, careful to keep his grip light as he lifted her high and sent her flying into the open water to their right.
Mandy landed with a squeal and a splash, disappearing under the surface to come up sputtering and laughing at the same time.
They grinned at each other.
“Hey. No horseplay.”
Justin and Mandy glanced guiltily at the lifeguard standing in judgment over them.
“I’m so sorry,” Mandy offered. “I…slipped.”
Justin bit back a snicker as the guard gave them both dirty looks before walking away.
They were both on their best behavior as they got back into the class.
When all the bumping and jumping was over, Mandy slid next to him. “Hot tub?”
Oh, he could do that. Although, he’d really prefer if they were heading to a private hot tub where clothing would be optional instead of here with all the humans around.
He consoled himself by letting her climb out of the swimming pool first, enjoying how her hips swayed as she made her way up the ladder. The fabric of her suit clung to her as she turned and waited until he joined her.
They stepped down into the heated water together, and Justin let out a sigh of happiness.
“That wasn’t so bad,” he told her.
“It was fun. And we didn’t even get thrown out of the class.” Mandy batted her lashes.
He snorted. “Not for a lack of trying. Brat.”
“Hey, we successfully accomplished one task. Maybe we should put ‘get in trouble’ on my list so we’ve got more incentive to follow through.”
She pushed him ahead of her to the bench, and Justin settled in place, shoulders rising out of the water as he watched her and wondered what she was going to do next to drive him crazy.
They sat side-by-side, the force of the bubbling water enough to push her toward the middle of the pool.
“You don’t have enough weight to keep yourself in one place,” he teased as she threatened to float away completely. She didn’t expect the hand that crept over her back before wrapping around her waist, and Mandy tensed.
Justin pulled his hands away immediately, holding them at the surface of the water. “Sorry.”
She shook her head. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” she said firmly. “I’m a little jumpy, that’s all.”
She put her feet flat on the bottom until her shoulders rose above the surface of the water, increasing her weight so she could make her way back to the sidewall. More people were joining them, and the small, circular pool became crowded.
A man who’d been swimming lengths joined the crowd, and Justin tensed. Mandy glanced at him, but there seemed to be no reason—
Oh. He was was fighting to stop from putting himself as a buffer between the stranger and Mandy.
She moved instinctively to ease him, pressing herself against his side. “Lift your left arm,” she murmured. “I need something to hang on to.”
He chuckled as he raised his elbow to the surface, and she slipped her arms around it, pressing her torso against his triceps. Her knees bumped against his thigh, and the entire time the motion of the water rubbed her against him…
A low noise escaped before he choked it off in mid-rumble.
Mandy glanced down, and that’s when she realized men’s swimsuits were absolutely zero help when it came to hiding erections. Big, bear-sized erections, and if she wasn’t in the pool and all, she’d have had to find an excuse to explain the sudden rush of heat and moisture that hit betweenherlegs.
He wasn’t getting out of the pool anytime soon, not unless it turned icy cold, which wasn’t likely.
Distraction was needed.
