Page 83 of Masked Sins
He’s standing a few feet away from me, wearing tight swim shorts that cling to his ass muscles. His back is wide and strong, his large muscles knitting together with every movement. A black tattoo snakes down his right arm and all down the right side of his back.
My hand involuntarily reaches for the handle of the patio door. It clicks open, and I step out just as he turns to face me.
Fortunately, I don’t seem to be the only one left speechless.
His mouth drops open slightly as he takes me in, but then his face drops into his usual cocky smirk. He begins walking to the pool.
“I’m going to do some laps,” he says brusquely.
“Me too.”
I don’t swim often, but moving in the cool water feels nice. And the view? Incredible. All of Crestwood and Los Angeles is open before me, and it feels like I’m swimming in some exclusive club rather than my stepbrother’s apartment. The pool has no edge—the water falls off the side into an infinity-type design, and there’s a glass railing that overlooks the city. A few deckchairs are on the opposite side of the pool with what looks to be a state-of-the-art outdoor kitchen.
It’s very fancy, but it doesn’t scream Orion. Then again, how would I know that?
I submerge myself and dip my head, taking my scrunchie out and letting my hair fall down my back before leaning against the wall of the shallow end. Orion swims closer, popping up right in front of me. I try to scoot back but I’m pressed against the wall and too surprised to do anything.
He lifts a hand and runs his index finger over the strap of my bikini before I even have a chance to react. “Pretty swimsuit,” he murmurs, smiling. “Did you wear it just for me?”
My skin pebbles as my mouth drops open, and I justknowhe can see the way my nipples harden at his touch. I can’t breath—and he only moves an inch closer as if he’s going to say something else.
But then he pushes away, swimming freestyle away from me.
God. He’s such an arrogant jerk sometimes.
I continue standing against the opposite wall and watch as he moves fluidly through the water, attempting to catch my breath.
He must swim a lot. He’s not even out of breath when he stops right in front of me and pops up from the water, wiping his face and flicking his hair to the side.
“You know, it’s rude to stare.”
My chest burns with embarrassment. My skin is still tingling from where he touched me a minute ago.
“I was just admiring your cardiovascular health. You’re not even out of breath. How many laps do you do every day?”
He smirks and moves closer again so he’s only a few inches away, but this time I’m more prepared. We’re standing in the shallow end, so the water only comes up to my waist. I don’t let my eyes wander down to his chest as he gets closer, but I can seehow the water collects and drips off his perfectly hewn pectoral muscles.
“A lot,” he says, his voice husky. “There are certain… extracurricular activities that require peakcardiovascular health,” he adds, his lips pulling into a lopsided smile.
I’m panting from the heat. That’s all. It’s over a hundred degrees out, and despite the pool being cold, I’m sweating and not breathing from theheat.
“That’s good. Your girlfriend must be pleased,” I retort, instantly regretting it when a large smile breaks out on his face.
“Oh, she is.”
I clench my jaw and cross my arms, trying to think of something to say to change the subject andnotimagine what it would be like to sleep with Orion.
“I like your tattoo,” I tell him, pointing at the pointe shoes visible on his left pectoral.
His lips twitch. “Thank you.”
“Did you get it for your mom?” I ask, my voice soft as I wipe the water off my cheeks.
Orion’s eyes twinkle like he’s keeping a secret—but before I can ask why he’s not answering, he turns around and swims away from me.
When he’s on the other side of the pool, I start to do the breaststroke. My nipples are hard from the cool water, and that only enhances the arousal pulsing through me. My mind wanders to the image Starboy sent the other night, and as I swim, my arousal gets more potent. It doesn’t help that Orion swims beside me, his muscles flexing with each fluid movement through the water. I lick my lips, and when I get to the middle of the pool, I turn over onto my back and begin to float.
How is it thatbothmen make me feel so alive? It should be easy—I should be able to turn it off for Orion. After all, we grew up together. He’s always been my stepbrother in mymind. Except that’s not true, either. Before we stopped talking, somethinghadshifted between us. I remember my eighteenth birthday, specifically, and the way it somehow feltdifferentwhen he placed his arm around my shoulders during dinner. He’d dropped his arm and never touched me like that again—like he could sense when things had shifted, like me.
