Page 29 of The Red Zone
Truly, what was the worst that could happen? My lifelong enemy becoming an even bigger enemy? Please. I’d survive.
I looked over at October with an overly seductive expression and a fluttering sensation ignited in my stomach. Well, there was no turning back now.
He peered at me intently as I waded through the pool, moving close toward him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” My tone was smooth and sultry.
“Like you want to fuck me.”
“What? I’m not—”
Innocence. He always fell for it. I was certain this time would be no exception.
“The only thing you’re not… is a good liar.” He lifted his arms off of the water and placed his elbows on the edge. His arms looked huge. It was like some weird kind of bicep porn, and his tattoos made it unnecessarily hotter. “You’re not fooling anyone, Mae. I see how you look at me. It’s the same way you’ve looked at me for weeks. The heat in your eyes when we’re sparring together. The way you try to stop yourself from arguing with me, but end up giving in anyway. Just admit that you want me, Mae.”
I stared at him. In part because I hadn’t been looking at him in any kind of way prior to tonight, and I wasn’t sure whether or not I should laugh at his grave miscalculation. The only reason I didn’t call him on it was because once we started to argue, there wouldn’t be an end until one of us was crowned as winner.
“And what would you do if I said you were right?” My heart raced with every step as I moved closer to him. “That I was curious to see if Scarlett was right? You know… give into the heat of the moment.”
“Stop fucking around, Mae.”
“Come on. What’s the worst that could happen?” I blinked at him, slow and seductive.
He scoffed like he was pissed off, but I knew somewhere in his pea sized brain he was weighing his options. Considering whether or not he should give into the temptation right in front of him.
“I don’t know… I could contract an incurable STI from you. Or—"
“Or let loose and have the most earth-shattering sex you’ve ever had in your entire life?” I cut him off.
“Doubtful.”
“Won’t know until you find out.”
He swallowed.
“Twenty minutes.”
“Twenty minutes, what?” He analyzed me, rubbing along his jaw.
“If I wanted to, I could have your mouth between my legs in twenty minutes.”
Probably less, but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because I’m sure he’d try to talk himself out of going all the way because of his weird celibacy vow. What kind of twenty-six-year-old professional athlete willingly stopped having sex for seven months out of the year? It was weird, right?
A low laugh rambled from his chest. “I’d love to see you try.”
I lifted my hands out of the pool, and flicked the water off of them as I reached for the bathing suit strings that were tied in a bow in the middle of my back. October ran a hand through his hair, not noticing as I squinted past him to check the clock on the outside of the pool house.
Go time.
Pulling the long end of one of the strings, I felt my bathing suit loosen around my torso. I took another step closer to October, leaving two feet of space between us, if that. It was always so easy to notice when he was stuck in his head, because he would stare blankly into the distance for a minute before raising a brow as he tried to find reason for the questions in his head.
Lucky for me, that gave me the perfect amount of time to untie the things around my neck, leaving my bright blue bikini top floating in the water.
When he finally came out of his trance, his mouth dropped open.
“What? You said it’d work better if I was naked next time.” I batted my eyelashes at him.
“I said itmightwork better,” he mumbled, raking his eyes over me boldly as he lied through his teeth.
