I give myself a long look in the mirror before I leave. Addison Thomas dies tonight, at least in one person’s eyes. As for the rest of her… well, I don’t have to decide right now.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ward’s already up at the rooftop pool when I arrive. He’s abandoned his sling for the night, and he’s lounging in one of the chairs, his arms behind his head as he stares up at the stars. For a moment, I just stand at the door and stare at him. He looks so peaceful. His face is relaxed, his body spread out. I don’t mind the view one bit.
There are so many things I need to tell him. The truth about my identity. The fact that some reporter thinks he’s hiding some big secret. But those things can wait. I don’t want to think about them right now.
He glances over as I approach, and his face spreads into a smile. Butterflies explode in my stomach. God, I don’t want to lose him. Whatever this crazy thing is between us, I need it right now.
I don’t wait until I’m next to him. I strip off my clothes piece by piece, leaving a trail of garments behind me as I approach the pool. It’s balmy tonight, and the air is so warm and humid that I won’t be surprised if we get rain later.
“You’re eager tonight, aren’t you?” he says when I’m next to him.
“Not eager,” I tease, shimmying my panties down my legs. “Just thought I’d go for a swim.”
I don’t wait for his response. I turn toward the pool, letting my toes dangle over the edge for just the briefest of moments before I close my eyes and jump.
The water rushes around me, enveloping me, holding me close. It’s warmer than I expected, and I almost don’t want to come up to the surface again.
There’s a splash beside me, and Ward’s hand finds mine under the water. I open my eyes, and in the soft fluorescent glow of the pool lights, I see him smile.
We surface together. It isn’t deep here, and I let my feet sink to the bottom. The floor of the pool is covered in tiles of every shade of blue under the sun, so when you look down, it looks like the water goes on forever.
“And to think I thought you might take some convincing,” Ward says, still grinning.
“To go skinny dipping? This is minor league stuff.”
He laughs. “You’d be surprised. A lot of women won’t even try it.”
“A lot of women? Exactly how many have you brought up here?”
“That is a dangerous question, no matter how I answer it.”
“Mm. Do I scare you that much?”
He’s still laughing, and he brings his wet hands up to cup either side of my face.
“You’re the first one I’ve brought up here,” he says. “I promise.”
His eyes are suddenly serious, and I’m almost surprised to find that I believe him.
I move closer to him in the water. A scattering of raindrops has started to fall around us, hitting our shoulders and creating a series of ripple patterns across the surface of the pool, but I don’t care. We’re already wet. Why should a little rain stop us?
I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him. He responds with a moan against my lips, and his arms slide around my back, holding us together in the water. The energy between us is electric, a pulsing force that makes my toes tingle. I try to wrap my legs around him underwater, but he loses his balance and we both tumble back in the water.
We come up laughing.
“Warn me next time,” he says. He shakes his head, flinging his wet hair out of his eyes before reaching for me again.
But I’m already moving away from him, out toward the center of the pool. Once I’m past his reach, I push off the slick bottom of the pool and onto my back, letting myself float on the surface of the water. The sky is dark tonight. There are too many clouds to see the moon or any of the stars. But there’s still something very beautiful about the black expanse above us.
After a moment, I sense Ward floating beside me. Our arms brush against each other, and he stretches out his fingers, brushing the back of mine with the back of his. I close my eyes. For a moment, I just allow myself to feel. Feel the drop drop drop of the rain on my chest and belly and face. Feel the water of the pool supporting me below, like a thousand loving moving hands. Feel the soft heat of Ward beside me whenever the water pushes us together.
I don’t have to have all of the answers right now. I can just close my eyes and breathe and embrace the soft beauty of the world all around me.
I turn my hand, pulling Ward’s fingers into mine.
I want this for him, too. I want him to forget his anger and just be, if only for a while. He’s so quick to laugh, to smile, when he allows himself to escape from the pain that haunts him. We suit each other, he and I. Ward’s better for me than he ever could know. Better than Ian ever could be.
Ian. I still can’t believe that Ian called my brother. But I guess it makes sense. It was a way of getting back at me and helping me all in one go. Why aren’t I allowed to make my own decisions? Even if they’re mistakes—I’d rather have the freedom to make them and learn to deal with the consequences than let someone else call the shots in my life. Not Ian and not my brother. Both of them need to understand that I’m not like them. That sometimes I need to do dumb things to help figure out what the right things are.
The rain is coming down harder now, but I don’t mind. I suspect I’m crying, and I don’t want Ward to know.
His hand tightens on mine, as if somehow he can sense that I need the extra support.
I let my feet drop to the bottom of the pool. Ward stands up beside me, pulling me into his arms without a word.
He doesn’t kiss me, only holds me close to his chest. I don’t know how he knew I was upset. Even in the dark, on our backs, in the rain he was able to read me. But I don’t care right now. He holds me snugly against him, his thumb gently stroking my lower back. I didn’t realize how much I was shaking until I was pressed against the steady solidness of his body.
I turn my face into his chest, letting my lips brush against his skin. I kiss him softly on his collarbone, then tilt my head to leave another kiss on his throat.
“Come on,” he says after a moment. “Let’s get out of here.”
He leads me to the edge of the pool and helps me climb out. There are towels stocked in a small cabinet behind the bar, and we steal a couple to dry off. Ward uses his towel to help wring out my hair. When he’s done, he tucks the strands behind my ears.
“What color is it naturally?” he asks.