All the Waters of the Earth (Giving You ... #3) Read Online Free Page B

I going to do with my neighbor?
    The following evening, after Rob went to bed, I sat outside on my porch in the dark, looking at the lights making the pool water dance and drinking a Skinny Girl margarita. Early winter in California meant a slight chill in the air, but I’d wrapped up in a sweater and enjoyed the peaceful evening. When I’d almost finished my drink, Jake’s sliding glass door opened and he came out, holding a bottle of 805 beer and wearing a tight, dark gray t-shirt and plaid pajama pants, barefoot. Even his feet were attractive.  He headed to the edge of the patio to look at the pool, not noticing me.
    “Hey, neighbor,” I called out quietly.
    “Lucy,” he responded, and walked over to me. He glanced at my drink, said “Cheers,” and leaned over the low wall that separated our patios, clinking his bottle with my margarita glass. “How was your day?”
    “I got a lot of work done.”  I had and it felt so satisfying.
    “Me too,” he said. “But now I need to unwind. You go in the pool, right?” I nodded, secretly laughing, thinking of how I’d met him in my bikini. “How’s the water?”
    “It’s great. They heat it so you can swim all year long. You should try it.”
    He looked at me. “Only if you come in with me.”
    Okay.
    “Now?”
    “Sure,” he answered. “That is, if you want. It’s a nice night, you know?”  Even better with him.  “We should take advantage of the fact that we live in Santa Barbara.”  He looked at me like there was more that he wished he could take advantage of than just the amenities of the complex.
    I nodded. “Okay.  I’ll change and meet you down there in five minutes.”
    I went back inside, set my glass on the kitchen counter, and checked on Rob, who was fast asleep. Gotta be a mom first.  I taped a note to his door that said, “At the pool—Mom.” Then I quickly changed into my white bikini with red hearts all over it, piled my hair on the top of my head, grabbed a towel and the key to the pool, and tiptoed down to the pool in the quiet night.  Although units surrounded the pool, some with lights on, some without, it felt like everyone had gone to bed and we were all alone outside.
    Jake paced on the coping at the edge of the pool, wearing his t-shirt and long, dark blue swim trunks. He didn’t see me approaching.
    As I walked toward the pool fencing, he reached behind his head and pulled at the neck of his t-shirt, taking it off, and I responded physically.
    Oh my.
    My neighbor looked dapper in his suits.  But out of one? Now that was really something to talk about. A fit guy, his chest muscular, his stomach flat, he didn’t so much look like a bodybuilder, but rather a guy who simply kept in good shape. I gaped at his soft-looking skin, not as tan as mine.  I wanted to touch him, everywhere.  He turned toward me and saw me, his dark eyes catching mine in the half-lit night.  My eyes went to his chest.  A little bit of hair, not much, a little bit of hair below his belly button, extending into the low waistband of his swim trunks, not much.  Just right.  His broad shoulders and narrow waist formed that classic triangle. Toned arms and broad pectoral muscles rounded out the view. 
    Yummy.
    All I wanted to do was nestle myself into his arms and see what his chest felt like against my cheek, what his nipple felt like on my tongue, what his back felt like when I clawed at it.
    Instead, as he watched me, I set my towel on a chaise lounge, took off my heeled sandals, and dipped a toe into the pool, which registered as a comfortable, warm temperature.
    Then I turned around, away from him, and walked to the shallow end, feeling his eyes on my ass the whole time. I grinned to myself. If you got it, flaunt it. I wiggled in, and dog paddled over to where he stood on the side of the pool.
    “Are you going to come?” I asked, blatantly embracing the innuendo.
    “Yeah.” He smirked and dove into the pool next to me, splashing me and