13. Kat

Chapter 13

I didn’t have a bunch of stuff prior to moving in, and even less after so much was destroyed. Honestly, it was hardly worth having movers, especially with a room that was already fully furnished with stuff way better than what I had. But Nathan had insisted he would pay for it so I could be with Addison instead of wasting my time moving my things. Not to mention, he didn’t seem keen on the idea of me going back there alone, not that I was either.

It sounded great at the time, but that also meant I went from living alone to a live-in nanny. Nowhere in that time did I think about the fact that I would have to swim. Addison had been so excited that she took off to get changed, and I was left standing in my room, staring down at my bikini.

It’s not as if it’s a string bikini; no, it’s more than appropriate for a backyard swim. Even with a little girl present, everything important will be covered. But knowing Desmond will be in the pool with us has me longing for a one-piece or, hell, maybe even a wetsuit.

Just his presence in the kitchen rocked me to my core. How the hell am I meant to swim with him with both of us half-naked?

I look down at my suit that lies out on the bed as if the red fabric has somehow personally offended me before I snatch it up and go into the bathroom to change. It’s not as if I have another choice, and delaying isn’t going to change anything.

Slipping into it, I do a turn in front of the mirror. I’d bought it online when I got my first check and never even tried it on. It had still been kind of chilly then, but it was on my list of things I didn’t take when I left and seemed easy enough to get. Thankfully, it fits, but I also seemed to have gained a bit more ass since then. Well, I’d gained a little everywhere, and while most of my clothes fit better for it, I’m not sure this is one of them. The bottoms come up to my belly button; I remember the ad saying they were slimming, but fuck me, could they have given me a bit more fabric on my actual ass? As it is, the fabric only covers a little more than half of my cheek, and while they make my ass look good, that's not at all what I want. I’m trying to keep my ass away from these guys, not put it on display.

The top is better, at least. The girls are snug, and while I have cleavage, it’s not enough that I’m worried they will spill out if I move around too much. Overall, it’s fine, and I’m probably overthinking it, but I still quickly jump online in search of a one-piece for the future.

A knock sounds at my door, startling me. “Are you ready, Ms. Kat?” Addison's voice filters through the door, and I can hear her excitement. I can almost picture her bouncing in place, waiting on me.

“Coming,” I yell back, looking myself over one last time before I go to my closet and grab a pair of flip-flops, another purchase I’d yet to use. At least I had the foresight to buy them when I did.

Slipping them on, I pause for a second. I don’t want to leave her waiting long, but…

Before I can second guess it, I reach out, snagging one of my thin summer dresses and throwing it on over my suit. I’d bought them because they are simple and thin. Perfect to beat the heat but still acceptable at the school, and right now, this gray one will make the perfect cover.

Addison beams up at me when I pull the door open. Her suit is also a two-piece, but it's much more age-appropriate. The top is a lot like a sports bra, coming down to just above her belly button with thick straps, and the bottoms are shorts with a little skirt built into them. The whole thing is black with rainbow butterflies outlined all over it, and her little black flip-flops also have large butterflies that sit on her toes.

“That’s not a swimsuit,” she says, her face scrunching up in confusion as she takes in my dress.

“No, it’s not,” I tell her with a laugh as we head down the hall back toward the kitchen to go outside. “It’s a little cold in here, so I put it on to keep warm until we’re ready to swim,” I explain. It’s not exactly a lie; the house is kept at a lower temperature to combat the heat outside. It’s enough that I have goosebumps even with the dress covering me, but also, I’m not trying to explain to a five-year-old that I’m hiding from her brother.

She seems to accept my answer and happily hums as we make our way through the rest of the house. With every step, my heart beats harder in my chest until I have to force myself to take a deep breath to try to calm it.

We’re just swimming. I tell myself over and over until we reach the screen door. Earlier, when we went out, we did so at the other end of the house near the playset. I’d seen the pool. It’s impossible to miss how big it is, but standing here in front of it is kind of crazy and once again reminds me that we live in very different worlds, or we did.

When I think of a pool, I picture a large rectangle with one side deeper than the other, maybe even a slide or diving board with sun chairs around it.

This is nothing like that.

A deck with a grill, chairs, and a few tables sit right outside the door under an awning that I’m pretty sure is actually another deck for the second floor, though I can’t say for sure as I haven’t been up there to see. Off the deck, you can take the walk bridge to the center of the pool area, which is all dark stone. From there, you can get into the lazy river that circles the whole thing, or you can get into the main pool, hot tub, or the slide that’s built into the rocks that make a waterfall into the main pool…

Not feeling swimming and just want some sun? You can do that too because there are recliners on the stone divide between the pools, along with tables and a towel rack.

“Come on!” Addison whines, pulling at my arm, and I realize I’ve been standing here staring for a while now.

“Sorry, dear,” I tell her, letting her pull me across the deck and little bridge. She doesn’t waste a second before running to a rock and pulling it open.

What…

It takes me a second to understand what I’m seeing, but when she pulls out a pair of goggles, I realize it’s a deck box disguised as a large rock to blend in.

Wow!

While she pulls them in place, I take a second to look around for Desmond. I hadn’t seen him since we came out and can only assume he’s still inside. With shaking fingers, I pull off my dress and drop it onto one of the sun chairs just as Addison comes toward me, ready to go.

I shouldn’t be nervous. Desmond and Alex both saw me naked. Hell, they did a lot more than see me, but I can’t help it.

“Ready?” I ask her as I head toward the pool, and she gives me a nod.

The water is cool with the heat of the day, but I push myself down the stairs without care, trying to get into the water before…

“What’s the rush, Kitten?”

Desmond’s voice calls, and I almost scream. Whipping my head up, I look out into the pool to find Desmond already in the water. He swims out from behind the waterfall, and my jaw almost hits the ground.

“Des!” Addison yells happily, jumping in the water to swim to him.

I can’t peel my eyes away from Desmond as the water rolls down his face and chest, and the smile on his face tells me he knows exactly what he’s doing. Reaching up, he pushes his hair back from his face as he continues toward us. Every step leaves more of him exposed as the water gets shallower. By the time he reaches Addison, the water sits just under his swim trunks, swim trunks that sit very, very low.

Crap.

“Hey, Princess,” he says to Addison, reaching out to grab her and pull her further in with him. She laughs and splashes before calling for me to join them, and I realize I’m still standing on the stairs.

So much for getting in the water, so he didn’t see me.

“Yeah, come play with us, Kitten,” Desmond purrs, and suddenly, the water doesn’t feel as refreshing as it had a moment ago.

“Kitten?” Addison asks, looking at her brother in confusion. “Her name is Kat, silly, not kitten.”

Desmond barks a laugh as he falls back into the water, still pulling her along. The sound washes over me, raising goosebumps on my skin.

“I know that, but I think she’s adorable, like a kitten. The same way I think you're a princess,” he says, reaching out to boop her nose.

“Desmond,” I hiss his name, trying to get him to stop, but he only laughs harder.

“You should call him Des!” Addison proclaims, turning around to look back at me, where I’m still a few paces behind them. “That way, you both have nicknames.”

She seems so proud of the idea, but there’s no way I’ll be calling him that. It’s bad enough he has a silly nickname for me. I don’t want to play into this game.

“Awe, thank you, Addy, but that’s your nickname for him. I don’t want to take it,” I tell her, trying to spare her feelings.

For a second, I think it’s going to work—that is until Desmond has something to say about it.

“Don’t be silly. Addison is great at sharing, aren’t you, Princess?” he asks, and she's quick to nod her agreement.

Before I can come up with another excuse, Desmond dips below the water. I’d thought he was just being funny, going underwater so that I couldn’t say anything. It’s not until I feel something on my leg that I realize that wasn’t it at all.

The water here comes up just under my breasts, and I jump slightly when the splash of him popping up behind me sprays my upper back with tiny, freezing cold droplets, stealing the air from my lungs.

“See, Kitten, Addy doesn’t mind sharing. Besides, what's a nickname among friends?” He asks, swimming behind me, his hand ghosting over my arm and his leg brushing mine.

Friends? I’m not sure what kind of friends he’s used to, but I don’t sleep with my friends, and I certainly don’t rub up on them like he is now.

“Can we play?” Addison asks, cutting off my line of thought and pulling Desmond's attention back to her.

“Of course. What else would we do in the pool on such a perfect day?” Desmond asks, but even as he says it, he remains where he is. “How about Marco Polo?”

Addison squeals in excitement, and I’m going to assume she’s happy with that. Without another word, she closes her eyes and plugs her nose before dropping under the water. A second later, her hand pops back up as she begins lifting her fingers and counting.

“Come on, don’t tell me you’ve never played before,” Desmond says with a chuckle, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me into him as he swims back away from her. “You're supposed to hide, Kitten.”

“I know how to play,” I say as I let myself drop below the water, out of his arms and swim away. I come back up on the other side of the pool, treading water in the deeper end where my feet no longer touch the ground, and find him watching me with a smile on his face.

“Marco!” Addison yells the moment her head pops back up, and Desmond has to swallow whatever he might have been about to say or risk giving his position away.

“Polo!” we both call out in response, making Addison chuckle.

We could easily avoid her forever; while she might swim well, she’s still only five. Of course, we don’t, though. What would be the fun of that? No, we make her work for it, but we let her get us, and Desmond takes full advantage of her eyes being closed.

Honestly, before long, it feels more like a game for him. It doesn’t matter who’s it; Desmond finds a way to be right there as often as he can while still not drawing Addison’s attention. I’d never admit it out loud, but it’s impressive, if not completely embarrassing. Every time he touches me, my body heats as I remember our night together.

He knows exactly what he’s doing, too. Every time our eyes meet, I can see the lust and the mischief that swims in them.

Fuck, how does he make something like simply playing in the pool into something so much more?

Even with Desmond’s sly touches, or maybe because of them, time flies, and before I know it, my stomach is rumbling.

“I think it’s about time we get out, Addy.” The second the words leave my lips, she’s pouting, but I know just how to handle that.

“Or you and Desmond can keep swimming while I start dinner.” She scrunches up her face at my use of his full name, but lets it go when she realizes what I said.

“No!” she shouts, shaking her head as she makes her way toward the stairs to get out. “I want to help cook.”

“Damn, you're good,” Desmond says from behind me. His breath rolls over my neck as he chuckles, and I have to bite my lip to stop from shivering under his touch as he traces a finger up my spine with a featherlight touch.

“Kids are easy. You just need to know what makes them tick,” I tell him with a shrug and almost pat myself on the back when my voice comes out even.

“And what about you? What makes you tick, Kitten?” he purrs, and this time it’s impossible not to shiver.

I don’t even need to open my mouth to know there's no way my voice would be even this time. I can feel the lump in my throat, and as he swims closer, I notice a very obvious bulge in his swim trunks.

I don’t move away, and he takes the opportunity to press closer.

It would be so easy to push against him, to reach back and feel him. Swim trunks are thin material, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t dying to feel the cold steel of the bars that line his cock again.

“Come on, Kat! We have to make dinner before Daddy comes home!”

Addison’s voice pulls me from my daydream, snapping me back to the present, where I find her standing outside of the pool, waiting.

Definitely not the best time to lose myself in him. No, there probably isn’t a good time to do that period.

“Coming.” This time my voice isn’t so steady, but I don’t let myself dwell on it. Instead, swimming toward the stairs, leaving Desmond behind.

I met Addison over at the recliner, where I left my dress and towel off. Desmond doesn’t get out right away, and I feel his eyes on me with every move I make. It’s not until Addison runs toward the back door that I hear the water move.

Unlike us, he didn’t use the steps. Instead, he pulls himself up on the side and hops out as if it’s the easiest thing in the world. I try and fail to keep my eyes from his arms and the way his muscles flex and move while water drips down them.

Hot damn.

The water was cool and refreshing, a welcome break from the hot sun, but it’s almost as if it never happened as he stalks toward me.

“I’ll let Dale know he can have the night off.” His voice is low and husky in a way that makes no sense for what he’s talking about but still has me clenching my thighs all the same. “I can’t wait to taste you. I mean, your cooking.”

He walks away before I can reply. Not that I had anything to say. He leaves me to watch him with my mouth hanging open as my eyes trace over the muscles that line his back.

I’m so screwed.