2. Abel

Abel

"Please?" I asked, feeling like I was holding on by a thread. I'd finally fucking approached her. It'd taken me way too long, and I had a feeling after this, I wouldn't let her out of my sight.

"Okay," she whispered softly. I felt like pumping my fists into the air with joy.

She wasn't leaving.

She was staying. With me.

I nodded slowly, deathly afraid I'd spook her. I quickly let go of her hand and took my shirt off, letting it fall to the floor beside me, and slipped into the cool, refreshing water. I moved to stand in front of the girl of my dreams, with my hands extended toward her.

Abby looked at me like a deer caught in headlights. But it didn't mean she didn't take her fill of me without a shirt on. Her eyes kept darting down to my chest and up to my face, and I almost wished the water were about twenty degrees cooler to help kill off the hard-on coming to life I had no control over.

"I promise you're safe with me, Abby," I vowed, and I saw a flicker of confusion in her gaze. "You said you weren't a good swimmer," I reminded her.

"Right."

I had no idea if she remembered that night or not. There hadn't been a mention of me whatsoever in the paperwork; my buddy Morris had written it up. But there was something about the way she looked at me when she noticed me around town that made me wonder. Abby didn't take my hands. Instead, she pushed off the ledge and slowly brought her body into the water. We were on the shallow end, but my princess was about five foot nothing, if that. The water reached her delicate shoulders. She was so damn tiny, all I wanted to do was scoop her up. I was over a foot taller than her; she barely reached the top of my chest.

"You good?" I asked, and it was obvious I snapped her back to reality. Wherever she'd been hadn't been a good place.

"Yeah," she squeaked. Her eyes roamed around us. "The water feels nice," she noted with a tightness in her voice, body stiff as a board.

She wasn't comfortable in the water. This was hard for her. I'd been keeping an even closer eye on her the last six months. Talking to my best friend, Dan, last night had made me realize life was too short.

I was done waiting around to make a move.

When she finally walked into the aquatics center today instead of sitting in her SUV like she had been for the last couple of days, the decision had been made for me.

We were alone in the pool area. Just the two of us. But even if the place were overflowing with people, it wouldn't have mattered. She was the only thing I could see.

I'd fruitlessly tried to ignore the attraction I'd felt when it came to her. When I had first settled in Poppy Beach, my head had been a mess. I'd been focused on working, creating a business, and physical therapy to help the knee that had given out mid-mission and had ended my career just shy of my twenty years. I'd been pissed at the world and hadn't liked it.

A year ago, I had been walking down the boardwalk thinking about how time had made a difference. How much better I was feeling. And how even though my body and mind had improved, I still felt like I was missing something.

That's when I saw her.

A curvy brunette with the prettiest dark eyes making a face at some dirty-blonde-haired woman next to her. Something about her made me follow her around like a lost puppy. Watching her as they stepped in shop after shop while they looked for god only knew what.

Just by looking at her I'd known she was too young for a man my age. There was an air of innocence that shined around her like an angel's halo. I'd forced myself to walk away, mildly hoping she was some kind of tourist visiting our small town who would never return.

It turned out she was a local. Born and raised in Poppy Beach. Suddenly, it felt like she was everywhere I turned. That is, until I started following her. Abby was a woman who liked her routine. She had a schedule, and I liked that about her. It made figuring out where she would be to admire, even if it was from afar, a little easier.

My attraction had built and grown. That night six months ago had been terrifying. I'd wanted to step in immediately and claim her, but I knew she needed time. I'd been torn about when to approach her until last night.

Hearing my grump of a best friend talk about Abby's sister with so much hope made me think about the distance I'd placed between us. It'd been stupid of me. So much time wasted. I'd thought I could keep admiring her from afar without touching her. Holding her.

But the truth was, I couldn't.

Not when I knew how much I loved her.

And I did.

I'd come to terms with that a long time ago. This might have been the first time I'd talked to her, but I'd had endless conversations with her in my head. I'd done a lot with her in there.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, breaking the momentary silence.

"I'm sorry." I stepped forward fully expecting her to step back.

I'd learned a lot about Abby by watching her. The woman was smart. Funny when she wanted to be. So damn beautiful it rendered me breathless. But she was also a stickler for rules and lived in a bubble she'd created for herself. If she was alone, nine out of ten times her nose was stuck in a book.

"You don't look sorry," she muttered, and the smile on my face grew. I liked that she was sassy around me.

"Maybe I'm not?" I toyed. "You're just…" Fuck me, I was at a loss for words.

"What?" She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. Whether she knew it or not, the action only brought her chest together like the most luscious, bountiful offering known to man. Dios mio.

"Beautiful," I rasped and scratched the back of my neck. "You also don't look comfortable in the water. You wanna get out?" I asked, and she surprised me when she shook her head no.

"Really?" I asked, and she nodded.

"I… I kinda missed being in the pool," she admitted. I pressed my lips together, afraid I would give away just how much I knew about her

"Busy summer?" I asked, dipping my body lower into the water, and she did the same.

"Kinda but… I had an accident a little while ago."

"So, you've been having physical therapy or something?" I asked. Her pretty eyes widened, and she shook her head. Her dark chocolatey, almost black hair danced around her face.

"No. Nothing like that. I'm just…" Her eyes dropped from mine. "I'm just a scaredy cat."

My heart fucking cracked for her.

She had no idea how damn brave she was. I reached for her. The tips of my fingers grazed the tip of her chin so she would look up at me.

"I don't think you're a scaredy cat." She smiled and shrugged.

"You don't know me." I liked the spirited tone in her answer. The hint of sass. Sass I knew she didn't give anyone else. Jesus, I am sick in the head!

"Why are you scared of the water?" I asked, pressing my luck.

"I had an accident," she admitted, her eyes meeting mine head-on.

"And you survived it," I cut her off, accidently bulldozing her. It was obvious she didn't like it when she stepped back, bumping her back against the wall of the pool. "I'm sorry. I just mean, whatever happened, you're here. You're safe, princess."

"What did you say?" she asked, giving me back that one step, moving closer then stopping herself before she took another. Her head tilted. There was something working in her eyes due to my slip-up. Does she remember me from that night?

"You're safe," I repeated. She opened her mouth, probably to call me out on the term of endearment, but I kept talking. "I've seen shit. A lot of it. Good and bad."

"As a SEAL?"

"As a human being," I corrected. "We all do." She nodded in agreement, and I kept blabbering on. "Look, shit happens. Really crappy shit."

"Crappy shit? Is there any other kind?" Her lips twitched, and I chuckled because I liked that she was comfortable around me to tease me.

"But all we can do is keep moving forward to get over the hump of it and keep on going," I encouraged. I knew firsthand how much easier it was to say it than live it.

"You make it sound so easy." Her body dipped in lower, and if I was right, inched a little closer toward me.

"It's not," I reassured her, slowly drawing closer. "But it's worth it." I gave her a moment to let my words marinate in her thoughts. "Why haven't you gone swimming in a while, Abby?"

"I was stuck in my car and almost drowned," she answered softly. I lost her eyes as she looked into the water.

"That sucks," I rasped. I could still see her in that fucking death trap of a car, stuck. That panic I'd felt when I had second-guessed myself and if I would be able to get her out still kicked my ass late at night.

"Yeah." Her eyes met mine, and fuck me, looking at her felt like I was in quicksand. No matter how much I tried to look away, I couldn't. I got lost in her almost fathomless dark gaze. "Water and me… I don't know. I guess it was hard to get myself to come here. To swim."

"That's a shame."

"Oh?"

"Not only do you look good in a suit, baby girl, it's fucking hot this summer." She giggled and blushed. Her body bobbed up and down in the water. I wasn't sure if she had noticed we were no longer close to the edge as we slowly inched toward the middle of the pool and further toward the deep end.

"It's been warm." She ignored the comment about how she looked in her swimsuit.

When I'd walked into the pool area after it was finally free, I'd almost swallowed my tongue at the sight of her. My pretty princess was gorgeous; I'd known that. But seeing her in a one-piece that hugged all her curves and showed off her thick thighs and toned calves had almost made me embarrass myself mid-step.

Thankfully, she hadn't noticed me since she'd been staring off at the pool.

"Very," I mumbled, "so you came to try to get over that fear?" I guessed.

"Yeah." She floated closer. My hands reached for her, and she let me pull her in while we bobbed around.

"See, you're not a scaredy cat," I said softly. "You're in the water," I reminded her. I wanted to tell her how fucking strong that made her. How damn brave she was.

"It took me a week to walk in here," she shared, her nose squished up adorably. My lips twitched.

"Still, you did it." I pulled her in closer, enjoying the way her small, soft, delicate hands rested on my shoulders while I walked us deeper into the pool. "If you were a bonafide scaredy cat, no way you would have even come close to this place."

"Hmm," she sighed, her eyes closing for a moment. Peace washed over her face, and when she opened her eyes, they dropped to my lips.

"I should live bolder. Wilder." There was a sparkle in her stare. A joy I wanted to bring out every day for the rest of our lives.

"Wilder, huh?"

"Yeah," she whispered almost to herself.

"A walk on the wild side never hurt anyone." My voice dropped an octave. Goose bumps flared to life on her exposed skin. "As long as someone is there with you to keep you safe."

"Isn't that contradictory?"

"No. It's smart. You can be wild and free all while being kept safe and sound."

"You can?" She toyed with her lower lip. All I wanted to do was pull that lip into my mouth and suck on it. To see how it felt, how it tasted. To see what kind of soft breathy sounds she'd make. My cock was hard under the water, and I shifted her body, so her short legs wrapped around my waist above my cock. If she felt anything, she didn't let on.

"I'd do it."

"You don't know me."

"What if I wanted to get to know you? Would you let me?". Shit I was moving too fast, too strong. A red flag waved in the back of my head, shouting at me. ?Calmaté! Calm down!

"Abel." She said my name like a prayer. The willpower to keep the small distance from her was growing weaker by the second. "Wait." She shook her head as if trying to snap out of the little cozy bubble we'd found ourselves in. "Why would you want to get to know me?"

"Why not? You're gorgeous. Smart. Funny."

"I am?" Her eyes opened wide, like she was looking at me for the first time.

"You called my office about seven months ago."

"I, umm?—"

"You were thinking about getting a pool for the place you share with your sister." She blushed.

"I was."

"But then I never heard back."

"Those plans were put on hold."

"Hmm." I nodded because I understood.

"How do you remember that? I mean, you must get a bunch of calls."

"I've been watching you." The words slipped past my lips before I could choke on them. Dios mio, I sounded like a fucking creeper. I waited for her to react. To push me away. But she didn't.

"Not in a weird creepy way," I tried to explain and probably made it worse. "I just… Abby, you're the prettiest thing I've ever seen. I like you. I won't lie and tell you I haven't asked around about you. I have."

"You have?" She was surprised.

"Yeah, princess. And if you wanna let your hair down and live a little wild, I wanna be the guy by your side when you do that."

"Because you want my business if I decide I want a pool?" The little brat. My hands wanted to do nothing but grip her perfect little ass tighter. But I didn't.

"Nope."

"Because you want someone to look at your books for you?" she guessed.

"Wrong again."

"Oh." Her brows bunched together. She was trying to add one and one together, and she sure as hell wasn't coming up with two.

"I wanna be the man who keeps you safe when you let go and do the shit you've secretly been dying to try out." I didn't just want to be him. I was going to be. There was no way I would let any other man keep her safe.

"There isn't anything I've been dying to try out."

"You're a pretty little liar, you know that?" She blushed and chewed on her lip.

"So… you're offering me, like, lessons? On how to be a badass?" My hand itched to spank her plump ass cheeks for saying a bad word. The daddy in me, the one she had brought to life and was in full force, didn't want her saying bad words. Not unless it was in the heat of the moment while I was balls deep inside of her.

"Sure. We can call them that," I agreed, only half paying attention. Fuck, I'd sign over the deed to my house if she asked me to in that moment.

"Oh." Her eyes hooded, and there was no hiding the way she looked at my mouth. My own eyes dropped and focused on her lips.

Fuck, they were perfect.

But then again, what wasn't when it came to Abby?

A deep naturally mauve color, plump and full, contrasted against her naturally olive-toned skin. I had spent endless hours jerking off to the thought of her lips around my cock.

"Maybe we can have one right now?" she said, leaning in closer. I grunted.

This was a lot more than I had expected when I'd followed her in here.

"Yeah?" I asked roughly, wondering what the hell she was up to and what the hell I'd done to deserve her trust.

"Yeah, I mean…" She licked her lower lip. Abby's arms wrapped around my neck, and suddenly, we weren't just close, we were basically inseparable. Our chests pressed against one another, and even in the water, I could have sworn I felt the stiff buds of her nipples rubbing against my overheated skin. "I was wondering if maybe…" Her voice drifted off, and my brows bunched together.

"Maybe what?" I asked, swallowing hard.

"I was hoping maybe…" Her teeth sank into her plump lower lip. Fuck, the sight of it had my dick straining against the stiff material of my swim trunks.

I was dying to kiss her.

To be the one to pull and tug and bite on that perfect lip.

"What, princess? What do you want?"

"A kiss?" she whispered, and everything inside of me felt alive. Her pretty cheeks turned a brighter pink, and I knew it was my new favorite color. "I've never," she breathed, and I blinked.

She's never … could that mean she'd never been kissed?

Never been touched?

Mine. Mine. Mine. Fucking hell. All that time, I'd been standing on the sidelines, some stupid dipshit could have swooped in and taken what was mine. Not anymore. From here on out, Abby Rivas was mine. All mine. Every single first would be with me.

I'd be her first and last. Her only.

A low possessive sound vibrated through me.

"You've never what, baby girl?" I hardly recognized the sound of my own voice.

"I just, umm…" She swallowed. Her beautiful eyes darted from my mouth back to my eyes and then down to my lips again. They tingled under her gaze. "I told you how I was a scaredy cat…"

"Baby—-"

"I have been," she pushed. "Always. I'm terrible at the whole flirting and dating thing, so I focused of school then work," she shared. I couldn't tear my eyes off her.

She was stunning.

Dark endless eyes I felt could see right through me. Curves in all the right places that made my hands ache to grip and touch. Abby had a mouth made for sin and a face of an angel.

What the hell was wrong with the guys in this town? The guys she'd gone to school with must have been idiots.

Not that I gave a shit.

Hell no. Their loss was definitely my gain.

"You want daddy to kiss you?" I rasped, and her eyes widened before they hooded.

"Please."

"Please, what?" I teased, letting my nose brush against hers. I was moving too fast, bringing my fucking kink into it too quickly, but by the looks of it, she liked it. Her legs tightened around me, and I felt her rub against me. Jesus. "Please what, Abby?"

"Please kiss me, Daddy," she whispered so softly I was afraid I'd imagined it. I knew I hadn't when her eyes shut and her lips parted.

My chest rose and fell heavily. One of my hands left the small of her back to roam upwards over the slope of her shoulder and hold her face. Abby leaned into my caress, and I kissed the tip of her nose.

"You really want me to give you your first kiss, princess?"

"Please." She trembled in my arms, but it had nothing to do with the temperature of the pool.

"You sure? I kiss you, I don't think we can go back, can't take anything back."

"You mean the lessons?"

"I mean everything," I muttered, and she nodded so close I was pretty sure our lips were a millimeter from brushing up against one another. Her breath fanned my mouth. She smelled like mint and the promise of something so fucking great I could taste it. Mine , a voice growled in the recesses of my mind. Mine. Mine. Mine.

"Okay," she agreed.

If I were a better man, I would have put some space between us. Given her time to really thing about what consequences would come from this decision.

But I wasn't that man.

She was mine, and I wasn't going to wait any longer. My head tilted and dropped a little lower. Our lips touched, and the hand on her lower back pulled her in closer.

Her mouth was soft and pliant against mine. For a moment, she was frozen and didn't move. I licked her lower lip to coax her into the moment, and I was instantly rewarded. Abby's sweet moans were swallowed up by mine as her mouth moved against mine.

We kissed slowly. Deeply. My girl was a natural. It was like she had been kissing me her entire life. I'd never had a fist kiss like that. Both of us so in sync, so in tune to the other. And I never will. She's mine now.

"Abel," she sighed so sweetly I was close to embarrassing myself. All from one fucking kiss. I growled. My hand moved to the back of her head, tangling with her dark tresses. And that was when she surprised me. Her tongue swiped the seam of my mouth, and I groaned. She didn't hesitate to brush it against mine. I moved us against the wall of the pool. Pressing her back against it, I deepened the kiss, taking control because I didn't know any other way.

But the most beautiful thing about it was Abby's submission.

We might have just finally officially met, but her trust in me was humbling. She knew I wouldn't take things too far, too fast. She'd given me her first kiss, and I would give her the rest of my life. I'd worship at the altar of my baby girl, the woman of my dreams, until my last breath.

My lungs burned, and breathing was close to impossible when I pulled my lips off hers and looked at her. Abby's eyes were still shut, the sweetest expression on her beautiful face.

"Wow," she sighed, her lips turned upward before I watched those eyes open and look right at me. "That was worth the wait."

"You're killing me, baby," I groaned. I pressed my forehead against hers. "So damn sweet," I muttered, stealing another kiss. And then another.

"Hey, Abs!" a woman's voice sounded, and Abby's body went tight. She pushed off and out of my hold before I knew it.

"Hey, Susie! Umm…" She splashed around and reached for the edge of the pool

"You got in!" The girl from the front desk smiled. "Mr. Pe?a!" I winced. Mr. Pe?a. Jesus, that was a reminder of just how much older I was. "Hey, you guys, umm, you are swimming!" The girl with the red curly hair grinned, her eyes saying something non verbally to my girl.

"Umm, yeah. I did. I should get going."

"No! No rush!" Susie assured. "I was just going to go and tell you that you can leave through that door." She pointed to the card door in the pool area. "Unless you don't want to be left alone." Her brows pulled together, and she took a protective stance.

"No! Nothing like that!" Abby's face turned a bright shade of red. "Abel is great." My chest puffed out, like some preening peacock. "I just mean…" She made a face, and I pressed my lips together. "He's great. He was teaching me."

"I bet he was." Susie snickered. "If you're sure you're okay, I'll get going."

"I'm good." Abby looked over her shoulder. "I'm really good." Her tone softened before she turned back to her friend. "Thanks, Susie." Abby waved.

When we were alone again, she looked up at me through her thick dark lashes. "That was Susie," she explained and then winced. "I should have introduced you." I had a feeling no matter what Abby did, I'd find it all freaking adorable. "So, that was… that was, umm…"

"You called it wow," I reminded her, slowly inching toward her. She noticed but didn't move. She didn't even flinch when I stood right in front of her. Her body was still covered by the water, my chest above it. "You still with me?"

"About the lessons? Or the kissing?" she asked, then her hand rose and touched those perfect lips of her.

"All of it," I responded. My eyes never wavered from hers. There was a gleam of determination in her gaze, and something else.

Something more.

"Yes." She nodded and leaned in closer. "I'm still with you." I love the sound of that.

"Good." I grinned and leaned closer. Everything inside of me was shouting at me to kiss her again. To steal a taste from those perfect lips and never stop.

"Let's go," I ordered before kissing her forehead instead. I picked her up, and her eyes widened.

"What? Where? What? Wait."

"Baby," I muttered. "It's getting late, and we gotta have dinner."

"Right but?—"

"And you need to get to bed."

"Bed?"

"Before it gets too late."

"Too late?" She scowled, completely unaware of the fact I stepped out of the pool and was carrying her like my very own little koala bear.

"Yup. We have an early morning," I shared. The idea in my head sounded brilliant. Sending her home was crap, but the sooner she went to bed, the earlier I could get her back in my arms and spend a day with her, and that sounded good to me.

"We do?"

"We do." I winked.

It killed me to set her down where she'd left her things. My body immediately protested not having her that fucking close. But as soon as we were dressed and ready, I led the way out to her car.

"Where do I have to go in the morning?" she asked, and my lips twitched.

"You'll find out tomorrow." I took Abby's car keys from her hand and unlocked her driver's side door. "Hand me your phone," I ordered.

"My phone?" she asked, like the idea shocked her.

"Babe," I muttered, and she didn't argue. She reached into her bag and took out her cellphone. I punched in my phone number and called myself, making sure to save each other's number. "You need me before morning, you call or text me."

"But wait, what?"

"I'll see you in the morning." I hated having to say the words. But I knew I'd pressed my luck far enough already.

"For what?"

"Lessons."

"We just had one," she blurted and looked around to make sure no one overheard. "I think that was sufficient." I shot her a look, and she stopped talking.

She simply stood there and stared at me.

Quietly challenging me. Almost urging me with her eyes to give in. Did she really think one kiss would be enough? A part of me was almost willing to give in. I didn't want her to do anything she didn't want to, but she'd asked for help to come out of her shell.

She'd trusted me to help.

Abby had no idea how closely I watched her. How I had been longing to be close to her and aching to get to know her. No. I was her daddy, damn it! I was going to make sure she did what was best for her.

"You don't want to learn how to let go and live anymore?" I asked, quietly daring her to chicken out.

"That's not what I said." She pouted adorably, giving me a little of that sass I thrived on.

"Good." I smiled, my shoulders relaxed. She got in the car, and when she shut the door, she opened the window.

"What are we doing tomorrow?"

"You're just going to have to trust me."

"What makes you think I trust you?" she challenged. Aye, mami, you have no idea.

"The way you look at me." I leaned in closer, my body pressed and bent at her driver's window. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"You're not," she whispered. Her eyes dipped to my mouth, and I knew what she wanted. Mostly because I was dying for the same.

"Good. Now kiss me goodbye and drive home safe."

"Oh." There was a flash of disappointment in her gaze. One I wanted to erase immediately.

"It's not that I wanna leave you, baby girl." She blinked and stared at me.

For a moment, I wanted to take it back, tell her to get in my truck and take her to my place and never let her leave. But before I could, she nodded.

"Okay," she whispered.

I might have been the easy-going jokester around the men I'd served with and even around those who worked for me in my pool installation and maintenance business, but I was hardly the kind of man who ever repeated or explained himself.

But with Abby, I had a feeling I'd do anything to make her smile.

"I want you to rest for what I have planned tomorrow," I explained.

It killed me.

She was finally in my space, talking to me and looking at me. I've kissed her! I didn't want to let her leave. Saying goodbye was shit, but I couldn't be an overbearing, selfish asshole. I needed to think about what she needed. Put her needs first. And she needed some rest before I woke her up bright and early.

"Okay," she sighed with a cute little pout I wanted to kiss off her face.

"Good girl," I praised. I could have sworn her body relaxed into mine. After a light kiss, I pulled away and reminded her to text me when she got home.