Chapter 51 CHAPTER 51
ALINA’S POV
Oh my actual God.
You see this is the part where the earth should just open up and swallow me whole. The water in this sense. It should just open up, divide and then swallow me whole. Anything to get me away from this moment right now.
What do you mean he was in the pool with me right now?? When did he leave the office? When did he get home, how was he here at this particular time??
Lord, I ask for one thing. One thing only; to spend just 20 minutes of peace and quiet. Alone. 20 minutes to let go of all bad energy, why would the source of the bad energy itself be in the same pool with me? Why lord? Why??
You really must hate me.
“Are you doing okay over there?” his voice rang between us. A lazy smile on his face. His arms, his fucking toned arms stretched out behind him. Both of them resting comfortably on the pool’s concrete right above the pool while the rest of his body was lost in the waters. That didn’t mean you couldn’t see the outline of that strong muscular body.
“Are you okay, Alina?” I blinked, forcing myself to be still. Clearing my throat. But just then he moved from his relaxed position, instantly making me move backwards on instinct.
“Wh-what are you doing?” I stared at him. Watching as he too kept his eyes on me, although looking more amused.
“What are you doing?” he asked instead. “I’m over here taking a swim, enjoying the water, then you came in. You came in and you simply ignored me, how’s that right? That’s not exactly good neighbourly, is it?”
Neighbourly?
This man… let’s put aside the fact that I can hardly stand you, and just judge you based off your recent behaviors. What part of those behaviors seem good neighbourly??
And why was he here anyways? Wasn’t there another pool somewhere?? in his apartment maybe? He’s using the master’s floor, right? There should be a pool in there, why was he coming outside and using this one?
When did he even get home? I didn’t see anyone here when I came in. Was he under the water or something? He looked too relaxed to have just come in. Meaning he was here before me.
Interesting.
Really interesting, but that isn’t going to stop me this evening. I came here for a little swim, and I’d do that. The pool was big enough anyways. Too big for just two persons. I don’t believe we can’t share a pool for just 20 minutes tops and get the hell out of here. I don’t believe I can’t do just that.
“Hey!” his voice came again. Followed by another splash of water my way too. He smirked, “What are you over there thinking about? You’re too quiet, and besides, don’t you think we have something to discuss?”
Discuss?
Oh no big boy.
“We should-
“Can you stop talking to me?” I cut him off, back straight now. Features unimpressed. “I don’t want to have to speak to you, I’m here for a swim, not a chat.”
He stared at me. Surprised. Amused. But I just turned around then, ignoring him totally and positioning myself in an angle to swim further away from him.
He didn’t speak too, rather just silently watched me go. His eyes on my back, my body, making me suddenly feeling so self conscious. Remembering I was spotting a bikini, although with shorts but it still felt so exposed.
One flap, second flap, third flap, and I was doing rubbish. Swimming rubbish, almost drowning myself like some silly novice.
“Oh for fucks sake!” I coughed out at the end, bubbles all around me, my hair dripping abnormally from where it’d just soaked. Water even coming out of from my nose. Utterly embarrassing, but still he didn’t laugh. I didn’t hear him do it, so curious, I turned back around. Only to see him swimming away from where he’d been.
Whether or not he saw my display I couldn’t tell, but let’s be real. This is me we were talking about. Of course he saw it.
The heavens wouldn’t save me from this one embarrassment out of the numerous they’ve left me in.
Anyways I watched him swim. Watched him go, and… he seemed really good. Really, really good. His strokes were strong, steady. Powerful. Commanding the water apart as he moved. When he got to the end of the pool, he hit the edge and then turned back around. Heading forward again, on his side of the pool too. Then when he reached the part where I was kind of, just opposite.
He flipped.
Freaking flipped and began a new technique.
Backstrokes.
Backstrokes amid normal strokes.
Umph!
“Showoff.” My eyes rolled. Rolled hard to my brains, and as though seeing me he increased his pace even more. My features cringing, teeth gritting, totally unimpressed. “I hope you flip and drown.”
What a show off he was. So arrogant.
What, he saw me mess up then decided to rub in my face his skills?? I knew how to swim too, I would've swam properly if he hadn’t been distracting me from the start.
Just watch how he was going right now. Displaying all kinds of technique. Who knew he could do stuff like this.
‘Hey, you’re still in your yard pool not some olympics!’ I wanted to yell out. Bring back some sense into him. But I didn’t.
I couldn’t.
Not when my eyes had caught sight of his shorts just then. The damned black shorts he had on while doing all sort of stuff on the water, wasn’t he aware the shorts could pull off at any time??
It was dangerously low right now.
“Stop staring, Alina.” I quickly scolded myself, looking away. My face suddenly burning hot, but soon after I took a peak again. Meeting the muscles of his back this time. Every bit and curve contracting, each muscle mass showing the effect of several nights at the gym. His very strokes making him so tough and mighty from behind. His tattoos making it even worse, I swallowed.
My hands slowly found my face. My neck, lips. Touching it lightly I watched, starstruck.
I didn’t even know I was attracted to muscles until right now. Had I always liked muscular men? Did they always make me feel this way? Did seeing them…seeing the muscles and everything, did it always make me feel all bothered and hot all over. I
I was in the water and yet I was feeling hot.
“Get a grip, Alina!” I cussed at myself, instantly turning away. Completely looking away this time, determined to get my shit together, do what I came for and simply get out.
“You came here to swim. Swim. Start swimming right now.” I pushed myself, leaping onto the water and kicking my feet. But all it came out so lame. So freaking lame. “What the hell is going on witj you, don’t you know how to swim anymore??”
A splash sounded out just then. Heavy. Then I quickly turned around. Too fast. Too eager. And with wide eyes, I saw the view.
THE VIEW ladies.
The view.
Tall, hot, buff and damn sexy was a man I saw the moment I turned around. There was water all around him. Dripping. Soaking. Like my panties would be right now if I wasn’t in the water. He’d stood up. Rose in the pool, no longer swimming and was now just breathing and catching cool air from the relaxing exercise he just did. Something I should’ve done too. That was the reason I came here to begin with, but my goodness. I say seeing a complete force of nature, man in his truest form, his muscularity…that was a beautiful trade.
Oh I loved strong ass men. I loved them.
A strong ass man I stan, please forgive lord.
“Hey,” his voice called, eyes on me now. I froze. Blinking. “How’s it going on over there? You okay?”
Okay?
I was more than okay.
“Need some help?”
What? Help? No!
No.
I quickly regained my senses then. Turning away quickly, swimming away. And in that pathetic form I’d been spotting all through this evening in the pool.
“Oh God, why? Why?” I lamented dreadfully, beating the water even more with my hands. My legs fighting for dear life to propel myself forward but it was not working. I was moving, but slow. I was moving, but yet swallowing gulps of water in the process.
Utterly ridiculous! I was almost recognized a professional swimmer once upon a time in my life, I was good! So damn good, so what was happening right now??
“Hold on let me help you.” I heard him call out.Referring to me obviously, no. No, no,no,no,no.
“I don’t…” I winced, draining my face of water. My nose. Breathless. “I don’t need any hel-
I didn’t even see him when I finally turned around.
‘Where is he?’ I was going ask, but just then,
“Hey,” he popped up behind me. From underneath me. I gasped.
“oh God!” my breath caught. Heart frozen, shocked to the bones as I stared at him. Stunned.
If the water were some cloth or something, I would’ve pick it and hit him with it.
“What is wrong with you??”
“I’m sorry,” he simply said, smiling. “Didn’t mean to scare you. Relax. You need to relax.” he moved closer. Carefully. I moved back on instinct but he only moved even closer.
“You’re too distracted to swim,” he said, picking my arm, turning me over to his side. His body right next to mine.
“You’re tensed.” his voice trailed, arms moving over my both arms. “You need to relax, Alina. Relax…that’s what pools are for.”
Yeah. I know that. I already know that, that’s why I came here. I came to relax.
But I wasn’t relaxed. Not right now. Not anymore. Not with him so close, and hands basically over me. He went off to say a few more things, surely explaining how I could swim better but I wasn’t hearing a thing. I was too hyper right now to listen to a thing from his lips.
Oh his lips…
They were so full. So pink looking and so soft. I knew they were soft. But what if they were even softer now? What if they had gotten even better over the years, the rest of his body did. They really did get extremely better in 5 years.
So much that I was loosing my mind standing next to him right now. Standing so freaking close to him, well aware he was naked left for the swim shorts he had on.
It didn’t take anything for thoughts to stir up. The once I’ve already before, last night, and even fresh ones. The devil really was working hard on my case, wasn’t he? He really was over working on Alina Monroe, trying to send me straight to hell!
“You have to lean forward a little,”
I obeyed. Slowly bending forward like a little obedient camel, my heart pounding in my chest. Body hyper-aware. Then next thing, “Just a little more and-
Bam!
Zaps of electricity gushed through my body, I jumped. Jumped out of position and turned right to face him. Shocked.
He touched me.
He touched my skin. My back.
He touched me just now and I… I-I
“Are you okay?” he closed in on me. Touched my face lightly, my cheek. Our eyes meeting right then and then. Mine stunned and panicked for sure, but his…his were so green. So green and beautiful, so deep. I could feel myself getting pulled in second after second, moments after moments. His presence surrounding me whole, my body attuned for him, ready, so very ready and aware of what he was doing to me.
He was doing things to me. Things he shouldn’t do, that I shouldn’t feel…
Why was I feeling all of these to begin with? Why was I letting him do these to me, why? My body…this was betrayal. Utter betrayal, I shouldn’t be feeling any of these, I shouldn’t.
He was a bastard. A complete piece of trash, trash that won’t burn! That’s what he was. And yet… yet I was here.
I was here.