The Sessions (Covenant Series) (5 page)

Chapter Five

Sarah tried on the third swimsuit, finally deciding on the white one.
Made her look a little less like she moon tanned. It was as modest as she could find, a sheer skirt covering the bikini bottom. The top looked like a damn bra, but with the matching sheer wrap, it somewhat gave the appearance of modest. If she was going to convince Micah to tan with her at the pool, she’d have to play the part herself. She so was not a public pool person, but it was a nearby asset in her private profession arsenal by which to exercise normalcy with Micah.

Driving home, she looked at her watch. She had thirty minutes before their little apartment grounds
date. She’d ask him about the pool. Even if he just came along and watched her be normal, maybe it’d give him the guts to try it. He just needed somebody to hold his hand a few times, be there at the ledge.

She called his cell.
“Gooood morning sir, are we ready?”

“Uh, yeah, you want me to meet you at your place?”

“Whichever you prefer.”

“I’m walking out then.”

“Okay. See you in a few.”

“Yes.”

He hung up and she made the realization that he never said bye. Goodnight, yes, but not goodbye. She tucked that away in her mental notes then rushed to give herself one last look over in the mirror. She’d decided to put the bathing suit on and wear a long white silk skirt and then added another similar wrap but with more substance to the top. It was more risqué than she’d ever dressed, that’s for damned sure. But…normal. Well, she was a far cry from what the other women wore, but hey, a fair enough compromise. She’d even painted her toe nails and nails with that gorgeous lavender polish that glittered in the sun. It was months old but she never got around to needing to wear it. Looking at it now, she wished she’d worn it every day. Absolutely lovely.

The doorbell rang and her stomach slammed into her ribs as she headed out. Let’s hope he didn’t look t
oo fabulous. Hell, there was nothing wrong with admiring a great body, she needed to loosen up. Admiring beautiful people was a normal thing. She peeked through the peep hole. Holy crap. Khaki shorts and a white muscle shirt. Flip flops. Here we go.

She plastered her professional aura
on and opened the door. “Well good morning handsome. You ready for the grand tour?” She slipped her sunglasses on.

He gave a low whistle
while regarding her outfit.

“What, is it too geeky?”

“Not at all. It’s lovely.”

Lovely.
Like a mother Hubbard. “Thank you, and look at you. Are you just getting back from a photo shoot with Ralph Lauren?” She giggled at his profuse blushing. “Ah, that’s what you get for being gorgeous my dear. I better bring my bat to ward off the flock of women.”

“Dear God.” Like the
concept hadn’t occurred to him and was terrifying.

She laughed, shutting her door. “You’ll be fine. We’ll run like hell if we find ourselves being out numbered
.”

“Yes.”

It was the green light word. Everything was good. She’d decided to go back to the personal space plan, but keeping it at a two foot distance instead of three. A little more personal than before but, not fight or flight claustrophobic.

She showed him around the grounds
; the laundry room, the athletic room—which he seemed impressed with—the tennis courts, the trash bins, the back gate in case he ever needed to run.

“
And lastly the pool.” She opened the gate and held it for him. “Actually, there’s another one on the other side of the complex but this one here is ours.” She looked at him and regarded the four people there. All women. “You wanna sit a minute? I don’t normally go, but with a friend, it would be a lot easier.”

He seemed oblivious to her tactic, and it worked. “For a bit.”

“Ten minutes?”

“However long you would like, I’m fine.”

She refrained from
are you sure
, acting as though it weren’t an issue. It was enough that he knew she knew how he felt, no need to over dramatize it.

The
y sat at an empty navy blue table under a matching umbrella. “You know, I have not once swam in that pool in the seven years that I’ve been here?” She took off her top wrap and draped it over the chair, deciding to leave the skirt on for now. No sense in stripping. She pulled suntan oil out of her bag and began rubbing her arms down, finally chancing a glance at him. Her stomach flipped at finding him staring at her body. Shit. “I should offer you my sunglasses so you don’t hurt your eyes.”

His gaze rose to hers,
seeming confused by her words.

“
I’m likely to blind you as white as I am.”

“It’s not your color that hurts my eyes.”

She sat, staring at him. “How the hell do I hurt your eyes?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Never mind.”

“No, not never mind,” she hissed. “Is it this top? It looks stupid, doesn’t it. Fine, confession, I don’t wear bathing suits, I think they’re a tad too revealing for public.” She threw the sun-tan oil in her purse, disgusted.

He turned in his chair, put his arms on the table
, and leaned toward her with the most enchanting sexy smile. “So you wore that for me?”

She blanched. “Not
for
you for you, but…” shit, she was blowing the undercover operation
help him feel normal
. She resorted to the one policy she felt comfortable with. Transparency. She sighed and muttered, “I don’t even own a bathing suit. Truth is, I’m probably as anti-swimming pool as you are and I was trying to set an example. I just bought this ridiculous thing and feel as stupid in it as it likely looks.” She was grateful for the sunglasses now as she peeked up at him.

H
e suddenly stood and took his shirt off then sat back down. “Now we’re even.”

Her mouth hung open as she took in his naked torso.
His naked
scarred
torso. She jerked her gaze away at making out what that scar was. Surely not what she thought. “You didn’t have to do that,” she said softly.

“Neither did you.”

She looked at him, moved by his words and actions, awed too by the power transparency could have with some people. “Wow. You may be even
whiter
than I am.” She handed him the suntan oil and he took it with a smile.

“I don’t think so, you’re
positively glowing.”

She laughed, elated with the progress taking place. “
I moon tan. Does it show?”

“Yes. Very much.”

“Check this out.” She stuck her toes out, showing off her polish. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”

“Beautiful,” he said.

“I know. I bought it like six months ago.”

“You wore that for me too?”

“Ha! Oh my God, I’m getting busted left and right here. Hell, maybe I should be paying you for therapy, being around you is just bringing out the normal in me.”

He let out a relaxed chuckle. “Yes.”

“You think we should dare put our feet in the pool? Or would that be too much normal for one day?”

“You first.”

She snickered and stood putting her hands at the waist band of her skirt then winced and looked around. “Maybe I should leave the skirt on?”

“Is that normal?”

She regarded him wondering why he should look so damn scrumptious to her. Miss blind to all men. Of course, she’d seen none that looked like that. “Not…really. What do you have on under those shorts?”

He
gave her a real laugh. “Nothing I’d sit in public in.”

“
So, I’m alone on this one.”

“Pretty much.”

“Maybe if you dare me, it’d be easier.”

“I dare you.”

“Oh come on, you’re no help.”

He
angled a grin at her. “You said to dare you. But I am putting my feet in the dirty public water with you.”

“Fine then, but no crude remarks.” She shoved the skirt down and stepped out of it.

“Oh damn.”

Her heart thundered at hearing the inflection in his tone. It was extremely
…pleased. She didn’t know how to feel or act, but her body seemed to think panic was in order. “I said no remarks.”

“
No, you said no crude remarks.”

“
Stop being technical.” His beautiful laughter was worth the shame. “Here I go.” She hurried to the pool side and sat then glanced over her shoulder and called him with widened eyes.

He got up and she watched him walk toward her
then sat.

“You walk with the grace of a ghost
,” she whispered. He’d settled next to her only a foot away and the personal space meter went off, but for her. Okay, weirdo, you’re the doc, he’s the patient. She was also a virgin woman sitting next to the hottest dude she’d ever known. Her body seemed to not care about anything else.

The four people there were sunbathing, thankfully
, and that left the pool water calm and peaceful. “We’re gonna fry if we sit here longer than ten minutes.”

“Yes.” He waved his feet around in the water.

“You work out, I mean clearly you do.”

“Yes. I have a bench in my apartment.”

“Ah right.” Their feet hit under water. “Whoops.”

“You’re fine,” he mumbled.

“And I don’t even work out.”

He chuckled, getting her little joke.

A thought occurred to her that seemed like such a bright idea to help him with the whole touching women thing. “Can you put some lotion on my back? So I don’t burn?”

“If you want.”

“Be right back.” She hurried and got the oil and returned with it. Like it were completely natural, she handed it to him, lifted her hair and turned. “Don’t glob it, I mean make sure it’s rubbed in so I tan evenly.”

“
Got it. No drips.”

Sh
e bit her lower lip hard, waiting, praying her touch tactic worked. She heard the cap flip open and the oil squirt out.

“
Here goes.”

His
hands touched down in the center of her back, a gentle pressure before gliding slowly up, maintaining contact. His fingers slid softly maybe even sensually over her shoulder blades and shoulders before his entire palm stroked down her back. She was speechless. She’d planned to say something about his jerky motions but…hell, the man had startling finesse for a no toucher.

She needed to say
something.
“Maybe you missed your calling as a Masseur.”

“Dear God, never.”

She laughed, not wanting him to stop. She allowed a dramatic moan of pleasure as a compliment and he continued until she felt it’d gone quite far enough. “Thank you.” She turned a little, letting him know he was done.

He handed her the
bottle of oil. “If you don’t mind, I prefer to tan evenly as well.”

She looked at him and saw the mischief in his beautiful green eyes. She nodded, taking
it from him. “Fine. I get it. A fair exchange.”

“Yes.”

“Turn around.”

He presented his back and her stomach tightened at the raised skin of his scars. How was he not bothered with showing them? It made no sense with his fears. She filled her palm with
oil and began rubbing it on his back, lickety split motions.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

She paused, leaving her hands on him as she leaned forward. “For what?”

“Making you…touch me.”

“Oh, pfft. I don’t mind touching you. I just…”

“Don’t like the scars?”

“What? No, no, that’s not it at all, I don’t care about your scars. I mean I care, I like them…shit.” She sighed, moving her hands slowly over his back now, feeling him. “I promise…the scars don’t bother me one bit.” She allowed her fingers to roam with meaning and purpose, caressing the way he’d done. “That better?”

“Much.”

A minute later of torment, she smacked his shoulder. “That’s all you get.”

He turned and faced the pool, smiling at her. “It was a lifetime worth, thank you.”

“I should swim, look at how amazing the water looks. Do you know how to swim?” she asked, ready to put the stupid touching therapy way behind her now.

“Yes.”

She looked at the pool, contemplating. “I could just…slip right in.”

“You could.”

“Or just jump.”

“Or I could help you.” He shoved her in and she came up
out of the water gasping.

“Oh my God, you didn’t just push me in.”

He laughed. “Yes, I did.”

She put her hand out to him. “Help me out, right now. I’m done.”

He stood and leaned for her hand. She latched on and tried to pull him in but he lifted her out of the water like she weighed nothing. The second she had her footing and balance, she used her entire body to tackle him into the pool.