Waverly (Socierty Girls #4) Page 8

  “I don’t get it. If a guy told me he only wanted a suck or a fuck, I’d either do it or not. Then I’d move on.” Or at least I think I would.

  “You’re not most girls, Wave, which is a good thing. They’re not bad themselves, just misguided.”

  I don’t want to ask, but I have to, and not just because I need the info to try and protect Knox. “What about Gwen?”

  “Ask Knox.”

  “Will he tell me?”

  “Probably not.”

  “What if she’s the one behind this.”

  “Ask Knox.”

  That’s just it. From the information I have, Gwen was his college sweetheart, and they were together for five years. He even gave her a ring, and his parents loved her. It all looked perfect, until they broke up. Since she was seen a few days later with another swimmer, I’m guessing she’s the one who did the breaking, but I need more info.

  “There’s been no threats on social media, email, or by snail mail so far. You probably spooked whoever it was, but I thought they’d show themselves by now.”

  “Maybe they can’t get to Africa as easily as we can.”

  “We’ve thought of that, and it’s very possible as well. But I would’ve thought whoever it was would’ve emailed or something if they couldn’t get near him. Maybe they just want to threaten him in person. At this point, I just don’t know.”

  “You’re doing your best, and so is everyone else. We appreciate it.”

  “Do you know when he’s planning on going back home?”

  “Do you two even talk?”

  “Yes. Maybe.”

  He shakes his head. “About two weeks. There’s a big human trafficking fundraiser he wants to go to next weekend, and then we’ll work out here a few more days. It’s good here, but he needs to get back into his own pool.”

  I look down, and watch Knox as he slices through the water, his powerful arms and broad back looking even better from all the way up here. He’s like a merman, owning the pool. That’s where he belongs. In the water, winning medals. I need to find out who’s behind these threats, and keep him safe, even if protecting him means losing him. I’ll just milk every drop of pleasure and happiness out of the time we have together until then.

  We slept together the last two nights, but we didn’t go all the way. He wants to make sure I’m ready, but with our time running out, I don’t want to wait any longer. Tonight, I’m giving him all of me. I’m actually already his, whether he knows it or not.

  Knox

  I usually grab something for lunch somewhere between this swim center, and the university, where I train in the afternoons with their swim teams. Today, I want to do something different, and fun. I can do laps in my pool tonight to make up for it, but I want to go out with Waverly today. Especially after I saw her on the dive tower with Cohen. I want to know what they were talking about.

  “I’m going to do things a little differently today,” I tell everyone as I walk out after my shower and ice bath. I hate those things, but once a week they save my life.

  “How different?” one of the coaches I hired to help me asks.

  “Wave and I are going to lunch by the beach, and then we’re going to Sea Point to swim.”

  “Are we?” she asks, one eyebrow raised.

  “Yes, please.”

  “Okay.”

  “No, it’s not okay,” one of the other coaches says, speaking up. “It’s too crowded there for you to train in any of the pools.”

  “I’ll do laps in my pool tonight.”

  “You could play with your girlfriend in your pool tonight, and stick to the plan we all agreed on.”

  “Or I could just fire you. Your choice.”

  I’m not kidding, and he realizes it, throwing his hands up and walking out. The other coaches follow. I seriously don’t care. I’ll be going home soon, back to the team I’ve been with since I was a boy. I hired this travel team so my regular guys could stay with their families, but after all these years, I know how to train myself if these assholes not decide to take me up on my offer.

  “You cleared this room pretty fast,” Cohen says with a laugh.

  “And you’re surprised?”

  “Not at all. Have a good time you two. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do in a pool.”

  “Since it’s a public pool, you have nothing to worry about,” Waverly tells him.

  My best friend and I share a look, and then he salutes me before walking out, too. I take Waverly’s hand, and walk with her out to my rental car. “Do you have a suit with you?”

  “Yes. I figured I should always be prepared since I see you staring longingly at the beach every time we drive past it.”

  “I really want to go in, but I know I shouldn’t. There are too many variables I can’t control in open water.”

  “We should at least put our feet in.”

  I look at her and smile as I open her door. “Yeah. We should.” I lean over and kiss her because I can, and then we’re on our way.

  I pull into the restaurant, Blues, which is no less busy than Beluga, but it’s more casual, and I don’t think we’ll be stalked by the paparazzi here. Even if we are, I don’t really care right now. Waverly’s in a black one piece shorts thing that dips low in front, showcasing her fantastic tits while still looking classy. I want to show her off, and let everyone know the fiery redhead is mine.

  We’re seated at a table inside, with a view of Camps. I must look wistful, because Waverly brings up the beach again. “We can sit outside if you want.”

  “You’re not worried about a sunburn?” She’s fair-skinned, and redheaded. Not a good combination for the strong sun outside.

  “I have sunscreen, sunglasses, and a floppy hat. I wouldn’t have agreed to go to an outdoor pool on the ocean if I didn’t.”

  “That’s different. We’ll be swimming, and playing in the water, not just sitting outside to bake. Plus, I want to see your face and eyes while we eat.”

  “So romantic.”

  “For you, I’m willing to try.”

  “You weren’t romantic with Gwen?”

  My hands grip the menu tight. The woman in front of me shouldn’t be speaking that other woman’s name. Ever. In a perfect world at least. In this world, she’s my bodyguard as well as my lover, so she knows things without me even having to tell her. Or having the chance to do it. Right now, I’m not happy about it, but it is what it is.

  I school my features, and answer her honestly. “I bought her flowers, candy, and jewelry, so I guess I was romantic.”

  “No romantic walks on the beach in San Diego?”

  “I don’t want to talk about her with you. She’s in the past.”

  She opens her mouth to argue, but the waitress must be a mind reader, because there she is, taking our drink order. Once she’s gone, I put the menu in front of my face, effectively stopping any further conversation for the moment.

  Waverly lets it go until we’re eating. She’s got seafood linguine, and I’m having the linefish of the day. Mine is delicious, and hers looks just as good. It doesn’t deter her, though.

  “I need to know about her if I’m going to keep you safe.”

  “I can’t do this with you.”

  “I’ll have to leave if I can’t protect you properly.”

  I know she’s right, but it doesn’t make this any easier. I set down my fork, take a long drink of my water, and look her in the eyes as I speak. “I loved her. I wanted to marry her. I trusted her. She cheated on me. I caught her. End of story. Are you happy now?”

  “Did she still want to be with you, even though she cheated?” she asks, ignoring my question.

  “Yes,” I say through gritted teeth. “She begged me to forgive her. I didn’t, and I still don’t. Thankfully, she seems to have found someone else to keep her in the lifestyle I made her accustomed to, and her cheating is his problem now.”

  “You keep track of her then.”

  Damn it all to Hell. “I may hear about
her from time to time.”

  “No. You actively seek out the information, don’t you?”

  “Why do you ask me questions you don’t really want the answer to?”

  “I need to know. I may not want to, but I need to.”

  I’m angry, and so yet again, I lie to her. “Fine. Yes. I ask about her. I would probably take her back—to my bed at least—if the opportunity arose. Is that what you needed to hear?”

  She shakes her head, and I see the hurt in her eyes. “Thank you for being honest. You should probably eat the rest of your fish before it gets cold.”

  “Wave.”

  “It’s fine. I’m the one who asked. Let’s finish our lunch, and go to the pool.”

  “I wouldn’t touch her if she was the last woman on Earth.”

  “What?” she asks, her head snapping up so she can look me in the eye. “You said you wanted her.”

  “I was angry about having to answer you. The truth is, I check on her sometimes to make sure she’s far away from me. I don’t want anything to do with her.”

  “That’s the real truth?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry I lied. I just really don’t want to talk about her with you. I know it’s you job, but I just want my girlfriend right now.”

  “You’re not upset the coach called me that?”

  “Nope. I love it.”

  “Me too.”

  I take her hand and kiss it before finishing my lunch. We share some mousse and toffee before heading a few miles away to the pool complex. Sea Point has been named one of the most beautiful pools in the world. There are actually three pools, but only one is for training. There are splash pools, and when the tide is high, the ocean crashes into the pools, which is why they are seawater and not chlorinated.

  “The pools will probably be salty They filter the water, but I doubt they get it all out. If it messes with your hair or something, I’ll help you wash it out later.”

  “Is this your way of trying to get me to shower with you?”

  “It’s an added bonus, but I really just wanted to play in the water with you.”

  “We should use our pool more often. Or your little private one.”

  “We should. We will,” I promise, taking her hand. I love holding her hand.

  After splitting up so she can change, and I can put my wallet and shirt in a locker, I wait for her outside. I’m in board shorts, although my Speedo would fit right in here. The American in me just can’t do it—walk around a beach or non-competitive pool in a banana hammock. I get some looks, so I know I’m recognized, but with my sunglasses on, no one can make eye contact with me.

  “Ready?” I hear from behind me.

  When I turn, my mouth goes dry. How many sexy bathing suits does this woman own? Many more is what I’m hoping. Today’s suit is black again. It’s got thick black straps, molded bra cups, and zippers on the high-waisted bottoms. She has that floppy hat she mentioned tilted to one side, and her red curls pulled over her other shoulder. Black flip flops with a little heel, and a locker key around her neck complete the look.

  “You’re going to kill me. You know that, right?”

  She smiles brightly. “You like my suit.”

  “I love your suit so much that if we were alone, you’d be coming already. Those zippers, babe. Damn.”

  “If we were alone, you’d be coming, too,” she tells me, grabbing my hand and pulling me with her as she saunters over to the towel rental and pulls some bills from her cleavage. Dead. My heart just stopped, and I think I’m dead. Not a saint by a long shot, but still dead.

  10

  Waverly

  We’ve been having fun, swimming and kissing for the last couple of hours. Knox plays with the zippers on my bikini bottoms when we’re in deeper water, but he hasn’t tried anything else, probably because I keep giving him death glares when he pulls them down too far. Now I know why he was sharing that look with Cohen—he probably thought he could get away with some kind of sexy time in the public pool. Not happening.

  We’re splashing each other in one of the shallow pools when I hear it. I haven’t spoken Afrikaans in years, but as my native language, I will never forget it. I whip my head around, and tell the teenage boys not to talk that way. They jump back, obviously surprised and embarrassed that I heard them. They apologize, and swim away.

  “That was seriously hot. You don’t usually even speak with an accent unless we’re out, but hearing you speak in another language…just, yeah.”

  “My accent has been coming out?” I hadn’t noticed, but I should have. I’m slipping, and that’s not good. My guard should not be down enough for me to speak with an accent.

  “Yeah. When you’re around the people from here, you do.” Knox moves closer to whisper so only I can hear him. “When you come, it’s really strong. I love hearing you say my name with your accent.”

  “Good to know.”

  “What did they say? I think I heard my name before you yelled at them. You were yelling, right?”

  I don’t want to tell him, because I handled it myself. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “If you’re saying that, it probably does. Please tell me.”

  I’m glad my sunglasses are on, so I can look away while still facing him. “They were saying they couldn’t believe you would be with someone who looked like me.”

  “Hot and sexy like you?”

  “No, and you know it.”

  “Little bastards. I should go kick their asses.”

  “And go to jail for beating up teenagers?”

  “Hell yeah. You’re gorgeous, and anyone who can’t see that is an idiot.”

  “That was you a few weeks ago.”

  “Nope. I was attracted to you from the moment you walked in. My assholery had nothing to do with your hotness. I may not have thought you were in shape, but I never doubted your beauty.”

  “There’s a compliment in there somewhere.”

  “You know I have trouble saying things correctly.”

  I pull him in and kiss him lightly on the lips. “I do know. I got what you meant. Thank you.”

  “No. Thank you for making me see what a closed-minded jerk I was.”

  “I promise to do that whenever necessary.”

  “I have no doubt. Ready to go put your feet in the ocean?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  We slip on our shoes to walk down to the beach. Once we’re close, we take them off again, and hold them in our free hands as our other ones intertwine with each other. The water of the Indian Ocean is warm, but it still feels refreshing as the sun beats down on us.

  “There’s a party this weekend. I’d love it if you could be my date. There will be paparazzi, but I could try and keep you safe.”

  “Cohen said it’s for human trafficking?”

  “Yeah. It’s a new organization. The wife of the billionaire who started it has a personal interest in the cause.”

  I have a very personal interest as well, but I’m not ready to tell him that yet. Or maybe ever. We’ve got an end date to this, and he doesn’t need the information to do his job. Yeah, it’s a double standard, but a cheating girlfriend is very different than what I’m hiding.

  “I’ll ask Reina if I can go. I’d love to if she says I can.”

  “What else did Cohen tell you?” he asks, sounding nervous.

  “We talked about the threats, you getting never ending blowjobs at the party with the first threat, and about us leaving Africa in less than two weeks.”

  “Shit.”

  “I knew all about the first parts, but I should’ve been aware of the last bit of info. If not as your girlfriend, then definitely as your bodyguard.”

  “You’re right. I knew I had to tell you, but I didn’t want this to end. We’ve had ups and downs here, but just being here with you, even when you’re mad at me, has been better than a lot of things in my life. I know things will change once we’re back in the States, and I don’t want them to.”

&
nbsp; “They’ll only change if we let them.”

  “I won’t let them if you won’t.”

  “Deal.”

  “We’ve been making a lot of those lately.”

  “All good ones, though.”

  “Yeah, they are.”

  He pulls me to him, and kisses me senseless while the waves lap at our feet. My heart feels like it’s going to burst from my chest, it’s so full. I love this man, and there’s nothing I can do to keep him. Well, I could give up everything I’ve fought so hard for, but if I did that, would I still be me? And would I resent him? I don’t know the answer to either of those questions, and that’s what scares me most of all.

  Knox

  Today was great, but I’m going to have to make up for the missed training tonight. As much as I want to just hang out in the daybed or an actual bed with Waverly, neither one of us would be okay with me abandoning my training. I kiss her longer than I should, and leave her on the outdoor couch while I start my laps.

  I tune out everything around me when I race, because I have to. There’s nothing but me and the water. It has to be that way in order for me to compete at the level I want to be at, and so I train the same way. I swim lap after lap, pushing myself when it feels right, and pulling back if I feel anything off with my body. I know my body better than anyone, and I’ve learned to listen to it.

  Two hours later, I lift my head from the water, and look to my girl. She’s hanging up her phone, and smiling at me. “Reina said I can go with you. I’ve been photographed already as part of your team. She did tell me to remember your promise. What did you promise her?”

  “That’s between Reina and me. State secrets and all,” I tell her as I pull myself out of the pool and drop onto the couch next to her.

  “I’ve been extensively trained in ways to make a man—or woman—tell me what I want to know. Do you really want me to use those skills on you?”

  “Society skills? No. Womanly skills? Well, I’d sure like you to do what you can to make me talk.”