Page 57 of Sasha’s Secret

Rocco chuckled. “What makes you think you need bubbles to get you off in water?”

The man was incorrigible. “And here I was, thinking we’d have a relaxing swim together.”

“We will. Then I plan to make love to you until you’re exhausted enough to fall asleep while I hold you.”

She could get on board with that. “Come on.” She rose to her feet and held out her hand. “Everything we need is in the pool area.”

Of all the swimming facilities on the property, the small indoor pool was Sasha’s favorite. It was also the most private. The white-and-turquoise color scheme gave it a tropical beach feel, aided by the abundance of palms and other large potted plants. White lounge chairs surrounded the pool itself, all of them thankfully vacant—there was no sign of anyone else in the space.

Sasha went to the control panel on the wall, and with a couple of swipes and taps on the touch-sensitive pad, the glass wall at the far end darkened and the wall-mounted lights came on at a subdued and very intimate level. She turned to Rocco. “There. Is this okay for you?”

“Perfect.”

The way he was looking at her left her in no doubt that he wasn’t only talking about their surroundings.

Sasha held out her hand. “The Jacuzzi’s at the other end, where the steps are. Why don’t we change down there, so we can use it if we want to?”

“Towels?”

“In the cabinets, along with robes. We have everything we need.”

She led Rocco around the pool to a cluster of chairs. As she kicked off her shoes and started on her shirt buttons, she became aware that Rocco, rather than emulating her, had made himself comfortable on one of the chairs.

She folded her arms and cocked a hip. “What are you doing, Equizi?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” He grinned. “I’m watching you.”

She shook her head. “That is so not fair. Don’t I get to watch you?”

“If you want to, but I get to watch you first.”

Sasha blessed him with a long-suffering look. She stalked over to him and pushed his shoulder until he sprawled a tad inelegantly on the almost fully reclined chair. “You want a show, mister, you can have a show.”

She spun around and, with a provocative sway to her hips, strolled away from him until she was well out of touching distance. This would work better with music—Sasha had never imagined she’d be grateful for Linzi’s insistence on having the sophisticated sound system installed, or the time she herself had spent on putting together a play list for it. As the first song filled the space around them, she took a hair tie from the pocket of her slacks, put her hair up in a ponytail, and resumed her place in front of Rocco.

With any other man, this slow striptease would have been a source of embarrassment, but doing it for Rocco was a different matter entirely. She didn’t feel in the least bit foolish. The heat in his gaze burned her up, and when she dropped the final garment on the nearest lounge chair and turned to him, he was already on his feet. He covered the distance between them with a couple of long strides, and then his mouth crashed into hers.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” she murmured. “Again.”

“I know. Give me a minute.”

He didn’t need a minute. She’d never seen a man get naked so fast, his clothes ended up scattered far and wide. Before he could do anything else, though, Sasha turned and dived into the pool.

She was a proficient swimmer but Rocco was better. Barely a splash as he entered the water, and he must have only taken a few strokes to draw level with her. He emerged beside her and shook his head like a bedraggled dog. Sasha shrieked.

His response was to laugh, and at the totally carefree sound, something inside her tipped and settled into place, as if a space she’d never been aware of was suddenly filled. His hands cupped her face, and when he kissed her this time, feelings she’d kept locked up her whole life suddenly soared into the air, flying free at last.

“Sasha? Are you all right?”

She wanted to tell him, more than she’d ever wanted to tell anyone anything in her life. The words waited impatiently to be released, but at the same time, she was so painfully aware that liberating them could ruin everything. She tried for nonchalance instead. “Er, yeah… I guess.”

To her surprise his brow creased, his concerned gaze darting over her face as if searching for something. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.”

That brought her back down to earth. “Oh no, you’re not short-changing me on this.”

“Not even if I can make you a better offer?”

She grinned, ducked away from him, and swam for the far end of the pool. He came with her, matching his stroke to hers. The sensation of the water flowing over her body without the obstruction of a swimsuit was blissfully relaxing, but at the same time, she was supremely conscious of the lithe beauty and efficient grace of Rocco’s form as he cut through the water beside her.