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“There may be legal action we can take against the studio.”

I shake my head. “I don’t think they knew about it. It was a rogue operator who had his phone ready, anticipating what would happen.”

“Do you know who it was?” His voice has an edge to it.

“No. Probably the same producer who encouraged me to pair with Cameron.”

“They should pay for what they did to you.” His expression is hard, and this is a different side to Axel. In this moment, I can believe he was a soldier once.

I shudder, suddenly cold in the warm water. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. They’re assholes. That’s payback enough.”

His expression relaxes, and he continues making slow, soothing circles on my back. “You’re beautiful, Ruby, and sexy, and I’m going to do whatever it takes until you believe those things in your body and in your soul.”

7

RUBY

Axel shifts his body toward mine, and the water ripples around us. His arm slides around my body, and with the buoyancy of the water, I’m pulled against him. His hard body bumps against my soft one, and a delicious shiver runs through me.

“Let me show you how beautiful you are, Ruby. There’s no wall separating us, but our connection is real.”

Something hard bumps against my thigh, and Axel groans. “And this physical attraction is definitely real.”

My body moves before my mind has a chance to catch up. The water makes it easy to lift one thigh and wrap my leg around him.

Axel takes his hands out of the water to cup both my cheeks. I’m forced to look into his intense gaze. “You’re sexy as hell, Ruby Bennet, or whatever the fuck your last name is.”

One hand slides around the back of my head to tangle in my hair. He draws me toward him and presses his lips to mine. I close my eyes and lose myself in the sensation of his firm lips, his scent of whiskey and patchouli, and the feel of his body as the water gently presses us together and then apart in a rhythm all its own.

“Henaway,” I whisper against his lips. “My name’s Ruby Henaway.”

My lips part, and his tongue gains entry as I open myself up to this man. A man I barely know who’s shown me all the care and respect my mother ingrained in me that I deserve. I’m grateful to him for that, but that’s not why I kiss him. I kiss him because my body ignites wherever he touches me. Because his lips pressed to mine make me forget where I am and who I am. Because something deep inside stirs whenever he looks at me. Something primal that I’ve never felt before that I can’t ignore or fight, and I don’t want to.

I want to be kissed by Axel, and he does it deeply and thoroughly, taking his time to claim my mouth as one hand holds my head in place while the other cups my cheek, as if I’m something precious.

We break away, and we’re both breathing hard. Axel looks as surprised as I am, and I wonder if he’s thinking what I am, that I have never in my life been kissed like that before. It’s never felt like that. And if my body is on fire from one kiss, what will it feel like if we go further?

Our gazes lock, and it’s as if we come to the same conclusion at the same time because we both move together, lunging for each other. And this time there’s nothing gentle or soft or precious about it. Our lips collide, and Axel’s hand grasps the back of my neck. My legs wrap around him, and his other hand grabs my ass, holding me up in the water. He walks us backward until he’s sitting on the bench that surrounds the pool. I straddle him, and his cock pops up, rock hard in his underwear between us. His hand slides up my back and over the back of my bra while his mouth kisses my neck. I gasp at the hunger in his kiss as I tilt my head, giving him access to my throat.

He unclips my bra, and the sides open and float in the water.

“Is this okay?” he asks as I’m already wriggling out of it.

My bra floats away in the water, and Axel’s hands slide to my hips. His gaze rakes over my breasts, and I sit back as he holds my hips in place, remembering why I love my body.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Ruby.”

His gaze slides up my face, and he smooths my wild hair and runs his hand over it as it fans out in the water. “Like a mermaid.”

I snort-laugh. “No one’s ever likened me to a mermaid before. A whale maybe, but I don’t have the grace of a mermaid.”

“Fuck grace. It’s overrated. You’re a woman, not a cat. Give me real over grace any day.”

This man knows all the right things to say. “Real, I can do.”

His hand slides up my belly, and I let out a sharp gasp as his finger grazes the underside of my breast.

“Can I touch you?”