Page 45 of Ethan & Grace

“Go on,” I said, swimming over to the edge of the pool where she stood. Bracing my arms on the cool tiles, I added, “It’s so dark in here that I can hardly see a thing. I can turn around until you’re in the water, if you want.”

Grace eyed the pool cautiously, and I could practically see her resistance begin to crumble. Finally, she let out a sigh and dropped her arms. “All right, I’ll come in. But you have to turn around. And don’t you dare peek!”

“I would never,” I promised, turning my back to her.

For a moment, there was silence. Then came the rustle of clothes, followed by footsteps and the gentle splash of water as Grace climbed down the pool steps.

“Can I turn around now?”

She groaned, irritated. “If you must.”

I turned—and for a second, my breath caught in my throat. The light reflecting off the water made her skin shimmer and traced delicate patterns across her face. She’d pinned up her blond hair, leaving her bare shoulders and the graceful curve of her neck exposed. “What do you think?” I managed to ask.

I had to remind myself to keep my eyes above the surface of the water as she swam towards me. The water concealed and blurred a lot, but not everything. “It’s . . . nice.”

“You’ve been using that word quite a lot in relation to me lately.”

“The pool and the water are nice,” she clarified. “I wasn’t talking about you.”

“Someday I’ll make you see that I’m a nice guy.”

“Tell that to all the women whose hearts you’ve broken.”

“I’ve never broken a heart,” I assured her. “Despite what you may think, I don’t use women for sex. We use each other for fun. They know what they’re getting into with me—and they get into it happily and of their own free will. They get what they want. I get what I want. No broken hearts, only satisfied needs—every single time.” The last part sounded less like a statement than a promise I would fulfil if Grace ever let me touch her.

“You’re pretty sure of yourself.”

“Because there’s no reason not to be,” I shot back, starting to swim circles around her. “What about you?”

“What?”

“Do you ever have sex just for the fun of it or only when you’re in a relationship?” It was a dangerous question to ask. Until now, there’d always been a clear boundary between us, but in recent days, the line had become more and more blurred. And not just for me. Grace’s presence here was proof enough of that. Just three months ago, she would have given me hell for suggesting we go for a night swim together, yet here we were. I felt an overwhelming urge to pull her to me and slide my tongue between her lips.

“Sex in a relationship is fun.”

“Just as I thought—you’re more the make-love type.”

“That’s not what I said,” she protested. “I’m not a prude!”

“You made me turn around so I wouldn’t see your breasts.”

“That’s a you-problem. Not an I’m-a-prude-problem.”

I stopped swimming circles around Grace and swam towards her, her eyes locked on me. I stopped right in front of her. All that separated me now from feeling her breasts against me was one single, tiny step. The lack of distance changed the air between us, charging it with something that sparked and tingled. “And I think it’s a you’re-afraid-problem.”

She looked up at me. “Afraid of what?”

I raised my hand and ran my fingertips gently over her cheek. Despite the sound of the waterfall, I could hear her breath catch as I stroked her jaw. It was a dangerous game I was playing, but I couldn’t help myself. “Afraid of getting hooked on me if we ever did fuck.”

Grace rolled her eyes, but I could tell it was just to mask how much my touch unsettled her. Goosebumps rose along her arms. Yet she didn’t swim away from me, even though there was nothing holding her here except her own free will. “Do you often think about having sex with me?”

I slid two fingers under her chin, tilting her head up to make her look at me. The light from the water was reflected in her brown eyes. She tried to look away and resist the growing tension between us, but her attention jerked back to me like a magnet. Her lips parted slightly, and I couldn’t help but enjoy the way my closeness made her skin flush a deep red.

“Do you really want to know?” I asked softly, letting my fingers trace from her chin down to her neck.

I felt her pulse flutter beneath my touch. She nodded.

“Yes. I do,” she confessed.