Neither of us says anything.
She’s frozen with a look of terror like I’m about to mug her.
Her green-gray eyes gleaming under the overhead deck lights stun me a little. Maybe just gray? I don’t know. They are so light they almost look ghostly. They are hauntingly enthralling.
“Who are you?” she finally asks. “And why are you smiling like that?”
Because I love when my hunches are right. I knew you were pretty. I drag my hand over my mouth and wipe the smug smirk off my face.
“I’m Finn.” I nod over my shoulder while holding out the six-pack of Alaskan Amber. “I’m Dex’s neighbor. Who are you?”
She tightens her forearm around her chest and sinks an inch lower under the water line. “You just barge into your neighbor’s private residence at nine o’clock at night, uninvited?”
Fair point. It takes me a moment to realize why she’s holding herself so tightly and her entire demeanor is so defensive. I try to hold in my chuckle. “You know Dex has a very serious girlfriend, right?”
“Yes.” She squints at me.
“Just making sure, seeing as you’re topless in his hot tub.”
She looks down at the bubbling water. “You can see me?” Her cheeks go from pink to red, once warm from the steam, now burning with embarrassment.
“No.” I shake my head to reassure her. “Not with the jets on, but you’ve got no straps and you’re holding your breasts like they might fall off, so I just assumed.” I shrug.
To my utter pleasant surprise, she bursts out in a laugh. A rich, melodic laugh, punctuated with an adorably dorky snort.
“What’s so funny?”
She timidly raises her shoulders, ensuring all the important parts of her body stay covered under the water line. “Today has just been the weirdest fucking day. Of course it ends like this.”
“Like what?” I take one step forward.
“With the hot runner catching me skinny dipping in the hot tub.”
Hot runner, huh? I’ll take it.
With her free hand that doesn’t have her full tits wrapped in a death lock, she points to the three sides of the eight-foot privacy fence. “I made sure no one could see me. I didn’t anticipate anyone coming through the gate. Dex failed to mention you’d be stopping by.”
“He didn’t know. He lets me use his hot tub whenever I want.” I take another step forward and hold out the six-pack. “In exchange, I bring him beer. What’re you doing here?” I have a clear view of her doll-like face, now. Her striking eyes were easy to notice from three paces back. But I can appreciate her full cheeks and pink pouty lips much better from up close.
“I’m pet sitting”—she cocks her head to the side—“or more like fish sitting for Dex this summer. He’s guiding scuba tours for the next couple of months straight.”
“Oh.” Makes sense. Dex has a weird obsession with his fish. He has about seven tanks in his home. I always expect his place to smell fishy, but it’s surprisingly fresh every time I’ve been over. “He didn’t tell me you were staying here or I wouldn’t have barged in on you like this. I can go…” I say it as a statement, but I mean it as a question.
Of course I’ll give her back her privacy, but I’m really hoping she’s in the mood for company. It’s not just that my aching lower back and stiff quads really could use a long soak, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been this curious about a woman before I even know her name.
She points to the six-pack in my hand. “That’s a really good beer.”
My smile spreads wide. “You know Alaskan Amber? I feel like everyone I meet is a die-hard Killian’s fan.”
She scrunches her face and shakes her head. “Alaskan is so much smoother. Plus, I like the company’s back story better.”
“Back story?”
“I’m a brand strategist.” She rolls her wrist in the air. “I pay attention to a company’s origin story as a part of their branding package—” She abruptly stops and rolls her eyes. “Sorry, not interesting. It’s Friday night. Who wants to talk about work?”
I nod, but I actually don’t find it uninteresting at all. “Hey, what’s your name?”
“Oh, sorry.” She instinctively rises with her hand extended, until apparently, she remembers she’s topless and immediately slams back into the tub to hide her body, causing the water to splash out onto the deck on all sides.
This time I openly laugh. I’ve seen so many sets of tits between my work life and my sex life, I’m immune. But her shyness is endearing. “I didn’t see anything,” I say between hearty huffs of laughter.
“I’m Avery,” she mumbles, looking up at the pergola strung with lights above us, refusing to look at me. “Avery Scott.”
“Well, Avery Scott, I’ll let you enjoy your evening.” I take a step backward as a test.
“Wait!”
Thankfully, she passes.
Her smile reminds me of the one before, from the car this morning. Genuine. Sincere. She must be starting to relax. Especially now that she’s probably aware I’m not here to rob her. “Don’t be silly. You clearly wanted to use the hot tub. I’m pretty much done.”
I nod at her. It’s a bit of a reach, but I take my shot. “Or maybe we both stay? Do you want some company? I can share my beer,” I say, raising one brow. “I’d love to find out what the hell a brand strategist is.”
To my great surprise, she slowly nods. I really thought she was going to take the out. “Sure. Sounds good. But could you turn around first and close your eyes so I can grab my towel? I’ll put on a swimsuit and come back.”
I set my six-pack down on the deck where I’m standing and walk over to fetch the fluffy green towel draped over the patio chair behind us. Squatting down near the edge of the tub, I offer her the towel. With my other hand, I point to the far side of the hot tub. “I can just stay on my side and I told you, I can’t see anything.” I force myself to lock onto her peculiarly light eyes and don’t dare let my gaze scour what it wants to.
“Thank you,” she says, matching my stare with a clipped smile. “But it’s not so much that I’m topless…it’s that I’m not wearing any bottoms either.” Avery points to the deck, where I should leave the towel, and then rotates her finger in the air. I rise, then obediently follow directions and spin around. I even cover my eyes.
I hear the water falling off her and splashing into the tub as she must be climbing out in a hurry.
“Okay, I’m decent.”
I spin back around to see Avery secured in the oversized green fluffy towel. She’s a little shorter than I was picturing. I’m barely over six-foot, yet I really tower over her.
“I’ll be right back.”
She makes her way through the glass sliding door, leaving me alone with the tub, my beer, and a whole lot of anticipation for a night that just got far more interesting.
“Want one more?” Finn asks, removing the last two bottles of Alaskan Amber from the cardboard six-pack. Using the bottle opener he brought, he pops both lids.