Strategic Engagement (Wingmen Warriors 5)

She scooped her hand through the pool and flicked his face right back. "Your dad hears you say crap again and you'll be needing that cold water to rinse out the soap."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. He hasn't tried that since I was in junior high. Now come on. Swim with me. There's an extra suit in the pool house."

He reached to tug the rope of red hair trailing over her shoulder, then paused. When the hell had Mary Elise gotten breasts? Not much to them, but they sure as hell were there. He jerked his hand away.

"I can't, Danny. Can't. Okay? I'm a girl and there are days it's just easier for a girl if she doesn't swim."

He felt the color drain from his face and knew it didn't have anything to do with the freezing water. Some stuff a guy just didn't want to know. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh. Now go swim and enjoy the fact that you're a boy and can swim all thirty-one days of this month. I'll soak my feet here while we talk about something else."

And he wanted to do just that. Well, until he saw the downward tilt to her mouth, the minifurrow on her serious brow.

Who needed to swim laps, anyway?

Standing, he extended his hand without a word while he waited. He could handle this. Sure, he wanted to dive to the bottom of the pool where he wouldn't have to even think about this discussion. But he was a practical guy and, hell, this was Mary Elise after all. They could talk about anything.

Even if she had developed br**sts overnight. He shoved his hand closer.

She eyed his outstretched arm. "What?"

"Chocolate."

"Huh?"

"Let's go get some chocolate. I hear chicks like to eat a boatload of the stuff when they're, uh—" he stifled his wince for Mary Elise's sake "—not swimming."

A smile so perfect crept across her face and right up to her eyes that a charge of victory shot through him until Daniel forgot about the pool behind him and the swim he'd waited all winter to take.

Mary Elise fitted her hand in his and stood. "Yeah, right, now I get it. You've just got your eye on that box of Hostess Ho-Hos in my mom's pantry."

"Busted."

Her laugh swelled then faded as they pushed their way through the ivy-covered gate separating their yards. "You're not totally grossed out?"

"Maybe a little."

She punched his arm.

"Hey, joking!" He rubbed his arm, relaxed. He could always do that with Mary Elise, relax, be himself with nothing to prove. Daniel slung an arm around his best friend's shoulders. "This just means you're gonna be able to have kids someday. Right? Nothing gross about that."

She tipped her face up to his. "Thank you, Danny."

Mary Elise arched onto her toes, a soft breast pressed to .his side as she grazed a kiss against his cheek right at the corner of his mouth. If he moved his head even…

"Hey! Heads up, Baker."

Daniel blinked. The volleyball whizzed through the air, straight toward his face.

"Crap." He launched to the side and swung his cupped hands up into the ball with a microsecond to spare.

And damned if his gaze didn't land right back on Mary Elise to see if she'd been watching. He wasn't any better than Tag's son, Chris, drooling over a girl until he lost focus on the rest of the freaking world.

Chris punched the air with a victory shout. "Point, game and match for the visiting team."

Tag eased out of formation over to the side of the pool. "Perfect timing. We need to hit the road. My daughter's driving home from college for the weekend, and I promised Rena I'd move boxes out of Nikki's room before she gets here."

Daniel waded closer to Tag as Darcy launched out of her chair to join in the game. No doubt those boxes had been pulled down on his account as the loadmaster and his wife sorted through their son's old clothes to help fill Austin and Trey's empty closet. He stifled another wince at everything he owed his friends. He was a hell of a lot more comfortable being on the giving end. Did Mary Elise feel the same way?