“This place is magnificent,” she says, admiring the rooms we walk through the house towards the backyard.
The kitchen has a modern design, everything white or light gray. It’s filled with windows and has two large separate islands. Even though it was just recently built, the house feels like a home already, probably thanks to Abby’s decorating skills.
When we reach the indoor pool, Molly and I are both speechless. The enormous pool has an organic shape and on one side, large rocks make up a waterfall wall that stretches about two stories high. The glass ceiling and walls allow in lots of natural light for the tropical trees and plants in the room.
At one end of the room, there’s a large tiki bar with a dozen stools surrounding a stone bar top, which is covered with several large food trays. Two flat screen TVs display a news channel and ESPN.
“Well, they have a pool now,” I say softly.
“Wow.” It’s all Molly can manage to say.
Luca and Abby are two of the nicest people I know. They deserve all the happiness and success in the world. I just hope Molly can see behind their money to the people they are. No one on my team is pretentious, but we’re a tight-knit group, and we don’t worry too much about what everyone else thinks.
“Would you rather swim now, or with everyone else later?” I ask Molly.
She laughs. “You think you can put it that way and I’ll just choose one?”
“I’m hoping so.”
“Kit…”
“Molly.”
“This is way outside my comfort zone.”
“Just a few minutes,” I offer. “We swim by ourselves for a little bit and then when other people come in, we have some fruity drinks and snacks and then go play basketball.”
“Basketball?”
“Indoor basketball court.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh.”
“I think this could be valuable research for your story. No other reporter has ever gone swimming with me. You’d be the first.”
“Oh, really?”
“That’s right.”
I strip off my T-shirt, and she gasps. When I meet her gaze, she’s blushing.
“It’s…the tattoos, that’s all,” she says.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” I offer. “If the paper’s website is updated and your story’s on there, we swim. And if not, I’ll swim alone.” I kick off my shoes and unbutton my jeans, sliding them down so I’m only wearing my swim trunks.
A smile plays on her lips as she thinks about it. “I guess…I could agree to that.”
“Done.” I pull out my phone, willing the story to be uploaded already.
When I see the headline, I let out a whoop of excitement. “Taxpayers foot Lamont’s strip club bill,” I read aloud. “Time to suit up, Miss Lynch.”
Molly groans and walks into the pool bathroom, and I read her story on my phone while I wait.
Damn, she’s good at what she does. Molly pulls no punches, spelling out the charges the alderman made at the club, including a cash advance for $500. She even called him for a comment, but all he said was that she’d be hearing from his attorney.
I’m thinking about how tenacious and tough Molly is when she walks out of the bathroom and takes my attention away from my phone screen. In a black one-piece suit with a deep V down the front, she looks…sexy. Soft. Vulnerable.
“Wow,” I murmur. “Look at you.”
She runs a hand through her hair and smiles. “It’s been a long time since I went swimming.”
“Let’s not wait any longer, then.”
I walk down to the zero-depth end and she meets me there. We step into the water together.
“It’s so warm,” she says. “It feels amazing.”
I can’t take my eyes off her in that swimsuit. Beneath her conservative clothes, Molly is an absolute knockout. The dip in the front of the suit gives me a glimpse of the round curves of her breasts, and her hips are practically begging me to grab them and pull her toward me.
“You’re beautiful,” I say, the thought spilling out of my mouth.
Molly’s cheeks turn pink as she studies my face. “You think that?”
“Yeah. I mean, it’s not really an opinion thing. You just are.”
I step closer to her, both of us up to our knees in the water. Her chest rises and falls as she breathes, and it’s all I can do not to reach out and run a fingertip down her collarbone to the space between her breasts. If I did, I wouldn’t stop there.
“Don’t go any further,” I tell her. “I want to look at you.”
Molly lets me study her, her gaze wandering over my chest as I do.
“I can’t fucking wait to kiss you.”
In response to my words, her fingertips fly up to her lips and her eyes widen.
“Not just there,” I say in a low tone.
Molly’s chin drops. I wish like hell her article about me was done and I could take her back to my place when we leave here, but we’re not there yet. And much as I’d love to show her what she’s missing, I won’t kiss her until she’s ready.