She opened her eyes. “Do you ever relax?”
“Probably not as much as I need to.” He moved to the ledge and offered his hand. “Come on.”
&n
bsp; She sighed and swam to the edge. With her foot braced on a rock, she reached up for his hand. Austin was already experiencing the relief of getting back into a structured setting when Everly’s weight shifted. She planted both feet on the edge, wrapped both hands around his wrist, and laughed as she pulled him into the pool.
The unexpected move flipped a switch, and all Austin’s training rushed forward, his suspicions leading the way. He barely felt the cool water wrap his body and lunged for her as soon as he broke the surface. He easily caught her arm, and the force of his grip drained her smile.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Frustration spiked through him, and he gave her a hard shake. “How’d you know water wouldn’t ruin my gun?”
She frowned. “Because you fell into the pool with Bella my first day here. You had all your equipment on you that day.”
Jesus Christ. He was disgusted with himself. Embarrassed he’d let the depth of his suspicions show.
“Come on.” She swam to the side. “Get your precious gun out of the water.”
He gripped the edge of a rock and wiped a hand down his face, admitting, “Water won’t hurt the gun. I just didn’t know how you knew that.”
Before she pushed from the pond, she splashed him with water. “What’s wrong with you? Why would you make me feel guilty over something that’s not even a problem?”
He didn’t have an answer. “Because I’m an ass?”
“That’s not good enough.” She wasn’t angry, just matter-of-fact. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked. I bend over backward to make everyone happy—you, Bella, the security guards—and then you snap at me for nothing. How can you have so much patience for all Bella’s antics and get pissed at me so easily?” While he was thinking about that, she added, “You’ve kind of got a hair-trigger temper.”
“I do not.”
His automatic denial made her laugh. But it wasn’t her normal, lighthearted laugh. It was more like a whatever-you-gotta-tell-yourself laugh. She planted her hands on a rock and pushed herself out of the pool.
Austin caught her around the waist before she got out. “You’re right.” When she didn’t push away, he rested his chin on her shoulder and enjoyed the way she fit against him. “You remind me too damn much of the women I worked with in the military.”
She turned her head to look at him. “How could I possibly remind you of someone in the military?”
Let her go. Let her go. Let her go.
His mind screamed one thing, his body something entirely different.
“The way you phrase things. Your agility and fitness. Other little things that are harder to explain.”
“You are maddening.” She heaved a breath that ended in a growl. Then turned in his arms to face him. And, damn, all the places her body rubbed reacted, despite the cool water. “You’ve invaded my past, all but subjected me to a lie detector test, and praised me on my work with Bella. What do I have to do to earn your trust?”
Austin wondered if this was more than healthy suspicion. If he was starting to see things that weren’t there. He’d never distrusted his instincts before, but he wondered now if they were off the mark.
When he didn’t answer, she said, “Or is this more about the attraction between us? Maybe you think being an ass is a good way to kill it.”
“Let’s not go there.”
Her brows shot up. “Really? Is that all you’ve got? Because if what’s going on down south is any indication, your brain and your body are not on the same page.”
The way his body responded to her was definitely a problem. He deflected with “And that. That confidence. That’s another thing.”
“I’m so over your neurosis.” She turned and pushed from the pool. “I am who I am because of the way I’ve lived. If you don’t like it, that’s your problem.”
Austin’s problem was that he liked it way too much. But he decided to leave their argument there and followed her out of the pool. Water streamed down his body and through his shoes. “Two more miles in wet shoes. If I get blisters, girl…”
She pulled on her own shoes, balled her tank into one hand, and turned toward the trail. “My heart bleeds for you, soldier.”