Page 81 of The Fast Lane
“Left her with Theo.” He pointed to the far end of the pool where the shallow water was. “They’re over there.”
I saw Hallie first, her hair in crooked, wet pigtails. She wore a bright-green swimsuit and arm floaties. The man beside her hooked her under the arms, held her high, and released her in the water with a splash. Her head popped right back up in a swoosh, spluttering and giggling.
The man, though…I wasn’t sure how I’d missed him the first time I’d looked. Or maybe I could see why. His hair was wet and dark, slicked back, and he was shirtless. Obviously. He was at a pool. His wide chest was tanned but not particularly muscle-y, with a light dusting of hair. But it was the huge, colorful shoulder tattoo that threw me off. Theo had a tattoo?
Alec had a few tattoos, one on his forearm, a tribal patterned armband, and another on his calf. I hadn’t had strong feelings about them. But Theo’s tattoo was doing all kinds of things to me. My fingers itched to trace it, discover all the little details. I wanted to ask him what it meant and when he’d gotten it.
Was I into tattoos and never realized it? Was this another kink? Like the backwards hat?
Just then, Hallie pointed over at Mack and me. She waved her arms in the air to catch our attention. Theo turned, the blue of his eyes reflecting off the water and looking twice as bright.
Nope. It wasn’t the tattoos. I was really into Theo. I had a Theo Goodnight kink.
I waved back, unable to help both my smile and the roaring thump of my heartbeat in my ears.
“Oh, now, is that the great-granddaughter you were telling me about?” Mimi pointed at Hallie. “She’s precious.”
“That’s her.” Mack pushed up his sunglasses and glanced my way. “Go get in that water with those two.”
He didn’t have to say it twice. I stood and slipped out of my flip-flops.
“Ali-Cat,” Mack said as I started to walk away, “you might want to move up the wedding date based on the look on that man’s face.”
“Are you engaged?” Mimi hit Mack on the shoulder. “You rascal, you didn’t say anything about that.”
“No.” I shook my head. “We aren’t together. Just friends.”
Laughing, he slid his glasses into place. “Don’t listen to a word she says. I give ’em six months.”
I put my hands on my hips in exasperation. “Mack.”
He wiggled his fingers in goodbye. “Have fun.”
The pool was bean-shaped, the shallow end farther away. I took the long route, surreptitiously sneaking glances at Theo. Except every time I glanced at him, his eyes were following me, that secret little smile hovering around his mouth. It was instinct to walk taller, push back my shoulders, and put a little extra swing in my hips. I couldn’t say I’d ever felt as sexy or noticed as I did just then, at a swimming pool somewhere in Nevada, by a blue-eyed man who wasn’t supposed to make me feel this way anymore.
“Aunt Ali,” Hallie cried, kicking her feet as fast as she could to meet me at the stairs. She scampered up the steps and reached for my hand, pulling me in.
The water felt heavenly, in cool contrast to the sun beating down. “Hey, you. Are you having fun?”
She nodded. “Teo’s throwing me in the water. Come on.”
But when we reached the spot Hallie had last seen Theo, he was gone.
“Where’d he go?” Her little forehead creased.
“He’ll show back up.”
The words weren’t even out of my mouth when someone wrapped a hand around my ankle and pulled. I screeched and clawed at the pool ledge, but that hand skimmed my leg and hooked my waist. I lost the battle and fell backward onto the warm, solid wall of Theo. Which, not gonna lie, was a pretty great place to be.
“Arrr, I’ve got you now,” he said.
I burst out laughing. “That is the worst pirate accent I’ve ever heard.”
“Teo.” Hallie wagged her finger. “You let her go.”
“I’ll not. For I am the Dread Pirate Goodnight.”
“You really do have a thing for pirates, don’t you?” I twisted my head enough to see him. “Should I be concerned?”