My eyes flutter open. He’s looking down at me with a cocky smile and mumbles, “That’s better.” Then, he squeezes my ass in his hands, sets me on the counter and leaves the kitchen, putting on his shirt as he goes.
“Holy crap,” I whisper. Beast looks at me, grunts, then walks to his dog bed and lays down, completely disappointed in my lack of willpower. “It’s not my fault,” I mumble to my dog. He lets out a breath and shuts his eyes, completely dismissing me. “It’s not,” I say, still mumbling. I hop off the counter, take Asher’s dishes from the dishwasher, rinse off the cream cheese so it doesn’t harden onto the plate, rinse out the cup then place them both back in the dishwasher. The whole time, I'm smiling.
I go to the bedroom to get dressed. I pull on a pair of leggings and choose a loose, off-the-shoulder cream shirt, and throw a black open front, oversized sweater on over it. I know Asher says he loves my body, but I need to stop eating everything that is placed in front of me before I need a whole new wardrobe.
Yesterday, I had to lie down to button my jeans, and let’s just say walking around all day and having my toes tingle from lack of circulation is a hazard to myself and those around me. I flop down on the bed, exhausted from getting dressed. I'm so tired that I feel like I could sleep for the next week. I close my eyes just to give them a rest. I feel a feather light touch run down my cheek. My eyes open slowly and I see Asher’s face.
“Time to get up, sleepy head. Our guest is here.”
I take a deep breath and stretch. “Okay, who is it?” I grumble, thinking that this guest better be awesome enough for my sleep interruption.
“You’ll see.” He smiles and pulls me out of bed. He tucks me under his arm and walks us out to the living room where there is a guy about Asher’s age. He’s wearing jeans and a black shirt with the words, Crystal Clear Pools and Spas written in white on the breast of his shirt.
“Oh my God!” I screech and start jumping up and down. My tiredness is a long forgotten memory. The guy takes a step back and looks nervously to Asher for help.
Asher starts laughing. “Don’t mind her, Jack. She does this when she gets excited.” I look at him and I can see he’s thinking about when he told me he was taking me four-wheeling. I bite my lip when I see his eyes turn hungry.
Jack clears his throat. “Nice to meet you, November.” He sticks out his hand and I place mine in his.
“Nice to meet you, Jack,” I say then take a step back. “Sorry about scaring you. I’m just so excited,” I mumble, slightly embarrassed by my outburst.
Asher pulls me back into him and his arms wrap around me, his chin resting on top of my head. I feel his body shaking with silent laughter behind me. “I think he got that, baby.”
“Whatever,” I say quietly, wondering if it would be rude to elbow him in his ribs in front of a guest. I give Jack a big smile after I see him shaking his head.
“So, do you guys know the type of set up you want?” Jack asks, looking between us.
“Um, it has to be childproof,” I say, remembering Asher’s pool requirement.
Jacks eyebrows shoot up. “You havin’ a baby, man?” he asks and I wonder if it’s normal in Tennessee to ask a stranger that you’re going to be working for such a personal question. In New York, that question would surely get you fired, maybe even shot.
Asher must feel me go still, because he starts talking. “Me and Jack have been friends since high school, baby. He used to spend every summer break with my family up at the cabin. Now he owns the pool and spa company with his old man and does jobs for us when we have a client who wants a pool put in on their property.”
I nod my head, thinking someone should shoot me. Asher’s friend, and not some stranger, saw me jumping up and down being a dork.
“So, are you havin’ a baby?” Jack asks again.
“Not yet,” Asher says, squeezing me. I don’t know if his words or the lack of oxygen is responsible for the dizziness I'm feeling.
Jack nods his head. “Alright, so the only request you have is child safety?” he asks, looking at me.
“Um…” I know nothing about pools except how to swim in one. This isn’t as fun as I thought it would be.
“You want a Jacuzzi, a grotto, a deep end?” he asks, looking at me expectantly.
“Um,” I repeat, feeling like an idiot.
“You got any books or pictures of work you’ve done that we can look at for ideas?” Asher asks and I'm thankful that he’s smart. I sag into him with relief and he kisses the top of my head.
“Yeah, of course. Let’s go to the table.”
“Would you like something to drink?” I ask as we make our way into the kitchen.
“Coffee would be good, if you got it.”
“Of course.” I pour him a cup of coffee and get one for me and Asher as well. I set out sugar and cream on the counter then take a seat between Asher and Jack.
“So these are some of the pool designs we did last year.” He pulls out three pictures. The first one looks like a tropical paradise. It has tons of flowers and plants around it. The pool was bright blue with sand color cement surrounding it. The second is a plain, bean shaped pool with an area for chairs and a table. The third is large and has two areas for sunbathing. It had a Jacuzzi that you could get to from inside the pool by walking up a set of stairs, or you could get to it from outside the pool area. It also had a shallow end that you could lay in and the water would only be about five inches deep. If you had kids, you could stay with them in that area.