Intercepted by J Q Anderson Read Free Book Online Page A

relentless and tries to
make everything I say sound dirty.
    “I told you. It ’ s not like
that. He ’s just … really nice. Will you
give that rotten brain of yours a break?”
    She gives me a smug smile. “If you don ’ t want him, I ’ ll take him. Would that be weird?” She scrunches
her nose. “I can get over it, if you can.”
    “ Dani .” I sigh. “Just… stop, okay?” I whip around and storm to my
section, doing my best to ignore her grilling the rest of our shift.

 
    Jake is already waiting when I hurry out to the pool. As I approach, I
frown at the three swimmers occupying the lanes. Jake catches the change in my
expression and laughs, shaking his head. The Jacuzzi is also taken by two girls
that look tipsy and frankly, are being way too loud. They are giggling at two
guys that are sitting on the edge with their feet in the water and the rest of
their ski clothes still on.
    “I thought you bailed on me.” Jake greets me with a genuine smile that
makes me feel instantly warm. I don ’ t even
want to admit to myself how much I ’ ve been
looking forward to our session. I made several mistakes in my orders at lunch
because I was too distracted thinking about the way Jake was holding me in the
water this morning. It was as if a swarm of butterflies had invaded me, their
wings thrumming frantically inside my stomach. Then those dreams last night…
After the horrid nightmares where Tango saves me from drowning over and over, I
had this erotic dreams about Jake. My mouth is dry as flashbacks cross through
my mind, unbidden. Jake pressing me against the Jacuzzi wall, our faces covered
in sweat as he grips my hair at the nape and his tongue thrusts into my mouth.
    “Hey.” He smiles and I blush furiously.
    “Sorry. My shift ran long.”
    “You okay? You look a bit tired.”
    I pull my hair up in a knot. “I ’ m fine.
Just had a late poker game last night.” I look up at him. “It was a favor I
owed Zack, before you say anything. Then I had nightmares the rest of the
night.”
    He frowns. “ Nightmares? ”
    “Yes. About the water.” I keep the rest of the dreams to myself.
    “Do you want to tell me?” He looks concerned and it ’ s endearing.
    “No.” I shake my head. “ I don’ t
want to think about it. Let ’ s get started. ”
    “Okay,” he nods, eyeing me warily. “How do you feel about the progress we ’ ve made so far?”
    I smile. “I am not going to lie. It still makes me very, very nervous to
get into the pool, but the panic is much less.”
    “Okay,” he says, and I think he ’ s
pleased with my response. “Today I ’ m going
to teach you to not drown.”
    “ Helpful. ” I nod and he chuckles.
    “I ’ m glad your sarcasm is intact.
Get in the water.”
    I stifle a smile at his bossy tone and obey. Anxiety expands in my chest
with every step. He watches me patiently until the water is up to my waist and
I look up, letting him know this is as far as I am willing to go. He pulls his
robe off and I look away because I don ’ t want
to look at him in that speedo. It is amazing how someone like Jake can make a
skimpy scrap of fabric look so… hot. He quickly gets into the water and reaches
for something on the edge of the pool.
    “Here. Put these on.” He hands me a pair of goggles and I raise my
eyebrows. No way . He shakes his head. “Just put them on. I want you to
be able to see my legs under water. I ’ m going
to teach you how to egg-beat.”
    “Egg what ?”
    “You ’ ll learn the egg-beater
movement. It ’ s what water polo players do to
stay above water. Treading.”
    I eye him skeptically and slip the goggles on. He takes me deeper into
the pool until the water is up to my shoulders. He is much taller than me,
about six feet four, I guess, so he has to go in deeper than me. Then he moves
a bit farther and instructs me to dip my face in the water and just watch his
legs. This morning he made me put my head all the way underwater several times.
I