The Rules We Defy

Chapter 13

The pool is in a building down by the track, next to the fitness center. We go to the locker rooms to change. In the girls’ locker room, there’s a plastic bin full of black, one-piece suits. I find my size and put one on, then grab some towels and wrap one of them around my waist. When I get to the pool, Dominic’s already swimming laps, moving effortlessly in the water. He stops when he sees me. As he stands up, I gaze at his chest and abs, which are pure muscle, each one defined. His arms are equally chiseled. The boy could be on the cover of a men’s fitness magazine. I look farther down into the water and see that he’s wearing black swim trunks. They’re short and tight, but they cover more than those skimpy ones guys wear in the Olympics.

“Get in.” His voice echoes in the large open room. “It’s cold at first, but you’ll be okay once you start moving.”

I peel my towel away, feeling self-conscious. I haven’t worn a swimsuit since gym class, junior year.

I sit on the edge of the pool, dangling my feet in the cold water. Dominic swims over to me.

“You gotta get in all at once. It’s easier that way.”

“Maybe this was a bad idea. I don’t really like swimming.”

“And I don’t like running. But I did it.” He reaches up and puts his hands around my waist, picking me up.

Before I can protest, he dips me slowly into the pool until the water is just under my collarbone. I grab the edge of the pool, holding myself up.

“How’s that?” He lets go of me, but part of me wishes he hadn’t. I really liked him holding me like that.

“Still cold.” My feet search for the bottom of the pool. I can’t find it. It’s not that deep, but I’m not very tall. If I let go I know the water will be at least chin deep, maybe deeper. Dominic dips his hands in the pool and runs them over the tops of my shoulders, wetting them.

“You just need to get used to it. Now go all the way under.”

“I’m not ready yet.” Actually I was ready, but then I lost focus when his hands touched my skin. His gentle touch caused a tingling sensation to coarse through my entire body, distracting me.

“Afraid to get your hair wet?” I look at him annoyed, then dunk deep into the water and burst up to the surface, tipping my head back to keep the water out of my eyes.

“That’s better,” he says. “Do you want to do a few laps before we race?”

“Sure.” I get in position, then kick off the wall doing a basic freestyle stroke as Dominic watches.

I make sure to go super slow, so he’ll assume I’m a horrible swimmer.

“Okay, I’m ready,” I say after I return from my painstakingly slow lap.

“We don’t need to race. We can just swim.” I can tell he feels so bad about my lack of swim skills that he’s now completely given up on the idea of racing me.

“Why wouldn’t we race? I went to all the trouble to get here. You’re racing me. Now get in position.”

“All right, but just out and back one time, okay? Ready. Set. Go.”

He calls it off then waits a few seconds to give me a head start. I take off, going faster than I’ve ever swam, letting my true swimming skills come out. I used to race people in gym class and win, but they weren’t on the swim team. Still, I can hold my own in the water. I reached the end of the pool before Dominic, then turn to swim back. I catch a glimpse of his stunned face as he sees me pass him. I feel him start to catch up, but I still beat him.

“Nice play,” he says, catching his breath.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He swims up closer to me. “So now that I know you can really swim, how about we try this again? Only this time I don’t give you a head start, and we repeat that loop three more times. A runner like you has good endurance, right? So a few extra laps should be no problem.”

“Nope. No problem at all.” I get in position. He counts off and we go again.

Dominic doesn’t hold back this time. I give it my all trying to keep up, but in the end I’m a lap behind and he wins.

“That was good, Jessica. Really good.” Dominic stands up in the pool, clearing the water from his face.

“I was way behind. That wasn’t good.”

“I’ve been swimming my whole life. I’ve been trained by Olympic coaches. So for you to be that close behind is really good. You did way better with swimming than I did with running.”

“You want to go again?”

He laughs. “Damn you’re competitive. You’d stay here all night trying to beat me, wouldn’t you?”

“Probably.” I hang my fingers on the edge of the pool, bobbing up and down. “Okay, yeah, I would. So you want to go again or what?”

Dominic’s arm reaches around my waist and my heartbeat returns to the rapid pace it was at when I was swimming.

“I like that about you, Jessica. That whole competitive edge thing.” He moves closer. I release my fingers from the side of the pool, forcing him to tighten his grip on me. He wraps his other arm around my lower back and presses me into him. My chest rises and falls between us as my breathing gets faster. I notice that Dominic’s completely calm, his breathing steady.

“What else do you like about me?”

It comes out in a flirtatious tone that surprises even me. His eyes lock on mine and my heart pounds even faster.

“I like that you give me s**t. Because nobody gives me s**t. Ever.” He pauses. “I like that you ignore me, making me work my ass off to chase you down. I like that you don’t care what people think, including me.”

He moves his face to the side of mine and his lips brush my ear, his warm breath sending a chill through me. He speaks so low it’s almost a whisper.

“I like that you’re incredibly hot and don’t know it. And that you’re completely turning me on in a way I didn’t think was possible.”

“Anything else?” I ask, now completely breathless.

He comes back to face me. “I like that I have no idea what you’re gonna do after I do this.”

He leans in and gently kisses me, then waits for permission to continue. I slowly kissed him back, feeling the wet slick of water that still graces his soft, full lips. I secure my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. He smiles at my response, then tightens his arm around my lower back, pressing us even closer together. His other arm slides up between my shoulder blades under my hair, his hand grasping the back of my neck, guiding me to his mouth again. I part my lips and feel his breath as his tongue mingles with mine. His kiss goes deeper, and I get lost in the feel of it. And of him. And of the way we feel together, his chest pressed up against mine, our lower bodies fused together with only the thin fabric of our suits between us. It wakes up parts of me I didn’t know could feel this way. Sensations are firing off inside every cell.

I tighten my grip on him, wanting to be even closer. The cool air begins to dry the water droplets on my chest, making me shiver. He notices and lowers me deeper into the water, his eyes not leaving mine. Then he dips his face in the pool and runs his lips lightly along my neck, leaving a trail of cool liquid behind. He dips in the water again and wets my lips with his, then licks the water away and slips his tongue past. I love how he tastes. How he feels. All of it. My body is begging for him to keep going. To do more. I’ve never wanted that before.