When she’d walked out of that water to me like the water goddess Melusina—a spirit in form, having just lost her tail for the night to find a husband—water had dripped down her form. Her silvery-white hair soaked and glowing in the moonlight. She’d looked…buoyant. Unguarded and radiant, even in the faint light from the embers and moon. Transcendent. It had felt like a dream.
A dream that had quickly run off the tracks.
A lot could happen in six years. That much was obvious. I’d obviously changed since then, not that she wanted to give me the benefit of the doubt. But she’d been so young and vibrant, and now, she was jaded and cynical. Somehow, both suited her.
Fuck! I was so fucked.
The smart thing would be to walk away from this. To let her be pissed at me for leaving that day. To let her have the one night of fun with my friends, the assholes they were, and then disappear again. Her life had moved on. It would do it again.
But, somehow, my feet didn’t listen. I was intrigued. And I wasn’t easily intrigued.
I found the outdoor stereo and flipped it on, connecting it to my phone before turning on Matt Maeson’s “Cringe.” Then, I walked out onto the back deck. The rest of my crew and Natalie were down to their underwear and enjoying the heated pool. Even though I’d just seen her completely naked, my eyes were still drawn to her figure only dimly hidden by the water.
“Come on, Penn,” Lark called. “Don’t make me splash you.”
“Wait!” Katherine said. “I know you love your obscure music, but can’t you put on something a little more mainstream?”
“Some TSwift for Katherine,” Lewis said with a laugh.
“Hey, she’s nice!”
“Can we just agree you all have the worst taste in music?” I asked on a sigh.
“No,” Katherine and Lewis said together.
“I do!” Lark said with a laugh. “I admit it.”
I should have known they’d make me change the song. If it wasn’t from an artist they recognized they always complained. “Here.”
I switched it to Panic! at the Disco’s song “Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time” and waited for them to roll their eyes at me, which they did, as if on cue.
A laugh escaped me. Typical. I kicked my shoes off and then slowly stripped off my button-up. I couldn’t help but look up at Natalie as I removed my pants and tossed them to the side.
Normally, I read women so easily. The hunger in their eyes. The desire painted on their faces like makeup. But Natalie wasn’t wearing makeup, and from the distance, she didn’t even seem to be paying attention to me unclothing. Suffice it to say, that wasn’t a normal occurrence. I was gifted with some pretty lucky genes, and the hours at the gym before I went in to lecture sure didn’t hurt. It was one of the few times I could get my brain to shut off, so I went religiously.
I slipped into the pool as Katherine dived into a story about the upcoming gala event she would be attending. I was only half-listening. I hated gala events. If I never had to go to one again in my life, I’d be happy.
But I wasn’t that lucky.
Not with a mother in politics and the last name Kensington.
I’d become a professor to escape it all, and it had only half-worked. At least I had an excuse now when I wanted to leave. Most people tended to zone out when I started discussing my research in ethical theory. Almost a guaranteed end to a conversation, which worked in my favor.
“Oh my god, Natalie, why didn’t I think about this before?” Katherine asked, downing the rest of her flute of champagne and refilling it.
She offered some to Natalie, but it looked like the alcohol was finally catching up with her. She declined.
“Think about…what?” Natalie asked, her words slurring together.
“You should come to the event. Come see me in the city.”
Lark and I shared a look. We both knew what that meant. Katherine had found her new project. She’d had a few since I’d known her. None had ended well.
“But Natalie is working here all fall,” I reminded Katherine.
“She could still come into the city. It doesn’t take that long, especially this time of the year.”
“Yeah. That’s a great idea,” Lewis said.
He moved over to Natalie’s side and slung an arm around her shoulders. I clenched