Stroke of Luck - Opal Carew Page 0,12

up everything but the cardigan and dropped it in the drawer of the dresser. She frowned. There was plenty of room to spare. Everything she had left fit in the one drawer.

She pulled the cardigan on and glanced in the mirror. She looked ridiculous wearing a wool sweater over what was supposed to be a bathing suit. She tossed it in the drawer and grabbed a red T-shirt and pulled that on instead. Then she turned and left the room.

As she walked across the living room, she saw Austin through the glass wall surrounding the indoor portion of the pool. He was sitting on the side, his legs hanging in the water.

The sight of his half-naked body sent heat shimmering through her. Good heavens, the man was godlike. He clearly worked out regularly with weights. His chest was broad and sculpted, his arms bulging with muscles, and his waist trim.

As she opened the glass door, he glanced her way.

“Hey, there. The water’s great.” Austin pushed himself to his feet. “Why don’t we go outside?”

He picked up a stack of three towels from a shelf, and April followed him through another glass door. The dazzling sunshine warmed her arms and legs as they walked across the large patio to a couple of lounge chairs at the far end of the curved pool.

As Austin tossed the towels on the chair, April glanced at the view below. She spotted the replica of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Las Vegas right away, then her gaze drifted to the Bellagio fountains. Sunlight glittered on the dancing water, and she knew it would be an absolutely stunning sight after dark.

She turned to the pool again and walked to the lounge chair. Austin dove into the water, and she couldn’t help admiring the smooth line of his body as he broke the water’s surface.

His head popped back up, and he shook it, then sent her a brilliant smile.

“Are you coming in?”

“Yes, of course,” she said hesitantly.

The glittering blue water called to her. She reached for the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head. As soon as she tossed it aside and saw Austin’s heated gaze on her body, she remembered she wore only a bra and panties.

Damn, wearing the T-shirt for modesty had been a really bad idea. It was one thing walking out here in the black bra and panties, because she could have convinced herself it was the same as a bathing suit, but taking off her shirt to reveal her lingerie made her feel like she was stripping in front of him.

Austin pushed himself up on the side of the pool as she walked to the diving board. His muscular torso glistening with droplets of water was a sight to behold.

She dove in and glided through the water. She loved the feel of it sluicing along her body. When her head broke the surface, she saw Austin watching her with a smile.

She swam from one end of the free-form pool to the other several times, wanting to get some exercise. The longest path took her inside the penthouse. When she finally popped her head up, she realized Austin had gone inside and was sitting on the pool’s edge by the stone waterfall.

“You want something to drink?” he asked.

There was a bar near the waterfall.

“Sure, a lemonade would be nice.” She swam to the steps and walked up to the terra-cotta-tiled floor.

“Be careful, it’s—”

Before Austin could finish his sentence, April’s foot slipped out from under her. Austin lurched forward and caught her before she fell face-first onto the hard tile floor. She found herself firmly in his arms, her body pressed tightly to his.

She sucked in a breath and gazed into his dark teal eyes.

“Slippery,” he finished.

She couldn’t think straight with her breasts crushed tightly to his strong, hard chest, his muscular arms around her. And that amazing smile of his, so full of warmth that it took her breath away.

“What?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“I was saying it’s slippery.” His words came out low and husky.

The moment seemed to hang between them as though they were suspended in time. She was intensely aware of their bare skin touching, his hot and hard. Her heart pounded in her chest, and a powerful longing to feel his lips on hers, to sink into his embrace and give herself to him completely, surged through her. The need threatened to overwhelm her.

And worse, she could see the same need reflected in his glowing eyes.

The