until sometime between nine and ten. It wasn't even six. Still, I'd text her where I was - just because I thought it was fair - and find my cutest bathing suit. Except that one showed off my stretch marks. Maybe I'd get a one piece?
No. For some reason, I decided I wouldn't do that to myself. I wasn't going to try to hide all my flaws from these guys. I was forty, I had a daughter, and I had the scars and flab to prove it. If that scared them off, then better to know now than before I was too invested. Besides, I could still pull off a bikini. I wouldn't be able to for long if I didn't get back to my yoga class, but I had a funny feeling Pax wouldn't actually care.
The best part was that I felt excited. Not just nervous, and I was definitely that, but also like I wanted to smile. This might not be a date, but it was the closest I'd had in a very long time. Then there was that conversation I'd overheard the other night. Pax had said, "our girl." I had every intention of asking him exactly what he meant by that.
Hopefully, this time, I'd even get an answer.
CHAPTER 24
When I opened the gate to my neighbor's backyard, I wasn't sure what I would find. I half expected the dog to come charging at me, barking his head off. Instead, the monstrous beast was lying beside the hot tub. His eyes were on me, but he only flipped his tail once in acknowledgment. Then he looked back to the man lounging in the water.
Pax was alone. Beside his right hand was both a bottle of beer and a very full glass of icy pale wine. Above the waterline, I could see the top of his chest and those muscular shoulders I'd clung to the other day. But the dog's reaction made him look up, and his eyes found me. In the darkness of twilight, they almost glowed, the light from the porch turning them more yellow than brown.
"You made it," he said in greeting.
I flashed a smile his way. "Yeah, I'd forgotten where I put the summer wear." Which was a total lie. I'd brushed my teeth, my hair, and shaved my bikini line.
"Well, I hope you like it hot." He pointed toward the back door. "There's a chair if you want to put your stuff on it. Keep the mutt from getting any more hair on you."
Timed almost too perfectly, the dog sighed. Pax just chuckled and reached up to grab the thing's scruff, shaking it playfully. For some reason, I really liked how casually he interacted with his pet, and it was clear Red liked him. In my mind, it moved Pax up a little. Granted, I wasn't sure what I was comparing him against since I still couldn't say which man I liked most, but I was determined to not think about it too hard.
Yet when I started pulling off my clothes, I could feel his eyes on me. Timidly, I glanced over to find I was right. Pax didn't even seem ashamed. He just casually lifted his beer and splashed a drink down his throat. I, however, was feeling more than nervous. Mostly, because I knew I wanted answers before anything else.
The moment I pulled off my sweats, I hurried over to the edge and slipped into the water, taking the spot directly across from him. It was hot enough to make me gasp, but the good kind. That also meant it took me a moment to lower myself all the way down, but when I did, I sighed.
"Oh, this was a good idea," I told him.
"Trust me," he said, offering my glass across the space between us, "the view was worth it."
"Mm." I took a sip, thankful I was sitting across from him. "You wanted to talk about something?"
He sighed. "Yeah. Look, we never got a chance to discuss what happened. I mean, in your laundry room."
Another sip helped me brace. "Did we need to?"
"I think so, because I'd kinda like it to happen again, and I'm not sure you agree." He leaned back, resting his arms on the concrete lip outside the tub, which gave me a better view of the smattering of hair in the center of his chest. "Elena, you're not the kind of woman a man can forget. I just wanted to make sure we're still good?"
I nodded.