Read Online Unfiltered & Undressed (The Unfiltered Series) by Payge Galvin, Meg Chance - Free Book Online

tomorrow, Will would teach me how to swim.

Chapter 8
    LAUREN
    Will was already in the pool when I stepped out of the locker room and onto the pool deck, my heart lodged in my throat. What the hell had I been thinking ? I wondered, suddenly nervous about dropping my towel.
    “This works better if you actually get in the water,” he joked, when I continued to cling to the plain white terrycloth.
    Sighing, I let it fall to the ground as I held my breath.
    I know he didn’t mean to, but his eyes went wide. I could feel them burning into me, roaming over me for several beats too long. It wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t help it, I told myself, any more than I could help the twinge of satisfaction I felt.
    I had that effect on men. I might not have gotten my mom’s bold Latin complexion, but I’d definitely gotten the whole curves-in-all-the-right-places thing, and I knew how to play them to my advantage.
    Today was one of those days. At our first lesson, I’d worn a one-piece that had covered pretty much everything.
    But after last night, after our dance and feeling his body pressed right against mine, I’d decided I didn’t want to play it so safe, so I’d picked my most revealing bikini, the one I’d bought mostly on a dare from Emerson. The one that barely contained my assets .
    “I…uh…” Will stammered. He cleared his throat, which was probably the third time he’d done that since I’d let go of my towel. Finally, he tore his gaze away and scowled. “What are you waiting for? We only have about an hour of light left.”
    I made my way toward the edge of the pool. “You’re the boss,” I managed before biting my lip to keep from smiling.
    The water was warm, and I stepped all the way in, letting it glide over my skin. Only when I was submerged to my neck would Will even look at me again, like somehow the water would shield him from seeing too much of me—because clearly water worked like that, as a barrier.
    But his mood immediately lightened, and he was back to being the teacher he’d been during that first lesson. He eased closer to me as his voice softened. He ran through several drills, things like hanging onto the side of the pool wall while I practiced kicking, even though I assured him I already knew how to kick. Mostly, though, I felt ridiculous.
    Finally, I stood up in the waist-high water to complain. “This is all fine and good, but when am I going to learn actual swimming ?”
    Will started to argue, but then as if his eyes had accidentally been seared by lasers, he hastily looked away again. His gaze slipped past me as he concentrated somewhere past my shoulder. “When you’re ready,” he answered distractedly. “Trust me, you’re not even close yet. Swimming’s not something you can master overnight. It takes time…practice…. patience .”
    Patience. Great. That wasn’t exactly one of my strengths. I exhaled, lifting my hands to my hips, and silently wishing I’d worn my stupid one-piece so he’d just look at me. “I just…” Now I was the one who was stammering. “I only have a couple of weeks to figure it out.”
    His eyes shot down to mine, and I swear it felt like he could see right through me. “A couple weeks? For what? You’re not leaving, are you?”
    “No,” I answered. “Nothing like that.” How was I going to explain it to him without actually explaining? “You know, to learn…” I started, more unsure than ever. “…how to swim.”
    His stance relaxed. “You will, I promise. Two weeks is a long time.”
    I blinked hard, trying not to let my frustration show. I didn’t want him, or anyone, to know how important this was to me.
    I felt the water ripple around me, and then I heard him say, “Lauren.” And the way he said my name made me realize how terrible I was at hiding my feelings. His thumb brushed a tear from my cheek. I shivered at his touch. “It’s okay,” he assured, his low voice scraping my nerves. “You’ll be able to swim by then.