Chapter 2: Too Hot To Handle

CHAPTER TWO

LUIS climbed the ladder at the end of the pool and made his way toward the diving board. He wanted to work on his back flip. Luis perched himself on the edge of the diving board then jumped. He went high into the air, did a flip, then splash. He thought he heard a scream as he hit the water, but he couldn't be sure. When he came back up a few seconds later, he looked around and found a pair of wet, perfectly shaped, well-tanned legs standing by the edge of the pool.

Letting his gaze slowly travel upwards, he saw barely there blue bikini bottoms. He paused slightly then let his eyes travel higher until they landed on two well rounded breasts covered by two thin peices of material. He let his gaze linger there a fraction of a second before moving up to see who the owner of the delicious looking body in front of him was. He noticed her ruby red lips first, then he raised his head until his eyes connected wtih hers. There was an instant electrical connection and then... she blinked and it was gone.

Luis shook his head then gave her a killer grin. "Sorry sweetheart, you should really watch where you're standing."

Her eyes widened then narrowed as she placed her hands on her hips. "Sorry? That's all you have to say? If you'd learn how to dive I wouldn't have to watch where I was standing. You do know you're aren't supposed to splash that much, don't you?"

He raised a brow at her in challenge. "Well if you think you can do better? I'd love to see it."

"What you think I can't?" She asked already walking toward the diving board. "Watch and learn splashboy, watch and learn."

She walked to the diving board and Luis couldn't contain his grin as he watched the sway of her hips. The girl was definitely hot. He watched as she jumped twice then went into a perfect dive. No splash. Damn, he thought as she broke the surface a second later, she was good. He clapped then sent her an appreciative smile. "Wow, sweetheart, you wanna do that again?"

He thought she was going to say no, but then she grinned. "Sure, are you gonna take notes?"

"Nah," he said pointing his right forefinger to his temple. "I have a photo graphic memory."

He wiggled his brows suggestively. She laughed then climbed back out of the pool and made her way toward the board again. She perched herself on the end, jumped twice, then once again did a perfect dive - no splash. Before she broke the surface, Luis made his way closer to her. When she came up for air, they were just inches apart.

Her eyes widened in surprise and then she broke into a beautiful breathtaking smile. "How was that?"

He looked into her eyes and swam a little closer until they were almost touching. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect."

She nodded unaware that he wasn't talking about the dive. "Good."

Luis reached out to move the hair back off her forehead and she shivered the moment his fingers touched her. He smiled. "So sweetheart, are you gonna tell me who you are now?"

She swallowed hard. "But I thought you - "

"Hey, Luis" Ethan called as he and Theresa made their way toward the pool. "Would you quit hitting on my cousin and come help us carry these drinks."

Cousin? She was Ethan's cousin? The girl Ethan had said was two steps shy of joining a convent? He couldn't help the laugh the bubbled out of his mouth. "You're little miss innocent?"

He knew he'd made a mistake as soon as the words left his mouth. Her jaw hardened and her eyes narrowed. "How dare you call me that! Innocent! Hmmph! I'll show you innocent!"

With that said she wrapped her arms around him and settled her lips over his. The moment their lips touched, his body kicked into overdrive. She kissed him expertly, yet at the same time, he could feel her innocence. Her hands moved over his back and he groaned as her nails lightly raked his skin. He slid his tongue along the edge of her lips and when she parted them, he slipped it inside. All thoughts fled his mind as she met him stroke for stroke. He pulled her close, rubbing his body against hers, letting her feel how much he wanted her. And just like that the moment was broken. She pulled away gasping for breath.

His eyes met hers and he groaned inwardly as he saw the desire in them. He knew she had no idea what she was revealing to him. He lowered his voice so that only she could hear. "Sweetheart, don't look at me like that. Unless, of course, you plan to finish what you started."

Her eyes widened once again and then like lightning she was out of the pool and walking into the house. Luis watched her go, then caught Ethan's bewildered look and Theresa's icy glare. He smiled and shrugged a shoulder, then dunked himself under the water praying it would help cool his overheated body.

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SHERIDAN walked into her bedroom mortified at her own behavior. She had never done anything like that before. It was exhilarating, but at the same time, it had terrified her. She had kissed him like she'd only dreamed of kissing a man and he had responded. She knew he wanted her, she had felt his desire when he'd rubbed himself against her. She had wanted him too. That was why she pulled away. I mean how could she want him? She didn't even know him!

Sheridan turned and shut the door, then untied her bikini top. There was no way she was going back down there while Luis was there. She would be too embarrassed. But then again, if she didn't her plan to prove she wasn't little miss innocent would back fire in her face. Damn, she thought walking toward the window and glancing toward the pool. She was glad her window faced the backyard that way she could see what was going on out there without their knowing. She saw Ethan and Theresa, but she didn't see Luis. Had he left?

She turned away from the window and sighed. Then let her top fall to the floor. The guy had a body to die for, she thought remembering how the black swim trunks he wore left nothing to the imagination. When she'd walked outside she'd been so distracted by the sight of him she hadn't even realized she was standing so close to the pool. When the water from his dive hit her, she'd been so shocked she screamed. Then Luis had broke the surface and looked at her. She shivered as she remembered the way his eyes had slowly traveled up her body. Then she remembered the look in his eyes when he finally raised his head to her face. It had been male appreciation.

A sudden knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. "Who is it?" She asked grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her body.

"It's Luis."

Luis? What did he want? Surely, he didn't come up here to... finish what she started. Isn't that what he had said in the pool right before she ran? "Um, Luis I... What do you want?"

"Can I come in? Or do you plan to just talk to me through the door?"

She swallowed. He wanted to come into her bedroom? Why? "Um... just a second."

She dropped her towel, then picked her bikini top back up off the floor and retied it around her neck. Then she walked toward the door and opened it. Luis was leaning against the door jam with a white cotton towel wrapped around his hips. She hadn't thought he could look any hotter than he did in those black swim trunks, but... she was wrong. Because right now he looked sexy as sin.

"Hi," he said as his brown eyes meeting her blue ones. "Is it... is it okay if I come in?"

"Um," she glanced around the room then decided it really couldn't hurt anything. She stepped back from the door and waved him in. "Yeah."

"Great thanks." He walked in then turned back around to look at her. "Good, you're still wearing your swim suit."

Her swim suit? What did that have to do with anything? "Yes, I was just about to change when you... when you knocked on the door."

"Oh," he said giving her a boyish grin. "Then I guess I got here just in time."

She raised a brow. "Time for what?"

"In time to stop you, of course. What did you think I meant?"

There was no way she was going to tell him what she thought. No way at all. "It doesn't matter. Just tell me what you want."

"Sweetheart, that's a loaded question."

She stared into his eyes and nearly groaned when he winked at her. The man was just too much. "Get to the point already." Preferably, before she did something stupid like kiss him again.

"I wanted to apologize for what happened out by the pool."

He wanted to apologize? She was the one that had attached herself to him! "You have nothing to apologize for."

"Yes I do. I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have said what I said when you pulled away. And if I offended you I'm sorry."

Offended her? He thought she ran away because he offended her? She laughed. She couldn't help it. When she saw the surprise in his eyes, she laughed even harder. "You didn't offend me."

"I didn't? Then why did you come in?"

She stopped laughing at that. She couldn't tell him she'd been embarrassed by her own behavior. She couldn't tell him she'd come in because she'd wanted to take him up on his offer. Wait, she thought looking back into his deep brown eyes, why couldn't she tell him what she wanted. She wanted to shed her good girl image and he obviously was willing to help her out. It was perfect. But could she tell him without showing how inexperienced she really was? "Luis, I -"

Forget it, she thought shaking her head and walking toward him with a steady purpose. She would never be able to say the words. She could, however, show him. She stopped a few inches in front of him then without even thinking about what she was doing, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled his head to hers.



To Be Continued...