A World of New (A Shade of Vampire, #26)

I didn’t particularly feel like watching TV so I suggested, “Then let’s explore a little first.”


I returned to the elevators and we moved up the hotel one level at a time, exploring each floor, all of which looked basically identical. Just more long, winding corridors, passing the occasional staff member and even more occasional guest—until we reached the top floor, the ninth floor of the building where we discovered a gym and a swimming pool. My eyes brightened instantly. Cool. They were both empty, too.

I pushed Josh’s chair up to the doors of the gym. It was a shame that he wasn’t up to using gym equipment right now. I moved to the glass doors of the hall that held the swimming pool. They slid open automatically, inviting us inside. We entered, a rush of warmth engulfing us, the pleasant scent of chlorine filling my nostrils. I walked slowly around the large, empty pool.

I left Josh for a moment and went to the edge of the pool to dip my finger in the water. Comfortably mild.

Now that I thought of it, I really felt like a swim. Josh seemed to have already read my mind as he watched me approach the water. “Why don’t you take a dip?” he suggested. “I’ll watch.”

I felt a bit guilty at the thought of leaving him at the side while I enjoyed a luxurious swim. But since he’d suggested it, I decided to go ahead. The only thing was… I didn’t have a swimsuit with me.

I returned to Josh’s chair and pushed him toward the ladies’ locker room, leaving him outside while I entered to see if I could find any swimsuits. There were many items inside courtesy of the hotel—bath robes, towels, shampoo, an array of soaps, and even perfume—but no swimsuits. I guessed that meant I would have to swim in my underwear. I doubted the manager of the hotel would like that, but I also doubted anybody would bother to stop me, even if they spotted me through the CCTV cameras.

So I stripped off my clothes and bundled them into a locker. Then I wrapped a robe around me and returned to Josh, waiting patiently where I’d left him outside the changing rooms.

I moved to the edge of the pool, keeping the robe tightly wrapped around me as I sat down and dipped my legs into the water. Then I quickly slipped off the robe and slid inside before Josh could see too much of me… even though underwear was no more revealing than a bikini.

The water really was deliciously warm. And jets of water shot from the walls of the pool, giving a bubbling effect like in a jacuzzi. I swam up and down for a bit and then moved to the edge, letting the jets of water massage my back. It occurred to me just how relaxing this would be for Josh.

I looked up at him. He was still watching me. “Hey, Josh, why don’t you join me?”

He merely scoffed. “You’re joking, right?”

“No. Come in. I promise I won’t let you drown.”

When he was still reluctant, I pressed, “Come on. Be a sport… It would make me happy if you joined me.” And I know you’d like it in here too, if you just trusted me.

At this, he stopped scowling, and looked more seriously at me. Then he let out a sigh. “Okay. If you insist.”

Yes.

“The water is lovely and warm. You’ll be comfortable in here,” I encouraged. And you’ll feel light. Weightless.

I returned to where I’d left my bath robe, and, hoisting myself out of the water, I wrapped it around me. Then I padded over to him. He had already unzipped his coat. I took it from him and hung it around the back of his chair. He removed his sweater, along with the many other layers we had packed on him. Finally he was wearing just his pants and a T-shirt. He lifted off the latter before unbuttoning the waist of his pants. He managed to ease them off the top half of his legs without much difficulty before I took the liberty of doing the rest of the work for him. I removed his shoes and rolled off his socks, then freed his legs from the pants.

I placed his clothes on a nearby bench before returning to him. He was now wearing just his boxers. I helped him out of his chair and lowered him to the edge of the pool. I slid his legs into the water before discarding my robe and dipping back in myself. I didn’t miss the way his eyes briefly roamed my submerged body, before they returned to my face. He still had a reluctant expression, but it was playful reluctant, rather than truly reluctant.

Gripping the side of the pool with one hand, I reached out my other to hold his right forearm. I tugged on him gently until he slipped into the water next to me. He shot downward instantly, of course, being unable to move his legs. I swiftly wrapped an arm around his waist and held him against me. I guided him to grip the pool’s edge. Now he could float, his legs swayed by the water jets.

It thrilled me to see a genuine smile on his face.

“Happy you came in now?” I asked.

He nodded.