“So why don’t you live there?”
He shrugged. “I just wanted my own place. A place where I could escape. I wanted my own pool, where I could swim whenever I wanted, even in the dead of night, without anyone questioning me.”
“That’s right. You like your alone time. And you like the water.”
He nodded. “In fact, I could go for a swim now. Would you like to join me?”
“Is it warm enough?” Colorado Indian summers were typical, but I wasn’t sure whether it was hot enough to be dousing ourselves in water outdoors. We were nearing October.
“The pool’s heated, and if you get too cold, we can get into the hot tub instead.” He handed me a glass of iced tea.
I took the tea and sipped it—nice, crisp, and tannic under my tongue. I looked down at the towel that was still wrapped around me. “I don’t have a suit.”
“This is my private home. Who needs suits?” He grinned at me lasciviously.
My cheeks warmed, and I looked down. My chest was turning ruddy.
“No need to be embarrassed, Melanie. In case you forgot, I’ve seen you naked a time or two.”
I laughed softly. Why on Earth was I embarrassed? “We just took a shower. We’ll get all covered in chlorine.”
“Are you allergic to chlorine or something?”
“No. But it does dry out my skin.”
“Well, you know what the weirdest thing about my shower is?” he said.
“What’s that?”
“We can use it more than once a day.” He took my hand, squeezing it. “Come on. I want to show you my pool.”
“I can’t go out in the towel.”
He walked to his closet and brought out a silk robe. “You can wear this.”
He helped me into the black satiny garment. It was horribly large on me, but the fabric felt cool and soft against my skin. I inhaled. It smelled like Jonah. It smelled like heaven.
“Now what are you going to wear?”
“I’ve got my boxers on. I’m good.”
I laughed. A good hearty laugh, a laugh like I hadn’t laughed in a long time. And it felt so good.
“All right, Jonah. Lead me to your pool.”
We walked down the carpeted hallway, through the kitchen, to a lovely little family area complete with bar. Two gorgeous French doors opened out onto the redwood patio.
And a huge yard. A panting golden retriever ran up to us.
“Hey, girl,” Jonah said, petting the dog on the head. “Meet a good friend of mine. Melanie, this is Lucy.”
Lucy licked my hand. She was beautiful. “I didn’t know you had a dog.”
“Oh, yeah. All three of us do. We love animals around here.”
A cobblestone walkway led to his pool. Lucy walked next to me, her soft fur brushing my leg. A light breeze was blowing, but I wasn’t chilly. Still, I thought it might be a little too cold for swimming.
As if reading my mind, Jonah said, “Dip your toe in. You’ll see. It’s a great temperature.”
I did as he suggested, and sure enough, the water was pleasantly warm.
“I swim every morning, even in the dead of winter if I can get out here. As long as we’re not snowed in, I swim.”
“You mean the water doesn’t freeze?”
“When it gets really cold, I cover the pool at night, but remember, it’s heated. So, no, the water doesn’t freeze.”
I didn’t even want to think about the electric bill…but Jonah Steel wasn’t the kind of man who had to worry about bills.
“I keep my hot tub up and running year-round as well. And Melanie, there is nothing like sitting in a hot tub, with a martini, while snow is falling around you.”
I created a visual in my mind as I looked over at the hot tub sunken into the ground next to Jonah’s pool. Would I ever sit in the hot tub during a snowfall with Jonah?
Right then, I wanted to more than anything in the world.
“So you feel like a swim?”
“I’m not a great swimmer,” I said. “I mean, I know enough not to drown, but I won’t win any medals. I mostly just splash around a little.”
“That’s absolutely fine. Here, let me help you.” He untied the oversize silk robe at my waist, shoved it over my shoulders, and set it neatly on a nearby chaise longue.
“So is the water to your liking?”
“Yeah, feels great.”
He licked his lips, grinning. “Good.” And he pushed me into the water.
Chapter Twenty–Seven
Jonah
I hoped I hadn’t gone too far, but within a few seconds, Melanie’s blond head bobbed up, and she had a smile on her face.
I wondered, then, when was the last time she’d had any fun. Real honest to goodness fun.
And I wondered if it had been before or after I had.
We were both severely lacking in fun in our lives.
I’d make today about fun. I’d set aside the guilt that normally ruled my life and concentrate on Melanie and having fun with her. We could both use it.
I removed my boxers quickly and dived in. When I came up, Melanie was treading water, still smiling.