Page 53 of The Plus One Professional
She nodded.
“I asked you that because I had a dream about you.”
“You did?”
“I don’t usually dream in color. In fact, I haven’t dreamt in color since I was a kid, right after my vision changed. But after I saw you at that first wedding, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. At first, it was just when I was awake. You would randomly pop into my head. But then, after seeing you at a few more weddings, you started showing up in my dreams.”
“I did?”
“Yes, you did. And a few months ago, actually, it was the night of the Dominguez wedding. I had a dream about you, and it was in color. You had golden blonde hair, bright green eyes, and full red lips. And, ever since then, all of my dreams of you are in color.”
She stared at me as if she wasn’t quite sure what to make of what I’d just told her. I didn’t blame her.Iwasn’t quite sure what to make of what I’d just told her.
“In my dreams, we are together. We are a couple. We do the things that couples do. When we go back to the city, back to reality, this might not work?—”
“It won’t work,” she insisted as her chest rose and fell as her breaths grew shallow.
“Okay, but we’re not in the city now. For the next three days, wearea couple, just like in my dreams.”
I could see that she was considering what I was saying but also that she was overwhelmed by my confessions. In an attempt to lighten the mood, I said, “And we’re in wine country. You know what they say about wine country, right?”
Her brow furrowed. “What happens in wine country stays in wine country?”
“I was going to say that it’s beautiful, but sure, let’s go with that.”
Her head tilted to the side as she laughed, and my chest swelled with unearned pride. I could honestly say that making Bailey happy was more satisfying than scoring the winning touchdown at state.
I took another step toward her. “How about, just for this weekend, we don’t think about our age or—” I was going to say responsibilities and obligations, but I stopped myself. I hadn’t told her about Sara and the kids, and this was not the time. “—or anything else. Why don’t we just live in the moment and enjoy ourselves.”
“You mean…” Her eyes widened, and I could see her pulse in her throat.
“I mean, why don’t we start by putting the hot tub to use?”
“The hot tub.” She exhaled. “Oh, okay. Yeah, that sounds good.”
She took her suitcase into the bathroom, and I unzipped my overnight bag. I’d packed a bathing suit just in case there was a pool, but I hadn’t actually thought I’d get to use it. After putting it on, I caught my reflection in the full-length mirror. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen myself in a full-length mirror. It had to be at Lindsay’s place since we didn’t have one. I was actually surprised to see how much bulk I’d put on in the past three years. I almost didn’t recognize myself.
I heard a noise that sounded like someone clearing their throat and looked over to see Bailey standing in the hallway that led to the bathroom. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, revealing the sexy slope of her neck. The white terrycloth robe she wore stopped just below her knees, exposing her toned calves and cute bare feet. Something about seeing her bare feet made me feel primitive like I wanted to pick her up and throw her over my shoulder, but I didn’t act on my impulse.
Beneath that robe, I knew that all she had on was a bathing suit. I had my fingers, toes, and eyes crossed that it would be a bikini. It took every ounce of discipline I had not to walk over and tug at the belt dangling in front of her.
“I didn’t take you for a guy who checked himself out in the mirror.”
“I’m not, usually, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen a full-length mirror.”
“Well, when you’re done enjoying the view, you can join me outside,” she teased as she walked past me.
That’s it. Her sassiness snapped the thin thread of self-control, and I scooped her up and threw her over my shoulder. She giggled as I carried her out onto the back deck. My hand held her calf as she squirmed, her silky skin rubbed against my palm.
When I lowered her down, she was still laughing as she looked up at me. I almost leaned down and kissed her, but I knew that would be rushing her, and that’s the last thing I wanted to do. Instead, I turned my attention to the panel. I adjusted the temperature and hit the jets. The water rushing out of the jets was loud, but I could hear my heartbeat over them as I stepped into the hot water.
I leaned back against the fiberglass siding and looked up at her. Her head was cast down as she tugged on the cloth belt. The material parted, revealing the hourglass figure that I’d fantasized about for over a year. It was accentuated by a black bikini. Black and white were my favorite colors because they were the only two that I could differentiate; everything else was just shades of gray. Two stark black triangles covered her full breasts, her waist dipped in, and her hips flared out. Before the robe had even hit the floor, she was climbing into the hot tub, only giving me a second to glimpse her mouthwatering curves.
“Nice suit,” I managed to say over the lust clogging my throat as her body disappeared beneath the bubbling water.
“Trevor picked it out. I’ll let him know you approve.”
“Trevor?”
