Whiskey and Scotch

Chapter 12

I woke to the sound of birds chirping and the sun shining bright in my eyes, and for a moment I forgot where I was. Then the events of the previous day came flooding back, and I realized I had spent the night on the daybeds, having not wanted to share a bed with Rocco. The boy had been clueless when I had hinted that he should sleep elsewhere, so in the end I was the one that sucked it up and headed outside. It ended up being a pretty good night, away from the noises of the communal bedroom.

I heard the bedroom door open and close gently, as if someone was trying not to wake anyone, then the soft patter of footsteps walking along the deck, heading towards the lawn. A few seconds later there were light splashes as someone entered the pool.

I sat up in the bed to spot Lucas slowly walking down the steps of the pool, doing his best to make as little noise as possible. Finally he reached the deep section and submerged himself, swimming towards one end of the pool before turning back and heading the other direction.

I found myself smiling, both at his consideration for my slumber and at the sight of his gorgeous body as he resurfaced occasionally for air. I propped myself up against the headboard to give myself a better view as I watched him swim his laps, his strokes so graceful he barely made a sound in the water.

That's so sexy.

I fished my phone out from under the covers, smirking to myself as I opened the camera and recorded his swim.

Finally he headed back to the steps and started making his way out of the pool, running his hand through his hair to push the wet strands away from his forehead. His muscles gleamed in the early morning sun and I wasn't sure I'd ever seen anything sexier in my life.

I stopped the recording and quickly turned off the phone's screen, dropping it onto the bed as Lucas looked in my direction. He gave me a sheepish look and headed towards me.

"I didn't wake you, did I? I was trying to be quiet."

I shook my head. "No, I was already awake. Kinda hard to sleep once the sun's up."

"Wait, so you've been awake this whole time? Just secretly watching me swim?"

"Yeah, well, you're a nice sight to wake up to," I blushed, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

"Oh, yeah? Maybe if you're lucky you'll get to wake up to the sight of me more often." He smirked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, did you think I was planning to pick you at the next recoupling? I think that would make you the lucky one. There are more guys than girls, after all... you may not get picked at all!"

I grabbed my phone and jumped out of the bed, walking away before he had a chance to respond.

That felt SO DAMN GOOD!

As I reached the kitchen, Gary stepped out of the villa.

"Oh! Good morning, Josie," he grinned. His smile wavered as he noticed Lucas following behind me. "I'm just making a cuppa. Do you want one?"

"That would be great!" I smiled warmly at him. I looked over my shoulder at Lucas, then turned back to Gary and rose on my tiptoes to give him a peck on the cheek. He raised his eyebrows, but smiled.

"Guuuuuuuys!" Priya's voice sounded from the bedroom. "I got a text!"

We hurried into the bedroom.

"You'll see why I screamed when you hear what it says," she was saying. She turned and saw us come in. "Oh, good, you guys are here! Listen to this! 'Girls, later today you will decide which boy is the most dateable. Guys, smooth out those manners and straighten out those lines. It's date or break time!'"