FALLING FOR SHAWN

Chapter 3 - Tell Me To Stop

She didn't want him to go, but she didn't want him to stay either. Not that way. Scratch that, she DID want him to stay that way, but she knew it was a big mistake. Her FaceTIme with Matthew last night had been horrendous and although she had made it pretty clear the relationship was over and done, Matthew had only humoured her and she didn't think he had taken it seriously. It was over for her, but he would not accept it, he thought she was being dramatic. It made her realise all the more that she was making the right decision. She planned to ring him again tonight to reiterate that it was over. So she didn't think it was the right time to start something new, no matter what it was, when her last boyfriend was still really on the scene. Even if he had accepted it, maybe she should wait more than, oh, twenty four hours, before leaping into something new?

As if he had felt her thinking about him, her phone buzzed and she saw it was a FaceTime request from Matthew. She scowled and rejected it.

"Did you need to get that? I suppose I should get going...."

"No! It can wait. I'd really like a swim, would you?"

Where did THAT come from? She hadn't even thought about a swim, but now she had said it, the thought of slipping into the cool pool was enticing, and she tried not to think about the fact it would also mean this curly haired hunk in nothing but shorts would be joining her. He took so long to answer she began to feel uncomfortable, like she had propositioned him. She was about to withdraw the invitation when he stood up.

"A swim sounds fantastic, my pool is under maintenance at the moment, like just about everything else in the damn house, I bought a lemon I think."

"I've heard of cars being lemons but not houses," she said, also standing.

"Yeah, well I bought this place against my better judgement, someone else talked me into it, and everything that can go wrong has gone wrong and I don't even like it." He laughed. "Listen to poor old me, complaining about the plumbing in my huge mansion, sorry, it's so much a first world problem."

"Why don't you just sell it?"

"I intend to, just need to actually do it," he said. "So can I just get changed in the powder room?"

"Yeah sure, I'll go and get my swimsuit and meet you out there. There are towels out on the chair already."

"I saw them earlier, I'll see you there then."

She watched him go into the powder room with his small bag and then ran up the stairs and into her room. She sorted through all her swim suits looking for the right one. She wanted to look hot, but not too sexy. She decided it was too late in the day for a bikini, a one piece suit was the way to go, and not white because that might go see-through, and not too high cut, she didn't want to be picking out a wedgie all night, eeuuw. She pulled out a yellow one with a plunging neckline softened by a ruffle. It was high cut but not too much that it would be uncomfortable. She put it on and looked at herself. Yes, perfect. She threw on the matching wrap and then ran downstairs. She walked out and he was standing on the edge of the pool. He looked amazing, the muscles in his back and arms were even more impressive than she had anticipated. He went up onto his toes, bounced a little then dove into the pool with hardly a splash. Holy Mother.....

She walked down the steps and into the pool while he stood and watched, his hair hanging in ringlets around his face, the water dripping off his tattooed arms and chest. He was watching her with hooded eyes, his expression unreadable, but she was pretty sure her nipples just popped up to say hello. Luckily they were probably hidden by the ruffle. She slid into the water and swam towards him, stopping about six feet away, because any closer seemed to bring her too close to him.