Free Worth Everything by Karen Erickson

on top of her dress. Renzo had already left for the evening, so he wouldn’t see her, thank goodness.
    She dove into the pool with hardly a splash.
    Staying beneath the water, she swam, stretching her muscles, enjoying the sensation of good old-fashioned exercise. Back and forth she swam across the pool, going faster, her breaths becoming labored, her muscles starting to protest painfully with every lap she accomplished. The pool was small, her strokes were simple, but it was enough to push her past her limits quickly.
    And help her forget her troubles, however momentarily.
    After many lost minutes and countless laps, she finally took a break. She sat on the wide step in the shallow end, the water bouncing against her from the waves she’d created, making her buoyant. Smoothing her hair back from her face, she blinked away the droplets that clung to her lashes, focused on the rapid breaths she took, her heart racing with exertion.
    The view of water stretching as far as the eye could see filled her with memories of other stolen late nights in the pool. Of her swimming with her little friends from the village, one particular night when they were all teens and daring enough to strip off their clothes and skinny dip with the local boys. Lots of squealing and laughter, bikini tops flying, swim trunks hitting the edge of the pool with loud, wet thumps.
    How angry her father had become when he discovered at least twelve naked teenagers splashing in his pool, how scared those boys became when they realized Giorgio Renaldi himself was roaring at them to leave the premises at once.
    Her mother had tried to convince him they were indulging in nothing but harmless fun. How protective her father had been, the lecture he gave her the next morning about the mysteries of sex embarrassing both of them, him especially, until he’d finally declared it a discussion more suited with her mother.
    Melancholy settled deep within her bones, she tossed her head back, stared at the star-lit sky. It was velvety black, dotted with tiny twinkles of silver, and she scooted lower, let the water lap over her skin, her neck, her hair, until she was completely submerged with the exception of her face. A move she’d done often as a child.
    Everything became muffled then, the water sloshing against her ears, making the natural night sounds muted. Her head had gone fuzzy, as if she were in another world. It was safe here, no one could find her and she could bury herself into oblivion.
    Closing her eyes, she let her body float, enjoying the sensation of the warming water sliding over her nakedness. Her belly tingled, her nipples tightened and lower, between her legs, she was heavy with want.
    She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been with a man. The thought of being with a particular man filled her with such lust she drew in a harsh breath, let it escape shakily. Gavin flashed through her mind, the first time she’d met him in his office. The night at the cocktail party when he’d squelched her original plan of speaking with Rhett.
    She liked how Gavin looked in his glasses, how…strict they made him appear. Tall and broad, he emanated power without saying a word, which she found incredibly arousing. He was a masterful dresser, his suits were some of the finest she’d ever seen, and his ties were colorful, with subdued patterns that told he was boldly refined.
    All Worth ties, she knew. Interesting how the family appeared in her life on a constant basis. They always did.
    Gavin had large hands, long fingers. She wondered if he touched a woman as if she were made of spun glass. Gently, reverently, with the most thoughtful care. Or was he the type who was a little rougher, more forceful. Would he wrap his fist in her hair and tug her close? Kiss her until she couldn’t breathe, his hands all over her, pushing her closer and closer to her release with a few thrusts of his tongue and strokes of his fingers?
    Her eyes snapped open, and she scrambled