Free Red Hot Obsessions by Blair Babylon Page B

let out a squeak and splash him again, and he responds by splashing me back in turn. I gasp as the cool spray of water hits me in the face, but now the competitive side of me kicks in.
    Calder Cunningham is going down.
    He makes another lunge for me, and I twist out of his reach, diving underwater as his hands sweep past my hair.
    I shoot through the water, and when I come up—some ten feet behind him—he has such a look of astonishment on his face that it’s my turn to burst out laughing.
    “You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” I inform him.
    His eyes light up at the challenge. He moves toward me again, and I send another spray of water in his face. When he’s blinking and coughing, I dive under once more.
    I don’t know what’s come over me. It’s probably just the absurdity of the situation: swimming in a rooftop pool—in the rain —wearing a dress that probably costs more than my rent. I feel strange. Reckless. I’m playing along with Calder, letting him chase me through the water. I’m laughing and splashing and, dare I say it, actually enjoying myself.
    But then, finally, I’m too slow—by accident or not, I can’t say—and Calder catches me by the arms. I gasp as he pulls me upright, spins me around to face him. The rain is coming down a little harder now, spilling down our faces, and I shake the wet hair from my eyes and look up at him.
    His eyes are dark, intense, hungry. He’s breathing hard from our little game, but I find that I can hardly breathe at all. His fingers are firm around my upper arms, as if he’s afraid I’ll try and escape his grip. But I can’t move. I’m not sure I want to.
    He moves so slowly that I sense more than see him leaning toward me. His lips are slightly parted. My own lips feel suddenly dry.
    I want to say something—to stop him, maybe, or perhaps to urge him onward—but the words die on my tongue. He’s so close now that I can feel his warm breath on my cheek.
    I can’t. I…
    Thunder crashes overhead. I jump, and the moment is broken.
    What the hell am I doing?
    “We need to get out of the pool,” I say, pulling out of his grip.
    “Lily—”
    “I’d rather not get electrocuted.” As if to punctuate my point, lightning flashes overhead just as I reach the pool ladder. Apparently the universe agrees: this was a terrible idea.
    What am I doing, splashing and flirting and encouraging him? I almost let him kiss me, for freak’s sake! This guy stands for everything I hate—am I really going to fall for his stupid little tricks?
    I haul myself out of the water. The air is startlingly cold, and I wrap my arms around myself as I march back toward the pavilion. Louisa’s dress clings to my legs, but I try to move as gracefully as I can. I can feel Calder’s eyes boring into my back.
    But why should I care if I look graceful or not? I let things get carried away in the secret passageway last night, but I thought I had enough self-control to behave rationally when we were face to face.
    You hate him, I remind myself for the hundredth time today. Think of the Center. Think of your dad.
    And I do. I close my eyes and remember my dad’s face the morning I left. He was poring over a stack of invoices, so absorbed that he never realized I was standing in the doorway. He looked so tired, so defeated, so old —and it’s all Calder’s fault.
    I’m so caught up in my thoughts that I don’t realize he’s behind me until he tries to wrap a towel around my shoulders. I jerk away and glare up at him.
    “You’re freezing,” he says, holding the towel up again.
    I grab it out of his hand without another word. He has another towel for himself, and it only reminds me of the scene I witnessed last night in his bedroom. I turn around and begin drying myself off.
    “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he says after a moment. “It’s all right to admit that you’re attracted to me.”
    “I’m not embarrassed. And I’m not attracted to you.”
    I