Free Natural Blond Instincts by Jill Shalvis

clothes weighed a ton. She’d lost one heel, and she couldn’t hike her leg up in her tight skirt. “Um…Wes?”
    He swam to the edge, with a fine stroke she couldn’t help but notice, and shot daggers at her. “What?”
    â€œCould you give me another hand?”
    â€œHell, no.”
    She shivered again—not quite a fake one this time—and he rolled his eyes. “Oh, fine. ”
    In the next breath, he’d hauled her toward him, and since he could stand, he slipped one large hand around her waist, another other under her legs. His fingers curled just beneath her breast, his strong, warm forearm banding around her upper thighs.
    For one all too brief second, she was plastered against his hard chest before he lifted her up andout, unceremoniously depositing her in a growing puddle on the edge of the pool.
    At the feet of five gaping employees, all trying not to be amused by this situation. Nice of them to show up, too. Someone tossed her a towel.
    â€œThanks,” she said, pulling her clinging clothes away from her body in vain. Giving up, she worked on her hair. “Thanks so much for coming now, instead of say five minutes ago, when two little girls could have drowned.”
    With the grace and dignity she’d wanted for herself, Wes hoisted himself out of the pool beside her, surging to his feet in one easy, strong motion that made her want to grind her teeth.
    Only a moment ago she’d had a flashing thought that all those lean muscles of his were a bit sexy. They weren’t sexy, they were maddening as hell.
    â€œYour skirt…” he said a little oddly.
    Looking down at the material which had plastered itself to her body, rendering her porno material, she tugged at it again. “I hope you’re all of age,” she said to the employees still standing there, and they laughed a little nervously.
    She sighed. “Okay, we’re fine now, so you can all go back to work. Assuming one of you stays out here to watch the pool.” She glanced at Wes, unableto get past the fact she’d done an extremely childish and reactionary thing by pulling him into the water.
    He hadn’t yelled at her. He’d even helped her out of the water when she could have very well swum to the shallow end and gotten out herself.
    Why had he done that?
    She looked him over. He was every bit as drenched as she, and probably just as cold. His glasses had drops of water on them, making her wonder if he could even see her clearly.
    Even more unsettling, for all his talk of wanting this job for himself, he’d been, if not exactly kind, at least honest. “Thank you.”
    He looked confused again and a little wary. “For what?”
    â€œSticking with me. For working with me, even though I know you must resent the hell out of it.”
    He pulled off his glasses and shrugged those amazing shoulders, so perfectly delineated in his wet shirt. “I just want the hotel to be a success,” he finally said. Shoving his fingers through his hair, he sent more water flying. And then seemed to realize she was hanging on his every word. “I’d like to hear you want the same thing.”
    â€œAs opposed to taking this job for the glory?” She gestured to herself, a soggy wreck. “Because from where I’m sitting, Wes, there isn’t much glory.”When he just looked at her, she relented. “I want the hotel to be a success. Of course I do. I’d just like to be a part of that success. Even have something to do with it.”
    â€œAs much as any of us are, you will be.”
    She almost felt that odd lump of emotion return to her throat, because for a minute there, wet and chilled, he did seem kind.
    â€œYou have mascara running down your face,” he said. “It’s everywhere.”
    Okay, not so kind. But definitely honest.
    Â 
    W ES SPENT the day dealing with paperwork, phone calls and a handful of other things