Free Bet on Me by Mia Hoddell Page A

I watched it pool at her feet.
    When she bent over to pick it up, my gaze flew back to her ass and instantly my chest constricted at the sight. The lack of air burned my lungs. Too transfixed by what I saw, I couldn’t be bothered with simple necessities such as breathing.
    All of a sudden her movements resumed their normal speed and she turned into me so my gaze was level with the glint of her belly button ring. Each time she shifted the crystal caught the sun like the piercing winked at me.
    “Pick your mouth up, Hazel.” Her voice once again filled with the sarcasm I was swiftly becoming used to.
    Her words finally made it past the foggy barrier in my head that only allowed me to focus on her. I raised my hand to my mouth to find it open.
    Funny, I hadn’t even noticed that happening.
    I snapped it shut as she sat down on the lounger.
    “I thought you were working today,” I said, my voice coming out huskier than I intended. I coughed to try and clear the desire building within me.
    “I was.”
    I waited for her to expand on why the hell she sat next to me in a bikini now then, but she didn’t. She picked up the sun cream and squeezed a blob on to her palm without acknowledging me. Propping one leg up so it bent at her knee, Alaya began applying the cream liberally over her skin.
    I couldn’t help it; I followed her hands and I wished they were mine running over her body.
    When she moved up over her stomach and reached her neck, her hands dipped down between her breasts and I inhaled sharply. I could feel myself becoming hard beneath the flimsy material of my swim shorts and if she didn’t stop soon every guest around would know exactly how much she affected me.
    Her gaze met mine, sparkling deviously, and I swallowed a couple of times in an attempt to bring moisture back to my throat. She held out the bottle to me. “Do my back?” Her tone radiated innocence, unlike every movement and look she gave me.
    I took the bottle absentmindedly and Alaya shocked me from my trance by perching on the edge of my lounger so her back faced me. Reaching up, I swept her hair around to the front—noting how soft it felt—so her skin formed the perfect blank canvas. I’d just managed to open the cap to the bottle when her fingertips grazed my leg.
    Instantly, I tensed and held my breath.
    What the hell is she doing?
    Drawing tiny circles on my skin, the light touches were all I could concentrate on as she moved up over my knee to my thigh. My shorts started to become too tight and everything except her touch drifted away to the back of my mind.
    I grabbed her hand when it reached the middle of my thigh, so close to where I desperately wanted her to be.
    “Something wrong, Cole?” She glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes danced and her lips curved at the corners. I wanted to bite them, to feel them against mine. I wanted to know what she tasted like.
    I stood abruptly, pulling her up with me. Positioning her in front of me to block the noticeable tent in my shorts from view, a growl rumbled in the back of my throat.
    “Let’s go for a swim,” I demanded, guiding her over to the pool.
    “Why? Do you need cooling off, Hazel?” She spun to face me, tilted her head to the side, and bit her lip.
    Fuck, I really wanted to bite it.
    “You’re playing a dangerous game, sweetheart.” I circled her hips with both arms, keeping her from backing away. Her skin burned beneath my touch, yet she shivered into me.
    “Only because I’m winning the game you started.”
    I arched an eyebrow at her, raising my free hand to drag my knuckles over her cheek. When my thumb lowered to her lips she moved to nip it.
    “You’re winning?” My voice dropped into a deep murmur as I began to close the gap between us. She wasn’t getting away this time. When she tried to take a step back she only walked into my hand.
    “Yes,” she squeaked, her lips parting as she craned her neck to look at me. The confidence she exuded was rapidly leaving