Lillian's POV
"I really liked that restaurant," I remarked as we turned onto the municipal highway out of town toward my house, resting the styrofoam container of leftovers on my lap.
"It was nice," Derek replied.
"Do you want to go straight home or go anywhere else?"
"Who are you, my chauffeur?"
"Of course," he joked. "But do you want to go anywhere else?"
"No, but it's pretty warm, I thought we could go for a swim in the pool by the barn."
"Would I need a swimsuit for that?" Derek arched an eyebrow, and I shoved his elbow playfully.
"Yes," I snorted. "We'll have to see what happens after the swim," and I smirked.
"Alright, well I'm going to have to go to my place and grab a swimsuit," Derek explained, running a hand through his hair. "Although, I must say I don't particularly like swimming. So don't expect me to go in the water."
"Whatever," I rolled my eyes as we approached the gate onto his property, and my gaze fell on the fence lining the wooded area. They were all brand-new, the slats in the fence made from tiny tree trunks and branches. "What..."
Then it hit me: the fences were made entirely of wood. No barbed wire.
"Derek," I started, eyes trained on the length of fences. "Who did this?"
The corner of his mouth quirked upward. "I did."
"When?" I gaped.
"You sleep a lot. At least you did when you were freshly injured," he said in reply. "I thought I might as well be useful while you were dead to the world."
"Don't you sleep?" I scoffed, heart swelling at the magnitude of the task he had undertaken.
"I worked on these when you slept during the day," he explained, turning into his driveway and through the gate up to his house. "I'm not completely nocturnal, you know."
"Thank you," was all I could manage, emotion crawling its way up my throat. "How long did this take you?"
"A couple weeks," Derek said, "I finished the fences a few days before you got Hudson."
The adorable, fast-growing puppy with nearly boundless energy popped into my mind. Well, he had boundless energy when I was around or he was outside, at least. When I left him alone in the loft, he often bounced up on my bed and passed out smack in the middle of the mattress.
"I can't believe you did that," I breathed. "That must have been so much work."
"It was worth it," Derek assured. "It was nice to get some exercise too."
"If you say so."
*
Hudson was exactly where I thought he would be, curled in a ball on the bed, but stayed there only for a few seconds as we stepped inside. He leapt off the bed and launched toward us, his feathery tail thrashing wildly as he greeted us at the door.
"Hello," I cooed, stroking his soft ears. "Did you have a good sleep?"
Once I put my box of leftovers in the mini fridge I had, careful Hudson didn't get them, I sat on my bed.
"So you said you wanted to go for a swim?" Derek asked, meeting my gaze.
I smirked, "Yeah, I do."
"It's been a while since I've gone for a night swim," Derek remarked, glancing outside at the darkening sky. "Feels a bit...risque."
I leaned across my bed to flick on the string of fairy lights woven through the iron curls of the headboard, washing the room in a buttery glow. "Maybe it is," I murmured, just barely loud enough that I knew Derek would hear. His answering grin said enough.
"What are you going to wear?"
My heart skipped a beat as I found myself saying, "My bathing suits are in the top right drawer of my dresser." I nodded to the mahogany dresser to my right and was painfully aware of every step Derek took to get there.
"Here?" he murmured, eyeing me as he traced a finger over the knob of the drawer. I swallowed and nodded as he slowly slid it open. "Hm," he breathed, brushing a thumb over one of my bikini tops, blue and gold. "I like this one."
"Me too," I agreed, watching him like a hawk as he held up the bottoms, the gold strings on the sides skimming the top of the dresser. "Do you want me to wear that one?"
"I mean, I'd rather you didn't wear anything," Derek cut a sexy glance my way.
"Oh?" I raised my eyebrows as heat bloomed in my gut. "Would you now?"
"I would," Derek smirked. "But maybe we can save that for later."
I slid off my bed and stood up next to him, sneaking my arm under his to grab the bikini. "Maybe," I breathed in his ear, before placing a kiss where his neck met his shoulder. "But you'll have to be good until then. I'll meet you outside."
Derek's POV
It was times like these that I was especially grateful for my pristine night-vision. Times that allowed me to take in every detail of Lillian's lithe body, clad in that gorgeous swimsuit, as she moved toward me. The planes of her abs, the generous contours of her hips, the shadowy curves between her breasts.
I glanced down, clenching my jaw as I remembered I was in a bathing suit. Shit.
I blinked as she stopped in front of me, suddenly wanting very badly to dive in the water and cool off.
"Here," she smiled, handing me a fluffy white towel, her cheeks tinged pink. She kicked off her flip-flops and stepped into the water up to her ankles on the stairs, casting a glance over her sinewy shoulder. "Are you coming in?"
I felt the corner of my mouth twitch up. "I think I'll watch for a bit."
"Aw," Lillian fake-pouted, brushing her long hair over her shoulder. "But we could have so much fun if you came in."
The suggestion in her voice made my blood shudder as I watched her descend the stairs, the water swirling around those beautiful hips. I bit my lip, trying to think over the raging blood in my ears. Screw it, I thought as I cast off my shirt and followed her, noting the slight bite of the cold water against the warm air.
Before I could reach her, she dove under the water, propelling away from me and into the deep end. She resurfaced at the far wall, near the diving board.
"You're going to make me chase you?" I asked incredulously.
"It's all part of the fun," Lillian replied. "Do you want to see how long I can hold my breath?"
I chuckled, nodding. "Sure," and with that, she inhaled deeply and sank below the rippling surface. I pricked my ears for her heartbeat, detecting its steady beat instantly. It seemed to echo in the water, contributing to those ripples I could see dancing across the top.
I thought she'd come up for air after the first few thirty seconds, but she didn't. Or the next thirty seconds.
I frowned when her heartbeat gradually sped, climbing higher and higher until it was an average person's beat, but I knew for her it was a frantic speed. What was she doing?
It must have been at least two minutes when her heart started slowing again, but I'd had enough of whatever game she was playing. I launched across the pool to where I could see her under the water and wrapped my hand around her arm, tugging up gently.
"Lil!" I exclaimed as her head broke the surface. "What are you doing?"
She gasped as I let her go, and she gripped the edge of the pool. "Holding my breath," she replied breathlessly. "I was about to come up, don't worry."
I sighed heavily as she brushed a wet thumb over my cheekbone. "Do you get a kick out of scaring the shit out of me?"
"Maybe," she murmured, laughing softly as her gaze fell to my lips, her heart back to thundering which I noticed with satisfaction. "You know what else I get a kick out of?"
"What's that?" I breathed, her face dangerously close.
Lillian didn't need to answer me as her lips found my own, her free hand sliding into my hair. I chuckled against her mouth as my tongue swept through, claiming hers, while I pressed a hand to the small of her back, holding her against me. I grazed the top of the bottom of her bikini, hooking my thumb under the waistband.
"I think we could do without these," my voice came out a near growl.
"Not here," she whispered in my ear. "C'mon, we can go back upstairs, dry off."
I kissed her neck, right under her jaw as her hot breath caressed me. I shook my head gently. "I want you wet," I murmured, unable to rein myself in as I pushed against her. Lillian moaned, her fingernails digging into my shoulder. I knew she felt me.
"Okay," she sighed, letting go of me and swishing backwards in the water, not turning around as she climbed out of the pool, water rushing off her, glistening against her ass in the low light.
Jesus. I was so screwed.