Leighton could not stop staring at her laptop.
She had been preparing for tomorrow's interview for hours. She read everything she could find about Knight Security Solutions until her eyes burned. She memorized product names, company values, and all the things she was supposed to say to sound impressive. She practiced answers to common questions until the words blurred together.
But no matter how hard she tried, all she could think about was Noah's thumb on her lip from the night before in the kitchen. The memory played on repeat. The way his skin had felt against hers. The intensity in his eyes.
At eleven thirty, she closed the laptop and pressed her palms against her eyes.
She needed to clear her head. She needed to stop replaying that moment over and over.
The pool. She could go to the pool.
Noah had mentioned it on her first day. He said she was welcome to use it anytime. He had been locked in his office for hours. He probably was still working. He worked late every night.
She changed into her black one-piece swimsuit and grabbed a towel.
The house was dark and quiet as she made her way downstairs. No light came from under Noah's office door. Good. He was probably asleep.
The back doors led to a stone deck. The pool glowed blue in the darkness. Underwater lights made the water look magical. City lights twinkled beyond the fence. A gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers.
Leighton set down her towel and tested the water with her toe. The temperature was perfect.
She dove in.
The water closed over her head and blocked out everything. She surfaced and started swimming with steady strokes. One lap. Two. Three. Four. The rhythm calmed her racing thoughts and released the tension in her body.
She had been so tense all day about the interview, the job possibility, and Noah. But here everything felt simpler.
She flipped onto her back and floated. Stars filled the sky above her. The water held her gently. She heard only her breathing and the lap of water against the pool edge.
This was exactly what she needed.
She closed her eyes and let herself drift.
Movement caught her eye. A shadow shifted on an upper balcony.
She righted herself and treaded water.
Noah stood on his bedroom balcony. He gripped the railing and looked down at her.
Her heart jumped into her throat.
How long had he been watching?
They stared at each other across the distance. She felt his gaze like a physical touch. Heavy and intense.
She should get out and leave. But her body would not move.
He did not move either. The seconds stretched into minutes.
Her skin prickled. The swimsuit felt too thin. Too revealing. She was hyperaware of the wet fabric clinging to her body.
She could not look away.
Then he turned and went back inside. The balcony door closed.
Leighton released a breath she did not know she had been holding.
Of course. He was just checking who was in his pool. Nothing more.
She turned toward the steps.
The back door opened.
She froze.
Noah walked onto the deck wearing only dark swim trunks. His chest was bare. She could see the definition of his muscles and the scar on his left shoulder.
He dove in without hesitation.
The water splashed and rippled outward where he entered. He surfaced a few feet away, pushed his wet hair back, and looked at her.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey." Her mouth felt dry.
"Could not sleep?"
"Too much on my mind."
"The interview?"
"Among other things."
He moved closer, walking along the pool floor. The water reached his chest.
"You will do fine tomorrow," he told her.
"You do not know that."
"Yeah, I do. I have seen your work. I know what you are capable of."
"That is different from an interview."
"Not that different."
She wanted to believe him, but doubt still bothered her.
"What if I freeze up? What if I say something stupid?"
"Then you say something stupid. It happens. You recover and keep going."
"Easy for you to say. You probably never say anything stupid."
The corner of his mouth twitched. "You would be surprised."
The space between them felt charged. Electric.
"I should get out," she said. "Let you swim."
"You do not have to leave."
"I have been in for a while. I am getting pruney."
"Leighton."
The way he said her name stopped her.
He moved closer until he stood right in front of her. Close enough to touch.
"I cannot stop thinking about earlier in the kitchen," he said quietly.
Her breath caught. "Noah..."
"I know I should not have touched you. But I cannot take it back."
"I am not asking you to take it back."
His hand moved underwater and brushed her hip lightly.
Her skin ignited at the contact.
"This is dangerous," he said.
"I know."
"If Chloe finds out..."
"I know."
But neither moved away.
His other hand rose from the water. His cold fingers traced her jaw.
"You have an interview tomorrow. You should focus on that."
"I can focus on both."
"Can you?"
"I do not know. But I am tired of pretending there is nothing here."
"There is definitely something here."
His thumb brushed her cheekbone. She leaned into it.
"Tell me to stop," he said.
"Why?"
"Because if you do not, I am going to kiss you right now. And everything changes."
Her heart hammered. "What if I want things to change?"
"Do you even know what you are asking for?"
"Maybe not. But I want to find out."
He searched her eyes. Water dripped down his face.
His hand slid to the back of her neck. He pulled her closer inch by inch.
She did not pull away.
Their bodies nearly touched. She felt his heat through the water.
"Last chance. Tell me to stop."
Her hands pressed against his chest. His heart pounded under her palm.
"I am not going to tell you to stop."
He made a low sound and pulled her firmly against him. Their bodies pressed together. His forehead rested on hers. Both breathed hard.
But he did not kiss her.
"Noah?" she whispered.
"I cannot."
"I want to. God, I want to. But you have an interview tomorrow. You need to be sharp."
"I am already thinking about this."
"I know. So am I." He stepped back slightly. "But you deserve better than me acting without thinking about the consequences."
"What if I do not care about consequences?"
"You should. There will be consequences for both of us."
He let go. The loss of his warmth hurt.
"Go inside. Get some sleep. Ace the interview."
"And then what?"
"Then we figure out what this is."
"Noah..."
"Go, Leighton. Before I change my mind."
She wanted to argue but his expression stopped her.
She climbed out, grabbed her towel, and looked back.
He stood in the middle of the pool watching her with burning intensity.
"Good night," she said.
"Good night."
She walked back inside on shaking legs. Her skin still tingled from his touch. Her lips ached for the kiss that never came.
He had stopped himself.
But the way he looked at her said this was not over.
Not even close.
