I mean, I know. What’s the big deal? I’ve seen him naked. Right?

Wrong!

It was awfully sexy to see a man in clothes that fit him right, and with the body Lev had, I wasn’t sure how anything could fit him wrong. I was dying to see him in a pair of swimming trunks.

When I stepped out of the bathroom after dressing in my new, uber sexy one-piece, I mentally thanked Cora for her assistance. It was beautiful, with small slits of material cut out at just the right spots, across the ribs, in the center of my breasts, and above the thighs. It was revealing without looking skanky. I loved it.

My hand on the door handle, I paused, blinking at the sight of Lev’s bare butt as he pulled up his swimming trunks, if you could even call them that.

He turned around and I choked on my tongue.

They were different. Not like board shorts. Not like boxers. They were tighter, like boxer briefs. Very European.

I liked.

But then I remembered Anika would be there. “You’re wearing that?”

Somewhere along the lines, I’d unknowingly turned into an alpha male.

Lev frowned, looking down at the navy blue short shorts. He turned his face up, brows raised. “I…yes.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, lips thin. “They’re tiny, Lev. You can see everything.” I bent at the waist and whisper hissed, “And I mean everything.”

“They’re the only ones I have, mouse. They’re going to have to do.”

My lips pouted as I blinked down at his impressive junk. I muttered, “Oh, I bet Anika is going to love that.”

He stood, legs apart, and smiled cunningly. “Is this jealousy, my mouse?”

“No,” I lied swiftly. “It is not.” I feigned boredom with a cool shrug. “I just wanted you to know that everyone is going to see your frank-and-beans.”

Then he did something miraculous.

He tipped his head back and barked out his laughter. And it was beautiful.

I watched him laugh, and my mind was fried by the rough barks of merriment coming from him. It sounded freeing, and I was overwhelmed. I was unsure how to react.

Was it appropriate to burst into tears of joy when you heard your man laugh? I thought not. So I kept quiet, watching closely, committing this moment to my memory bank. I would keep it there for a rainy day, when I needed it most.

“Frank-and-beans?” he muttered, way too amused, wiping away tears of mirth. Then he straightened, holding out a hand. “Mina, come here.”

I pouted the entire way over. His hand enveloped both of mine and he bent to look into my face as he smiled softly. “I am dangerously close to falling in love with you,” he tilted his head in thought before adding, “if not already there.”

Oh, my God.

Did he just say that? Did he really just say that?

Oh, God.

He lifted a hand to run his thumb across my cheek. “Do you think I care what Anika thinks?” He laid his hands across my shoulders and pulled me in, kissing my stun-slacked lips with a smack. “She isn’t you.” He pecked my lips once more. “She will never be you.”

My heart beat fast and hard, pounding in my chest.

I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck. His arms came around me and he straightened, lifting me right off the ground. He held me like I weighed nothing at all.

“Who sleeps in my bed at night, mouse?”

I buried my nose in his neck and mumbled, “I do.”

“You do,” he confirmed. “And who makes me smile?”

I smiled against the stubble on his throat. “Me.”

“Exactly.” He turned to kiss my cheek. “No one else. It’s you, Mina. It’s always been you.” He spoke softly, “I just needed to find you. Now that I have you, I won’t be letting you go. Okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered, feeling my jealousy slip away.

He let me down, threw his robe on, and slipped on his leather flip-flops before sliding on his aviators. I quickly stopped to throw on a white sundress before slipping my feet into a cheap pair of light pink flip-flops. Then we made our way to Sasha’s.

By the time we walked around the house to the glass pool house, the others were already there in their swimwear, chatting, eating, and drinking cocktails. I stopped just inside the door, my wide eyes looking around, taking in the awesomeness.

This pool house was amazing.

It was built around the gigantic, circular pool. With stones paving around the outside of the pool and rainforest placed strategically around the perimeter, it looked as though we were outdoors. My heart almost burst with excitement when I saw the slide. You needed to walk a flight of stairs to get up there, but I needed to get up on that thing. I felt like a five-year-old at a waterpark.

A glance to my left saw a stern looking man in a black polo shirt, standing behind the bar, mixing drinks.

Okay, so maybe not a setting for a five-year-old, but still amazing.

This pool house was more of a pool mansion, with sofas, a dining setting, and the biggest TV I’d ever seen in my life on the wall, a fully functional bathroom, and an outdoor shower stall. I would’ve happily lived here forever.

“Whoa,” I muttered under my breath.

Nas was in the pool already, wearing a black bikini. Anika lay reclined on a deck chair in a 1950s-style leopard-print bikini with a high waisted bottom, her eyes closed in relaxation. Sasha and Vik stood by the bar, waiting for the bar man to finish mixing drinks. Both of them wore black board shorts that came above the knee.

I would dub this pool house The House of Sexy.

Nas spotted us first, smiling hard. “Wicked. You made it. I thought you’d never leave your bed.”

I choked out, “Nice, Nas. Real nice.”

She feigned complete innocence as I heard a mild, “Hey” from Anika.

I turned to smile at her, but lost my fake smile as her eyes landed on Lev just as he was removing his robe. I wanted to seem inconspicuous, so before his big reveal of Sir Frank and The Twin Beans, I stepped in front of him, standing right in her view. Then I lifted my head and smiled. “Hi, Anika. How are you?”

She watched Lev closely as she responded, “I’m doing well, thanks.”

“Come on in,” Nas called out. “I swear the water’s beautiful. Like a warm bath.”

I wanted to guard my man’s delicate sensibilities, but couldn’t resist the pool calling my name. With a grin, I threw my sundress off over my head, ran as fast as I could, and then jumped, landing in the warm water with a loud splash. Once I reached the surface, I lightly paddled next to Nas. “Oh, God, that’s amazing.”

Lev took the deck chair next to Anika, took off his sunglasses and lay back. She watched him with a keen eye, turning on her side to face him. She smiled and spoke quietly. He didn’t turn to her as he responded, placing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. She spoke some more, and I couldn’t help but notice how she was holding herself. On her side as she was, her boob was dangerously close to falling out of her bikini.

I was about to open my mouth, when I heard Sasha say, “Ani. You’re tit’s about to say hi to me.” I spun to look at him. His eyes fierce, he handed her a cocktail and said, “You need something to cover up with?”

She blinked up at him, seeming confused. “No. I’m fine. Thanks.”

I had to turn to smile at Nas. She smiled back, rolling her eyes. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who’d had it with Anika’s flirting.

I would hate to make a scene today, but totally would if I needed to. She needed to watch herself around me. I might have been small, but I could be vicious when triggered.

Vik sat on the edge of the pool, handing both Nas and me a fruity cocktail each. I smiled in thanks as he lifted his beer to us. We raised our drinks in cheers and sipped in the relaxing setting.

I was beginning to think I was a major douchebag for not wanting to come here today. Sasha even came across as civil. I was glad to be here.