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“A swim?” She tipped her head at me like a curious bird.

“Yeah, the pool is heated, and the weather is perfect.”

“Oh,” I could see her debating with herself. “Yeah, sure. A swim would be nice.”

I felt my grin grow wider and felt like I’d just won a minor victory. “Let me change. I’ll meet you in fifteen?”

She nodded and slipped off the bed. “Okay.”

Fifteen minutes later, I knocked on her door. I wore my favorite pair of swim shorts and had a towel draped around my neck. I couldn’t help my eyes from wandering up and down Robyn’s tight, fit body. Most girls her age might have been parading around in skimpy string bikinis, putting everything they had on display, begging for attention. Not Robyn. She was wearing a modest two-piece suit that barely exposed her midriff. It was the kind of suit that was actually designed for a high-performance swimmer, with full coverage and a racer back. And she still looked hot as fuck.

She picked up a towel and a cover-up and followed me through the house to the pool deck. The pool was shimmering in the sun, looking calm and inviting. I dropped my towel on a lounge chair and dived right in, hoping the water would cool the bulge in my shorts.

She looked around curiously, setting down her things. She went to the edge and gracefully dipped just her toe in to check the temperature. I wiped the water out of my eyes and teased her, “What’s the matter? Don’t you know how to swim?”

I’m pretty sure she rolled her eyes at me before she moved to the deep end. She stretched on the edge for a moment before she made a strong and graceful dive into the water. She surfaced halfway across the pool and started doing a slow, lazy side stroke.

Okay, so she definitely knew how to swim.

She swam several laps before I cut her off and forced her to stop swimming. She gave me a wary look as she started treading water. “You invited me to swim… but I think you really just wanted to play,” she said accusingly.

Phoenix POV

I grinned at her, "Exactly that! I've been cooped up in a stuffy office all day. I want to unwind." I caught her hand and dragged her closer, knowing full well that she and I were still barely more than strangers. It was too soon for this kind of play, but I couldn't help myself. She didn't pull away.

"So, tell me something," I pulled her up close to my body. "Are you some kind of fitness model?"

She laughed at me, and I loved the sound. "No way. I hate people staring at me."

"Then what are you? A professional athlete? Are you secretly an Olympic swimmer?" I was really trying to figure this girl out. I couldn't get a read on her.

She smiled and shook her head. "Nope. I'm an artist and a writer who just happens to enjoy sports and exercise." Although her mouth was smiling, there was something serious in her eyes. "I like to feel strong. I like to push my limits."

Some people say that guys don’t like buff athletic women. Whoever said that was a dumbass. It was sexy as hell. She must have read my expression because she tipped her head and studied me for a moment. “Don’t you think I’m a little too young for you?”

I felt my jaw drop at her directness. It took me a moment to recover. I stared down at her and considered the question seriously. “It depends how you look at it,” I said slowly. “You are eighteen, right? So, legally, you are a consenting adult. And age is really only a number. I also consider maturity. And you strike me as a very mature young woman.”

“Mmm,” she made a noise of agreement and surprised me by wrapping her legs around my waist and gripping my shoulders with her hands. “There are so many factors,” she continued my train of thought. “Experience, for example.”

“Life experience or sexual experience?” I couldn’t help but tease her.

“Both,” she continued, studying my eyes intensely. “And then there is morality. Would it be right for a world-wise older man like you to take advantage of a young, innocent girl like me?”

I rested my hands lightly on her hips and resisted the urge to pull her body flush against mine. I wondered if she was really all that innocent. The way she was coming onto me, I somehow doubted it. I nodded my head and waited for her to continue.

“Then again...Consider how it would impact you socially. You can't take me into bars or clubs. What about work functions? Would you be embarrassed to introduce a teenage girl to your friends?” Her voice dropped to a low octave that made my skin tingle with excitement. “What do you think your coworker would say if you brought me to your office Christmas party? Maybe I'm friends with his daughter, or worse, maybe I'm his babysitter!” Her eyes were wide and sparkling with ideas.