Page 82 of Melt (Steel Brothers Saga 4)
âIâve got my boxers on. Iâm good.â
I laughed. A good hearty laugh, a laugh like I hadnât laughed in a long time. And it felt so good.
âAll right, Jonah. Lead me to your pool.â
We walked down the carpeted hallway, through the kitchen, to a lovely little family area complete with bar. Two gorgeous French doors opened out onto the redwood patio.
And a huge yard. A panting golden retriever ran up to us.
âHey, girl,â Jonah said, petting the dog on the head. âMeet a good friend of mine. Melanie, this is Lucy.â
Lucy licked my hand. She was beautiful. âI didnât know you had a dog.â
âOh, yeah. All three of us do. We love animals around here.â
A cobblestone walkway led to his pool. Lucy walked next to me, her soft fur brushing my leg. A light breeze was blowing, but I wasnât chilly. Still, I thought it might be a little too cold for swimming.
As if reading my mind, Jonah said, âDip your toe in. Youâll see. Itâs a great temperature.â
; I did as he suggested, and sure enough, the water was pleasantly warm.
âI swim every morning, even in the dead of winter if I can get out here. As long as weâre not snowed in, I swim.â
âYou mean the water doesnât freeze?â
âWhen it gets really cold, I cover the pool at night, but remember, itâs heated. So, no, the water doesnât freeze.â
I didnât even want to think about the electric billâ¦but Jonah Steel wasnât the kind of man who had to worry about bills.
âI keep my hot tub up and running year-round as well. And Melanie, there is nothing like sitting in a hot tub, with a martini, while snow is falling around you.â
I created a visual in my mind as I looked over at the hot tub sunken into the ground next to Jonahâs pool. Would I ever sit in the hot tub during a snowfall with Jonah?
Right then, I wanted to more than anything in the world.
âSo you feel like a swim?â
âIâm not a great swimmer,â I said. âI mean, I know enough not to drown, but I wonât win any medals. I mostly just splash around a little.â
âThatâs absolutely fine. Here, let me help you.â He untied the oversize silk robe at my waist, shoved it over my shoulders, and set it neatly on a nearby chaise longue.
âSo is the water to your liking?â
âYeah, feels great.â
He licked his lips, grinning. âGood.â And he pushed me into the water.
Chapter TwentyâSeven
Jonah
I hoped I hadnât gone too far, but within a few seconds, Melanieâs blond head bobbed up, and she had a smile on her face.
I wondered, then, when was the last time sheâd had any fun. Real honest to goodness fun.
And I wondered if it had been before or after I had.