The pool
684 Words
Rowan’s POV
Rowan tried to focus on the paperwork in front of him.
He really did.
But the numbers on the page blurred together, completely useless when his mind kept drifting back to the same image.
Aria.
Standing in that doorway.
That black bikini barely covering her curves.
Her voice when she said his name.
Rowan leaned back in his chair with a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his dark hair.
“Damn it.”
His wolf paced restlessly inside him.
The animal side of him didn’t care about paperwork or responsibilities. It cared about instinct.
And instinct was currently locked on one thing.
Aria.
Rowan stood up abruptly from his desk. Sitting there pretending to work wasn’t helping anything.
He crossed the office and stopped near the tall window that overlooked the back of the property.
The massive yard stretched out behind the house, surrounded by thick forest. In the center sat the Ashwood family pool, built into a wide stone patio.
And right now…
Someone was standing beside it.
Rowan froze.
Aria.
She had tied her hair up loosely, exposing the curve of her neck as she stood near the edge of the pool, testing the water with her foot.
Rowan’s chest tightened.
Even from this distance he could see the dark bikini against her skin.
The thin straps at her hips.
The way the sunlight traced over the soft lines of her body.
His wolf went completely still.
Watching.
Rowan leaned slightly closer to the window before he could stop himself.
Outside, Aria glanced around the quiet backyard.
Of course she thought she was alone.
Lena was gone.
And Rowan had disappeared upstairs.
She had no reason to think anyone was watching.
Aria slowly untied the loose shirt she had thrown over her shoulders and let it slide down her arms.
Rowan’s breath caught in his throat.
Now she stood there in nothing but the bikini.
The soft breeze shifted the thin ties slightly against her hips as she stepped closer to the pool.
Rowan’s hands tightened against the window frame.
He should look away.
This was wrong.
He knew that.
But his wolf had no intention of letting him walk away now.
Aria dipped a foot into the water and laughed quietly at the cold.
The sound carried faintly through the glass.
Rowan swallowed.
He hadn’t heard that laugh in months.
It did something strange to his chest.
Aria lowered herself slowly into the water, the cool surface rising over her legs, then her waist.
Rowan’s gaze followed the movement without hesitation.
His mind filled with dangerous thoughts he shouldn’t be having.
Thoughts about how the water clung to her skin.
How close she had been standing to him upstairs.
How easily he could close the distance between them if he stopped fighting himself.
Rowan exhaled slowly.
His wolf stirred again, pleased with the view.
In the pool, Aria leaned back against the edge, stretching her arms along the stone behind her as she relaxed.
The position arched her body slightly.
Rowan shut his eyes for a moment, trying to regain control.
But the image was already burned into his mind.
The truth was becoming harder to ignore.
Aria wasn’t just Lena’s best friend anymore.
She wasn’t just the girl who had grown up running around the pack house.
She was a woman now.
And Rowan’s instincts were reacting to her exactly the way a wolf reacted to someone who belonged to them.
Possessively.
Protectively.
Dangerously.
Rowan opened his eyes again and looked out the window.
Aria was floating lazily in the pool now, completely relaxed under the warm sunlight.
She had no idea how close she was to breaking the Alpha’s control.
Rowan stepped back from the window slowly.
His chest still felt tight.
His wolf was restless.
Because one thing had become painfully clear.
If this continued…
If Aria kept looking at him the way she had in the hallway…
Rowan wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to keep his distance.
And the moment that control finally slipped—
Everything between them would change.
- Writer
