Sink or Swim Read online

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  Copyright ©2007 by Alexis Fleming

  First published in 2007, 2007

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  Sink or Swim

  ISBN # 978-1-906328-01-6

  ©Copyright Alexis Fleming 2007

  Cover Art by Anne Cain ©Copyright May 2007

  Edited by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

  Total-e-bound books

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author's imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-e-bound eBooks.

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  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork

  Published in 2007 by Total-e-bound eBooks 1 The Corner, Faldingworth Road, Spridlington, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 2DE, UK.

  Warning:

  Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning.

  SINK OR SWIM

  Alexis Fleming

  Dedication

  To the ladies of WOW.

  A better group of critique partners I've yet to meet. You enrich my life on both a personal and professional level. I'm privileged to call you my friends. I love you guys.

  Chapter One

  "What the hell do you thi..."

  Jonah's thought processes shut down, the words drying up as he stared at the apparition in front of him. Eyes blinking furiously, he stumbled backwards and bumped into the door behind him, smacking his head on the timber surface. His feet went out from under him and he ended up on his ass on the tiled floor.

  He closed his eyes a moment, sure he was in the grip of a particularly erotic dream. His cock certainly thought so. As if it had a mind of its own, it reared up, stiffening to attention and pointing its head in the direction it wanted to go. What the fuck, it did have a mind of its own, especially where this woman was concerned.

  "Hello, Jonah."

  His eyes snapped open and he focused on her, trying to ease the constriction in his jeans. She'd draped her arms over the edge of the bathtub and rested her chin on her hands. At least now he wasn't distracted by the sight of her slender body covered in nothing but an itty-bitty piece of butt floss and a gold chain about her waist.

  Yeah, right! He had a photographic memory and it had already processed the image of Samie dressed in a black thong and floundering about in a tub of water. And talking of water...

  "Turn the flippin’ tap off, woman. You're drowning my apartment below."

  "Oh crap, I'm so sorry.” She unlinked her arms and started to rise up in the bathtub.

  Jonah panicked. “No, don't ... Stay there. I'll turn it off."

  Jesus, he was acting like a raw teenager, freaking out at his first glimpse of a naked woman. He was a grown man for crying out loud, with his fair share of affairs behind him. The sight of a nearly naked Samie shouldn't have thrown him into this type of tailspin. It wasn't like he wasn't used to seeing her running around in the briefest of swimwear.

  He tried to scramble to his feet, but he couldn't get any purchase on the wet tiles. By the time he managed to get to his knees, his jeans were soaked through to his shorts, the fabric moulding the biggest boner he'd had in a long time.

  Water filled the bathtub to the brim, flowing over the top and covering the floor. Samie's floundering around sloshed even more over the edge. On hands and knees, Jonah crawled to the tub and turned off the tap. Grabbing the towels hanging on the rail beside him, he tossed them onto the floor to sop up some of the moisture. Then he turned his attention to Samie.

  Oh-ohhh, wrong move. Jonah groaned. Wedged up against the side of the bathtub, and with Samie kneeling on the porcelain surface, his eyes were level with a gorgeous set of boobs. For such a slim girl—woman!—she sure had big breasts. Rosy nipples, large areoles, deeply tanned ... except for a perfect white triangle where her swimsuit normally covered.

  He had a sudden hankering to lean across and take one of those pert nipples into his mouth, see how much of the darker surrounding area he could cover at the same time.

  Sudden? Like hell. This was something he'd fantasized about for the last eight months, ever since he'd moved into the block of apartments owned by Samie's mum, and now her. Problem was, she'd never handed out the right signals to make him assume she might be interested in something more than landlady/tenant. And she isn't now, you randy fool, so get with the game.

  Oh, she was friendly enough, but he wanted more than friendly. If anything, she treated him like a big brother. Shit, he didn't want to be anyone's big brother and certainly not Samie's. If the state of his cock right now was any indication, he'd never be able to think of her as a sibling.

  "What the heck do you think you're doing?” he snapped in an effort to keep his mind off her body. “You trying to drown me? If you want to get rid of me, just say so and I'll vacate. And take those stupid goggles off. It's like talking to a goldfish with bug eyes."

  She whipped her hand up and tried to snatch the swim goggles off her head, grimacing when the strap snagged in her hair. “Damn, I'm caught. Give me a hand here, will you?"

  No, no, no!

  He didn't want to do it, but he had no valid reason for refusing. Didn't she realise that would put him within mouth ... er, hand distance of her naked boobs?

  With a tortured sigh, he shuffled closer and reached for the tangled goggles. As he sifted his hand through her lush red-gold waves, she rested her head against his chest. Heat hit him, forking through his body and lodging in the already hard appendage pushing at the front of his jeans. Hell, much more and he'd explode ... or bust the zip of his pants at the very least.

  After a few clumsy tugs and a lot of under-the-breath swearing, he managed to get the goggles free and dropped them into the water. Dividing her hair into two bunches, he dragged it forward over her shoulders. Her hair was so long it covered her breasts totally. He was finally able to breathe without struggling for oxygen.

  "There. Now you look like a mermaid. One of those ones who sit on the rocks and lure the sailors to their deaths.” He grinned at her, only to have her start, twisting her body to look at him with what he could have sworn was shock. Her bright blue eyes opened wide. Her face paled beneath her tan and her hands shook as she covered her breasts, hair and all.

  Water sloshed over the side of the bath at her movement, cascading down his front. Ah shit, at this rate, I'll have had my bath before she's finished.

  He sighed. “Wanna tell me what you were doing?"

  "I was trying to teach myself to swim, or at least how to float."

  "You what?” He starte
d to laugh, cutting it off when he realised she was serious. “You can't swim? But I see you on the beach all the time."

  "Yeah, but you never see me in the water, do you?” She shrugged and the hair parted over one nipple.

  Jonah found his gaze sliding back to her chest. He gulped and stared fixedly at her face again. “I thought you were just like all the other beach bunnies, strutting around showing off your body in those cutesy bikinis you favour. Hell, most of the girls on the beach wear swimmers that would disintegrate if they so much as got them wet."

  She punched him on the arm. “I am not a beach bunny. I'm a hard-working business woman and I wear those cutesy bikinis as you call them to advertise my wares."

  He wiggled his eyebrows. “Well, they sure do that.” His gaze slid south and so did all the blood in his body. He tried to ignore the twitching of his cock. The bloody thing was talking again, telling him where it wanted to go. Sheeze.

  "Okay, let me get this straight. You want to learn to swim.” He held up his hand. “Hang on, how come you haven't learned before this? You live by the sea. You should know for safety sake. Most Aussie kids are thrown in at the deep end before they even hit school age."

  "Oh, my mother tried to teach me, but it didn't take. I was too small to remember, but apparently she took me into the sea to start familiarizing me with the water and a freak wave swept me out of her arms. She said if it wasn't for a big black bull seal pushing me back onto the beach, I would have drowned."

  A crack of laughter erupted out of his mouth before he could stop it. “Hah, I think your mother was telling you porkies. I've read documented cases where a dolphin saved someone, but a seal? Never heard of it. Not in his ... er, its nature. The majority of bull seals are more like to eat a baby, thinking it's a stray seal pup. Brutal, I know, but that's nature."

  "My mother didn't lie. Ever. Even if she hurt your feelings with the truth. You should know that. She told you off often enough before she went away.” She shrugged. “None of that matters now anyway. I have to learn to swim and there are a couple of problems. The first is I'm an aqua-phobic. I've been scared of water ever since I was a kid. The bathtub is about the most I can handle."

  "Well, that sure complicates thing.” He grinned. “What's the second thing?"

  Instead of answering him, she flicked her legs out from beneath her and lay back in the tub. “Before I can learn to swim, I have to be able to float. I think my boobs are too heavy. I keep sinking. Look."

  She stretched out, straightening her body. Her breasts broke the surface of the water, bobbing and jiggling as she displaced another wave of moisture down his front. Least of his worries right now. He was more concerned about hyperventilating at the titillating sight in front of him.

  "Hell, that pair are more likely to act as a floatation device,” he mumbled and gingerly pushed himself to his feet, making certain he didn't slip on the wet floor.

  Samie's butt hit the bottom of the tub as she screwed around to glare at Jonah. “You got a problem with the size of my boobs?” She ran her hands up her torso and cupped her breasts, pushing them together to create a valley in between.

  "Um, not at all. I think they're just perfect ... ah, they—” He cleared his throat. “Um, your head's not far enough back. No wonder you're having trouble."

  She shook her head. “Sorry? You lost me there."

  "The reason why you keep sinking. It's not the size of your...” He waved a hand towards her bare breasts. “...your chest. It's your head. You need to angle it back more. And for crying out loud, you can't learn in a bathtub. Not enough room."

  "Well, I have to do something. I need to be able to swim as soon as possible. Otherwise I'm screwed."

  "Then why the hell didn't you just come right out and ask me?"

  Samie tried to struggle upright, using the side of the bath for leverage. She almost made it when she lost her balance. A gasp escaped as her feet started to slip. She flung her hands out to grab for something to hold on to, but the towel rail was too far away. Ah crap, if she fell now, she'd do herself a serious injury.

  She cried out and Jonah suddenly leaned over the tub to grab her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her upright. A breathy moan slid from her lips as her naked breasts hit his chest. Fire coursed through her veins, heating up her blood and threatening to drive the air from her lungs.

  Sucking in a quick breath, she pushed her breasts higher. “Ohh, good thing you've got quick reflexes,” she simpered and curled her arms about his neck.

  "You want to tell me why you're acting like a bimbo?” He frowned. “What's with that breathy, little-girl voice? You've just finished telling me you're a savvy businesswoman. Yet, here you are, carrying on like a twit."

  Samie grimaced. So much for her vamp act. This so was not going to work, although judging by the state of the bulge in his trousers, she'd sure engaged his interest. Maybe there was hope for her yet.

  "Help me out of here and I'll tell you. I can't manoeuvre properly with my legs tied together."

  She knew that up until now Jonah had obviously been focused on her bare breasts and hadn't bothered to check out her legs. Now he did, sliding his gaze down her body. Samie sucked in a sharp breath as he looked his fill. A shiver trembled up and down her spine, as if he'd dragged the tip of one finger over each vertebra. Goosebumps broke out on her arms despite the steamy atmosphere of the bathroom. Her breasts tightened, the nipples hard and throbbing.

  And he could do that with just a look? Holy hell!

  "I'm almost afraid to ask, but why have you tied your ankles together with that rubber strap?” He shook his head. “For that matter, why the goddamned hurry to learn to swim after all this time?"

  She gave a tension-filled sigh. At this rate, she'd be a basket case before she even got to the point of telling Jonah what she needed of him. Gotta keep the plan in mind, Samie. “Lift me out first.” She raised her hands and waited.

  He slid his arms around her, cupped her bottom—her almost naked bottom—and took her weight, swinging her over the side of the bath. When he lowered her to the tiles in front of him, she leaned her body against him, rubbing her breasts on his wet shirt.

  Then, just to get his reaction, she ground her pelvis against his hard erection. A groan rumbled up from his chest. His face flushed and he started to pant, as if he were having trouble getting his breath. And she could have sworn his cock got even harder. Oh yeah, maybe this was going to work after all.

  "Ah, Samie, I don't think we should be doing this,” he mumbled. “You are, after all, my landlady, for Christ's sake."

  "What difference does that make? I'm still a woman."

  "Lady, you aren't telling me anything I don't already know.” He dragged in a shaky breath. “Much more and I'll have to crawl out of your apartment. For that matter, I'm so bloody hard maybe I should just pole vault over the edge of the balcony."

  "Ohh, I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. I'm sure I can ... relieve the situation somewhat for you."

  "Enough! You're acting like a dimwit again. I'll lose my sanity at this rate."

  Grabbing her hands from around his neck, he dragged them down and held them in front of him as if trying to put some distance between them.

  "Um, now might be a good time to tell me why it's so damn important you learn to swim"

  Samie gave him a smile, flicking the tip of her tongue along her bottom lip. “It's simple really and it's all to do with why my feet are tied together."

  "Huh?"

  "Somewhere between now and my twenty-fifth birthday I'm going to turn into a mermaid and let's face it, a mermaid who not only has aqua-phobia, but who can't swim, isn't going to be much of a turn-on for all those merman out there, is she?"

  Chapter Two

  Jonah rocked back on his heels, staring at her. “Mermaid? Did you say...?” Ah, hell, had he slipped up somewhere? Surely she didn't know ... “This is a joke, right?"

  "See this face.” She pointed in the general direction
. “Do I look like I'm laughing?"

  He dragged in a shaky breath. Nah, not possible. He'd been too careful. Just the same, he'd have to be extra vigilant from now on. “So you want to be a mermaid, do you? What is it, some type of dress-up party?"

  Shaking his head, he grinned, glancing down at Samie's legs, still tethered with a rubber strap. He couldn't help himself. He started to chuckle. Then he caught a glimpse of her face and swallowed his amusement. “My God, you're serious, aren't you?"

  Samie glared at him. “Of course I'm serious. What? You think I'd go around telling people I was about to start smelling like a pickled sardine if it wasn't true? Get real."

  His mouth twitched at her words and Samie was on him in a flash.

  "Don't you dare laugh at me, Jonah Billings.” Holding tight to Jonah's shirt, she bent over and untied the rubber strap around her ankles. “This is serious business and I need your help."

  He let go of the towel rail and tugged at his ear lobe, tucking his head down in an effort to shut out the enticing sight in front of him. “Um, you want to get dressed before we discuss this?"

  She glanced down at herself. “Does my near nudity offend you, Jonah?” She stepped closer and rubbed her breasts against his chest again.

  Jonah gulped. His cock tightened even more, the bulge clearly visible in his wet jeans. Friggin’ hell, she really was coming on to him. For months he'd waited for some sign she was interested in him and now this? He wasn't ready.

  Stooping, he grabbed one of the soggy towels and thrust it into her hands. She made no effort to wrap it around herself, just held it clutched to her chest. Shame he could still see the curve of one breast. Sure didn't help him get his thoughts together.

  He rushed into speech, trying to clear his head of the raunchy pictures that had taken up residence in his poor besotted brain. “Ah, so you want my help to turn into a mermaid?"

  "No, I don't need you to help me turn into a mermaid. That's going to happen whether I want it or not. What I need you for ... Well, one of the things I need you for...” she speared the point of one finger into his chest, “is to teach me to swim. After all, you are a surf lifesaver. So come and save me from drowning."