She smirks in response to my ogling. “I thought you said you packed a swimsuit?”

I glance down at the shorts and t-shirt I’m still wearing. “Give me two minutes.” I shut the door and pick my phone back up. “I’m back.”

“How many butlers are there?” Anderson asks.

“I’ve already lost count,” I reply. “But it was a false alarm on that front. It was Vivienne, so I’ve got to go get changed.”

“She’s at your room? What do you mean, you need to get changed?”

“We’re going swimming,” I admit.

“Dawson, I don’t even know where to fucking start—”

“I know, I know. I’ve got to go, though. I’ll call you later.” I hang up before Anderson responds, which is probably for the best. I’m sure I’m going to regret telling him anything. I pull on a pair of black swim trunks and leave on the same gray t-shirt I was already wearing. I set my phone back down on the same table. It’s already lighting up with messages. I open the door to find Viv is still standing in the same spot, looking amused.

“Finally ready?”

“That wasn’t even two minutes,” I retort, shutting the door behind me and following her down the hallway.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

VIVIENNE

Jace shrugs off his gray t-shirt once we reach the edge of the pool, and I’m dumbstruck by the amount of tantalizing, tan skin suddenly on display. His muscles are even more defined now than they were in college, something I hadn’t thought was possible. Jace catches me staring and grins, clearly pleased by my close appraisal.

“Something on my face, Princess?” he teases.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I retort. I’m certain my biting tone is rendered irrelevant by the burning heat I can feel in my cheeks, which Jace confirms when he does nothing but laugh.

I pull off my sundress and feel a surge of satisfaction when I notice Jace is having as much trouble looking away from my body as I’m having keeping my gaze from his. I saw what the girls who flocked to him at Lincoln looked like, and I have no doubt he attracts a lot of female attention in South Carolina. Vainly, I’m glad I still appeal to him.

Then again, physical attraction was never one of our issues.

I let my hair down from its bun and walk over to the diving board, suddenly grateful for the summer I spent teaching myself how to somersault off it. Jace watches me closely as I climb the short stretch of stairs to reach the firm surface. I walk to the very end of the bouncy board and perform a couple of tentative jumps to get a feel for the motion. I haven’t bothered to try this in years.

I flash Jace a quick smile. “You’ll jump in if I knock myself out, right?”

“Isn’t there a royal lifeguard for that?” Jace calls back.

I roll my eyes, then propel myself up into the air. I spin and twist twice before neatly slicing through the cool, clear water. I swim back to the surface and wipe the water off my face with one hand as I tread water.