Chapter 8
"No air conditionin'. I'm rarely inside." He said, stating what she already knew. "A swim does sound good though. Gonna join me?" He arched an eyebrow at her before heading upstairs to rinse in the shower before pulling on a pair of jean cutoff shorts. He returned with a towel and grinned at her, winking as he walked outside. Mark tossed aside the towel and dived in. "Heaven…"
Ravati turned around and watched him in the pool, suddenly feeling her entire body engulf in flames. The man was hot, that was for sure, and she wasn't denying it. She didn't care how old he was. Age had been great to the man. She watched his muscles cut through the water, rippling with every movement, and suddenly lost her breath. "Ya know, a swim doesn't sound too bad." She murmured and rushed upstairs to shower, just getting all the dirt off of her, and then came back outside a few minutes later. She was wearing a black two piece bathing suit. It was stringed, but left plenty to the imagination. Ravati wasn't one to show off her body as she sat down on the edge, sticking her feet in the water, and sighed, her wet hair pooling down her back as she watched him swim. Maybe this summer wouldn't be so bad, but somehow, Ravati knew they were going to end up fighting again. She was just that type of person.
Mark surfaced, blinking water out of his emerald green eyes. He brushed his wet hair back away from his head with both hands, grinning evilly at her. "Afraid I might bite, Vati?" He teased, smirking at the startled look she shot him. "Come on in, darlin'. The water is nice and cool." He gently splashed her, getting her legs.
"I don't know. You might be just like Hades." She countered with a smirk and laughed, a smile on her face as she looked back at him. "I'm not that much of a swimmer, Mark." She sighed when he began splashing her and looked around the farm. She'd gotten used to it and she had to admit, it was beautiful, especially during the sunrises and sunsets. "Stop splashing me."
"No…" Mark swam up to her, cutting long, powerful strokes, and moved so he was standing between her legs, covering in water from the waist down. Water pouring off his muscular chest. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in with him, holding her while he moved towards the deep end. "Not much of a swimmer, Vati or can't swim at all?" He asked curiously.
"I can swim. I just don't like it…" She shivered when the cool water hit her skin, though it did feel great, but that's not why she shivered. The feeling of this man's hands on her hips was causing her body to light on fire, which meant the water wasn't doing anything for her. "Mark, let me go. I don't want to go in the deep end…" She tried getting away from him, the water covering her to her waist now, the tips of her hair dancing on the surface.
Mark arched an eyebrow. "It might do ya some good, Vati, yer lookin' a bit flushed." He peered into her face, studying her. He stopped though, just half reclined, letting her basically straddle his waist, and stared up at her in the fading sunlight. "You got a nice farmer's tan." He joked, running a hand up her arm.
"Yeah, I know." She grumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she stared down at him, and rolled her eyes playfully. She was trying to keep this civil between them, knowing this was her uncle's friend or whatever. They were both adults though, but still, this man had put her through Hell and back the past almost three weeks. "Pretty soon, I'm gonna end up looking like you. My perfect pale skin will be gone." She started to mock cry and laughed.
"Nothin' wrong with lookin' like me." Mark grinned, his green eyes crinkling at the corners. "My tan is nice thank you very much." He arched an eyebrow at her. "You were too pale anyways, darlin'. Looked like Dracula." He bared his teeth at her, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Now," He gently brushed his fingers against her stomach. "Maybe I should let ya spend a day tannin' so its even." He peered up at her.
"I don't do the tanning bit, Mark." Ravati stated, feeling her stomach doing flip flops as he ran his fingers lightly down her pale stomach, and bit her bottom lip. She ran her hands down his shoulder, trying to straddle him more so she didn't topple over into the water, and looked up at the sun descending on the horizon. Another summer day gone.
Mark's hands automatically moved to her hips when he felt her beginning to topple, moving her so she was nestled against his lap, groaning inwardly. Wrong move on his part. He barely managed to keep himself from rising to the occasion, thinking every non-sexual thing he could to calm his ass down. 'Steve's niece…young enough to be your daughter…possibly.' He thought.
"You're looking a little flushed there, Mark." Ravati pointed out with a smirk, throwing what he'd said to her earlier on right back in his face, and raked a hand through her hair as she sighed. Still holding his shoulders for leverage. "So, what exactly are we going into town for tomorrow?" She asked casually, staring down at him with a raised eyebrow, her black hair flowing over her shoulders and down her back, with no make up on. It was just her natural beauty for once.
Mark growled when she said that before shrugging, swimming backwards a bit, balancing himself along with her on him with ease. "I gotta get some feed fer the animals, restock the pantry. Anythin' ya need?" He asked, staring up at her, now seeing thanks to the light that surrounded them.
"I'll have to check and let you know." She softly replied, knowing there was probably some things she needed, and didn't have the money for it. Steve probably had given him money for her as she stayed balanced on him, trying to think of anything, but this man at the moment. She hadn't realized how simply delicious he looked and feeling him brush up against her as he moved was almost more than she could take, but she hid it well. She'd stopped the cursing too, or at least tried to make an effort out of it, but still didn't talk about her life. He kept pushing her, but she just couldn't do it, especially with her parent's death.
Mark wasn't even aware he had moved his hands back to her hips, now just floating on the water, his thumbs gently rubbing circles against her skin. He nodded, knowing she was probably needing some personal items. She'd been living on what she'd brought since arriving. "Make yerself a list and we'll get it." He murmured, jack knifing a bit, smirking when she gasped as water pooled around her. "Sorry…accident." He drawled.
"Uh huh, accident my ass." She muttered under her breath, though the amusement shined in her midnight blue eyes. The sound of his voice was low a low rumble when he was calm, sending shivers down her spine, and made her blood boil even more. She honestly never had a better than what she was at this moment and everything that had happened was in her past. It was almost as if the world had disappeared and it was just the two of them as she shook her head a little, her hair framing her face.
Mark reached up to brush her hair back, his fingertips grazing her cheek lightly. "What're ya shakin' yer head for?" He murmured huskily, everything, but the beautiful angel over him flying out of his mind.
"Sorry, my hair was sticking to my back and it tickled." She explained softly, that husky voice once again taking her breath away, and scooted a bit more on him because she was slipping. Her black hair flowed down her back and hugged her waist. It was long and she liked it that way, even though she hated keeping up with it. Ravati would never cut it off, not unless she absolutely had too.
Mark growled softly when she shifted, his hands tightening a bit around her hips, holding her still. "Stop before we capsize or somethin'." He muttered, gently moving her up higher so she didn't feel what she was beginning to do to him, his emerald green eyes darkening to a forest green.
"I was slipping!" She protested, smiling when he moved her further up, and honestly didn't mind it. She wouldn't be slipping now as she started running water up her arms, the sun once again burning her flesh, even though she wore the sun block. She then began running her hand sup and down his shoulders, rubbing absentmindedly, and felt herself become hypnotized by his eyes as they darkened over.
Mark tried to hide the shiver that racked his body, but couldn't. He was two seconds from kissing her. He knew it. Her strawberry lips were just beckoning to him. Knowing if he didn't do something immediately he was going to pull her down against him, Mark gently rolled her off of him, placing her near the ledge so she could grab it, and swam back from her. "Come on, let's see ya swim." He challenged, needing something to take his mind off of his problem.
"I don't swim. I told you that." She said, shaking her head, and started heading for the ladder. She had to calm her racing heart down, knowing they were close to kissing. 'Stop it, Rava! He doesn't see you like that. For Christ sakes, the man calls you a fucking kid!' She berated herself mentally, shaking her head again, but this time, it wasn't because of her hair. It was because of the stupid shit she was thinking.
Mark frowned, watching her. He knew she was about to head inside and didn't, for some ungodly reason, want her too. "Yer swimmin' now." He growled playfully, pulling her into the water, back against him. "I'll even get ya some of them floatie things that wrap round yer arms, darlin'." He teased, his mouth right next to her ear.
Ravati shivered as her eyes drift shut for a split second, feeling him whisper that in her ear, and wished he would just end her torture. Put out the fire he started. She knew it wouldn't happen though as she slowly turned around to face him. "You are so damned pushy!" She exclaimed and rolled her eyes as she sighed heavily. "Fine, I'll swim if you want me to." She took a deep breath and dived under the water, doing a complete handstand, before flipping over, and came up to the surface. "Wow, haven't done that in years."
Mark had watched her. In his gutter mind observing that she was rather flexible and limber before shaking his head. "When was the last time ya went swimmin', Vati?" He asked, arching an eyebrow, knowing Steve had a pool. He treaded water, keeping his distance so he didn't do something one of them might regret. He sure in the Hell wouldn't, but knew she would.
"Probably since I was at least seventeen." She answered honestly, blinking the water out of her eyes, and sighed as she started doing back strokes. Seeing he was keeping his distance and brushed it off as being nothing. "I don't like to swim that often, but this feels nice after what we had to do today." She made a face at the memory and shuddered.
Mark caught that and smiled slightly. "Yeah, but the vegetables will taste damned good when their ripe." He told her. "More so because ya tended to'em and helped'em grow." He watched her, taking in her somewhat relaxed posture, and make up free face. She was beautiful when she went natural. All that make up she wore hid her natural beauty. Made her look like…well…like a porcelain mask.
"Yeah, I'm sure they'll taste good to you. I don't like vegetables except a choice few." She informed him, swimming over to the ledge, and folded her arms out on it, resting her cheek on it as she closed her eyes. She felt relaxed with him, especially after spending three weeks, and couldn't believe how much had happened. It was rough the first week. Her getting bitten and everything, but after that little episode in the front yard, she decided she was through with fighting him. She would do her time and then go back to her uncle's. It was weird. She didn't even feel hostility towards him anymore for sending her here.
"Hmmm…like which ones?" Mark asked, his eyes half closing as he watched her, just floating again. Life had been pretty peaceful in the past week. Both having apparently coming to some sort of silent agreement. "I'd hate to serve ya somethin' you didn't like." Mark slapped his face when he thought, 'But I do know what I'd like to serve ya.' He wondered what the Hell was wrong with him.
"Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and I think that about does it." She nodded after thinking about it for a bit and turned to face him, her other cheek resting on her hands now, smiling intently back at him. "What's the matter, Mark? You look like you're going to explode or something." And she meant that in the most sincere way.
Mark groaned, god if she only knew. "Maybe darlin'." He agreed somberly, sinking underwater and dropping to the bottom, sitting Indian style for a minute before reluctantly coming up, blinking back water.
Ravati wasn't sure what he meant by that but shrugged it off as she went under water and swam past him to the ladder. "I'm gonna head inside." She announced, her black bathing suit clinging to her every curve and body as she wrung her hair out on the deck and wrapped a towel around her body before heading inside. Not surprised when she found the dogs whining for food and fed them, knowing Mark probably forgot too. Wouldn't be the first time. She then headed upstairs for a quick shower, trying to that man's body out of her mind and his voice out of her head, but it wasn't happening as she banged her head against the bathroom wall. "Stupid…stupid…stupid…"
Mark did a few more laps, finally dragging his own ass out of the pool and making his way inside. He spotted the dogs and groaned, knowing he'd forgotten again, and smiled, knowing Ravati had fed them. "Lucky mutts…" He muttered, heading upstairs. He passed her door and hesitated before continuing on to his own room, shedding his wet shorts, and headed into the bathroom. Mark stared into the mirror before banging his head against it. "Smooth, man…smooth…"
