Practice

**Nate's POV**
I watched as her eyes hardened and her body tensed, making me immediately regret asking. Shit. Something was wrong. Someone had hurt her, and I could see it in those beautiful blue eyes of hers.
Without a word, she uncrossed her legs. I thought she was going to walk away, but she didn't. In a blink, she had slid herself into the water beside me, letting out a surprised gasp as her skin was assaulted by the chilly waves.
She was passing.
By the time she looked back at my shocked expression, she appeared coy, every trace of pain vanished.
"There. Now my turn." She said in finality, but I shook my head.
"Nope. You passed. So I get another one." Her hands moved to the side of the pool for support, since I doubted it was easy to swim in soaked sweat pants and a white tank top.
Bloody hell.
A now nearly completely transparent white tank top.
I allowed myself one glance, my eyes flickering to her chest to reveal her pastel pink bra pressing into the fabric and emphasizing her ample cleavage. A brief mental image of me burying my face in her bosom crossed my dirty mind, and I had to look away before my cock could suffocate in my shorts.
"Well, are you going to ask?"
"Erm, no. I changed my mind. You go first." I muttered, before diving beneath the water. The chlorine stung my eyes, but I could see clearly thanks to the light pouring into the enclosure as I swam to the other side of the pool. I came up with a gasp seconds later, and was graced with the image of Allie floating her way over to me. I let out a small laugh, a gust of air really.
"I didn't want to shout." She said with a shrug, explaining her reasoning for following me. Ha. She wouldn't need to shout at such a short distance, but the fact that she wanted to be closer to me made me smile.
"You dont need an excuse, love. We're married, now, remem-"
"Why?" She interrupted, finally arriving at the wall about a meter away from me.
"Why, what?"
"Why the hell did you sign my contract? Why did you marry a stranger who asked you to be nothing more than a sperm donation?" My mouth fell open, and before I could answer, she continued to rant. "I mean, at first I thought it was the money, because that's how escorts work. You pay them and they basically fall at your feet," Ouch. "But it doesn't make sense with you. You haven't hardly spent anything, and the money you did spend, most of it went into buying something for me. So please, explain to me why a man as seemingly perfect as you would want to give up your freedom to a stranger you can't even sleep with."
Perfect?
Ha.
Her eyes were searching me, trying to find an answer before I even opened my mouth. But how the hell was I supposed to answer that, when I didn't even fully understand why I did it. A lifelong commitment, a fucking child, all for money I didn't even need. She was right. It made no sense.
Maybe I longed for the adventure. I longed for a new life where I could pretend to be someone important, someone people envied. Or maybe, I was just tired of being alone. No. Though those were certainly parts of why I signed, they weren't the primary reason. So at risk of making myself look like a complete fool, I answered honestly.
"Because you looked scared." She squinted her eyes in confusion. "You were desperate to find someone, and I couldn't think of a good enough reason to say no to you. I had nothing. No attachments, no home, no purpose. If I were to walk away, you may have never found someone to agree. Not someone with nothing to lose, anyway. Ha, so there. I'm not so perfect. Just… alone."
I lifted my hand, shaking out my dripping hair, and purposely mussing it. How pathetic. Fuck. Any bit of respect she had for me was out the bloody window, now. I couldn't even stand to look at her, my heart was beating so hard. So I didn't. I focused in on the current around us, and the subtle slapping noise of the filter to my left as I waited what felt like ages for her to speak.
"Nate, that's... I'm not sure what to say."
I took a deep breath. I had to get this conversation back on track. It was far to serious.
"I believe it's my turn, Allie." Her eyes widened in surprise at me moving on, but at least they weren't pitying me anymore.
"Okay."
"Was that your first kiss? Earlier. With me." I had never seen a woman blush so quickly in my life. Her whole body stiffened, and her jaw clenched, already telling me her answer. I couldn't help myself. I smiled brighter.
"H-how? I mean, why do you think that?" She corrected herself, shifting anxiously in the water. I raised a brow.
"Because you didn't actually kiss me. You just… froze." The colour rushed from her face in an instant, leaving her blanch and floundering.
"Was it that obvious? Do you think I looked awkward in the picture?"
"Eh, from where they were, I doubt they could see much." I said with a shrug, turning so I could push off the wall with my feet, floating into the center of the pool on my back. She followed me out, treading the water gracefully.
"But what about next time? Do you think they'll be able to tell I'm a bad kisser?" I laughed. She was so freaked out about it, when it wasn't a big deal. It was her own business, not theirs. "I'm serious, Nate!" I allowed my legs to fall, righting myself so I could face her.
"Okay. So what? Do you want to practice or something?" My smirk was evident, but she didn't scowl. Instead, her doey eyes met mine. Then, I saw it happen. Steely resolve took over, her brows pinching in determination. "I think we should. You know, for the press." Holy shit. It was a joke. I didn't actually expect her to agree to it. But, I sure as hell wouldn't say no.
"O-okay."
.
.
.
"Your hands can go here, or here. But hold tight. You can fist your hands or keep them open, but make it look like you're at least putting pressure." I arranged her soft, incredibly delicate hands just above my hips, and she fisted my shirt.
"Okay. Is this okay?" She glanced up at me, and I could smell the mouthwash on her breath. I swear I heard her brush twice before coming out to the living room for our little practice session. The thought made me smile, but I hid it before she could see. Damn it all, she was cute. I had never kissed such an innocent woman before. Or such a beautiful woman, for that matter.
"It's perfect." I praised softly, and the blush that hadn't left her cheeks since we began deepened. "Now, where I put my hands will depend on what kind of kiss we're doing. For now, I'll put them here to help guide you." My fingertips found her cheeks, and I felt a shiver course through her at my touch. Holy hell. I'd have to take a cold shower after this. No. Fuck that. I'd take a hot shower, and take care of it myself. I wasn't getting blue balls over her.
I used one hand to tilt up her chin, leaning down simultaneously. In reality, we should've been practicing in her heels, but I preferred it this way. It felt like I was kissing the real her. Short, lively, and brilliant.
My body froze when I felt her tense beneath me, a smile snaking across my face.
"Relax. Take a deep breath and loosen your body. You look terrified of me, love." She pulled her plump bottom lip between her teeth, and I had to suppress my moan. She was so damn sexy. I could pleasure her a hell of a lot better than that damn toy.
Shit, was I really getting jealous of a vibrator, now? Pathetic.
"Okay. I'll try." She promised, rolling her shoulders to loosen them. It worked a little, but not enough. I pulled her body in closer, and the mere proximity made her melt against me. There, much better. Running my thumb over her flower petal cheek, I searched her eyes.
"You good?"
"Yea." She swallowed.
"Do what feels natural, okay? Don't overthink it. Let your body respond on it's own." She nodded, giving me the go ahead, and hell, even I was a little nervous. I had been trained how to master physical intimacy in my courses as an escort, but I never had to put them into practice. All of my first clients were purely company based. None asked that of me. But here I was with my permanent client, my wife, trying to teach her how to kiss. It was terrifying.
But if I showed my worry, it would only make her more cautious. So I pretended to be confident.
I lowered my face the last couple inches, at first lightly brushing my lips against hers. Christ, they were soft. Okay, another one. I let my lashes flutter open once more to make sure she was okay, before going back in, this time for a real kiss.
I pressed my lips against hers, firm as I molded her mouth against mine. She sucked in a harsh breath, her lips hesitating to move just as they had done in front of the courthouse. But I needed her to kiss me back, so I slid one hand down to her shoulder, tracing a line up and down her arm with my knuckles while the other receded into her hairline.
Perfect.
She dropped her shoulders, opening her lips slightly as her plump lips skated mine. I could feel her breathing getting heavier, ragged in my mouth, but mine was doing the same.
Kissing her was charming, addicting… sweet. I wanted to hold her like this forever. I wanted to taste her. What was this feeling? I had never felt this... desperate to kiss a woman. A simple kiss, yet I was unraveling. Was it her?
My tongue jutted out on instinct, tracing her bottom lip to ask for entrance. Despite her grip tightening, her lips parted. Accepting this, I wasted no time, tangling my fingers further into her luscious hair as I deepened the kiss.
As soon as her wary tongue brushed against mine, I was lost. The sensation hit me hard, racking my body with lust and desire for the stunning woman I held in my arms.
My wife.
Her unique flavor leaked through the refreshing mint of her toothpaste, and I immediately wondered what the rest of her would taste like. Fuck, I'd like to taste every damn inch of her. I wanted to bury myself in her.
When had this happened? When had I surrendered to my temptations?
I wasn't sure. But one thing was for certain; it was real. It wasn't about the contract anymore.
I wanted my wife.
My tongue started to spar against hers, and she pressed her breasts deeper into my chest. I couldn't help it. I let out a groan.
And that's when she pulled away.