Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 229

Clairessa’s POV

Randolph’s voice echoed through the pool area. “Gabriel! You’re up! Let’s see if you’ve still got it.”

Gabriel glanced over. “Don’t hold it against me when I win.”

Randolph laughed. “You wish.”

I stepped back and raised my hands dramatically. “Ladies and gentlemen, the CEOs are ready. Take your marks!”

Gabriel and Randolph positioned themselves.

“On your mark. Get set—GO!”

They dove in. My eyes followed only one man.

Gabriel moved through the water like an Olympic champion. Each stroke was powerful and confident.

His body glistened, muscles flexing with every pull. Water streamed down his back as he surfaced, his head rising and falling in perfect rhythm.

He swam with force. With grace. With fury.

God. Every inch of me wanted him.

He reached the end first and climbed out of the pool with ease, water dripping from his body.

My eyes followed the lines of his toned frame under the sun, his hair damp, shaking water off like he’d just stepped out of a swimwear ad.

I traced every inch of him with my gaze… his legs, his abs...

God.

This man was the definition of hotness overdose.

“Told you,” he threw in, like it was no big deal. “Don’t hold it against me.”

I blinked. I knew he could swim, but not like that.

Randolph pulled himself out of the pool, breathing hard. “Alright, alright. You’re still in your forties. I’m in my fifties. Let’s not make this a big thing.”

Waiters approached with drinks, and we settled by the edge of the pool. As they talked, the conversation gradually shifted—still light, but starting to edge toward business.

But before they could dive deeper, Randolph waved it off. “No work talk. Not today.”

Before I could even relax into that thought, Adrian shoved me. “Back in the water with you!”

“Adrian!” I shrieked as I stumbled into the pool, and he swam to the far end away from me.

But as I plunged beneath the surface, something felt off. My hands flew to my chest.

My bikini top had loosened.

Shit.

I tried to fix it quickly, panic rising in my throat. If this slipped…

Then a splash beside me.

Gabriel.

He swam to me with deadly calm.

“Gabriel, what are you...”

“I fucking saw it,” he hissed angrily. “Don’t argue.”

“I’ve got it,” I whispered, trying to fix the strap.

“Do you?” he growled. “Because the last thing I need is your tits on display for every damn man here.”

I blinked. “Okay. That’s fair.”

“I’ll fix it.” His hands were efficient, tying the strap back together. But the proximity… his touch… it sent shivers racing down my spine.

Once done, he reached beneath the water and spun me around gently, pressing my back to the edge of the pool.

His chest brushed against my breasts, his mouth hot at my ear. “You drive me insane,” he whispered.

“People are watching,” I breathed.

He didn’t care.

“Let them.”

I twisted, trying to put some distance between us—even though it was impossible with his body caging mine.

My heart raced, eyes shifting toward Adrian and Randolph. Thankfully, they were distracted, already challenging each other to another race.

Gabriel leaned in too close, his lips almost brushing mine.

My breath hitched.

“You drive me fucking insane,” he muttered.

I pressed a hand gently to his chest.

“Not here,” I whispered, heat rushing through me.

Then I turned, swam away, and climbed out—without looking back, without saying a word.

As I made my way to the bathroom, every nerve in my body was still tingling.

My heart hadn’t slowed since he pulled me close in the pool, almost kissed me right there, in front of everyone.

I’d barely escaped that moment. Barely escaped him.

I hurried along the tiled path, still dripping wet, wrapping a soft white towel around my waist. I told myself I just needed to cool off—that I needed a minute alone to breathe.

But the truth?

I needed to get away from Gabriel… before I was the one who kissed him in front of everyone.

I found the bathroom and shoved the door open, slamming it shut behind me with more force than I meant. The sound echoed in the private space.

I pressed my back against the wooden door, struggling to catch my breath.

When my legs finally moved, I checked the stalls. Empty. As expected—it was Randolph’s private space. No one else was around.

Then, with trembling fingers, I untied my bikini top and slipped it off.

The answer trembled on the tip of my tongue. But I bit it back, refusing to stroke his ego.

“You shouldn’t be in here,” I tried to argue. “This is the ladies’ restroom.”

“You think I give a damn?” he growled. “After what you pulled out there?”

“I didn’t do anything,” I snapped.

He laughed—dark and disbelieving.

“You let him touch you. Rub that lotion into your back like you were his. You let him pull you into the pool like he owned you.”

My brows furrowed. “So this is about your jealousy?”

“No,” he muttered, his hand sliding possessively up my stomach. “This is about you… testing me. Again.”

“I wasn’t...”

“You were,” he bit out, voice like a lash. “And now, I’m forced to remind you who this body belongs to.”

His hands flipped me, fast and rough, until my chest brushed the wet tiles. His hardened cock pressed at my back, hard and overwhelming.

“Every fucking time I see him touch you, I want to put my fist through something,” he whispered. “But you... you know what I found out. You know exactly what you're doing. You like driving me insane.”

“You are insane,” I breathed, trying to deflect. “You’re completely out of your mind.”

His mouth moved to my ear, voice ragged. “No… this is all your fault. I can feel your body begging for me, without you saying a single word.”

I turned my head just enough to meet his eyes. “You think this is fair to me?”

“What?”

“You touch me under a table and just when I'm so close to cumming, you leave me hanging. This is all a sick, twisted game of control to you. And now you barge into this shower…”

He cupped my jaw—gently.

Then slid his hand down my throat, my back, his fingers trailing through the water.

“Then tell me to leave.”

I didn’t.

Because I couldn’t.

Instead, I met his eyes, my lips trembling.

“You said you’d punish me…”

His mouth lowered until it hovered over mine, barely a breath apart.

“And I will.”

Fire ignited in my veins.

“You shouldn’t…” I whispered, our lips brushing. “We shouldn’t…”

“Too late,” he whispered.

And then… he kissed me, passionately.