Page 13 of His to Seduce
It rolled off David like water off a duck’s back, slick and quick. He hadn’t stopped smiling since we stepped onboard our vessel of doom an hour earlier.
“I’m sure he was stoned yesterday, too. And the day before, and the day before that…”
I slapped his shoulder playfully. He grinned at me while his hands worked flippers onto my feet. “Stop it. You’re not helping me.”
“Do you think I’d let anything hurt you?”
I didn’t think he’dtryto let anything hurt me, but that didn’t mean he’d succeed in protecting me.
“Hey.” He pushed the second flipper onto my foot and wrapped both of his hands around one of my ankles. “I won’t let go of you out there, and we’ll be fine. I promise. What are you most afraid of right now?”
I had more fears than the beaches had shells. Like I usually did when things became too stressful, I took a moment to categorize them in order of priority. “Death, pain, shark bite, drowning—”
He covered my mouth with his hand, silencing me. He pressed his lips together and his shoulders shook, pointlessly trying to hide his laughter.
“Will it help if I told you that I used to be a lifeguard?”
I shook my head, still unable to speak due to his hand covering my mouth.
“Good.” He dropped his hand and took a seat next to me, tugging on his own set of flippers. “Because that’d be a lie.”
“You—”
“Are adorably cute, sexy, great in bed.” He lifted a finger as he rattled off his qualities, his grin never slipping. “I’m also one hundred percent serious that you will be completely fine. We will snorkel to the beach, I’ll hold your hand the entire time if you need me to, and if anything happens—which it won’t”—he stressed and his expression went serious—“I will make sure that you are safe.”
He leaned forward and ran his hands through my hair, which was whipping around my cheeks and neck like a new auburn necklace. “Trust me, Camden, and come play with me.”
Play.When was the last time I did that? I had fun at girls’ nights. I laughed and drank too much, usually the only time I let myself overindulge. I ran, but that was more work and stress relief and accomplishing goals than actual fun.
The word echoed in my mind along with Blue’s command from the plane ride.Have fun. Enjoy yourself. Play. Be silly. Be stupid.
“Okay.” I was breathless. My heart rioted against my chest, but I reached for my face mask. “Let’s do this.”
I fumbled with my mask and snorkel while David got ready, and then he moved us to a flattened seat at the back of the immaculately clean white boat. Had to give it to Raheem. For a man who sat at a chair behind the wheel smoking a joint and listening to reggae, he must have taken great pride in his boat and his business.
David grabbed my hand as we sat on the edge, our backs to the water. My fingers clasped around his, much like I imagined a woman’s hand did to her partner’s during childbirth. I squeezed the hell out of it in an effort to ensure I wouldn’t lose his touch or his confidence.
“Ready?”
I had to fight not to laugh. With goggles and snorkels and flippers, we looked ridiculous. Even David looked silly, and it wasn’t a way I’d ever have described him before that moment. Before I could respond, he leaned forward and tugged the snorkel from my mouth and his. His lips took its place and his tongue invaded. His hand wrapped around my neck and he held me to him, until everything evaporated except for the taste of him, the feel of him, and the now gentle rocking of the boat along smoothed waves.
“Ready now?” he whispered when he pulled back.
“I’m ready.”Now or never. Sink or swim.Possibly not the best thought. I quickly pushed that one out of my mind and slid the snorkel back into position.
David did the same. He turned toward me, smiling around the plastic bulging from his mouth.
“One…” His countdown was muffled around the snorkel. I nodded. “Two…three!”
On three, he tugged me with him and we fell backward into the water. We landed with an enormous splash and just as he’d said, he never once let me go. I kicked and followed his movements, until we were swimming with our backs brushing against the air above us. He’d already told me we’d stay near the top of the water until I was comfortable and I could lead us wherever we wanted to go. While I tried to quell the fear threatening to burst out of my chest, I was plenty comfortable holding onto David’s hand and hoping like hell a wave or a riptide or an octopus or jellyfish or shark or any other deadly creature didn’t pull us apart.
