"Never."
Chapter Thirty
Brody
"Do you think that alligator is really still out here?" Cora asked as she reclined against the front of the boat. Her long golden legs lay stretched out toward me, and I was ready to park the boat and get over to her. Foreign emotions raged through me, and even though I knew I should sort through them, I didn't want to. Just enjoying the newness of being with someone for more than once or twice was thrilling enough.
"I don't know, but we'll go over near the shallow area. There's not nearly enough water over there for them." I got up and dropped the first anchor off the back of the boat.
"I was hoping to go skinny dipping again." She got up and walked toward me, sliding her hands under my shirt and scraping her nails down my back softly.
Warmth spread through my center, and I gripped her sides before leaning over and kissing her a few times. "We can still go skinny dipping, baby. I don't think we have much to worry about. Besides, if it comes near us, you run, and I'll stay behind and whoop its ass."
"Oh yeah? You'd do that for me?" She smiled and moved back as I grabbed the second anchor.
"Are you kidding? I'd beat a hundred alligators back for you." I wagged my eyebrows, hoping to make her smile more than anything.
"You're such a brute." She sat on the front of the boat again, but put her back to me and let her long legs dangle into the water below. "It's beautiful out here. The sun is going to set soon. Do you see the sky starting to turn red and orange over there?"
I pulled out a beer and a bag of chips and joined her at the front of the boat. I sat down and handed her the chips as I took a quick drink before offering her the bottle. "It's beautiful, but it's got nothing on you."
She laughed. "I thought you weren't the kind of guy to spout about all that poetic stuff?"
"People change." I ran my hand over her taunt thigh before squeezing softly and releasing her. "Well, some do."
"Do you want to change, though? It's not like the lifestyle you had a few weeks back was a dull one. It had to be stimulating, in more ways than one." She laughed again, and I couldn't help but smile.
"It was the only life I knew." I shrugged. "I honestly didn't think I would ever be the kind of guy that could settle down, but you know what I realized yesterday?"
"What?" She reached over and intertwined her fingers with mine, looking like an angel beside me.
"I could be that guy. A hot chick that wanted my attention hit me up and I almost felt ill at the thought of even hitting on her. It was refreshing. She didn't look attractive, at all, but like a random girl that was just... there." I shook my head. "You've ruined me. You've ruined me, and now you're stuck with me."
Lights flashed just behind us, and I turned to see a patrol boat pulling up.
"You guys alright out here?" One of the cops on the boat called out from the side of it.
"Yes, Sir. We were just watching the sunset." I released Cora and moved over to the side closest to them. "Is that not alright?"
"It's fine, but don't get in the water over here. We had a few sightings of one of our more aggressive gators. Just be careful, and try to stick to the more populated areas for swimming. Alright?" He crossed his arms over his chest, eying me like he believed me to be the hoodlum I usually was.
"Yeah, no problem. Thanks for letting us know." I waved at him before dropping back down by Cora, who had pulled her feet into the boat. I laughed and squeezed her thigh. "Let's watch the sunset together and then we'll go back to the house. I got a stack of movies that Daniel and Clay picked up a few days back. It's all action and adventure type stuff, but I'm thinking it might do us some good to change things up a little."
She smirked and snuggled up beside me. "I'm good with whatever you want to do."
I let my eyes move out toward the sunset and let out a sigh. "Man, this place is almost majestic."
"I agree, but the thought of an alligator moving through the water around us kind of leaves me worried that some other horny idiots will come out here to skinny dip and not get so lucky as we did." She turned toward me, and I reached out and brushed my fingers by the side of her cheek.
"Are we horny idiots?" I asked as a smirk lifted my lips.
"I am. I'm not sure about you." She leaned in closer and kissed me, stealing my breath and sucking the humor from the moment. Passion rolled through me as I pulled her into my lap and ran my hands over her back and down her legs as I licked and sucked at her mouth.
She moaned softly and turned to straddle me. "Let's go back to the house. I don't want anyone coming up on us while we're not watching."
"You should have thought about that before you straddled me." I brushed my fingers over her mound and brought her in for another long string of kisses as I petted her.
The lights flashed behind me, and I jumped, laughing as the cops passing back by us laughed, too.