CHAPTER3
Luke
* * *
Beingon the water was just what Alexa and I needed to feel refreshed and ready for the week ahead. I was determined to go once a month at least — more if possible and if Mom and Dad Dixon were able to look after Leif while we were on the water.
One day soon, Leif would be old enough to come with us, and I so looked forward to that day when I could teach my son all about sailing.
There wasn’t enough wind to do much sailing, so we used the twin motors to propel us along the coast, enjoying the ocean breeze such as it was and the salty smell of the surf. I stood at the helm and steered the boat while Alexa lounged on the deck in front of my window. It was a lovely view. Alexa’s body was still lush from her pregnancy, and she’d been sunning herself on and off during the summer while Leif slept so that her usually pale skin was now a beautiful golden brown. She may have felt exhausted from the previous six weeks of new motherhood, but to me, she was just as beautiful as ever — if not more so. There was even a cute spray of freckles across the bridge of her nose that I completely adored.
Motherhood suited her.
I felt so lucky that I had accidentally sent her that email, including one too-many x’s in the email address. If I had been more careful, I would never have met her and would probably still be a bachelor looking for Ms. Right in all the wrong places.
There was no one else exactly like her. I was damn lucky, and I knew it. I would do anything and everything to keep her happy and by my side.
* * *
After about an hour of travel,we found a deserted cove along the coast, and I anchored Phoenix and went out to where Alexa lay sunning herself.
“Feel like a swim? It’s getting really warm.”
“Sounds great,” Alexa replied and stood up. I took her all in, noting the slight swell of her belly, the ample breasts, and rounded hips and could have taken her inside to the bedroom to ravish her. Instead, I took her hand, and we went to the side of the Phoenix where the water was deeper and both of us jumped in, still holding hands.
The water was a shock. Even in August, it was cold and made even more so because of the heat of the air.
Alexa came up for air beside me and sputtered. “Oh, my God it’s so freaking cold!”
“It is,” I replied and swam beside her, treading water. “It’s invigorating.”
“Invigorating? It’s freezing! I might go into shock if I stay in much longer.”
She was smiling, so I knew she was just exaggerating for comic effect. We swam around for a few moments and then floated beside each other, staring up at the clear blue sky.
“I wish we were in Bora Bora,” Alexa said with a sigh. “Those were some of my happiest moments in my entire life.”
“Me, too. We’ll take Leif there as soon as he’s old enough to enjoy it. Now that we can do everything online, I can travel without worrying.”
“When I’m finished my classes,” Alexa added. “I can do my research and writing online, too.”
“It’s settled,” I said and swam over to her, my arms around her. We treaded water together and then kissed. “When Leif is able to sit up on his own, we’ll take a trip. Maybe not in Phoenix. We can fly to Bora Bora and rent a sailboat at the local marina if we want. Stay in our favorite port for a month. Or longer,” I added, thinking it would be nice to spend a few months in the South Pacific.
“We’re so lucky,” Alexa said with a sigh. “To have the freedom to travel. It’s a dream come true.”
“You have to finish your PhD first, so we can travel around the world and visit all the European capitals like you wanted. Prague. Bern. Amsterdam. London. Paris.”
“Istanbul,” Alexa added. “I want to sit in a cafe in Istanbul and drink Turkish coffee and eat authentic Turkish food.”
“Yes, then on to Athens, the Greek Islands, and Rome. I want to see Rome. Carthage. Algiers. I want to see it all. Can you imagine taking a train across Europe?”
“The Orient Express. Oh, and the Trans-Siberian Railway,” she added.
“We could start a travel vlog and I could become a travel influencer instead of boring old space entrepreneur.”
She grinned. “Not on your life.” She kissed me. “You’re a space entrepreneur. You can just be a world traveler on top of it.”
“Sounds perfect.”
We kissed again and I felt my body respond to her breasts pressed against me.
She felt my body respond as well and narrowed her eyes. “Feel like a nap after our swim?”
I grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”
She led the way back to Phoenix and climbed up the ladder, her delicious body on full display while I followed her.
I couldn’t wait to feel her naked and aroused next to me on the bed. I knew once we got back to the beach house, and back into our daily routine with Leif, we wouldn’t feel quite as relaxed and free as we did at that moment, and I didn’t want to waste it.
Luckily, she felt the same and so we stripped off each other’s bathing suits and then spent the next hour teasing and delighting each other.
* * *