CHAPTER4
kai
Iwasn’t ashamed of my body, so it didn’t bother me if Mariella wanted to check me out while I slipped on my wetsuit. It’s not like I was completely naked thanks to the swimmer’s briefs I had on. I finished suiting up and, with a final wave to my gorgeous tour guide who’d eventually opened her eyes, I eased off the edge of the boat and into the water. Even with my wetsuit on, the cold seeped through. Didn’t bother me at all. I’d grown up in the heat of Texas summers and welcomed the chill.
It would have been easy to lose track of time exploring the depths of the ocean floor. No matter how many dives I completed, I was still caught off guard by the peaceful beauty of life under the sea. I captured photos of rock fish, a few wolf eels, and even a giant octopus before surfacing to check in with Mariella.
She had her legs tucked up underneath her and a book in her hand. The story must have captured her full attention because she didn’t look up when I pulled myself onto the ladder to climb onboard. While I watched, she held a peach to her lips and took a bite. I could almost taste the sweet juice as it dripped down her chin. Fucking hell, something about this woman with the sad eyes pulled at me.
“Oh, hey, I didn’t hear you.” She looked up, her eyes wide, like I’d caught her doing something she shouldn’t. “How was your dive?”
I shook the water from my hair and finished removing my gear. “Incredible. How’s your book?”
“Um, it’s good.” She dog-eared the page and flipped it cover down on the seat. “Did you get some good shots?”
“Yeah. I won’t know for sure until I pull them up later, but there was a lot of activity down there.” I grinned, hoping for a smile in return.
She cast nervous glances at the deck without meeting my gaze. “I brought lunch if you want to take a break. If you’d rather head to the next site and eat on the way, that works too.”
I’d tossed a few protein bars in my bag, figuring I’d make do until dinner, but I’d never turn down the offer of lunch. “You made me lunch?”
“Don’t get too excited. It’s just a couple of sandwiches. Are you hungry now?” She made a move to pass me to get to the cooler she’d packed. I stepped one way, and she did the same, which put us chest to chest.
“Sorry.” I stepped to my left, and she stepped to her right. Her head bumped my chin, and I wrapped my hand around her arm to steady her.
“I’m not usually such a klutz.” Her voice came out soft as her fingers rubbed her forehead.
“It’s my fault. I should have been watching where I was going.” I inhaled the sweet scent of the peach she’d been eating and ran my fingers over hers. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” She tilted her head back and looked up at me.
Our eyes locked. I couldn’t explain the way my body reacted to hers. She was attractive—hot as hell with curves that could drive a man out of his mind—but it was more than that. I felt like I knew her, though I’d never seen her before yesterday. It was like I’d known her in a past life, or at least it would have been if I believed in that kind of shit. Still, I didn’t want to let go. So I said the first thing that popped into my half-blown mind.
“Did you bring any extra peaches?” My mouth watered at the thought of licking the juice off her full lips.
“Sorry, just the one.” She glanced toward where she’d set her half-finished peach down on a napkin by her book.
“Any chance you might want to share?” With my fingers still wrapped loosely around her arms, I waited for some sign that she might be a fraction as into me as I was into her.
Her tongue slipped out and swept along her bottom lip. “You want a bite?”
“Maybe just a taste?” I arched my brows in question, my cock already twitching in anticipation.
She tilted her head back slightly, and her lips parted.
I eased closer, eliminating the slight distance between us. My hands wrapped around her shoulders, and I pulled her into me. The sun’s rays highlighted the different shades of brown in her hair and danced along her skin. I lifted a hand to brush her hair away from her cheek. She nuzzled into my palm.
That’s what did it. I had to taste her.
Kissing her didn’t have to complicate things. Men and women engaged in no-strings flings all the time. Hell, if half the shit some of my foster brothers said was true, it was a daily occurrence where I’d grown up. I’d just never been one of those guys who could keep his heart out of the way. Which was why it made no fucking sense for me to lean in, pull Mariella against my chest, and slant my mouth over hers.
The lingering taste of a perfectly ripe peach met my lips. Eager for more, I took the kiss deeper and swept my tongue into her mouth. She offered no resistance. Instead, she rose onto her toes and clasped her hands together behind my neck. Her breasts pushed against my chest while the scent of peaches and sunshine surrounded me.
Fuck, what had I done? Need rose within me and sent blood racing to my cock. I hadn’t been with a woman in years, and it showed in the desperate way I locked my arms around her.
Kissing her was like looking at the sun—so powerful I had to limit myself to small doses. I pulled back, already missing the taste of her on my tongue.
She didn’t move. Her eyelids stayed closed, her mouth slightly open. I didn’t want to break the magic that had just flowed between us, so I stood completely still and waited for some sort of reaction.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and blinked against the reflection of the sun on the water. A boat passed close by and waves rocked against the side of the boat. Mariella lost her footing. I gripped her arm to prevent her from stumbling.
“Thanks.”
That one word broke the silence between us.
“Yeah, no problem. You okay?” I didn’t usually get tongue tied around women, but then again, I didn’t usually find myself in proximity to a woman like Mariella. She was sunshine, lighting up the darkness inside my chest, sending warmth radiating through my limbs.
“I’m fine.” A tiny furrow appeared between her brows, like she hadn’t quite processed what had just happened. “About that lunch… do you want turkey and cheddar on wheat or ham and Swiss on rye?”