“Oh, this feels so damn good,” she said as she swam out to where Kingston was floating.
“Yeah, it does. I haven’t done this in ages,” he said.
“Really? I think I might have to make this a nightly thing while I’m here.” She giggled, loving how freeing the whole experience was.
“Hell, I may just have to join you,” he said, staring right at her.
“It’s not like I can tell you no. I don’t own the ocean or anything,” she joked.
“Would you tell me no? Would you tell me that I can’t swim with you like this?” he countered.
“As long as you remain a gentleman, no. We’re good.” While Emmy didn’t know what his behavior was normally like, she had to admit that he had been nothing but a gentleman around her. He hadn’t tried to come on to her. He hadn’t been overly flirtatious with her. It left her wondering what it was that he wanted from her if he wasn’t interested in her sexually.
“A gentleman, huh? I’ll try my best,” he said with the sexiest damn smile she had ever seen on a man.
“You do that, and I might just join you tomorrow for that tour you keep bugging me about.”
“I promise to be on my best behavior if you say yes to the tour. I’ve been thinking about it all day, and I have a few places in mind that I think you’d love. Some of the most beautiful places on the island. Are you afraid of heights?”
“Not at all. What do you have in mind?” she asked as she bobbed along in the waves.
“I’d like it to be a surprise if that’s okay with you?” He swam closer to her.
She thought about it for a few seconds before finally agreeing to his proposal. “Fine. I’ll let you show me around tomorrow. I’m still not sure why this is such a big deal to you, but I’ll give you the day to show me why.” After all, this was about doing new things and seeing everything there was to see on the island.
“Perfect! I’d like to pick you up five.”
“In the morning?” She could just imagine the shocked look on her face.
“You look like you just stepped in dog shit,” he deadpanned.
“Yeah, five is super early. Does everything disappear by nine a.m. or something?”
“No, silly girl. But I’ve got the perfect place to watch the sunrise, and we want to make sure we don’t miss it.”
“Okay, that actually sounds like it will be worth it. I’ll apologize in advance for how crabby I’ll be for getting up that early, though. I have never been known to be a morning person. Just so you know.”
“You’re already forgiven. Besides, you can’t possibly be that bad. Can you?” he laughed.
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll find out. Just bring coffee and lots of it.”
“Done. I’ll bring enough for a small army. Will that work?” he asked.
“That should do it.” She laughed, truly enjoying their banter.
“Are you ready to head back to the hotel for the night, or do you want to stay out here a bit longer?” he asked.
“A little longer, then I really should head to bed since someone is making me get up so damn early tomorrow,” she said, kicking her feet up and floating in the gentle lap of the waves.
“If I didn’t know better, I think you might be part mermaid,” he joked and began floating beside her.
“Would that be a problem? Clamshell bras are all the rage. Or so I’ve heard.”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t know if they are or not. They certainly don’t look very comfortable, but what do I know? And no, it wouldn’t be a problem if you were part mermaid. However, I would have serious questions as to how different things work, but that’s a topic for another time.”
“Fair point. So, tell me some about you. If we’re going to be spending all day together tomorrow, I’d at least like to know who I’m going to be with.” Not only that, but she was curious about who he was as a person … what made him who he was, what he liked to do, what he was into, and so on.
“Well, I was born here. I own my club, The Dragon’s Lair. I love anything outdoors. I have a lot of brothers and sisters. My mom is still with us, but my dad passed a long time ago.”