He thinks for a second. “Ursula’s cool, though. She’s got her own thing going on.”
I splash him playfully. “Wrong answer,” I shout, though I’m not offended. I know what he means. “But that’s about how I feel next to Jax in a bikini.”
Austin looks confused. “What do you mean?”
“Legs for days. Not to mention the boobs. It might make me feel better if I could remind myself that her boobs are fake, but they’re not.”
Despite the already hot water, the temperature seems to rise the more I speak because the smoldering from Austin’s eyes is about ten degrees hotter than anything in this cavern.
“Can I say something you’re not going to like?”
I suck in a breath. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this. Lay it on me.”
The look on his face is one of pure unadulterated sincerity. Where’s the stoic pilot who strolled into the middle of my massage session? Did he change, or am I getting to know him better? Or is he showing more of himself to me?
“I think you’re brave deciding to have a baby on your own.”
I cringe. “You’re right. I don’t like that word. There’s nothing brave about me. I’ve got the money and the time. I don’t have a real job, so it’s not like I’ll need child care.”
Austin stares at me. “So? Who gives a shit. You’re making a huge decision by yourself, and that’s brave whether you like to hear it or not.”
I sigh. “Brave or crazy?”
The grunt from him feels like a warning that he wants me to stop putting myself down. “You need to feel both scared and crazy to have a kid either way. And the world needs more people like you to have kids—people who are aware of how huge that decision is. And, people who are nice and kind and can pass on more goodness into the world.”
I have to inhale deeply because my brain needs more oxygen to absorb what he just said. Did he get hit on the head by a coconut when he was rescuing that kid earlier? “That might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me—”
“Well, I didn't say it to be nice—”
“—and if you don’t kiss me this instant—”
I don’t have to elaborate any further.
And just like that, no more talking. The only sounds in this cavern are from our breathing and from the curious explorations of Austin’s lips on mine.
Every inch of my skin seems to hum. My brain turns to mush, and I forget what we were talking about.
It’s not easy to keep kissing when my feet don’t touch the bottom.
As if reading my mind, he pulls away from the kiss and says, “Follow me.”
We swim to the other side, where there’s a small rocky ledge beneath the surface of the water. I swim over to it and hoist myself up to sit next to him. Now I’m a little chilly because I’m exposed to the cool cave air.
I let out a little involuntary shiver, and Austin sees it. His arms circle around me, closing me in, hemming me in from the lower temperatures. He further warms me with movement of his mouth against mine. Austin kisses my top lip, then my bottom, then both cheeks, which makes me grin stupidly. The next time he kisses my bottom lip, his tongue slides against it, and his teeth nip me there, just a touch.
The wicked dipping of his tongue stokes the fire between my thighs. I let out a sigh and another shiver. Austin takes this as a sign that I’m still cold and flattens me against his chest, letting go of the kiss to wrap me up in a warm hug. “You cold?”
“No.” My lashes flutter against his chest where he grips me, and I hear the strange growling noise again coming from his chest.
“You’re lying,” he says. When his lips find mine again, he feels as if his body demands it. With my eyes closed, I feel his hands grip my face. My arms circle his torso; I don’t dare hug him any lower because he’s naked and I don’t want to brush up against anything I shouldn’t. Actually, yes, I do want to do that, but I’m not going to. Not yet anyway.
I’m astounded that he can kiss me so passionately and not try to grope me anywhere else. I would like him to grope me, pet me, do all sorts of things. But he’s such a gentleman; I’m afraid to take the lead away from him.
The next time his tongue touches my lip, I open my mouth and slip the tip of my tongue out to do the same to him. A slight groan escapes his throat, and our tongues tangle in a warm, sensual dance. Sparks of pleasure glide all over from the roots of my hair down to my toes, spiking my nipples into tight little nubs. I’m letting loose, and I’m happy.
We pull away from the kiss, breathless.
Austin’s mouth shines with my sheer lip gloss.