Why hadn’t the journals mentioned a shipwreck?
“Can I look through your family’s trunks when we get back? If there are journals, they probably wouldn’t have mentioned Da by name, but maybe they referenced the pearl divers on the ship with them.” There were a couple of other Chinese names on the plaque, though most were English or Irish.
“Sure. Do you want to go for a dip before we head back?” His smile was bemused, and she snatched her hand off the plaque where she’d been tracing the names.
Her face flushed. “Sorry.”
He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “No need to apologise.” He kissed her. “You get this adorable furrow between your eyes when you’re focused, and it makes me want to kiss you.” He kissed her forehead.
Tingles spread through her at the intensity of his gaze, and she leaned into him. No one had ever called her adorable before. “Thanks.” She pressed her lips against his and the kiss deepened, making her forget all about the plaque and the history.
“We should cool off,” Ed said with a self-deprecating grin.
She didn’t want to stop, but he was right. She needed to be sensible. They dropped their things on the sand, and she stripped down to her bathers. She’d grown comfortable wearing her bathers during the whale shark tour. Here it was no big deal. Still, she studied the water as she waded in. “I don’t have to worry about anything killing me, do I?”
His laugh rang out, making her smile. “No. Occasionally, we’ll see a reef shark or a ray, but they ignore us.”
“What about those jellyfish?”
“We rarely see them.”
Rarely wasn’t never. She raised her eyebrows.
“It’s fine. I promise. Darce wouldn’t let Lara swim here if he thought it might be dangerous.”
That was some comfort. She continued studying the water, searching for any floating, clear balls of jelly.
Ed chuckled. “Chances are you’d feel the Irukandji before you’d see it.”
She shuddered. “Not helping.”
Ed splashed her as he dived into the warm water. Tess braced herself, then submerged, enjoying the water covering her body. When she surfaced, Ed stood waist deep a few metres from her, his chest glistening. Her worries about jellyfish vanished as her desire increased.
Her nipples puckered as she pressed against his naked chest, and when he pulled her closer, she wrapped her legs around his waist, needing to get as close as possible. She’d spent too long missing out on this, and she wasn’t missing a moment more.
“Tess.” His groan sent heat to her groin, and his kisses covered her face and her neck. She revelled in his attention, arching her head back so he could access the sensitive area of her throat. In between kisses, he said, “We’re supposed to be cooling off.”
“Mmm,” she agreed. “But this feels so good.”
He pulled her close and his warm, hard erection pushed against her. She wanted to touch him, but she hesitated, not sure what to do. She unwrapped her legs and Ed pushed away, ducking his whole body under the water. He took a minute to surface and when he did, his gaze was still intense, but he kept his distance. “Maybe we should get a room in town.”
Yes. Her face flushed. How could they explain it to his family? How would they look at her afterwards? “What would your family think?”
“They wouldn’t care.”
The temptation was strong. Would she be safe in town? The Ridge was a sanctuary, but she’d been able to relax last night at the brewery.
She tried to float as if unconcerned, but sank straight under the water, and came up spluttering. “Can you teach me to float?”
Ed smiled, unconcerned about the change in topic. “I can try.”
It would keep both of them distracted. The water was the perfect temperature, not cold, but not warm enough to be unpleasant. She lay on her back, Ed’s hands supporting her under her back. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
He removed his hands, and she sank, but Ed stopped her before she went under.
“Relax,” he said. “Spread your arms and legs like a star, press your hips and stomach towards the surface and tilt your head back.”
