He shakes his head. “Yes, very beautiful.”
His eyes linger on me. Does he mean the fish or me? Nope, not going to play into that. I’m leaving that comment alone.
Jude and I are so different. He’s spontaneous and carefree while I’m a planner and need to be in control. We worked until we didn’t. Ugh. There goes my mind again, wandering around Jude-town. Shake it off, take a few breaths, and head back to the boat. The itinerary said we were only here for twenty minutes; it's got to be close to that. I swim over to the ladder, and as I’m starting to climb up, there’s Jude already on the boat. He’s reaching his hand down to help me and touching him sends me into orbit.
“I got you.” Our hands meet, and he clasps his hand over mine while grabbing my waist to lift me out of the water effortlessly. His touch is searing me, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by my body—shivers run down my spine, heat pools at my core, and I lick my lips. Wow! That’s all I have to say. It’s evident thatavoiding him is off the table. One by one, he has taken bricks off my wall, and I’m feeling more exposed than I have in a very long time.
SIXTEEN
JUDE
When I touch her, it’s a shock to my system. The desire to pull her closer is overwhelming. The warmth radiating from her skin intensifies my longing, and I fight the temptation to keep her in my arms for just a little longer before releasing her.
“Thank you,” she says. But I catch a glimpse of the adoration written all over her face and the way her body reacts to my touch. That look is the one she used to give me back in high school—I wouldn’t miss it.
“You bet.” I stare back at her with a loving gaze. I’m trying not to overanalyze her reaction. I want to talk to her, but in a place where I can share everything.
Those lips are still plump and kissable—just like they were when I first made my move to kiss her at the homecoming dance all those years ago.
Shit. Not the time. I shake my head, effectively pulling myself from the start of a wonderful memory. I cannot afford to get lost in our first kiss right now.
“Want to grab some lunch?” I ask, running my fingers through my hair. What I truly want in this moment is to spend more time with her. I long for more conversations, to be in her presence, and to feel her touch.
“That sounds good. I’m actually pretty hungry,” she says, averting her gaze to the vast ocean.
We walk up to the front of the boat, where the buffet is ready and waiting for us. I gesture for her to go in front of me and we wait in line. “How are you liking the excursion?” I ask, although I’m fairly certain she loved it after hearing herooh and ahhand pointing out the beauty she saw in the water.
“It’s been amazing. I knew it was going to be fun, but it was beyond what I had imagined.” As she puts her hair up with the scrunchie around her wrist, my eyes dart to her neck and I think about having her in my arms. I catch myself and come back to what she is saying to me.
“Yeah. It was spectacular.”
Once we’re finally standing in front of the buffet table, I grab a plate and offer it to her. As I pass it to her, my fingers brush against hers, and electricity shoots up my arm. It’s as if a bolt of energy blasts through my body. Her eyes widen, and she takes a quick step back, confirming that she felt it, too.
Her eyes grow wide as she says, “Thanks.”
“You bet.” I don’t know what else to say. I pile some food on my plate and stay quiet until I get further down the buffet and see Faith’s favorite dessert.
I point to the desserts and say, “Your favorite. Flourless chocolate cake.”
Her neck gets pink, and the color creeps up to her cheeks. “It’s still my favorite. How did you even remember that?”
“I remember everything about you,” I say as I’m beaming ear to ear, proud of myself for remembering, as if I’d ever forget anything about her.
Her mouth opens like she wants to say something, but nothing comes out. I stare at her while she gathers herself. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You always knew everything about me.” Her words cut through me. Yes, I knew her well. I used to tellher,I know you better than you know yourself.Whenever I said it, she’d shake her head, knowing it was true.
“Well, I’m definitely grabbing some of this cake. It looks delicious,” she says.
“I’m going to grab the strawberry shortcake.”
She shrugs and says, “Your favorite.”
Warmth spreads through my insides. She remembers, too. Not that I thought she’d forget, but to hear it come out of her mouth unprompted gives me hope that she’ll talk to me and listen to what I need to say.
We head over to the tables that are set up for us to eat. Linens lay neatly on the tables with cloth blue napkins and bright pink star-like flowers in vases to add a touch of life to the tables. There’s a table close to the edge of the boat that is perfect for us. It feels romantic to be sitting across from Faith. I’m taking every minute she gives to me. Time with her is a gift.
We finish our lunch and dig into our desserts. “Hmm…this is close to the best strawberry shortcake I’ve had. It’s a close second to my mom’s.”
She giggles. “How is your mom doing?”
