I was halfway up to my thigh when I reached over and grabbed hisforearm.
“That’s it?” he asked calmly the moment my fingerstouchedhim.
I shook my head, looking down and trying not to freak out when the inky water started to lap at my hip. “Ah,nope.”
“Thenwhat—”
I moved behind him like a ninja, the palms of my hands going to his shoulder blades, absently noticing his skin was warm. The ridges of Aaron’s spine rippled when I touched him, my palms sliding up to straddle each side of his neck. I knew what I was going to do, and I knew it wasn’t exactly what platonic friends did, but he’d said it, hadn’t he? I could grab whatever Iwanted.
“Giddy up, cowboy,” I told him all of two seconds before I jumped onhisback.
Looking back on it, I should have given him a longer warning or at least abetterone.
Because he hadn’t beenready.
He hadn’t beenready.
Otherwise, if he had, I’m sure neither one of us would have fallen face first into the water, me on top of him, flying over him, pretty much somersaulting into a roll that had me snorting water up my nose the second my head dunked into the surface. For one second, I thought I was about to drown, taking way too long to get to my feet before I could shove my upper body out of the water with a gasp like I really had been on the verge ofdeath.
I heard him before I saw him spitting water. “What the hell was that?” he coughed, as I spit out the gulf water I’d just inhaled agallonof.
Freaking soaked and with my nose and eyes burning, I shivered and crossed my arms over my chest. “I was going to make you give me a piggyback ride,” I tried to explain, still blinking the water out of my eyes so I could seebetter.
“I could’ve if you’d given me a warning,” he said, laughing easily as he swiped a hand down his face, so much like my Aaron I couldn’t find it in me to regret what had just happened. “My forehead hit the floor and my stomach scrapedbottom.”
I shivered again. “I’m sorry. This was a stupid idea. If that’s not a sign I should get out before I get eaten alive, I don’t know whatwouldbe.”
Aaron’s hand landed on my forearm before I could take a step toward the shore, and the next thing I knew, that smooth, muscular expanse of his back, with its two little dimples at the bottom, was in my vision. “We’re already wet.Comeon.”
I hesitated and Aaron scooted back just a little more so that if I leaned forward just an inch, he’d be right there, pressed upagainstme.
I could see his profile under the moonlight as he glanced at me over his shoulder. “I can carry you in my arms ifyouwant.”
Aaron carrying me into his arms?Heckyes.
Realistically though, and for the sake of my sanity and feelings,no.Heck no. That was anawfulidea.
“No, no, it’s all right,” I said, probably a little too quickly. “Are you readythistime?”
“I would’ve been ready last time if I’dknown—”
I didn’t wait after I put my hands on his shoulders and justjumped, again, knees going to the sides of his hips, my forearms locked around his neck so tightly I might have been choking him. Then his own hands were on my butt, and I squeaked as he gave me a boost just a little higheruphim.
“Ru, I need to breath before I pass out and we both becomesharkbait.”
I tried wiggling one of my legs out from around where they were wrapped at his waist, but his palm slapped high up on mythigh.
“Stop. We’ll just go in a little deeper,” he assured me with asnicker.
“Fine,” I mumbled behind him. “But I swear, if we become a shark attack statistic, and it bites me in the face, and the surgeon can’t repair the damage, you’re marrying me so you can look at my face the rest of your life and remember it was yourfault.”
He chuckled so quietly as he moved deeper into the water I almost couldn’t hear him. It didn’t take long before we were chest deep in the gulf. The water was hitting me right at my breasts from how high up I was on his back. I could feel him breathing, and I was sure he could feel me breathing and feel my heart beating so fast it almost seemed atcapacity.
But I ignored it all. I ignored it all except for the lights coming from the houses on shore when Aaron turned us in a circle. Except for the bright, nearly full moon in the sky illuminating the surface of the glassy water. Except for the feel of Aaron’s solid build in front of me, his hands coming to rest on mycalves.
“Nice, hmm?” he asked in a whisper like he was stuck in atrancetoo.
“Very nice,” I agreed, my mouth just to the side of his ear. “I could get usedtothis.”
