“IS THIS IT?” CLAIRE ASKED as Luke reconsidered the wisdom of his plan. Booking the small fishing boat instead of a more extravagant cruise seemed like something his adventurous wife would enjoy, but looking at the beat-up trucks in the lot at the marina had him rethinking. Maybe it wasn’t too late to find someplace else.
“We’re here, sir,” said the driver, answering Claire’s question.
Luke opened his mouth to tell her he’d get Colin to find them a different charter, but before he could say anything, she threw her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Grabbing the beach bag, she jumped out of the car before the driver had a chance to open her door. More relieved than he wanted to admit, he hurried to catch up to her and snag the bag from her hand.
“Which boat is it?” She scanned the boats docked in the slips.
“That one, I think.” Luke pointed to a small Boston whaler headed across the horizon line toward them.
Beside him, Claire bounced on her toes like an excited child, and he grinned. Pleasing her was still one of his favorite things in the world, second only to losing himself inside her. Combine the two things and there was no contest.
She’d changed from the skirt and blouse she’d been wearing to look at the property into a swimsuit, shorts, and sandals. With her hair pulled back into a ponytail and her face turned toward the sun, she was so beautiful; she stole his breath. He ought to be used to it. He’d been with dozens of beautiful women before he met her, but something about Claire cut straight through everything he’d ever known and laid his heart bare.
She was a gorgeous woman with a kick-ass body. Any man could see that, a fact that had set his teeth on edge on more than one occasion. But it was the way she loved him and the way he loved her that transcended anything he’d ever thought possible. He’d made it his mission in life to ensure she and their daughter got everything they needed and every happiness he could imagine.
“Do we have time to see what they have there?” She glanced from the approaching boat to a small shack at the point of the marina.
“Sweetheart, we have time to do anything you want.”
Her answering smile lit her face, and he pulled her into his arms for a kiss. Cupping the nape of her neck, he held her in place while his lips teased hers, catching her sigh with his mouth. Taking the kiss deeper, he breathed her in, teasing and tasting her as her body melted against his. He pressed his palm to the sun-warmed skin at the small of her back, fitting her body against his rapidly hardening cock. He stopped himself before he hooked a hand behind her knee and wrapped her leg around his waist.
“Come on.” He forced himself to pull back before he mauled his wife in the parking lot of the marina. “Let’s go check it out.”
Ten minutes later, he balanced fried ahi tacos in one hand while he handed Claire into the boat with the other. She smiled at the captain, who’d introduced himself as Hale before reaching out to take the paper cartons from Luke.
“Let me,” said the captain, hurrying to help and then moving to the side to let Luke climb onto the softly bobbing boat. “You can sit there if you’d like.” He motioned Claire to the padded seat on the bow of the boat before turning to shake Luke’s hand. “If it’s all right with you, I thought we could head over to Chinaman’s Hat and a small private beach I know of. That should put us back at the sand bar a little past low tide.”
“That sounds perfect,” said Claire, and Luke nodded his agreement.
“Great,” said Hale. “The weather’s discouraged some of the tour boats, but I don’t think it’s going to rain. There’s a stocked cooler up front. Why don’t you all relax and I’ll take us across the cove. Let me know if you have questions or want me to stop.”
“Thanks,” said Luke, making his way to the front of the boat.
He sat on the padded mat at the bow, keeping one foot on the deck of the boat and the other bent at an angle on the seat. The position let him pull Claire into his arms so her back rested along his chest and she could relax against him. Hale took off, cruising across the remnants of the crater that made the cove, and Luke braced his hand on the railing. Unlike the yachts he’d been on with friends or when he was being courted by business acquaintances, Hale’s boat was tiny and not nearly as smooth a ride. But it also sat close enough to the water for them to catch glimpses of the reef below.
He couldn’t see Claire’s eyes behind her sunglasses, and it was hard to talk over the rush of the wind, but he could tell by the way she straightened that she’d seen something. He felt her gasp and her arm shot out, pointing to something ahead and to the right of them. Hale must have seen it too because he slowed the boat to a crawl, approaching carefully.
“Sea turtles,” he said just loud enough for Luke to hear him.
Claire scrambled to her knees and leaned over the railing to get a closer look. Luke grabbed her hips to steady her and keep her from toppling into the water. Overkill turned into prudence when the giant turtle surfaced in front of them and Claire gasped, hanging over the front of the boat in her excitement.
“Look at him!” She glanced over her shoulder at Luke, her eyes so lit up and happy that he shifted his gaze from the turtle to her, determined to do whatever it took to put that look on her face as often as possible.
“Keep watching,” said Hale. “Where there’s one, there are usually several.”
Obviously unamused by the strangers in the boat, the turtle lifted its head one more time before it slid under the surface and disappeared from sight. Luke scanned the water, searching for any ripple or a disturbance that might signal another turtle. His gaze caught on the sunlight as it glinted off the surface and then he saw it: a dark knot bigger than the palm of his hand.
“There!” He pointed to the spot and Hale steered the boat in that direction.
In a few moments, a pair of turtles appeared just under the surface of the water, each of their oblong green shells over three feet long. They were odd-looking creatures, but magic even to a mostly jaded guy like him. He glanced from the creatures to Claire, and he could see the wonder in her face. Seeing her reaction tugged at his heart. She made it possible for him to feel things he hadn’t been able to feel before she loved him. They watched, mesmerized, as the turtles moved under the water as if they were dancing. When they swam away, Luke pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her, letting the magic of what he was feeling slip from his lips to hers.
“That was amazing,” she said after she caught her breath.
“Yes, it was,” he said not sure if she meant the kiss or the turtles and not caring because he knew he’d never forget either one.
––––––––
CLAIRE FINISHED THE last bit of her fish taco, washing it down with a swallow of cold beer. The crisp bite of the pale ale was the perfect complement to the spicy ahi. Between the baby stuff and being so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, it had been a long time since she’d had a beer or even a glass of wine. It was nice to relax in the sand with the sun on her face and a drink in her hand.
