“Hasheem,” Harlowe said as soon as we made it through the entrance of the Malo Cave. “We’re at a cave,” she whispered, like it was some kind of secret, like she hadn’t been saying that since we’d arrived.
“Glad to see you using your context clues,” I said. She cut her eyes at me, taking in the high rock walls and the way the light poured in through the opening above and bounced off the water.
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s one of the swimming ones. They usually pack it out, but I booked us a private slot.”
Her head snapped toward me. “You did what?”
“Reserved it,” I corrected. “Just us for the next couple of hours. No tourists, no guides in your face, no ‘say hi to my vlog’ people. Just water, quiet, and that book bag you brought with you.” I shrugged. “Figured you could brag on yo’ vacation boo a little more today.”
“You’re insane,” she said. “In a good way. But still insane.” She went quiet behind me for a minute, water shoes smacking the stone as she followed. Her hand brushed the wall for balance while we walked down the narrow path, deeper into the cave. The air cooled, and the sound of the water got louder and louder with every step until the tunnel opened in front of us.
“Oh my God!” Harlowe gasped at the view because it was even more wild. The water was clear, glowing from the light sneaking in through rocks above. “I feel like I’m in a movie,” she whispered.
“You are,” I said. “You been the main character in my head since day one.”
She laughed and set her bag on a dry ledge. I stripped out of my shirt, feeling her eyes on me.
“Nobody here?” she asked, still looking around like somebody might pop out with a camera.
“Just us,” I said. “You can get butt ass naked if you want to.”
She chewed her lip, then started undoing her cover-up. For a second, I just watched the way she tied her hair up, the way the light bounced off her skin, how comfortable she looked around me.
“This might be my favorite Valentine’s ever,” she said.
“Mine too,” I said without thinking as we eased into the water.
“It’s cold,” she hissed.
“You’ll live,” I said. “Come here.”
I backed us up to a flat ledge where we could stand chest deep, water lapping at our shoulders. She floated a little, legs bumping into mine, fingers drawing lazy circles on my chest.
“This does not feel real,” she said. “This is the perfect setup for me to be on the side of the pool with a drink and my Kindle, doing a reading vlog or something.”
“You can,” I said. “You want me to go grab your books out of that bag so you can relax and read?”
She shook her head. “No,” she said. “I don’t want to read.”
I arched a brow. “What you want to do then, Lowe?”
Instead of answering, she pushed off the ledge and moved toward me, slowly and seductively. The water lapped at her waist, then her stomach as she closed the space between us. Her hands found my shoulders, then my chest.
“Lowe,” I warned, even though my body was already giving her the exact opposite message. “You keep playing like that, and I’ma end up fucking you right here in this water.”
“I wouldn’t complain.” She smiled as she removed her bikini top and those big ass water balloons bounced on top of the water. My throat went dry, and I looked around again, making sure we were alone.
“Say it,” I demanded.
“I . . .” She drew in a shaky breath, eyes locked on mine. “I want you to make love to me in this cave,” she said, her hands already dipping into my trunks and pulling out my dick.Shit. I had just booked this cave for her to read but if she wanted dick instead, who was I to stop her?
“I wantyou to make love to me in this cave.”
I barely got the words out before Hasheem’s fingers were already moving. The water was cool, but his touch was hot against my skin. I hooked my arms tighter around his neck, legs squeezing his waist as he dragged the fabric of my bikini bottoms to the side. This man had really rented out a whole cave in Africa and was about to lose his mind with me in the middle of it. Best friend Hasheem always went out of his way for me, but it was small things you expected from a friend. This version? Boyfriend Hasheem was something serious, and I didn’t know if I was ready for it.
I gasped. “Hasheem.”
“Yeah, Lowe,” he said, sliding his hands under my thighs, angling me just right. I could feel him, hot and insistent under the water, nudging at me.
