“It’s so pretty out here.”
Everett looks down at me.
“Yeah, the view is pretty incredible,” he says, his eyes still locked on me.
“Aren’t you meant to be looking where you’re going?”
“Hmm,” he mumbles, his gaze dropping to my lips again just like it did in the car.
My heart skips a beat at the thought of him leaning down to kiss me.
I swallow thickly before absently dragging my tongue along my bottom lip.
I can’t be one hundred percent certain because of the roar of the engine, but I’m sure I hear a growl rumble in Everett’s throat as he watches the movement.
The thought of him wanting me has heat pooling between my thighs.
No, Beatrice.
You might be considering being his fake girlfriend, but that is as far as this is going to go.
It’s already complicated enough. Adding sex into the mix is only going to make it worse.
A familiar whistle hits my ears, forcing me to look away from Everett’s heated eyes, and man, I’m so glad I do, because I find two dolphins jumping through the waves we’re creating.
“Oh my god, Everett, look,” I cry, tugging my hand from his so I can go to the edge for a better view.
I watch them, enthralled by their elegance as they play together.
“So beautiful,” I muse, not realizing the sound of the engine has quieted and Everett has joined me.
“Yeah, I agree,” he says.
He tucks his body right against mine, almost caging me in as I twist around to watch the show.
My body heats as his chest presses against my back.
“Have you seen them up close before?” he asks.
I swallow thickly, desperately wanting to lie and let him believe this is a first for me. But I can’t.
“Yeah. I’ve been swimming with them too. Incredible creatures.”
“Damn, I was hoping to steal a first from you,” he muses in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
“I wish you had,” I confess, more than happy to let go of a lot of my memories. They’re from a previous life, one I don’t overly enjoy thinking about.
I’m a different person now. Live an entirely different life. But as much as I might want to eradicate my past, my family, and their wishes for me, I know that I’d lose a big part of who I am in the process. I learned a lot from them, just not the lessons they wanted me to.
“I’m sure we can find another.”
We sit there for the longest time, watching the dolphins play until they get bored and swim away. Silence falls between us as the sun continues to set.
Everett moves away, and I twist back into the seat, but before I can get settled, he reaches out and pulls me into him.
The heat of his body burns down my side as he holds me, his breath against my scalp as he presses his lips to the top of my head.
Contentment and a sense of safety wash through me, and in only a few seconds, I relax against him, my eyes on the sunset in the distance.
