“You don’t have to. I’m sure I’ll figure my way around.” I let go of his hand and walk farther into the house.
This space has a different feel than his condo in Seattle—homier and more relaxed, though I’m sure everything in this space is just as expensive.
Bastion walks past me toward the back of the house. “The fridge should be stocked.” I hear him open the fridge. “Yup, we’re good.”
I follow the sound of his voice.
He turns when he hears me enter the kitchen. “Do you want to go out on the boat?”
“There’s a boat?”
He motions to the large windows that line the breakfast area. Sure enough, at the end of the rolling lawn is a dock with a fast-looking boat. I can’t help but notice the jet ski. I’ve never been on a jet ski, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to try.
I whip around to face Bast. “Can we go out on the jet ski instead?”
He chuckles at my excitement. “Jet ski it is. Do you have a swimsuit?”
My shoulders sag. I don’t. I left mine in Wisconsin when I moved west, not thinking I would need one in Seattle. “I don’t, but maybe I can just go in my shorts and a T-shirt?”
Bast slides his phone from his pocket. “No worries. I’ll tell the staff to bring one with them when they bring our bags.”
A half an hour later, I step out onto the back patio wearing a yellow bikini with little blue flowers. It’s one of those triangle-styled ones I’ve always thought showed way too much. I do love the small ruffle along the bottom portion, though. I think it looks cute on me, but it has way less fabric than the one-piece or tankinis I usually wear. I feel practically naked, which shouldn’t matter given that Bast has seen me actually naked, but what about anyone else? I take a deep breath and push open the door.
Bast turns and whistles. “Fuck, babe, let’s ditch the jet ski idea.” His eyes soak me in, and I love watching the change in his eyes as he enjoys my body. “You look hot.”
I preen under his attention while admiring him as well. He’s wearing a pair of navy board shorts, and his tan skin glistens under the sun’s rays.
“You look pretty good yourself.”
He chuckles. “Do you want some sunscreen?” He motions to the bottle on the table beside him.
“Yes, that’d be great.” I hold out my hand for him to pass it to me.
“You think I’m not going to take this opportunity to rub it all over your body?” He shakes his head playfully, and I laugh.
“All right. Do your worst.” I turn my back to him and hear him squirt some of the lotion out of the bottle, then set it back down on the table.
His large palm comes down on the center of my back. I close my eyes when he reaches my shoulders and neck, squeezing. When he’s done the rest of my back, he gets down on his haunches and slides his hands along the backs of my legs.
His fingers are so close to the center of my thighs, and my breath hitches when he drags his hands all the way up. But he doesn’t give me the relief I need, chuckling as though he knows exactly what I’m thinking before he stands and turns me around by the shoulders. I face him, and when his gaze drags down my body, my nipples pebble in my bathing suit, something he doesn’t fail to notice.
He squirts more lotion onto his hands and begins with my stomach, spreading it around and coming mere millimeters from the bottom of my breasts. I suck in a breath and arch toward him.
Bast chuckles low in his throat, and I smack his arm. “You know exactly what you’re doing.”
His eyes twinkle and his lips curve into a smile, but he doesn’t say anything, continuing until my skin is glistening and smells like coconuts.
We head down to the dock, and Bast grabs two life jackets out of the small outbuilding. I slide mine on, and when we’re standing beside the jet ski, he looks at me. “You want to drive?”
My eyes widen. “Absolutely not.” I chuckle. “I’ll just hold on.”
He shrugs. “All right, well, let me know if you change your mind.”
Ten minutes later, I’m screaming and holding on for dear life as we whip over the waves. I feel as though I might be gripping Bast too hard, but he doesn’t say anything or ask me to loosen my hold.
The sun heats my skin, but the spray from the water cools it down immediately. I feel a world away from the events of yesterday. Beyond my raspy throat and the cough I still have, you wouldn’t know, looking at us right now, how traumatic yesterday was.
I’ve been trying to push it from my mind, but I keep getting flashes of the flames, the smoke, the feeling that it would soon all be over, and no one was coming to help me. But Bast did come, risked his life to get me out, and that’s something I can never repay.
