With that, Iris was tucked in the back of the car and driven out of the city. Her curiosity grew as they drove down the shore until they reached the bay marina.
“Are you sure this is right?” she asked, leaning between the front seats.
“Yes, ma’am,” the driver said. “I’m supposed to tell you to walk down to the end.”
“It wasFinn Westrockwho hired you, correct?”
“Yes, our future mayor, Mr. Westrock himself.”
Huh.
Okay, well, it made no sense. But she could practically hear the ocean calling to her.
“Thanks,” she said.
Stepping out onto the dock, Iris paused, lifting her head to the sky, feeling the sun beat down on her as she sucked in a greedy breath, smelling the salt water and brine.
She could feel the ocean humming in her veins, just begging her to dip in a toe, to shuck off her cover and dive in.
She resisted the urge to jump in and continued down the dock toward the end, where Finn was standing in a pair of white swim trunks and a blue-and-white-striped top, left open in the front.
The wind kicked up, making his hair flutter and his shirt whip backward, exposing his chest and stomach.
Iris’s footstep stuttered as her belly flipped, her desire seemingly always simmering just below the surface.
“You look beautiful,” Finn said as she approached.
As soon as she was within reach, his arm slid around her, pulling her flush to his chest, and then he ducked his head to claim her mouth with a long, deep kiss.
“What are we doing here?” Iris asked. Need was humming through her, but there was no way for them to give in to those desires right there.
“We are taking a boat out on the water.” Finn gestured toward the side where a new-looking cruiser sat, just waiting for someone to board.
“A boat?Youwant to go out on a boat?” Didsheeven want to go on a boat? Sure, she’d seen thousands of them cutting through the surface of her home before. She’d never considered if she would want to be the passenger on one.
“I want to takeyouout on a boat,” he said. He moved away to step onto the boat, then held out a hand for her.
She tamped down her concerns about his safety. She could certainly save him if he fell overboard. Then she placed her hand in his and let him help her aboard.
He led her from the swim platform and into the galley, which featured a table and wrap-around cushioned seats. They moved through to the cockpit.
“Why don’t you catch some sun?” Finn suggested. He gestured out to the bow sun pad. “I’ll untie the deck lines so we can head out.”
Confused yet curious, she did as instructed, moving out onto the bow to lower onto the cushioned sun pad.
She turned to watch as Finn made quick, effortless work of undoing the deck lines, then moved into the cockpit and took off from the dock.
It struck her that there were clearly many things she still didn’t know about her fiancé. She was going to enjoy figuring it all out.
The ride was smooth, and she got comfortable on the pad. Acutely aware that Finn had to look past her to see where they were going, she sat up to slowly remove hercover-up, then lowered back down, bare—save for the stickers and the barely there material of her panties.
Even over the roar of the engine, she could have sworn she heard Finn groan.
The marina and the beach became specks in the distance when Finn cut the engine and dropped the anchor with a small splash.
The waves gently rocked the boat as Finn moved out from the cockpit to stand in front of her. He lowered down to his knees at her feet, making anticipation sizzle across her nerve endings.
His hands slid up her calves, then thighs, before snagging the waistband of her panties and drawing them slowly down her legs.
