“And I’m not giving anything up.” Her hand slid to the back of his neck. “I can have both. You wouldn’t keep me from the sea.”
“No. I want to buy us a house on the beach, so we can head over anytime we want to escape.”
“Your backstroke could use some work,” she agreed, leaning in to press her forehead to his.
Then she tilted her head, sealing her lips to his.
The kiss was long and deep.
Like she was staking her claim.
And, gods, he was happy to be hers.
28
Iris
Neither seemed in a hurry to get back to land. Or move at all. They just stayed curled together, enjoying the last few moments of solitude, far away from the demands back on land.
“This was the best day,” Iris murmured into Finn’s neck.
“It really was,” he agreed. His lips pressed gently to her hair.
“How much longer do we have?”
“Two hours before we really need to get back to shore.”
She never questioned why he had such an exact time. She was just glad that there was no rush to leave.
They spent some time tangled together, a few moments finishing what was left of the charcuterie board. Then Finn sat and watched her swim for a few more precious moments.
She soaked up every moment of it, knowing it would likely be a while until she could visit again, with the deadlines of the election and the wedding looming large.
When she finally made it back on board, Finn pulled the anchor and started to drive.
Iris let herself dry completely right there on the sun pad.
“Iris,” he called, making her turn to look over her shoulder at him. “You’re going to want to cover up soon,” he said, holding out her panties and cover-up toward her.
She reached for them but looked off toward the shore—still quite far away.
But she slipped back into her clothes before joining Finn in the cockpit.
He moved her between him and the wheel, wrapping his arms around her while she pretended to steer.
It was lovely.
Perfect.
Iris stood, transfixed, as Finn backed the stern into the marina, but both of them let out a little chuckle when he bumped the dock.
“Okay, now you take over with the wheel.”
“Me?” she squeaked.
“You just need to hold it steady so I can tie us down.”
That was a simple enough task. And she got to watch Finn loop the line around the dock cleat with practiced ease. Then he glanced back at her at the helm and shot her a grin.
