‘The rules,’ she said.
‘I think you made those rules up,’ he complained.
‘Are you a sore loser?’ she mocked, flipping to float on her back.
Behind her he saw a large wave gathering pace and starting to roll up.
‘Watch out,’ he said, realising the wave would break right over her but it was too late. The wave hit and washed her from view in a thundering crash of foam. Having anticipated the wave, Felipe ducked under and swam through the water and thenimmediately turned back to check on Rebecca. She emerged, coughing and spluttering.
‘You okay?’ he asked, swimming towards her, grateful that neither of them were out of their depth. There was a wide, shallow stretch at this point on the beach, which made it so popular with holidaymakers.
She spluttered out a mouthful of water and swiped her fringe from where it was plastered to her face, her eyes blinking furiously as her hand caught her throat. She coughed a couple more times and then stood upright. To his surprise a big smile spread over her face and she took in a deep breath which drew his attention to her chest and… oops.
‘Woohoo, that woke me up.’ Her whole face lit up, her eyes sparkling with vivacity and excitement. Felipe couldn’t help grinning back at her. She looked so alive and almost invincible, and also, with one bared breast, like a very sexy mermaid.
‘Er…’ He nodded towards her bikini.
‘That was fun.’
‘Erm…’ He nodded again, surprisingly tempted by the urge to step forward and tuck that pale, perfect breast back into her bikini, wondering what it would be like to touch her. And now he’d had the thought, he forced himself to focus on her face. He gave her a cheeky grin. ‘Should have warned you. The waves can be quite strong. And’—he winked at her—‘your bikini isn’t up to the job.’
She glanced down and rolled her eyes. ‘Whoops,’ she said, rearranging herself without any fuss or embarrassment.
‘There’s another wave coming,’ he warned and pointed behind her, stepping closer to her as if that might offer some protection. Instead, she pushed forward into the water and began swimming towards it. As it crested, she dived right through it and again emerged, throwing her head back and laughing.
Together they dived through the waves, jumping in the swell. For once, Felipe felt carefree and distanced from the burdens of managing the hotel and the pressure of getting things right for his family.
He looked round and realised that Rebecca had disappeared from view. He wasn’t overly worried because she’d demonstrated she was a very strong swimmer. A sudden tug on his ankle caught him by surprise and he went under, resurfacing to find Rebecca grinning delightedly at him.
‘That’s how you want to play it, is it?’
She laughed, turned and swam away. Of course, he went after her in hot pursuit but she was as agile as a seal, swimming just out of reach at every turn, laughing uproariously at him each time he lunged and missed her.
‘Too slow,’ she called with a reckless giggle, having gained a few strokes on him.
‘I’m just giving you a chance. I’m a gentleman.’ And then he belied his words by sending a huge splash of water her way.
With another laugh, she splashed him back.
Realising that he needed to change his strategy and get sneaky, he slowed down, lulling her into a false sense of security. He waited until she was a little ahead, with her back to him. Then he ducked under the water, into the quiet, dappled calm beneath the surface. Like a basking shark, he cruised through the water until he was directly beneath her and then pushed himself up, grabbing her waist and pulling her down. Thrashing about, she surfaced, laughing up at him, with drops of water on her eyelashes glistening like crystals.
‘Got you,’ he crowed. Now he had his hands on her waist, he didn’t want to let go.
Amusement danced in her eyes as he met her smiling gaze.
‘And now what are you going to do with me?’ she asked as they stood face to face, her expression full of mischief, sodifferent from that of the serious young woman who’d been studiously hanging on Inês’s instructions earlier.
He tilted his head and looked back at her as if he were considering his options.
‘That depends,’ he said huskily, aware of her body as the sea swirled around them.
She quirked an eyebrow– a direct challenge, daring him. There was a sudden heaviness in the air, an intense awareness between them. She didn’t move as he lowered his mouth to hers, tasting the salt water on her lips, aware of her soft breath exhaling. When she lifted her head and opened up to his gentle touch, his hands slid around her waist to her back, pulling her a little closer. In response, she looped her arms around his neck, pressing the soft swell of her breasts against his chest, and kissed him back.
They both pulled back and gave each other wry smiles.
‘That was nice,’ he said.
She nodded, looking as if she’d surprised herself. ‘Yes, it was.’ Bemusement tugged at her eyes.
