They both turned for a good look. The only hint of Max’s more playful side right now was the dark blond hair that curled at the base of his neck. He stood, legs spread, in the middle of the dock waiting for them, his arms crossed. His mouth betrayed no hints of a smile, and his eyes were hidden behind dark glasses.
Nope, nothing pink and fluffy about him at all. Alya turned back and gave her a mischievous smile.
“Not exactly,” said Natasha. “I was thinking light and delicious but bad for my health. There’s a reason they only sell cotton candy at festivals. It’s not for everyday consumption.”
Alya tilted her head a little. Natasha couldn’t read her sister’s expression behind those sunglasses, but she was pretty sure Alya was weighing just how far to push this discussion.
“I thought that while you’re on holiday this week, you were easing up on all that pressure you put on yourself.”
“I am,” said Natasha. “And it’s not pressure. It’s sanity planning.”
“But maybe it’s festival time.” Her sister’s words were laced with amusement. She gestured out at the sparkling green ocean. “Just saying. A couple days of fun and escape, right?”
Natasha chuckled. “Mmm...maybe.”
She wasn’t ready to share her sexploration plans with Alya yet. Her sister made hooking up with Max sound so easy, so uncomplicated, but she couldn’t for one moment forget the limits. The man was serious eye candy, and now Natasha was joining the ranks of women who would get a taste. One of many. She’d be offended for him if he gave any indication that he minded. Which was what made this time-limited plan work: clear boundaries.
Her sister took one last look at the brochure she was holding and stuffed it back into her handbag.
“The whole crew from the magazine is scheduled for a planning meeting this morning,” said Alya. “Before too many boats come with the day tourists from Cairns, you’ll have the reef to yourself to explore. You can try out your new bikini.”
Natasha laughed. “I can’t believe you bought that thing for me.”
“What do you mean? You look fantastic in it.” Her sister lowered her sunglasses and gave her a playful glare. “If I had those boobs, I wouldn’t hide them.”
Natasha rolled her eyes. “One loose string and there’s no hiding anything. One of many reasons I’ll be wearing a dive suit over it.”
The captain called them over to the ladder and helped them out of the boat. Natasha grabbed the handle of her suitcase and pulled it over the uneven boards of the long dock that stretched out in front of her. The morning sun blazed down on her head, and she searched in her bag for something to cover up with.
“Looking for one of these?” her sister asked, pulling an extra sunhat out of her handbag and passing it to Natasha. “I’m so glad you came. We don’t travel together as often anymore.”
Natasha plopped the hat on her head. “Why didn’t you invite Stewart? You could’ve taken the chance to get away as a couple.”
Alya frowned. “I’m just not into him the way I should be. I’m starting to think I’m using him as a crutch, for comfort. Which is pretty harsh. For a little while, I actually considered taking this trip alone. No security.” Natasha’s steps slowed. Though she wanted her sister to feel unafraid, to go around without a bodyguard, that meant Max would disappear out of their lives. Out of her life. Natasha’s gut gave an uncomfortable twist, and she frowned. She was getting way too many steps ahead.
Come on, brain. You’re capable of a holiday, right?
The bright yellow ring around Natasha’s snorkel peeked up above the calm waters, and her body skimmed the shimmering surface. Max watched her from the shade, leaning back, the sand warm under his fingers. The sun was high, and the last ferries were shuttling day tourists back to Cairns. The long jetty was mostly empty. Every other guest was on the other side of the island for the photoshoot. Only Natasha was in the water.
How long had he been sitting here, drifting in this sexual purgatory, watching her? Hard to tell, but after a long day, he couldn’t think of a better way to unwind. Max had joined Alya for the two-hour planning meeting at the private resort they were staying at, which the magazine had fully booked. Now Alya had a couple hours of...well, the photographer had called it “walking through the concept with the stylist,” whatever that meant. If he and Natasha were going to get down to business, now was the time. But an unfamiliar calm was spreading through him, and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Yes, the usual hot-naked-woman-in-his-near-future hum was going on, but for now, he was content to just sit back and watch. For now, that was enough. Strange.
Natasha dove under the rope of buoys that marked off the no-boat zone, then popped back up with a little spray of water from her snorkel. She was swimming straight for him, past the edge of the reef, to where the bottom turned white. Max brushed the sand from his hands and stood up. He wandered down the beach, the sun sparkling over the gentle waves. And from the middle of all this glimmer, Natasha emerged out of the water.
She stood up and lifted her mask. And, fuck, she looked good. The wet suit she wore hugged the curves of her hips, narrowing at the waist and filling out again over her breasts. She looked like a superheroine fantasy, the X-rated version—why the hell didn’t someone make those kinds of movies? Max smiled. Natasha would definitely star in his own version of one of them.
She was twisting the water out of her long hair when she first caught sight of him. Her movements slowed, and her face lit up in an unguarded smile, like he was the most fascinating thing on the whole Great Barrier Reef. More enticing than fish. And it felt good.
“Hey, Max,” she called. She glanced up and down the beach then toward the mainland. “How long have I been out?”
“Awhile. The magazine crew is on the other side of the island.”
“I see.” She was closer now, and her movements slowed as she met his gaze. Was she making the same calculations he’d made the minute he left Alya? He glanced down at his watch. Still plenty of time for fun.
Natasha bent down and pulled off her flippers, then she reached behind her back to unzip her wet suit. She peeled it down, revealing her shoulders, her arms...her tits. Fuck, yes, she was beautiful. The bikini was one of those barely there things that gave a perfect view of the plump roundness of her breasts on both sides. She pulled the wet suit down to her hips and let it hang there as she started for the shore. Water ran down her body, over her bare stomach, down her arms. Her pale skin glistened in the late-afternoon sun.
Max’s dick twitched. Oh, yeah, he was finally, finally going to get a chance with this woman. Though staring at her chest wasn’t really his A game for seduction. Max shoved his hands in his pockets and forced his gaze upward.
“See any fish sex while you were out?” he asked.
