“Of course you do,” Natasha said with a wry laugh. “I just want to know what I’m getting into. Do we need life jackets?”
He rubbed his chin, pretending to think. “I usually take a flotation device with me when I swim.” She gave him a questioning look, so he let her think on that for just a moment longer before he added, “My surfboard.”
She shook her head slowly, but her eyes sparkled with amusement. As he tried to rise, she shoved him a little so that he toppled over into the sand.
“Okay, hotshot,” she said standing up. “Let’s get in the water.”
Natasha stood up and shimmied back into the top of her wet suit. Damn that was a nice visual, even if the process was going in the wrong direction. Max brushed the sand off his arms and stood up. Natasha fumbled behind her back for the long zipper strap, so he took a step closer and covered her hand with his.
“Let me get that for you,” he said softly.
She stopped midreach, as his fingers brushed over her wrist. Then she lowered her hand.
He had never talked a woman into covering up before—it usually went the other way. But everything about her was different. He tucked in the material under the zipper, running his fingers up her warm skin. The sun was hot, but she shivered under his touch. Slowly, he pulled up the zipper and fastened the Velcro strap behind her neck.
He was so close to her, and the temptation to change his mind, to head back to the cabin right away, was strong. But that would come soon. Instead, he pressed his lips against her neck.
“Ready when you are,” he whispered.
She laughed. “I’m sure you are.”
Natasha started into the water, bending down to dip her mask and rinse it out.
“Make sure you drag your feet when you walk around here,” she said. “The stingrays will move to avoid you as long as they know you’re coming. You don’t want to step on them.”
Max’s heart jumped at the wordstingray. Of course, he knew there were occasional run-ins with these creatures, just like with the sharks, but he wasn’t keen for a direct encounter.
“You mean the same kind of stingray that killed the crocodile bloke with a strike to the chest?” he asked. “What was his name?”
“Steve Irwin. And yes, that kind.”
“Just checking.”
Natasha didn’t look bothered in the least bit, so neither was he. But, just to be safe, he followed her path. Tailing her gave him a nice view of her ass, too. They waded out, the sandy bottom massaging Max’s feet, until they reached the edge of the reef. Natasha strapped on her mask and fitted her lips around the mouthpiece of her snorkel. Then she looked over at him.
“Let’s go.” Her voice was muffled, but she still managed to be sexy as hell. She lowered herself into the water and headed out into the endless ocean.
The water was balmy as he followed her out, warmer than the beaches back in Sydney where he and Simon surfed. And without the wind and waves, the water was a hell of a lot clearer. Which meant that instead of sitting on his board in blissful ignorance, he was about to get a close-up view of whatever was lingering just below him.
He sank into the water and looked around. Holy hell, it was amazing. There were fish everywhere, hundreds or even thousands, all in different shapes and colors that were brighter than what looked natural. Some kinds seemed to stick together in a formation, and others weren’t team players. Like the long, red, snake-like thing with black and white spots that slithered by him. It looked like it could be poisonous, though it was currently minding its own business.
There seemed to be some sort of scrum action going on over to the left, and Natasha turned, swimming straight for it. But as they approached, the free-for-all broke up, leaving a maze of coral that looked like radioactive cauliflower. The bright blue sea stars he could identify, and those purple spiny creatures, well, he’d probably recognize their name if someone said it. But there was so much more. Like a clam thing that opened to reveal layers of deep pink petals that rippled inside. A few dirty jokes that would make Natasha smile came to mind, but they kept going.
She pointed to fish hiding in crevices or inside other marine life, and at one point, she stopped moving altogether to let a school of tiny, iridescent fish swim by. Slowly, she led them in a half-circle, making their way around the shallower spots on the reef until they were back at the edge of it, where the sandy bottom began.
Max stood up and lifted off his mask, and Natasha did the same. Then she turned to him and smiled. And right there, Max’s heart gave a mighty thump. The happiness on her was breathtaking. Water ran down her beautiful cheeks and the mask had left imprints all around her eyes. She looked glorious. Alive.
Why couldn’t life be like this moment more often? He already knew there was no good answer to that. Beautiful moments had a way of coming then disappearing forever, so he swallowed and smiled back at her.
