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She pressed her lips together and looked away from me.

“I’m not gonna apologize because I didn’t say anything wrong,” I said. “But if you don’t like my tone, then maybe work on how you talk to me first.”

She picked up her mimosa and took a slow slip, eyeing me over the rim. I stared right back at her because I wasn’t about to fill the silence just to make her feel better.

“You’re right,” she said as she set her glass down.

“I know.”

She made a face and looked out toward the water through the restaurant’s open wall and then back at me. “Since you won’t let me rot by the pool, what did you have in mind for today?”

“What about a boat ride? We can do a little snorkeling?”

“How you know I can swim?”

I gave her a look. “They have life jackets.”

She pursed her lips. “This install cost $400.”

I pulled out my phone and sent her a thousand dollars. “Anything else, Princess?”

“You just got an answer for everything, huh?” she snickered. “Fine, Mr. Montague. We can go snorkeling.”

We went back to the villa to grab our things before heading out to the marina where a small yacht was waiting. I’d called ahead to make sure they were ready for us.

“A yacht for a boat ride?” Belle said as the staff helped her onboard.

“You said I needed to top our first date.”

The yacht was forty-one meters and came with three staff, including the captain. I’d bought it after I acquired the resort for guests to rent out, but right now it was ours for the afternoon.

Belle wore a white bikini with a sarong tied around her waist with her sun hat and oversized shades. She walked slowly around the deck while the staff got us situated.

I left to go talk to the captain about where we were headed. About twenty minutes out there was a reef that was good for snorkeling. He confirmed that the gear was already stowed, and we pulled out of the marina a few minutes later. Belle settled into one of the cushioned deck chairs with a bottle of water. I sat beside her as we watched Nassau get smaller behind us.

“You ever slow down?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean—” She gestured around the boat and back at the island. “It just seems like you’re always ten steps ahead of everything.”

“This is as close to slowing down as I’ll get,” I chuckled.

The reef was everything the captain said it would be. The water was so crystal clear that you could look down and see the coral reef and schools of fish swimming around it.

Belle peered down from the edge of the boat with the snorkeling mask the staff had given her. She’d thrown her hair up into a messy bun.

“I’m going in,” I said, tugging my shirt off. I jumped in without waiting for a response. The water was perfect. I popped back up to the surface and looked over at Belle as I waded. She was still eyeing it apprehensively.

“Get a life jacket,” I suggested.

“I can swim.”

“Well bring your sexy ass on then. The water feels great.”

She huffed and untied her sarong, then sat on the edge to put on her fins. She slid in and came up sputtering.

“I’m good,” she said immediately, latching onto my arm and wiping her face.