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He eats half the mince pie in one go and looks down at me. “Fancy a swim?”
“Sure. I should put some lotion on first or I’ll burn to a crisp.” I reach into my bag and extract the bottle, then stand and follow him to one side of the deck in the shade. He goes over to pick up two beach towels, and I peel my beach dress up and toss it over the back of a nearby chair.
He turns back, and his eyes nearly fall out of his head. “Whoa.”
“What?” I ask innocently. “It’s just a bikini.”
“You’ve got to warn me when you’re going to do that.”
Smirking, I squirt some lotion on my hands and rub it over my arms, chest, and face.
“Give it here,” he says, and he pours some onto his hands, rubs them together, then moves behind me. Placing his hands either side of my neck, he draws the lotion over my shoulders, then down my back, slowly smoothing it in.
I glance over at the table. They’re all watching us and grinning.
“I think you’ve rubbed it in enough,” I say.
“Mm, I missed a bit.” He chuckles, brushes his hands down my arms, then slides his hands around my waist. I lean back against his warm chest and look over my shoulder at him, and he lowers his head and kisses me.
Then he lets me go, takes my hand, and says, “Come on! The sea’s waiting,” and we run down the sand to the water, Gus bounding at our heels.
It’s warm in the shallows, cooler further out. Mack runs and dives in headfirst, Gus right next to him. I follow a bit more sedately before I lower myself down and push out. It’s glorious, a mix of sensations, with the sun hot on my face, and the cold water swirling over my skin.
Mack surfaces right next to me, showering me with droplets, then pulls me into his arms and kisses me, his mouth slanting across mine, sending my heart racing.
“Everyone’s watching,” I scold, lifting my arms around his neck.
“Don’t give a fuck.” He kisses me again. “I missed you.”
“Mm. I missed you too.” I let him spin me around in the water, happier than I have been in a long time.
“Stop that you two.” Jamie dives into the water nearby, splashing us and Gus, and Emma laughs as she swims up.
“Shoulders wars,” she yells, pulling two pool noodles with her.
“Oh no.” I squeal as Mack dives under the water, swims beneath me, then lifts up so I’m on his shoulders.
Emma tosses me a noodle, then shrieks as Jamie lifts her, too. “No bashing, only poking,” she advises.
“Sounds like my kind of game,” Mack says, and I giggle.
We proceed to battle, with much yelling and numerous overbalancings and falling into the sea. Gus swims to the shore and leaps around barking at us. By the time we stop, I’m exhausted and completely soaked.
Mack takes my hand and pulls me to shore, then picks up one of the beach towels he left there and wraps me in it. “Come here,” he says, and he pulls me into his arms and rubs my back. His wet hair has turned spiky, and his light-brown skin glistens with water droplets. He’s the very epitome of health and beauty. Such a contrast to my father, who’s so tired and weak and pale.
I lean against him, and he tightens his arms. “You okay?”
“A bit tired.”
He kisses the top of my head. “You need something to eat and drink.”
“Mm.” I turn my head and kiss his chest. “I am quite hungry.”
“Come on.” With his arm still around me, he leads me up to the house.
I quickly change into another beach dress, this one a pretty light blue, and attempt to tame my hair with a butterfly clip. Then I rejoin the others, letting Mack guide me to a seat and pour me a glass of wine.
Apparently some of his cousins have been out on the boat, fishing, and it arrives back laden with snapper, mussels, crabs, and even a huge kingfish that they set to cleaning down on the rocks.
