“I have more shirts you can sleep in, and if you want to force yourself into pants, be my guest.”
He pads to the door on bare feet, grabbing his belt with his sword as he passes the chair.
My pants stick as I try to yank them on, and I curse him under my breath. It takes a few minutes of tugging before I get them up, and once I do, I immediately regret it. The heat is amplified. They pull with every step, and all I can think about is getting them off again.
I grab my dagger and follow Weston, our bare footsteps silent on the wooden floor. The night is still, and the ship is quiet. The only sound is the rustle of sails and the creak of the boards, indicating no one else is awake. Rumbling fills the air as the gangway extends from the edge of the ship, and we bound down it quickly.
The jagged rock on my bare feet slows me down. The softness of my soles is not acclimated to the points that poke into my skin and throw off my balance. Weston extends his arm to me as I wobble, and I reluctantly grab hold of it.
He keeps me steady as I slowly amble along, gaze trained on the rock in front of me to dodge holes. As soon as my toes hit the sand, I release him and step away. I don’t need to touch him any more than necessary, and I deem preventing myself from falling into the sharp rock of the cove necessary.
“Where do we go now?” I ask, looking around at the empty beach and scanning the cliff above. After seeing the way Storm patrolled yesterday and knowing he isn’t afraid of being out atnight with Dane, I’m a little wary of being beyond the safety of the ship, even though I still don’t believe he would hurt me.
“This way,” he says. “We should walk in the surf so our footprints get washed away. Are you alright with that?”
I nod and swallow the lump in my throat. I have never willingly been this close to water, but I know I am about to get a lot closer. Learning to swim has been in the back of my mind for a while now, and I feel relieved finally being able to get it over with. I’m ready. And because it was Weston’s idea, I don’t have to deal with the consequences of asking and having him think it is so I could safely escape.
Foam covers the sand as we step into the surf, the water lapping at our ankles while Weston positions himself between me and the waves rolling in. The moon is bright tonight, and reflects off the surface of the glowing water, making it easy to see where we are going. We follow the curve of the beach, the water on my feet already cooling me down, but making these dreaded pants stick to my legs even more than before.
Large boulders form the other side of the cove, and I follow behind Weston as he climbs over and weaves through spaces between them. The cove behind us is completely out of view as we follow the shoreline, until another cove, much smaller than where the ship is anchored, appears before us. The water inside it is calm, only rising and falling with the swell of distant waves that crash into large rocks that guard the space. It’s the perfect wading pool, and I assume where he’s going to teach me to swim, outside the reach of the waves.
It’s also tucked away enough that if someone were to be out walking tonight, they wouldn’t be able to see us.
Weston sets his belt down on top of the boulder before reaching over his head and pulling off his shirt. He drops it next to his sword before sliding down the side of the boulder and landing in the water below.
My breath catches as he disappears beneath the surface, and I scan the water, waiting for him to emerge. I shouldn’t be afraid for him. He isn’t scared of the water like I am, but I can’t stop it from happening.
He breaks through the surface a moment later, his hands pushing his hair back out of his face as rivulets of water cascade down his chest and abdomen.
“I thought you said this didn’t involve taking my clothes off,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest and suddenly feeling very vulnerable.
“I lied.”
I make a sound of shock, which makes him smile. “Finally admitting you lie? What else are you going to admit to?”
He smiles and his face glows in the moonlight. He must be feeling better after being in the water, because it seems like the grumpy, overheated captain is nowhere in sight.
“I’m kidding, princess. You don’t have to take anything off. It might make it more difficult, but it’s your choice.”
I set my dagger next to his things and crouch down, scooting my body toward the edge of the rock. The water sits at Weston’s waist, but that will be significantly higher on me. My stomach rolls as I scan the water, trying to find the courage to jump in like he did.
“You’ll be able to stand just fine.”
I nod quickly, and suck in a breath, keeping my gaze on the water below. Extending both legs out over the side of the boulder, I slide down slowly until I fall, feet first, into the water. Somehow I remain standing, but push up on my toes so my chest stays as far out of the water as possible. I suck in a breath, overwhelmed by the sudden change in temperature, doing exactly what Weston expected, cooling me down and making me more comfortable in this heat
But just as I expected, panic rises in my chest as my breaths shorten.
“You’re alright, just get used to it. You can walk around.” He hovers barely an arm’s length from me, I assume for reassurance and hopefully not because I’m going to drown.
Holding my arms up above the water, I take a step away from the boulder. The water holds me upright, the slow swell from the waves making me sway back and forth as I try to move. My clothes drag around me, heavy with the weight of the water, and I now understand why Weston took his off. They feel like they’re tugging at me as I trudge through the pool, my stance loosening up slightly the more I move.
“What do we do now?” I ask. Addy always told me that my voice gets high pitched and squeaky when I’m scared, specifically when I found a spider or insect she always took care of in my rooms. I hope the squeak isn’t present now.
“Nothing for a few minutes. You need to feel a little more comfortable in the water first.” He sinks into the water and disappears, before resurfacing again a second later, and running his hand over his face and wiping the water away. Dropping lower again, his body disappears until I can only see his face watching me.
“It won’t hurt you, princess. You can put your head under. Just hold your breath.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “If I die, it’s your fault.”
