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“They’re not out to get us, you know.”
“What if I fall in? You might not let me drown, but unless you’re carrying a few shark-sized muzzles in your pocket that I don’t know about, it won’t matter because we could be eaten alive.”
“That’s the second time you’ve mentioned being eaten by sharks. You worry too much. And I know the cure for that.”
“What?”
“You need to live a little. And I can help you there.” He kept smacking the water. “So, I think we’ve established you don’t like sharks. But if memory serves, you are a fan of dolphins and baby sea turtles. Am I right?”
Did I like dolphins and baby turtles? What kind of a question was that? I’m a worrywart, not an ogre. “Yeah, I like them.”
Before I’d even finished speaking, an adorably chubby bottlenose dolphin crested the water only a couple of feet from our boat. “Was that a—”
“Dolphin? Yes, I wanted to prove to you that no dolphins were harmed in the making of your lunch today.”
“I have no idea why you’re a Hawaiian travel guide when clearly you were born to be a comedian. I’m never going to live that mahi-mahi thing down, am I?”
“Nope.”
Being the butt of a joke had never been my favorite thing, but today I didn’t even care. We were dolphin-gazing in a secluded cove, inching closer to shore by the minute.
I couldn’t have been happier.
The rest of the pod turned up a moment later, churning the water around us as they played. This was what a Hawaiian vacation was all about. I probably should have been taking notes or something.
“They are so adorable.” A strange sensation welled up in my chest. I’m not sure, but I think it was bravery, because all I could think about was reaching out and touching one of those smiley animals.
I stretched my arm over the water and slapped the surface like a seasoned pro. Kai had called them over like that, so why couldn’t I coax them a little closer with a few friendly smacks?
“Careful,” Kai warned, “they can get rambunctious.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Kai, oozing the bravery that had overtaken me. “They’re only playing.”
I’d watched countless hours of dolphin documentaries over the years. Plus, I had a semester of marine biology under my belt to back up my appraisal of the situation.
I was practically a dolphin behaviorist.
We weren’t in any danger here. I was sure Kai was just trying to get me all worked up for nothing. And I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of hazing the noob!
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Bang!
One of the dolphins smacked back—right into our ancient outrigger, knocking it off the arms. Kai cleared his throat. “See what I mean?”
I shrugged it off. “That dolphin was exuberant, not rambunctious. If this thing wasn’t a hundred and fifty years old, nothing would have happened.”
“If you say so. Brace the boat for me, will ya?”
“What—” The words died on my lips when I looked over my shoulder at Kai. He was standing in the back of the boat.
With. His. Shirt. Off.
My jaw flapped in the wind, but no words came out. That was lucky for me though, because the only words in my head at that moment had to do with the male physique.
Biceps. Pecs. Abs—washboard abs to be more specific.
“The boat?” he said. “Are you ready to brace the boat?”
