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Tonight was about her.
Not me.
I’d survived thanks to her.
It was my turn to repay her kindness.
“I’m fine.” I gave her a tight smile. “It’s colder than the pool.”
“Not by much.”
“It’s deeper too.”
“It’s about three metres right here, but it will be shallow enough to touch the bottom soon.” She swam around me effortlessly. “Ready?”
Clenching my jaw, I nodded. “Lead the way.”
Kicking off, she kept her head above the water, performing a swift and powerful breaststroke. I swam after her, not nearly as graceful but able to keep up well enough.
The lighthouse on Low Isles shimmered on the other side of the island, providing the faintest glow. The beach welcomed us the closer we swam, and by the time Neri dropped her legs and hovered vertically, my heart had stopped trying to hyperventilate at the memory of that night.
Of the storm.
The cracking of wood.
The screams of dying.
I flinched as my toes touched sand and broken pieces of coral below. Dangerous creatures dwelled on the bottom. Things with barbs and poisonous spines. Yanking my legs back up, I swam a little closer to shore, following Neri.
A little farther and Neri suddenly stood.
Water sluiced down her back, lapping at her waist as she turned to face me and ran her hands over her hair, squeezing out raining saltwater. “You can drop your feet, Aslan. The bottom is mostly sand here.”
“What about stonefish?”
“They prefer rocks and reefs. We should be fine.”
“Should? But not guaranteed?”
Her eyes turned sad. “Is anything guaranteed?”
Her pain echoed all around us. I couldn’t reply. I had no words that could take away what she was going through. Taking a deep breath, I let my legs sink and pushed up. Gravity grabbed a hold of me again, making me feel heavy and cumbersome after floating in the sea.
I wanted to get out.
I looked at the shore only a couple of metres away and longed to keep going.
But I didn’t move as Neri stepped into me and kissed me softly.
I bent my head so she could reach me easier. I let her control how deep and hard she wanted. I followed her lead but didn’t attempt to take control. I willed her to feel safe with me, protected by me. I was a perfect gentleman, even though my cock hadn’t deflated and the discomfort of swimming with a hard-on had been an interesting experience.
Would a fish nibble it?
What the hell would I do if something aquatic decided it looked like a tasty snack?
An image of a nasty fish attaching itself to my cock made a horrified shiver and an amused snort work through me.
I snickered under my breath as Neri broke the kiss and quirked an eyebrow. “What on earth are you laughing about? Did I kiss you wrong?”
My humour faded instantly. “No. God, no. Every kiss you give me drives me out of my mind.” I chuckled quietly again. “I-It wasn’t you. I just...” I pinched the bridge of my nose, my hand dripping seawater. “I just had an image of a fish deep-throating me by accident.”
Her eyes popped wide.
For a moment, I didn’t know if she’d have me committed to an insane asylum or find the humour that I had. But then her lips tipped up and a healing peel of laughter tumbled from her.
Laughter that made my heart stop because I’d honestly feared I’d never hear it again.
“I know I shouldn’t laugh but...your aversion to the sea and all its wonderful creatures always surprises me...even after five years. We’re so similar in so many ways, but when it comes to the ocean, we couldn’t be any more different.”
I didn’t remind her why that was. I wasn’t offended or annoyed. It was the truth and really, if I’d jumped into the sea the day Jack had removed my cast, I could’ve gotten over my hate toward the ocean and enjoyed it instead of cursed it. I might even have found a resemblance of acceptance and peace.
But I was a stubborn bastard, and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Wasn’t ready to accept that Melike was dead. That they’d died because of me.
She tapped her chin, doing her best to stay light-hearted when such heavy tragedy swirled around us. Death and violence, abuse and loss. At least the darkness swallowed those sinister shadows, giving us space to pretend they weren’t there.
“What would you do if a fever of stingrays surrounded us? Would you panic?”
“Fuck yes, I’d panic,” I said. “I’d leapfrog over them and get the hell out of here.”
I scowled as her laughter turned into giggles. “They’re not aggressive. They’re like giant sea kites. Like paper planes floating in the ocean.”
“Sea kites that harpooned Steve Irwin.”
Her laughter faded. “Good point. I suppose everything is dangerous if not given the right respect.”
I nodded.
“Just like you,” she murmured. “To me, you are the kindest, sweetest person I know. You prefer math over mayhem. You love to read and study. I’ve never even seen you kill a mosquito...and yet, when you launched yourself at Ethan?” She shook her head with a wince. “You were wild, Aslan. I’ve never seen you that way. That...fierce. That—”
