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Yes.
At first, he tastes salty, like the air blasting against our faces.
But as we relax into the kiss and his arm moves behind my back to draw me closer, I settle into the taste of him. Gabe. Warm and simple, maybe the tiniest bit like spearmint gum.
I imagine him popping a piece in his mouth before he came to meet me, knowing he would kiss me. The thought that he planned ahead makes me smile against his lips, which makes him smile back.
Soon, we’re grinning like idiots against each other, and the kiss isn’t spicy or moving in any hot direction, but fun and full of laughter. Like a vacation. Like joy.
We break apart, and I glance at the honeymoon lady. She’s stopped watching me, peering out over the waves like a good tourist.
“I think your ruse was successful,” I whisper to Gabe.
“Oh, it was no ruse.” And then he leans in again, and this time there is no laughter, but white heat.
I feel this kiss from my lips to my knees, everything in between liquid and hot.
It’s a promise for things to come. Encounters I can only imagine. The cocktailsex on the beachimmediately springs to mind, and I know I will never think of that drink the same way again. I want it. Naked skin. Sand. The ocean washing over our legs like a travel commercial.
I think I can have it. I think Gabe will want it, too.
His hand on my back presses against the mesh cover-up. His fingers slide through the strings to touch my skin.
I scoot in closer to him, reveling in the hardness of his chest.
His fingers spread against my back, pushing me into him. His mouth slants over mine, lips parted, our tongues slipping alongside each other.
A paradise romance. I’min. This will be more than a vacation. It will be an unforgettable memory. I’m short on those. And I’m confident I’ll be able to walk away when it’s time. No one has ever made me feel any differently.
Our kissing might have gone on and on, but the engine suddenly drops in intensity, then cuts off entirely.
“We’re here,” Mendo calls out.
Even though my eyes are closed, I can feel Gabe’s gaze on me.
“For those of you not already engaged in apressingmatter, please move forward and prepare for a demonstration on how to approach these amazing creatures. The water is quite shallow, but do be mindful of your step as you disembark.”
Gabe and I break apart, snickering at each other a moment more before turning to the back end of the boat. I plan to say something snarky to Mendo as a retort to his comment, but then I see the stingrays.
I twist away from Gabe. “Look at them!”
Gabe wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me against his chest. He rests his chin on my head. “I have to admit, they never get old.”
I peer up at him. “Do you come out here often?”
“I haven’t been here since a school field trip.”
I slide forward on the bench seat to get closer to the rear of the boat. Mendo has lowered a ladder.
The semicircle of the bay has no beach. The water laps directly against a crumbling shore that leads into a forest. The water is shallow and blue-green, and the wide, thin-tailed stingrays glide forward and back, waiting for Mendo to feed them.
I squeeze Gabe’s arm where it rests across my belly. “I could never have imagined something like this.”
Mendo splashes down into the ocean. They’re right. The water is only waist deep. Zeke comes forward to help the passengers down the ladder.
We let the others go first, given that they’re the ones who paid for this expedition. When they are all down, Zeke turns to us. “You two good?”
Gabe nods. “We’re good.”
