Page 225

Marita and I fought twin grins while listening to them.

"You have a large flapping mouth, Nora." Anita frowned at her.

"Deal with it." Nora flicked some sand in her direction.

"You two are impossible." Marita grabbed Anita in a rough hug and leaned her backward while kissing up her face. "What are we going to do with you?"

Anita laughed when they tumbled from the log bench and into the sand. "Ri! C'mon."

"And to think, Nora's staying with us all week. Who will I kill first?" Marita grinned and threatened to tickle Anita.

"Definitely Nora." Anita laughed, holding her hands up to defend herself. "Ri!"

Nora snickered and peeked up at me. "A whole week," she said with a pout. "What am I going to do?"

"Masturbate on video chat with me way more than you ever expected." I grinned and leaned down to kiss her. "Night swim with me?"

"Will you hold me up?"

"Of course." I held my hand to her, and she took it. I pulled her up to stand then caught her in a hug.

We made our way to the water's edge and Nora leaned against me when the small waves crashed at our feet. She squeezed my hand super tight, and I kissed her cheek.

"Ready?"

"Yes." She drew in a slow breath and we walked across the rocky sand together.

When the water became knee deep, I scooped her up and she wrapped her legs around my middle. I walked us the rest of the way out and she shivered with the cool temperature now engulfing us.

"Not as warm as I thought," I said, laughing through it. "You okay?"

"Yep." She smiled and stroked my cheeks. "Always okay with you."

"My beautiful, brave Kitten. Remember the first time we came here with those two?" I nodded toward the two hotties making out on the beach in our absence.

"I was so anxious then," she said, reaching beside us to brush her fingertips through the mildly rolling waves. They lifted us up and down a few times. "About water."

"I remember." I nipped her chin and she smiled. "Not now."

"Nope. I've had a great supporter." She laced her fingers behind my neck. "Who also happens to be the love of my life."

"Right back at you, Kitten." I wagged my brows at her and took in the way the twilight of the half-moon illuminated the sensual curves of her cheeks. "You have a few great supports."

"Yeah." She smiled and glanced back toward the beach. "One that forces me to yoga and Pilates. Another that forces me to get reiki massages. A third that feeds me pizza and junk food. Another that paints my nails and does pretty things with me, and then two hippies that drown me in herbal teas and flowers. And then a few decent guys that remind me that the world does contain good men. Plus my little Maya, who is everything. And not so little anymore."

"I couldn't think of a better recipe for healing, if you ask me." I grinned at her and squeezed her rear.

"Our family." She smiled and gave my hanging curls a tug. "Where should we go for date night tomorrow?"

"What are you feeling? Mexican? Hibachi? The Peruvian place in Olympia that you like."

"I'm thinking…" She toyed with the ties of my swim top while pondering her response. "How about we go to the Peruvian place, and then go to Jordan and Ainsley's party? We had fun last time seeing everyone."

"We did. I'm down for all of that." I bounced her a few times, then moved inland a bit when a larger waved rolled in.

"It's become our habit when Maggie and Sali are away. Spending time with Anita and Marita, then the old Wildrose and Mermaid crew," she said, gripping me tighter when she noticed the wave. It rolled with us without disturbing our floating.

"Anita and Marita have been making it to Sali's more often, too."