Page 57 of Between Hello and Goodbye

I quickly finished zipping myself into the wetsuit that—damn that man again—fit me like a glove. I turned to Asher, and a smartass remark died on my lips to see him taking in my neoprene-clad figure with the same hooded gaze as when I was in the bikini.

Our gazes clashed and we quickly looked away like a pair of nervous teenagers.

This outing is rapidly turning into a disaster of repressed lust.

Throwing myself overboard and swimming back to shore felt like an easier option than spending one more second in this man’s presence and not doing anything about it.

The other snorkelers jumped in and spread out. Asher jumped in ahead of me with our snorkeling gear (from the Airbnb and my one contribution, thank you very much) and held the surfboard steady as I scooted on my stomach on top of it. I concentrated on not toppling over and then nearly did anyway to see my firefighter soaking wet with rivulets running down his square jaw and hanging off his chin. Fortunately, it’s difficult to look sexy while wearing a snorkeling mask. We put ours on, and he swam us to the wreckage, both of us with our faces in the water.

For a while, I forgot about my sexual frustration and became immersed in the underwater world in front of me. The water wasn’t deep, and the wreckage had been overtaken by forests of chunky coral and swaying plants. Small schools of bright yellow fish, streaked with blue and silver, darted among clusters of rainbow-colored coral. Eels slithered among rocky outcroppings, and sea horses flitted among delicate pink anemones.

These were creatures I’d only seen in the tropical fish section of pet stores, and they were right in front of me, reminding me that this was their world, andIwas the visitor. I understood why Asher was protective of these habitats that were being threatened—life was precious down here. Delicate. I had an inkling, too, of what he meant when he said he was grateful for the ocean. I felt an inexplicable sense of gratitude for all that swam and swayed around me.

After a time, I took off the mask and sent Asher to swim freely with the others while I watched, lying with my head pillowed on folded arms and letting the current rock me. My firefighter would dive for long minutes, then surface, jetting water from his snorkel tube like a whale, always keeping tabs on me so I wouldn’t drift too far away.

I smiled, unable to remember when I’d felt this calm. Utterly content.

After a time, Asher returned to me and removed his mask. “You good?” he asked, holding on to the nose of the surfboard.

“Perfect.”

His face was inches from where I rested my chin on my folded hands. I allowed myself a few greedy moments to take him in and then a thought made me laugh.

“Oh my God, do you see this? We’re a reenactment of the scene at the end ofTitanic. Except—unlike Rose—I’d gladly share my door with you and not let you freeze to death like poor Jack did.”

Asher rolled his eyes. “Here we go again.”

“Again? Have we previously discussed theTitanicdoor raft without my knowledge?”

“Kal loves shipwrecks and it’s Nalani’s favorite movie. Consequently, I’ve seen the damn thing a hundred times and get an earful from her every time about how Jack could’ve been saved.”

“And you disagree?”

“Yes. The door couldn’t hold them both and it doesn’t matter, anyway. That’s not the point of the scene.”

I smiled at the seriousness of Asher’s conviction. The adorable furrow between his brows returned with a vengeance.

“Clearly you’ve given this a lot of thought.”

“Against my will.”

“Want to hear my preferred scenario? Rose could’ve laid on top of Jack, wrapped in his arms. Their shared body heat would’ve helped to keep them both alive.”

“Or their combined weight would’ve pushed the door under the surface, and she’d have woken up stuck to his dead corpse.”

“A lovely visual. Okay, how about lying side by side?”

“Major ballast issues.” When I started to protest, Asher shook his head. “Look, they could’ve made a bunch of attempts to both get on the door and would’ve spent a lot of time flailing around in the icy water. Jack knew that was too dangerous. Of all the options, he chose the one that was going to give Rose the best shot at surviving. You can see the exact moment he understands what has to happen and how he instantly makes peace with it.”

“Well, when you put it that way…” I managed, glad I was off my feet, or my knees would’ve gone weak. “You’re a romantic.”

“I’m practical. He did what he had to do to keep her alive.”

“At the cost of his own life.”

He shrugged. “If that’s what it takes…”

A strange shiver went through me that was both thrilling and profound. It skimmed along my skin while sinking deep into my bones at the same time. Asher’s face was still inches from mine, drops of ocean water on his full lips that dared me to lean down and taste their salty warmth. To kiss the mouth that said such courageous things so casually, as if giving his life for someone else was a foregone conclusion.