Page 10 of Cruising with You (Swenson Sweethearts)

Nora

T he entire atmosphere screams paradise. From the tall palm trees to the white sandy beach, I’m in heaven. Plain and simple. With a sigh of contentment, I let the water lap at my ankles then drop my head back toward the sky.

Hello, sunshine. How I’ve missed you.

“Never took you for a beach kind of girl, but now that you’re in your element, I can see it,” a deep voice rumbles behind me.

I peek over my shoulder and catch Gage checking out my butt. “You just like me in a bikini.”

“Every guy on this beach likes the sight of you in a bikini. Trust me. But I like the smile on your face too.” Inching closer, he grabs my waist with a gentle but firm grip.

The intimate touch makes my stomach tighten, and I catch myself glancing down at it for a quick inspection.

Long, calloused fingers with trimmed nails.

Weathered skin that hints at how capable and hard-working they are.

I’ve always been a sucker for a strong set of hands.

Licking my lips, I peek back up at him. There’s a confident smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he pulls me closer to him. I’m pretty sure it’s permanently etched onto his face, and I kind of love how contagious it is.

“Someone’s confident this morning,” I razz while a swarm of butterflies assaults my stomach.

“Well, I am wearing the red pin that says I’m off the market for the time being. I might as well soak up a few of the perks, right?”

“Oh, so this little presentation has nothing to do with the fact that I was helping a few single guys find their way to the scuba diving meet-up point a few minutes ago?”

He growls low in his throat before bending closer to my mouth. There are still a few inches of distance, but the space is closing a little bit more as every second ticks by.

“Did you just growl at me?” I laugh.

“Maybe.”

Another inch closer.

“Do you think girls like it when you growl at them?”

Chest rumbling, he presses his forehead to mine. “You tell me.”

“Pretty sure when you look at them like…,”––I lick my lips. Again.––“ That, you can do whatever you want, and they’d be cool with it.”

“So, if I kissed you right now…?”

“I mean, I’m wearing your red pin, aren’t I?”

He grins. “Good answer.”

There’s an electric pause before his breath fans across my cheek, and I’m positive I’m about to melt into a puddle at his feet if he doesn’t kiss me. Right. Now.

“Nora! They need you to sign something before we can get started!” Gem shouts from a little bungalow on the beach as the water laps around our ankles.

Another growl. But this one is much lower and filled with so much disappointment and sexual frustration I could drown in it and die a happy girl. There’s just something about the rush of adrenaline pulsing through my veins at the knowledge that this guy wants me.

Me.

Sweet, shy, Mama Two, Nora Daniels. Is wanted by a man who is practically sex on a stick.

Shaking off my insecurities the best that I can, I pat his cheek. “And that’s what Gem calls cockblocking. You’ll have to return the favor the next time she and Conner are in the same room. Wanna come with me or…?”

Rearranging himself through his board shorts, he mutters, “I’ll be right behind you.”

“Like tonight? Or…?” I razz, surprising myself with the innuendo I just tossed at him.

With another groan, he smacks my ass, and I squeal in surprise before scampering toward the bungalow to stay out of his playful reach.

“Don’t tempt me!” he yells at my retreating form.

Ditto, I want to return, but I bite my tongue.

He’s way too tempting for a girl like me.

Especially when we’ve both gone to so much trouble to set up certain guidelines that guarantee this little relationship will dissolve as soon as our ship docks in Fort Lauderdale.

The thought is bittersweet because even if he wanted something with me, I know I wouldn’t take him up on it, no matter how strongly I could feel about him.

Nope.

After signing the paperwork, a super sweet girl named Aayla with long, black dreadlocks and a kind smile leads us down a boardwalk. My flip flops slap against the wood paneling that surrounds a massive water enclosure where dolphins are playing peekaboo with the spectators between the soft waves.

“Are you excited?” Gage murmurs beside me. The guy is so enthralled with my reaction to the beautiful animals that he’s missing the entire thing.

“Uh, yes!” I almost squeal. “Do you see the dolphins that are right there ?” I point to the water that’s only a few feet away from us.

“And you get to swim with them.”

“Well, technically, I think it’s more of an up-close and personal encounter. We only get waist-deep in the water or something like that, but still. It’s going to be awesome. I keep telling Gem they’re my spirit animal, but she insists crabs are.”

His brows furrow. “Why would crabs be your spirit animal?”

“Because they have something to do with my zodiac sign. Yours is a lion, by the way.”

“Ooo…I like it. Powerful. Strong. A badass.” His eyes glaze over as he thinks about it for a second longer. “Yeah, I’m definitely cool with claiming the lion.”

“I’m sure you are,” I joke. “But since you can’t swim with lions, I guess dolphins will have to do.”

Tossing his arm over my shoulder, he pulls me into his side and admits, “Like I said when we were on the ferry, I’ve always wanted to try swimming with dolphins, so thanks for inviting me.

This will definitely be a memory for the books.

Although I’m going to be a little jealous that the dolphin is going to get to kiss you before I do. ”

“I mean…technically, we’ve already kissed. Remember the football stadium?”

“How could I forget? I’ve been craving you ever since.” It sounds more like a rumble than a coherent sentence but still causes tingles to race down my spine as his eyes drop to my mouth.

My face heats up as I remember how close we were to kissing only a few minutes ago, but I don’t know what to say.

So close. Yet so far.

I’m not sure when we really stopped moving, but now I find myself chest-to-chest with a very attractive Gage, who looks more determined than ever to finally end the blissful torture we’ve both been putting ourselves through.

And blissful it has been because I’m not sure if I’ll be able to live up to the hype he’s built in his head, which is why I rock back on my heels to put a few more inches of space between us.

That same sense of anticipation thrums through my veins, but I ignore it. For now.

“We should…uh…we should probably keep going.”

“You’ve got two minutes,” Gem interrupts, scooting around us on the boardwalk with Conner in tow. “Then I tell Aayla to start without you, mmmk, horndogs?”

Clearing my throat, I take a step toward her. “Oh, we don’t need––”

With our hands still laced together, Gage yanks me back, reeling me into him before planting a kiss on my mouth.

Surprised, my mouth opens on a gasp, and he takes full advantage.

His tongue tangles with mine before he presses his other hand against my lower back until my entire front is pressed against his hard chest. It isn’t soft and sweet.

It’s hot and needy and leaves my heart pounding and my knees shaky.

I’m panting as his lips leave mine and trail down my neck, convinced he’s going to take me right here, right now, and I wouldn’t fight it.

At. All. With a deliberate, open-mouthed kiss against the column of my throat, he pulls away and looks down at me with those same brown eyes that mesmerized me the first time we met.

They’re still hazy with lust, but it’s that arrogant smirk that makes me press my thighs together as he lifts his chin.

“Let’s go get going. Wouldn’t want to miss out on those dolphins, right? ”

“Umm….”

I mean….

“It’s been two minutes!” Gem yells from twenty yards ahead of us.

“Yup. We should….” I hook my thumb over my shoulder before losing my train of thought.

“We should get going?” he finishes for me, his grin widening.

“Uh…yup. We should…. ” Still in a daze, my feet stay glued to the wood beneath my flip flops as my gaze drops back to Gage’s mouth.

He laughs, then tugs me along. “Come on, Pretty Girl. If you keep stroking my ego like that, you’ll miss the dolphin encounter completely, and Gem might never forgive me for it.”

Rushing to catch up, Aayla leads us the rest of the way to our destination before handing each of us a life jacket, while Gem gives me a knowing look that she doesn’t even bother to hide from Gage.

Ignoring her, I focus on Aayla as she explains the safety precautions she’ll be enforcing, then dives right into the fun part.

With a whistle resting between her lips, our fearless leader steps off the surrounding boardwalk and down a small set of stairs that leads to a submerged metal platform beneath the water.

It brings the salty ocean up to her ribs, while the actual depth of the lagoon is much deeper and is perfect for the dolphins to let loose and swim to their heart’s content.

Once she’s in place, Aalya breathes into the whistle.

The high-pitched sound makes my ears ring but is quickly forgotten as a dolphin swims over to her.

My heart is racing a million beats a minute, but I try to keep my expression calm.

Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out. And don’t freaking cry because you’re so excited. And nervous. And excited. And…nervous.

I gulp.

“This is baby girl JoJo,” Aayla informs us. “Can you say hi, JoJo?”

A soft gray dolphin pops out of the water and squeaks before nodding its head up and down.

She looks like she has a giant grin painted on her face, and it’s absolutely contagious.

Like a little bunny, I catch myself bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet at the prospect of actually touching this giant sea dog.

“Who would like to go first?” Aayla asks.

Gage nudges me forward. “Nora would. Wouldn’t you, Nora?”

I give him a playful glare over my shoulder before nodding at Aayla. “Um…okay. Sure.”

“He yours?” she asks while delivering a pointed look at Gage.

“Uh….” I follow her gaze. “Yes?”

For a few more days, anyway.

“Bring him too.”

Waving me over, Aayla waits until I’m beside her on the platform, then motions to my right. “You stand here,” she orders Gage.

He scoots behind me while grabbing my hips to keep me in place so that I don’t fall off the edge and into the deep part of the ocean. Once he’s safely on my right, Gage releases his hold but not before sneakily squeezing my butt.

As I give him a dirty look, he winks, then lifts his chin as if to say, pay attention .

Grudgingly, I look back at Aayla. With a satisfied nod, she tells JoJo to swim slowly in front of us, using her hands to give the command.

“Pet her,” she encourages us. “Feel how soft she is.”

Reaching out, I rub my hand along the dolphin’s white belly and gasp at how cool she feels. Aayla’s right. JoJo is smooth and rubbery and so freaking cool that my eyes are open wide as I turn to Gage and mouth, This is so cool.

Then Aayla instructs, “Perfect. Now, hold out your hands. When JoJo comes up to you, grab her fins. She loves to dance.”

My nerves are already a frazzled mess, but I follow her orders and sway back and forth with a freaking dolphin as soon as JoJo’s head pops out of the water and I have a decent grip on her flippers.

Then it’s Gage’s turn. And he handles the situation with much less giggling but just as much enthusiasm.

Seriously, this is the coolest thing ever.

“Now, you kiss our friend here,” Aayla informs me.

“Who me?” Gage interjects. “I mean, if you insist.” Reaching around my waist, he pulls me into him, but I shove him away with a playful push.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I thought you said I was charming,” he rebukes.

“Only when you’re drunk,” I reply just as quickly.

“She meant the dolphin, Gage. I already gave you two minutes, remember? Now keep it in your swim shorts. I want a turn too!” Gem interjects.

JoJo smiles at me before closing her mouth with a loud click, then waits for me to take the lead.

“It’s a good thing she’s a girl, or I might be jealous,” Gage teases beside me as I lean in and peck JoJo on the snout.

It’s kind of hard and definitely isn’t as soft and rubbery as the rest of her body.

In fact, it even looks a little scarred, which makes me want to give her a big hug, but before I can, Aayla commands her to go to Gage and keep the show going.

Gage follows suit, pecking the dolphin on the lips before letting out a deep chuckle that’s laced with disbelief.

“This is awesome.”

“Right?” I’m on cloud nine when one of Aayla’s fellow employees approaches us with a DSLR camera in hand.

Nodding, Aayla tells JoJo, who I’m convinced is the smartest creature I’ve ever met, to pose between us and smile for the camera. Then the employee snaps a picture of the three of us together. In the middle of the Caribbean. With the sun shining on our backs. And giant grins etched onto our faces.

I don’t care if that photo costs a hundred bucks. I’ll treasure it forever.