Page 12 of Kai (Alpha Heroes #13)

Cece

“Looking back is only useful for educational purposes,” Kai said as we turned at the point and the burning lighthouse fell out of view. “You’re safe. The present is all that matters.”

I swallowed the sob in my throat and aimed a glare over my shoulder. Not only was he like Poseidon, god of the seas, but he was also a warrior-surfer-philosopher.

“Now that we’re out of anyone’s line of sight, let’s get you a little more comfortable,” he suggested. With a little push, he slid off the board and slipped into the water with barely a splash.

Panic swelled in my chest. “Don’t go!”

“Not going anywhere, Sorceress.”

He dipped his head in the dark water and surfaced again, his face uptilted.

His wet features gleamed under the moonlight, highlighting the copper hues of his skin.

His drenched hair lay perfectly back and out of his eyes, baring his face’s handsome construction.

He was a gorgeous aquatic creature, beloved of the ocean.

He was one with the sea, whereas I was one hell of a shipwreck in progress.

“I’m gonna hold the board,” he explained, floating beside me. “We can rearrange things a little.”

“Oh.” And here I’d thought he was going to leave me all alone. My fear made no sense. I’d been on my own for over three years, but obviously, sometime today, perhaps while I was out at sea, I’d developed abandonment issues.

“How about you pull that yellow tab on your lifejacket now?” he suggested, treading water next to me.

“You mean this one?” I tugged on the little tab. It inflated the straps over my shoulders, the ones that were supposed to keep me alive if I fell off the board. “Maybe I should’ve done this earlier,” I grumbled. “You know, when the waves were pounding us to hell?”

“That would’ve been a bad idea.” He perched his forearms on the board, looking as chill as ever and unbothered by the load on his back or the fact that Jaws could be circling him right now, looking for a snack.

“We would’ve had to spend more energy to fight the flotation device every time we went under.

It would’ve pulled you up, just when you needed to go down. ”

“Oh.” I hadn’t thought of that. For a smart woman, I wasn’t living up to my expectations.

“Shouldn’t you get back on the board?” I asked, my voice shrill. “You know, before a great white eats you?”

He flashed me a wolfish grin. “If a shark eats me tonight, then it was my day to go.”

“What about the stuff you said about fighting like hell for our lives?”

He expanded his smile. “I said your life, recall that?”

“What about your life?”

“It’s not like I’d volunteer to go into a shark’s mouth, but if I lost nature’s contest, at least I’d go down knowing I spent my last few moments of life in the ocean I love.”

“Burial at sea.” I cracked a sinister smile. “Once the shark poops, of course.”

His startled laughter echoed over the watery expanse. “Good one, Sorceress.”

“How about you spare me the shitshow?” I managed a shaky grin. “My nerves are shot. Get back on the board. Yes?”

“As soon as we get you situated.” He stretched his arm across the surfboard, steadying it for me. “Do you think you can scoot forward and sit up on your shins?”

“Nope.” I didn’t even dare shake my head. “If I move, I’ll fall off.”

“Come on.” His smile rivaled the moon’s brightness. “I have faith in you.”

I was glad someone did, because I didn’t.

“Try it, please?”

My stomach sloshed with saltwater, and my limbs were as gooey as a beached jellyfish, but that grin—along with the way he’d set my body to tingle with his “please”—did something weird to me.

The kaleidoscope of butterflies I’d never known about fluttered their wings in my lower belly and tickled parts of me that should not be this sensitive at the moment. Or ever.

“Okay,” I mumbled. “I’ll try.”

Moving slowly, I crawled a few inches. The surfboard challenged my balance, or my lack of balance, I should say. Tentatively, I scooted forward on all fours until I settled on my shins and sat up.

“Beautiful.” He fiddled with a few things before he swam around and mounted the back of the surfboard in a smooth glide that barely swayed the thing.

Then he was up on his feet, still wearing all his gear, minus the fins, which now hung from his vest. When I scooted around to face him, he held a tube in his hands, a contraption he elongated before he clicked on a button that converted the lower end into a paddle.

“You brought a paddle with you?” I asked, looking up at his face even though I was almost eye-level with some interesting parts of him.

“I brought many things with me,” he said.

“Are you always this well prepared?”

“I’m a Marine Raider, so yes.” He unzipped a compartment on his vest and extracted two pouches. After cracking the top, he handed one to me. “Concentrated protein and electrolytes in a few sips. Drink up. This should hold you over for a few.”

I didn’t admit how much I needed the drink that slid down my throat, quenched my terrible thirst, and smoothed the raw surfaces of my throat.

Whether the salt or my screams had caused the abrasion, I had no clue, but I downed the silky fluid gratefully.

Between my empty stomach and my parched mouth, I now knew how shitty shipwrecked sailors felt when lost at sea.

I squirted the pouch and wolfed down that stuff so fast that a burp surprised me at the end.

“Sorry.” I covered my mouth and burped again. “Terrible manners.”

“You be you.” His chuckles were as comforting as the protein drink.

“We’re not in the Astor world. Let me take that.

” He stuffed my empty pouch back into his vest, demonstrating he was not just gorgeous, smart, and skilled, but environmentally conscious as well.

He offered me his drink. “Want some of mine?”

“I’m not dumb enough to suck down the fuel of the guy paddling me to safety.”

“Smart point.”

He threw his head back and drew from the pouch.

His throat bobbed as he guzzled down his drink.

I fought another melting-between-the-legs episode at the sight of his wide shoulders, his powerful neck, and his masculine Adam’s apple sliding up and down on his muscular throat.

Wrapped in the velvety night and bathed in the silver light, I must’ve been moonstruck because Kai was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.

Or perhaps I was just drunk on the Pacific’s water. Yeah. That had to be it.

If I had a list of the attributes I wanted in a man, gorgeous, strong, smart, capable, and environmentally friendly would all be up there.

Kind, cool, collected, determined, and brave would be at the top as well.

But I didn’t want a man and had made it my mission in life not to have such a stupid list. On the contrary.

My siblings called me the no-love sister.

In my experience, with the exception of Nix and Dash, men fit into one of four categories: assholes, gold diggers, idiots, and my most commonly used, all of the above.

“You okay?” Kai scrunched his empty pouch and put it away.

“I’ll live,” I tossed out, making light of his concern.

“See?” He braced on his feet and paddled us forward, displaying enviable balance. “We made it out, and those fuckers don’t have a clue.”

“Awesome.” I stilled myself by sprawling my hands on the board and glanced up at him. “And dangerous. For you. I might yet beat you up. You scared the shit out of me with that midnight surfing crap. You’re a cocky-ass Marine, aren’t you?”

“I might be a little cocky, but you like me.” A grin pulled at his mouth as he changed sides and continued paddling. “You might as well admit it and be done with it.”

I pretended to glare at him. “I might be grateful for your help, Mr. King, but don’t let it go to your head.”

The wicked grin he flashed me sent heat to lick my lady bits. “Would it be rude to ask which head?”

“Rude and inappropriate.” Moving carefully, I shifted myself around and stared straight ahead, kicking myself for craving the wrong head.

It was shocking. Me. The unconquerable one.

The one without that sort of primitive need.

Pressing my thighs together as if anytime now, my pussy was going to combust.

“I won’t ask, then,” he said, his tone playful. “But you do like me.”

“I do not,” I stated even though I shivered and licked my lips when I remembered our kiss. “I may even hate you.”

“You’re brutal.” He teased me with the smile in his voice. “You’re fierce. A menace to civilized society.”

“You got it.”

“It wasn’t that horrible,” he pointed out as we glided over the water.

“I’m glad it was good for you,” I tossed over my shoulder. “It sucked for me.”

“Sorry about that.” He didn’t miss a beat. “Next time, I’ll make sure it’s good for you, too. That’s a promise.”

The insinuation in his voice hit me good and low. I craned my neck and considered the teasing smile on his face. Were those dimples on his cheeks?

Oh, fuck. They were dimples! Frigging dimples, for fuck’s sake!

Forget the dimples, dumbass . Forget the kisses, too.

Was he flirting with me? Here? In the middle of the ocean?

No, nope, no way.

There was no scientific explanation for my reactions, no logical reasons for the strange sensations coursing through me, or the way my skin sizzled when I recalled the way his mouth had responded to mine.

The need I felt pissed me off. No one dared to flirt with me and my bitch-on-demand face. Whatever this was, it wasn’t real.

Kai had proven his bravery, resourcefulness, and smarts. He had a good aura. He was stunning and kind, and even a little adorable when he made those dimples appear, but no way I was ever gonna kiss him again. No freaking way.

Exhaustion hit. My shoulders slumped. Kai must’ve noticed, or perhaps my silence gave it away.

“You can lie down if you’d like. Longboards are great that way. I can brace at either side of your feet, and we’ll be good to go.”

I used the last of my strength to stretch out on my belly, cross my arms, and rest my forehead on my forearms. For the first time all night, my body released some of the tension cramping my muscles and torturing my joints.

A glance behind me showed me Kai in all his glory.

The moon rained silver light on his powerful form, kissing his shoulders.

He didn’t seem to share my fatigue. He kept paddling, riding the currents as if the surfboard was a cruise ship under way.

The following swells rocked the board, and the quiet splash of the paddle sang to me. My eyelids were heavy. At some point, my eyes closed. It was a measure of fatigue that I slept. I dreamed about flames, moonlight, and Kai’s kisses.

“Almost there.” Kai’s voice startled me from my nap.

I lifted my head and looked ahead of us. There was no land in sight, but my hopes perked up when I spotted the shape of a dark, sleek, lonely catamaran moored under the moonlight, literally in the middle of nowhere.

“Is that where we’re going?”

“Affirmative.” He kept paddling. “You’ll be on it in no time.”

“Oh, good.” I smirked up at him. “Can’t wait to kick your ass.”

“So resolute.” His chuckles echoed over the tranquil waters. “I like that about you.”

Every part of me turned into soppy seaweed. My eyes struggled to stay open, but I remembered how alive I’d felt when I’d locked lips with Kai. I had no idea what came next, or how “next” came, and yet, despite my brain’s protests, I craved more of his kisses.