Page 29 of Kai (Alpha Heroes #13)

Kai

“Panic is the enemy of success,” I instructed, barely supporting Cece’s back with my open palms as she attempted to float. “Clear your mind. Inflate your lungs. Relax. Feel the water. It wants to hug you, if only you’ll let it.”

Cece’s chest rose with a determined breath.

She closed her eyes and allowed her arms to drift to her side.

Water droplets perched on her lips and eyelashes, glittering on her face like gems. Her hair spread around her head, a dark halo.

She looked so sexy wearing a tiny red bikini that displayed most of her creamy skin to perfection.

As she mounted my surfboard before I swam her over to the beach, she’d complained about the bikini belonging to Affie and not her.

Then she’d accused her sisters of plotting against her.

Treading water next to the board, I’d laughed.

I’d said that it made a lot more sense that Thena and Missy had plotted against my sanity.

The blush that colored her cheeks stole my breath.

Yeah, flirting was an important part of my strategy.

Now, keeping my guard up and my senses alert, I squinted toward the shore, where tame little waves lapped at the sand.

My Tak was well within sight, propped up on the beach towel under the umbrella, leaning against the lunch basket I’d packed.

It was dialed into the signals my team had secured, especially the one for Booming Voice’s watercraft.

If anything or anybody triggered one of my radars, cameras, or sensors, it would set off the alarms, giving us ample warning to act.

We’d already practiced kicking for quite a while. She’d been tired, but she’d done well. Kick, kick, kick, I’d called out, side stroking right next to her and the kickboard I’d used to teach her . You’ve got strong legs, Cece. You can do it.

She’d also learned the basic breaststroke. It still looked more like a dog paddle, but she made it work. Going underwater was a no-go, at least for now, but floating was at the top of my list.

As Cece stayed afloat now, I slowly withdrew my hands from under her. With her eyes closed, she didn’t notice. Moving silently, I set my chronometer and let it run. A minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. I grinned. She didn’t know it, but she floated on her own.

The water licked and stroked her. I fought the urge to do the same. Looking down at her, I had a hard time keeping my dick under control. Her stiff nipples peeked through the thin fabric, baiting me, although not a hint of her raven pubic hair insinuated itself through the wet bikini.

She’d shaved. This explained why, instead of ten minutes, she’d taken over thirty before she showed up on Serenity’s deck, where I waited with our beach gear ready.

She’d done a thorough job. The clear outline of her private lips came through the clingy triangle that cupped her pussy, tempting me to forget all about the damn lesson.

How I wanted to pull on the red strings, undo the little bows at either side of her hips, and inspect her freshly shaved pussy. My pained dick was stuck in the up and ready position, and my brain kept flashing recollections of her orgasms, testing my will.

Dial it down, Marine , I reminded myself. One step at a time. Objective number one: teach her to swim, K-man .

Learning to swim was important to her, to her self-esteem.

She needed a win, and I wanted to be the one to give it to her.

Also, getting her to the point she could fend for herself in case of an emergency was vital.

Our situation involved the sea all around us.

Plus, if I was her instructor, she had no choice but to talk to me, to listen to what I had to say.

“You’re doing great,” I encouraged. “You’re floating all on your own.”

It was the wrong thing to say.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God.” Her ass sank, and she thrashed in the water, splashing and cursing, desperately trying to keep her face near the surface, her eyes showing a lot of white. “I’m going to drown!” she sputtered. “Help! What do I do?”

“How about you put your feet down?” I suggested, keeping a straight face. “You’re in four feet of water, Sorceress.”

“Oh.” Allowing her feet to sink down to the soft sand, she braced on her legs.

I stopped my chronometer.

Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she worked at controlling her breaths to get over her panic. The waterline came up to just above her navel. Her breasts pushed up and down, straining her scanty top. Her nipples played peekaboo with me and my horny.

Patience is a virtue, K-man. Remember when you used to be patient, BC—Before Cece?

“That was dumb.” She punched the surface with her fists. “I’m such an idiot.”

“You? An idiot? No way,” I said. “You’re the smartest person I know. I was the dumbass who interrupted your Zen. Did you know you floated for over six minutes all on your own?”

“Over six minutes?” Her eyes widened, sparkling with excitement. “Really?”

“I timed it.” I showed her my watch. “Very impressive for one lesson.”

She fought a smile and lost, dazzling me with her grin. “I’ve never done that before.”

“Like I said.” I smiled and cocked two thumbs at myself. “I’m good.”

Her peals of laughter were the best gift she could ever give me.

“I think you can do ten minutes, maybe more.”

She cocked her head and lowered her chin. “Is that a dare I hear?”

“It could be.”

“Did you know I can’t resist a dare?”

“I heard about that.”

“My sisters strike again.” She flashed a knowing smirk. “What’s at the end of this dare?”

“Lunch?”

She shook her head. “A decent dare needs to have a reward.”

“Okay.” I shrugged. “What would you like?”

“Let me think about that.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “What are your terms?”

“If your feet touch the bottom before ten minutes of floating, you lose. No reward for you. If you hit the ten-minute mark, you win. You get to choose your prize.”

“Ten minutes is a long time.” She flashed me a sexy pout. “You’re a hellish taskmaster, you know that?”

“Those are my terms.” I dared her pout with a lift of my eyebrows. “Unless you’re ready to give up now. If that’s the case, we can just move on to lunch.”

“Not a chance, you cruel, demanding Marine.” Her chin whipped up, and she pointed at my watch. “Set a ten-minute alarm. We’re on.”

“That’s the spirit.” I perched my fingertip on my watch. “Ready?”

“Ready.” She leaned back in the water.

“Go.”

***

Cece

Nothing like a dare to get me going. Focusing on my breathing, I closed my eyes and worked at relaxing my limbs.

“Find your center of buoyancy,” Kai reminded me, ever the thorough instructor. “Fill your lungs with air. Let your fear and worries flow out with each breath and allow the sea to take care of you.”

His calm voice comforted me. My arms drifted to my sides. My toes bobbed in the water. A slight breeze blew over my face and the parts of the skin that were not submerged. In contrast, the ocean felt warm and welcoming.

“You’re amazing.” His praise lifted me higher in the water. “You’re doing great.”

A pleasant sensation settled over me. I loved the gentle way in which the water held me, the subtle sensation of my hair waving in the current, the occasional brush of a timid wave passing by.

My ears floated below the surface, and the water muted the sounds of all things above the surf.

But under the water, the ocean was anything but silent.

I sensed the quiet melody of the sea, the discreet song of the currents, and the notes of life that added bubbles, splashes, and ripples to the world beneath me.

After a little while, I opened my eyes and blinked up at him. “I’m going to win this.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Kai’s smile rivaled the sunlight. “Feeling good?”

“Feeling brave.” I paused, hesitated, then went for it, realizing I needed answers, because not knowing was driving me insane. “What happened at the ridge?”

He straightened his lips. “I thought you wanted to avoid that topic.”

“I reserve the right to change my mind, remember?”

“I do now.” He took a deep breath. “The ridge was great.”

“For me,” I said. “Until you grossed out.”

“Grossed out?” He shook his head adamantly. “Fuck, no. That’s not what happened.”

“So, I didn’t repulse you?”

“Hell, no,” he said. “I wanted you so bad I almost exploded in my swimsuit.”

“So, this lust thing goes both ways?”

“It does.” His aura flared to show me he was telling the truth, as usual.

“Then what happened?” I asked. “Why didn’t you want me to… you know… do you?”

“It’s hard to explain.”

“Try,” I said. “And please don’t give me the standard ‘it wasn’t you, it was me,’ because I may very well drown you in shallow water.”

“I’m not sure.” The hesitation that dimmed his eyes surprised me. “I think I chickened out.”

“You don’t chicken out, Marine.” I discovered I could float and toss out accusations simultaneously. “If you’re not repelled by me and my bitchy attitude, then there’s something else going on here.”

“I’m not repelled by you or your attitude,” he came back at me, his tone firm, his gaze glittering with resolve. “I’m so attracted to you I’ve had a boner for days. You’re amazing, smart, beautiful, captivating…”

“But?”

“But… up there… I froze.”

“You mean you froze inside?”

“Yes.”

“I can tell it’s not for lack of wanting.” I brushed the tips of my fingers casually over his board shorts, where his erection spoke even louder than his aura.

He scoffed. “You’re right about that.”

“So, what happened at the ridge was… what?” I could also float and make coherent conclusions at once. “You shut down and then you shut me out?”

“Something like that.”

“You can’t talk about it,” I said bluntly. “Am I right?”

“Not right now, but maybe—”

“You’re not cheating on someone or something awful like that, are you?” I narrowed my eyes at his face. “Because I want no part of that.”

“I’m not the cheating type,” he offered evenly.

The timer on his watch went off.

“Ten minutes,” he announced, looking mighty relieved. “You won the dare.”

“I may be able to float a little longer,” I assured him, sensing we’d touched on something important, something that made me rethink my anger. “Do you mind if I try?”

“I don’t mind.”

“For a guy who always knows what to say, your short answers are telling,” I murmured. “Whatever this is, it’s hard for you.”

“As hard as it is for you to talk about your fear of the ocean.”

“Point Kai.” I took in the sadness in his gaze and the apology in his crooked smile. “You know what? I don’t mean to shock you with my sudden display of sensitivity, but I understand how you feel.”

He drew back a little. “You do?”

“Destroyed inside. Stuck. Regretful. Dead at times.”

His throat rippled with a swallow.

“Do you know why I understand?”

He shook his head.

“Because I feel the same.”

His chest rose with a big inhale. “You’re so brave, sharing that with me.”

“Maybe,” I said. “Or maybe I’m just really horny.”

“What?” His startled chuckles rained over me, dispelling the gloom that had settled over him. “Your sense of humor gets me every time, Sorceress.”

“Well, I have other attributes besides being bitchy.”

“I don’t like it when you put yourself down.”

I managed a small shrug in the water. “Self-deprecating humor is a hoot.”

“It’s a form of expression, I suppose,” he said. “And it’s better than not talking any day. I get that we’re both coming at each other with baggage, but how about taking some time to get to know each other before you decide you hate me?”

“I might consider that option.” And I don’t hate you , I didn’t add.

The exchange smothered the old anger, and the sight of his blazing aura made me believe that what he’d said was true.

Perhaps his rejection of me was a “he problem” and not another “me problem” after all.

He’d defied all my categories. Maybe he was a much more complex organism under the microscope. There was a lot to figure out.

But right now, feeling free and light as I floated in the sea, kissed by the water, and by Kai’s warm gaze, I didn’t want to run an experiment on him.

For once, I didn’t want to overthink this.

Perhaps I just had to get the lust between us to burn out and see if anything remained in the ashes.

Maybe I just wanted to begin an experiment with me and Kai in it.

“I agree about the getting to know each other part,” I said. “And I have a question for you.”

His eyes gleamed with curiosity. “Shoot.”

“You think and act like a very evolved human being,” I said. “You’re very controlled. Very disciplined. Very Zen, most of the time. But… how primitive can you get?”