Page 41 of Right Side of Paradise
The glassy surface of the Atlantic Ocean was almost as spellbinding as the woman in front of me.
Not even a minute after we cleared the no wake zone, Harlow’s little ass stood up with her fists closed around the handlebars of the jet ski and raced Rico until we were half a mile away from the shore.
Seated behind her, all I could do was smile when she started doing donuts around Rico and Christian.
The roar of the engines and the spray of water behind us got drowned out by her laughter as she cut across the water. She loved this shit, and I loved watching her have fun.
I didn’t know a person more fearless than her. She was the one who taught me how to jump a wave. She was the one who helped me gain confidence on the water after years of playing it safe on the sand. And seeing her in her element never got old.
A few minutes later, she eased off the handlebar and let the jet ski right itself on top of the water before she looked back at me, her dimples deep and her smile as bright as the rising sun.
“You good back there?”
“Always.”
The engine was off, and the key dangled from Harlow’s wrist, but a few choppy waves still had us bobbing on the water’s surface when Rico idled beside us.
“How much far?—”
Christian’s question was cut off by Harlow’s sharp inhale. “Oh my god, where’s my phone?”
“Oh, shit,” Rico murmured, following her excited gaze.
She almost dropped her phone twice, pulling it out of the waterproof compartment up front, but got a hold on it in time to snap pictures of the dolphins that had just passed under us.
“They’re bottlenoses,” Rico observed.
“There are so many,” Harlow whispered as more dolphins appeared.
“Look.” Christian pointed to three more swimming up to the left of us.
Someone would think we’d never seen dolphins from the way we were frozen in place, but spotting them never got old.
Every time felt like the first time and brought out the same fascination we had in elementary school.
They never broke the surface, but we watched until the pod was a safe distance away. After, Rico and Harley drove us out farther, stopping when the water was flat again and jumping off the jet skis into open water.
I was the last one in the ocean, swimming over to Christian with my eyes squinted against the sun creeping higher in the sky.
“Where your glasses at?” He grumbled, taking his off and placing them on my face before I could answer.
He swam away without another word and left me with a crooked grin on my face for the rest of the morning.
The water whooped our asses. We made it back to Onyx Cove two hours after sunrise. Once we docked the jet skis and turned in our life vests at the kiosk, we stopped at Bird’s Eye Brew for drinks and donuts on the walk home.
In front of us, Christian had Harlow on his back while Rico held my hand.
Coarse sand stuck to my feet and ankles and had me walking in zig zags while I ate my food instead of waiting until we got home.
From the corner of his eye, Rico looked at me and smiled softly when he heard me take the last sip of my drink.
“Here. Try mine,” he said quietly, holding his straw up to my lips.
“Damn, what is that?” I wanted to know after tasting it. It was fruity and creamy, different from the dirty Dr. Pepper I opted for.
“Summer haze.” He shook the cup and let the ice settle, “Sprite, peach syrup and vanilla cream.”
“I’m getting that next time?—”
In the middle of my sentence, Rico grabbed my face and kissed me until the taste of him and his drink mingled on my tongue.
The July heat already had me dazed, but I would’ve stumbled away from the kiss if he didn’t have his arm hooked around my neck, pulling me back to him. His kisses were hungry, and sweet. Passionate and playful.
He let me go slowly, his arm still secure around my neck.
“What was that for?”
“This morning.” His tongue swept over my jaw. “For getting us those jet skis from your brother’s spot on short notice.”
“He owed me a favor,” I replied with a shrug.
Rico didn’t let me downplay it. “You still got that shit done for me and I appreciate it.”
“It’s your birthday, you know I’ll always find a way for you.” The same way he always made it happen for me without thinking.
“I fucking love you,” he swore before his tongue found mine again. “It was perfect. Just like you.”