“I came up for air and kept splashing, then opened my eyes, and you were gone. Did you seriously not think that through?” I asked.
“I didn’t think. I used to do it all the time in college. I could go out as far as I could in the ocean and then see how far I could swim back without coming up for air. My buddies and I always made it a competition, and the winner bought dinner.”
“Well, don’t fucking do it again,” I said as I kept my back to him. “Because that wasn’t funny.”
I felt his arms drape around my waist as he pulled me back to his chest. I sighed, my eyes fluttering closed as I melded into his body. I felt the beating of his heart, signaling the life he still possessed. I felt the swelling of his chest, signaling the breaths he was still taking. I felt the way his fingertips traced circles along my hips, signaling the touch he was still enjoying because he was still alive.
“I really didn’t mean to scare you,” Derek said.
“Well, you did and not simply because you’re a client whose life I have to protect.”
“Not simply because?” he asked.
“No. You’re a client, but I also ...”
I drew in a deep breath and closed my eyes as he pulled me deeper into the warmth of his body.
“I also feel strongly about you,” I said. “And if something happened to you because I was negligent or because I dropped my guard, it wouldn’t be because I failed you as an employer. It would be because I failed you as a lover.”
I felt his lips descend to my neck, peppering my skin with kisses. I tilted my head off to the side, turning my lips into his skin so I could kiss him back. I didn’t try to fight the goosebumps that puckered my skin. I didn’t try to fight the fluttering feeling I had in the pit of my gut. I didn’t even try to fight the hammering of my heart against my chest.
I stood there and accepted it and accepted the decision I made to give myself over to this man.
At least for now.
“I won’t do anything to freak you out like that again. I promise,” Derek said.
“That’s all I ask.”
Chapter 13
Derek
I FELT BAD ABOUT THE beach scare, but it brought about a revelation that was music to my ears. Sam had said it out loud. She said she cared about me and had strong feelings for me. The way my heart leaped in my chest as she said those words was unlike anything I’d felt for any other woman. I was overjoyed that she admitted it. Sam was finally able to drop her guard after all these weeks together at each other’s side.
I kept replaying those words in my head as we went through our day.
“There’s a jazz trio playing at the restaurant tonight. Figured we could have some drinks, listen to some good music. Help us wind down from today,” I said.
“You mean from that scare you gave me at the beach?” Sam asked.
“I’m sorry. Looking back on it, it really was a boneheaded move.”
“It was,” she said. “I was terrified when I came up and didn’t see you anywhere. I swam to the rocks and everything.”
“Man. My lung capacity must be awesome. It didn’t feel like I was under that long.”
“Don’t flat
ter yourself. I’m an expert swimmer,” she said.
“You do everything, don’t you?”
I turned around and saw her emerge from the room, my eyes cascading over her body. She’d found the one full-length dress I’d slipped into her closet. It was a navy blue dress with layered fabrics that brushed along all of her delicious curves. Her tousled hair was pouring around her shoulders, setting her eyes aflame as she donned the matching blue flip-flops. The fabric was flimsy enough for me to rip off her body and leave it tatters but strong enough to deal with the wind whipping off the ocean.
She gave me a little twirl, her body beckoning to me as her hips swayed.
“How do I look?” she asked.