“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
