He scoots behind me while grabbing my hips to keep me in place so that I don’t fall off the edge and into the deep part of the ocean. Once he’s safely on my right, Gage releases his hold but not before sneakily squeezing my butt.
As I give him a dirty look, he winks, then lifts his chin as if to say, pay attention.
Grudgingly, I look back at Aayla. With a satisfied nod, she tells JoJo to swim slowly in front of us, using her hands to give the command.
“Pet her,” she encourages us. “Feel how soft she is.”
Reaching out, I rub my hand along the dolphin’s white belly and gasp at how cool she feels. Aayla’s right. JoJo is smooth and rubbery and so freaking cool that my eyes are open wide as I turn to Gage and mouth, This is so cool.
Then Aayla instructs, “Perfect. Now, hold out your hands. When JoJo comes up to you, grab her fins. She loves to dance.”
My nerves are already a frazzled mess, but I follow her orders and sway back and forth with a freaking dolphin as soon as JoJo’s head pops out of the water and I have a decent grip on her flippers.
Then it’s Gage’s turn. And he handles the situation with much less giggling but just as much enthusiasm.
Seriously, this is the coolest thing ever.
“Now, you kiss our friend here,” Aayla informs me.
“Who me?” Gage interjects. “I mean, if you insist.” Reaching around my waist, he pulls me into him, but I shove him away with a playful push.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“I thought you said I was charming,” he rebukes.
“Only when you’re drunk,” I reply just as quickly.
“She meant the dolphin, Gage. I already gave you two minutes, remember? Now keep it in your swim shorts. I want a turn too!” Gem interjects.
JoJo smiles at me before closing her mouth with a loud click, then waits for me to take the lead.
“It’s a good thing she’s a girl, or I might be jealous,” Gage teases beside me as I lean in and peck JoJo on the snout. It’s kind of hard and definitely isn’t as soft and rubbery as the rest of her body. In fact, it even looks a little scarred, which makes me want to give her a big hug, but before I can, Aayla commands her to go to Gage and keep the show going.
Gage follows suit, pecking the dolphin on the lips before letting out a deep chuckle that’s laced with disbelief.
“This is awesome.”
“Right?” I’m on cloud nine when one of Aayla’s fellow employees approaches us with a DSLR camera in hand.
Nodding, Aayla tells JoJo, who I’m convinced is the smartest creature I’ve ever met, to pose between us and smile for the camera. Then the employee snaps a picture of the three of us together. In the middle of the Caribbean. With the sun shining on our backs. And giant grins etched onto our faces.
I don’t care if that photo costs a hundred bucks. I’ll treasure it forever.
10
Gage
The rest of the day is spent on the beach sipping Mojitos that Nora insists don’t hold a candle to Henri’s but are still pretty good while soaking up the sun. I’m surprised by how easy it is to spend time with her. It isn’t forced. It doesn’t require extra energy. If anything, her presence is calming somehow. Or maybe it’s the alcohol.
I couldn’t finish our kiss on the boardwalk the way I wanted to, which is frustrating as hell. She looked good enough to eat in her little bikini, and keeping my hands to myself has been absolute torture all day long. I get the vibe that she isn’t a huge fan of PDA, so I’ve done my best to respect her wishes even though I’ll be sporting blue balls for the rest of the day.
When we’re back on the boat, I stretch my arms over my head and ask, “So, what are the plans for the rest of the day?”
Nora shrugs, while Gem suggests, “We have a few hours before tonight’s event. Nora, do you mind attending the couple’s session tonight, and I’ll take over the Spin-the-Bottle activity in the main area? I was going to cover the couple’s session, but since you actually have someone to go with”––she waves her hand at me––“I figured it might be fun.”
Grimacing, Nora mutters, “I dunno about fun, but I’ll go wherever you need me to.”
“Perfect!” Gem claps her hands. “I already had Captain Ron send some of his crew to set up the room to Dr. Lorringer’s specifications, which means you only have to show up once it starts and help however she needs you to. Gage, do you mind tagging along with Nora?”
“Sure thing.”
“Perfect. I’m going to go take a nap, but there’s a fun couple’s massage class in the lounge if you guys want to go try it out?”
Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Nora glances over at me but doesn’t respond.
“I’m sure we’ll figure out something fun to do while you’re napping,” I answer Gem.
“Perfect! Conner, were you wanting to…nap too?”
Nora’s face reddens as Conner wraps his arm around Gem’s waist. I grin.
Sweet. Innocent. Nora. Man, you’re adorable.
Conner yawns dramatically. “Yeah, I’m exhausted. We’ll catch up with you guys later tonight. Maybe grab some drinks or something?”
“Sounds good,” I return. “Have fun…napping.”
With a deep chuckle, Conner guides her to the elevator. “We will.”
There’s a heavy silence that’s laced with a bit of awkwardness as Nora rocks back on her heels. “So, umm…do you want to try the couple’s massage thing? Or we could just meet up later? Or maybe hang out by the pool for a little while?”
“You look like you’ve already gotten a lot of sun today,” I point out while simultaneously biting the inside of my cheek to refrain from suggesting we take our own nap. “Or you could
