Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 50801 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50801 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
“Sounds like a dream,” she says before reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss me again.
CHAPTER 10
MONROE
The ocean water is a cool relief from the sun as Paxton and I jump from the guided boat, snorkels on and ready.
I adjust myself quickly, anticipation soaring through me as I dip my head into the water, Paxton sticking close and mimicking the move.
I can’t help but smile as I glance around, a barrage of colors hitting me all at once—the crystal-clear water tinted blue, the dark greens and vibrant oranges from the reef on the sandy floor below.
We move leisurely through the water, our flippered feet helping propel us. It’s a little awkward at first, but I quickly adjust to the movements. Other snorkelers are exploring the area too, but there’s plenty of space so we’re not running into each other.
I pop above the surface for a second, wanting to adjust my mask.
“What do you think?” Paxton asks, following me above the water.
“It’s beautiful!” I gasp, unable to hold back my smile. “Do you think we’ll see a sea turtle?”
Paxton shrugs, eyes hopeful. “The guide said chances are high,” he answers. “He said this is one of the best months for activity.”
I squeal, fixing my mask. “Okay, ready,” I say, giving him a thumbs up before dipping back into the water.
We glide easily over the reef below, watching colorful fish flutter in and out of the sea vegetation. There’s so much to drink in, and I can’t help but be consumed by all of it—the sights, the feel of the water against my skin, the hushing calm of the ocean in my ears. I let the sensation sink into my bones, my body feeling light.
I glance over at Pax as we swim, a thrill rushing through me. Last night…
Last night had been the best night of my life.
I never knew intimacy could be like that—a crackling sort of chemistry that came from trust and submission. Pax took care of me in every way I never knew I needed and then this morning? The way he’d planned the day and told me exactly what he wanted to do to me later?
There’s no denying how much he excites me, but there’s also a ton of relief right alongside that feeling. Relief that things weren’t awkward this morning, like I worried about. Relief that he didn’t immediately ask for definitions and rules and everything else regarding what we were doing.
He simply was.
Like me and him together was the most natural thing in the world.
And it felt like that too. Felt so damn…right.
A flutter of fear tumbles in my chest at the notion. Sure, I’m still scared of what crossing these lines means for our friendship, but I’m even more terrified of my real, deep feelings for my best friend. Because I don’t do serious relationships. I promised myself a long time ago I would take my time before settling down.
My mom and dad have the kind of relationship that love stories are based off, but they met when they were sixteen and got married at eighteen. And despite them being totally in love and still together, they’d both told me plenty of times it’s an exception, not a rule. They had their fair share of growing and learning together in those early years too, and they always cautioned me on the work it takes if you decide to make that leap so young.
Not that I was eighteen, far from it, but I still felt…young.
Too young to get married.
Not that Pax is proposing.
An image of him in a suit, Nash and Lawson and Baylor and Clay at his side as I walk down the aisle toward him flashes in my mind. I try to stop it. Try to smother the thoughts. But they’re there. The picture of us smiling as we take our vows as crystal clear as the water we swim through.
I clench my eyes shut for a moment, forcing myself to stop the fantasy playing out in my mind.
Too soon, too much.
But I’ve loved Pax all my life, so really, it doesn’t feel too much. Just…too something.
Paxton gently tugs on my hand, drawing my attention to the present. I glance at him, then follow where he’s excitedly pointing—
A sea turtle lazily swims not two feet in front of us, its shell a beautiful mixture of reddish brown, its flippers sporting that fantastic sectioned design. Its neck is long, and he has almost a hawk-like bill. When I catch sight of its eyes? I swear I can see the ancient wisdom radiating from the dark depths, and it takes my breath away.
I squeeze Paxton’s hand as we continue to watch the sea turtle swim by.
If I was capable of jumping up and down right now, I would.
I’ve always loved sea turtles, ever since we spotted one in the Bahamas when we were eleven. That family vacation Paxton and I had gotten matching sea turtle bracelets.