Chapter – 8

When Mike invited me for a round on the jet ski, I declined with a polite smile. I didn’t know why I felt uneasy all of a sudden. It looked fun, but I didn’t feel like riding. I watched and took pictures from the shore as my friends enjoyed their day. I was content with the distraction that often paraded shirtless along the beach.

The change in the atmosphere and the sea’s exceptional calming effect kept my mind in check. For the first time, I wasn’t pulled deep into the depressing memories of the person I tried hard to forget.

When everyone returned to the shore, I stood and pulled on my now dry trousers.

“The sun will set soon. Let’s ride the jet ski and meet back at the yacht for dinner,” Enrique suggested, and everyone agreed except me. I thought we would get ready for the evening and then walk. The pier was just about fifteen-to-twenty minutes’ walk from here. On the jet ski, you had to go around the small island to get there.

“Orlando, hope you don’t mind taking Ari with you,” Mike yelled as he dragged Skyler to his jet ski.

I watched in horror as all the couples left me without a second thought, and now I was stuck with Orlando.

“You don’t have to…” My voice wavered as I admired my toes, my breathing erratic. “I don’t want to be a trouble.” I couldn’t tell him the thought of being out on the sea unsettled my stomach. I had never been in the ocean before.

“You’re no trouble.” His tone was clipped as he turned and walked to his jet ski.

I took it as my cue to follow him. Climbing on wasn’t hard, but there was no place I could hold on to. My eyes darted to the vast ocean as my mind supplied all the worst possible scenarios. Fear crept up my spine. Looking at it from a distance was one thing, but being out there, surrounded by nothing but the water, was unnerving.

“You’ll have to hold me if you don’t want to fall off.”

I barely had time to register his words when the engine powered up, and I jerked forward, holding onto him with all the strength I had. When we shot forward, I was breathless, literally.

Everything was a blur, and I didn’t know what was happening. Suddenly, the spinning stopped, and Orlando shook me.

“Stop screaming! We’re not moving.”

It wasn’t until he told me that I realized I was screaming. My mouth shut, and when I looked around, I lost it.

“Oh, God! No, no, no, no, no.”

I began breathing through my mouth.

“Take me back!”

My panic rose.

“Take me back.”

Water surrounded us.

Deep and taunting.

“Oh, God! This is…”

I saw nothing but blue.

“Orlando…”

“Relax, Arianna.”

“Please take me back.” Somehow, the sight was suffocating me. I decided the sea was not for me. I couldn’t explain my fear to him. Being out here made me so vulnerable, though, to what I didn’t know. I felt helpless, and I didn’t like it.

“Okay. We can go back once you’ve settled down.”

Orlando’s voice was calm and controlled. My friends were nowhere in sight.

“I’m calm,” I lied, all the while trembling inside. My hold on Orlando hadn’t relaxed.

“I’m going to turn around, and we’re going to go back, okay?”

“Okay.”

I felt his chest expand under the tight grip of my arms before he powered up the engine.

“Wait!”

“Now what?” he snapped.

“I’ll sit in front.”

“You want to drive?”

“No. It’s just…I’m scared.” I hesitated before voicing my fear. I didn’t know if I could handle the trip back, and I’d already embarrassed myself.

Orlando seemed to contemplate my words before he pried my hands off him, only for me to tighten again. “You do realize that you can only move if you let go of me, right?” His voice held a tint of amusement. “I suggest you close your eyes.”

I obeyed immediately. I wanted to smack my head as I loosened my grip and allowed him to guide me to the front, my eyes closed all the while. Orlando practically lifted me up and settled me down in front of him.

“Can we go now?” he asked.

My position was uncomfortable at best. I sat facing him, and the handlebar was behind me. It was awkward, but it was also a welcomed distraction from the view of the sea.

“Why aren’t you wearing a life jacket?”

“I don’t need one.”

“What if you fall?”

He ignored my question. “Why did you come if you’re afraid of the water?”

“I’m not usually afraid. Being out here in the open makes me uneasy.”

His gray eyes assessed me for a moment. “Now that your position is changed, do you think we can go for a round?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hold on to me. If you aren’t comfortable, then we head back to shore, okay?”

I cast a nervous look around before meeting his gaze again. “Okay.” My cheeks heated up as I noticed his naked torso. So close.

It was a task to hold him without showing my discomfort or embarrassment. Fortunately, he didn’t comment. When we moved again, my legs came up, hooking around his waist, and my arms tightened their hold as I buried my face into his neck.

The water, the sound of the engine running, or the bounces it caused never mattered as I focused on not blushing. Being so close to Orlando made my insides flutter.

A feeling somewhere between sinful and uncomfortable crept in. Sinful because a part of me enjoyed the closeness. Uncomfortable because I’d never been so close to him before.

When my eyes opened a few minutes later, my insides were calm. But a new fear made my body tremble as I saw the island growing smaller in the distance.

“Orlando…we are…oh, God!”

As if on cue, the engine sputtered before shutting off.

“What’s happening?” My panic rose.

“I forgot to check the fuel tank.”

“What? You forgot to check your fuel tank?”

His serious expression didn’t change even after a minute. Large hands cupped my face and stopped me from turning around.

“Don’t look.”

“I…I…” I couldn’t help the panic. Even though he stopped me from looking around, I could still see behind, and it wasn’t helping my situation. Water was everywhere. I shouldn’t have agreed to come here.

“Arianna…” he said, “look at me.”

When I looked at him, I couldn’t help but admire his chiseled face inches from mine. Butterflies fluttered in my lower belly. Oh, uh. What the hell was happening? It must be the sea.

“I don’t want to die yet,” I squeaked. Not what I meant to say, but it was the truth.

“You won’t.”

While his hands stopped me from turning, there was no stopping my eyes from taking a stroll. That was enough. But before I panicked, I saw Orlando’s face coming closer.

A warm tingle ignited as soon as our lips connected. Orlando Cortez is kissing me. A gasp of disbelief was all he needed to deepen the kiss. Oh, boy, was he a good kisser.

His tongue swept against mine briefly, and I was too shocked to respond. Just as it started, it finished. I blinked to clear my hazy vision. I realized I was doing that a lot these days.

“Turn around.”

“Huh?”

“Unhook your legs from my waist.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know if my cheeks could get any hotter as I untangled my legs from his narrow, muscular waist.

“Stand up and keep your eyes on me.”

My body behaved as if it was on autopilot as I did as I was told. In an instant, I sat facing the ocean, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the sight before me.

Orange sky greeted me above the blue sea. The sun was about to set, and I basked in the golden glow. I’d never seen a sunset this close. We had an excellent view here with no disruptions of buildings or people.

My brain registered the peaceful silence around us. The only sound was the slight tapping of water on the ski as the gentle wind brushed my skin.

“It’s so beautiful,” I whispered as I watched the sea slowly swallow the fireball.

“It is.”

His hot breath on my right ear made me jump slightly, but my eyes weren’t on the sunset anymore. When I turned, our eyes locked. There was an unreadable expression on his face as he lowered his head.

***

Neither of us spoke about the kiss again, and everything went back to normal. Orlando lied about the fuel in our jet ski. It had been a day since our kiss, and that was all I could think about that night as I lay on my bed.

“Ari, can you hand me that brush?”

Rosie’s voice distracted me from my thoughts. I obeyed silently as Rosie worked on my hair. I was certainly not looking forward to the event this evening. “Should we really be going to this thing? I thought it’s only for their business associates.”

Rosie chuckled under her breath. “You agreed to be Orlando’s date, remember? He said he’ll be here to accompany you shortly.”

I snorted, not amused by the idea. “If this is anything like the parties at my parents’, I’ll be back in my room in no time.” Orlando could manage alone.

“That’s up to you.”

There was a knock at the door. “He’s here.” Rosie went to open the door, and I followed. All I wanted to do now was to stay in and watch a movie or two.

“You look gorgeous.” An appreciative tone brought me out of my sulking thoughts. My eyes snapped to Orlando, who appeared as handsome as ever in his gray suit.

“Thank you.” My smile couldn’t be helped as I looped my hand in his elbow. The self-consciousness I normally felt around Brian was absent when I was with Orlando. My shoulders straightened, and my strides grew more confident with every step I took.

“Thanks for joining me, Arianna,” Orlando said softly as we drew closer. “I’m not really looking forward to this, but being a host, I can’t skip the event.”

“No problem.” Though I wasn’t looking forward to staying, I decided to try for Orlando’s sake.