5

“Mike!”

I turned, hearing her gasp, and an involuntary smile lit my face noticing her soaked form. What did she do now? He hoisted her up, not heeding her protests, and carried her to the water.

“I warned you not to zone out. For that, you’ll be punished.”

Oh, that made sense. Mike had always been protective of both girls since childhood. The pain in his eyes whenever he noticed the sadness on her face was obvious. Another reason I should stay away from her. Despite the logical side of my brain forcing my body toward the mansion, I found my gaze trailing after them.

“Mike, no, I don’t want my hair wet.”

“Too late!”

Her surprised squeak was everything I could ask for. Laughter bubbled up from my chest. The terrified look on her face when he dropped her would forever grace my mind. A round of laughter accompanied her fall.

“I hate you.” She spat and wiped the saltwater off her face when she surfaced after a moment. She didn’t mean those words. I knew because a smile lifted the corner of her lips, which she tried to mask and failed. Pushing the hair out of her face, she bobbed in the water.

“You’re welcome!” Mike swam away.

My legs moved as if they had a mind of their own. I grabbed a few cans of cold beer on my way and waddled into the knee-deep water.

“Orlando, my man!” Jeff greeted, his eyes twinkling when they fell on the cans in my hand.

“Just what I need right now.” Enrique snatched a can from my hand, opening it and tipping it to his mouth.

“I saw what you did there.”

A hard slap on my shoulder almost caused me to drop the two remaining cans.

“It was nothing,” I murmured. My gaze averted to the distance as I took a sip from my can. Mike grabbed the other.

“That’s funny since it didn’t seem like nothing.”

“Mike.” Enrique’s voice held a warning.

Mike shrugged. “I’m just saying don’t lead her on if you can’t give her more.”

He was going overboard with his protectiveness. If you had kept that bastard in check, she wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place.

“They’re both adults, Mike. Let them figure this out on their own,” Enrique said before I could respond.

Clenching my jaw, I bit the inside of my cheeks to stop saying the words that choked in my throat. If only he had run a background check on Brian or kept a close eye…But then, people did these things discreetly. Either way, Mike had nothing to worry about. I can never hurt her.

“Yeah, buddy. Listen, I may not know the entire story, but I think this is something they should figure out themselves,” Jeff piped up. “If this is what they both want, who are we to stop them?”

Mike took a deep breath. His expression said he wasn’t convinced. “I know. It’s just…” His gaze went to her. “Just don’t hurt her, okay?”

Our gazes locked. “Wouldn’t even dream of it.”

“You have my blessing, then.”

“He doesn’t need your blessing, Mike.” Enrique splashed water on him.

“Where Arianna is concerned, he does.” Mike met Enrique’s irritated glance. “Cousin or not, if he hurts her, I’m kicking his ass.”

I shook my head with a smile. He never changed. “Hold your horses, guys. It’s nothing, really. We were just talking.”

“All right, it’s time we got out. I wanna take a leak,” Jeff announced, diffusing the cold tension.

“Do it here. Who’s gonna know?” Enrique was back to his mischievous self.

“We’d know.” Mike rolled his eyes. “Eww…You already did the deed, didn’t you?”

“What? No. It was a suggestion.”

I got out of the water and went straight to the table. Their friendly banter followed. Drying myself with one of the clean towels, I wrapped it around my hip before taking a seat. The notification indicator on my cell phone blinked, and a swipe of my thumb brought the screen alive.

There were a few notifications on I*******m. I wasn’t fond of the app. I didn’t like any of the social media apps. I opened one because of her. Seeing her photos sometimes helped me take my mind off things. But then, I kept tabs on everyone in my circle.

@AriannaSweety320: A view of Oasis #RetreatToParadise #NewIkandas with @RosalindaPike.

A picture of a shirtless man greeted me on my I*******m account. In the photo, I stood facing the ocean, stretching my body as waves kissed my feet. It was surprising and heartwarming simultaneously.

Noticing a good deal of hate-filled, jealous comments underneath, I typed a comment. Something I never did before. I never, ever pressed that little heart button because I didn’t want her to know I religiously followed her posts.

_CortezO_: That’s encouraging.

It was the same time she got out of the water, walking toward the shade. Water droplets cascaded around her body, making my insides jealous. Hands itched again to wipe them off her body.

My sole attention was on her. The guys moved the table to the center and repositioned the chairs while I gawked. Arianna’s lips once again held that confident smile that was missing for a while. As she removed her shorts, my eyes trailed down the curves of her short frame.

When her peach bottoms came into view, my breath hitched. I shouldn’t be looking at her that way, but I couldn’t help it. I was a moth attracted to her flame. My heart galloped within my chest, but there was no stopping the emotions now they were out of control. How long had it been since I felt anything for a woman?

Arianna sat on one of the empty chairs, checking her phone. I knew the exact moment she read my comment. The color on her cheeks rose as she threw a secret glance my way. I wanted to trace that pink tint I loved so much. She averted her gaze to the floor, watching me in her peripheral vision when I went to sit beside her.

Our phones beeped simultaneously with notifications as Chiara, Skyler, and Rosalinda responded to the comments under Arianna’s post. They replied to each snide remark with a sarcastic response that made me laugh. Their friendship amazed me. These women made the Cortez household livelier. She leaned toward me. With a smile, I typed a message to her.

_CortezO_: This bikini suits you well.

The pink on her cheeks grew before our friends distracted us.

An hour later, when Mike invited her for a round on the Jet Ski, she declined with a tight smile. She watched, clicking photos of them while I strode along the beach, barking orders to the security team stationed in the sea and on the shore. My heart lurched seeing Enrique on Jet Ski again. He is not drunk. And Chiara was with him. But that wasn’t enough to calm my nerves.

“The sun will set soon. Let’s ride the Jet Ski and meet back at the yacht for dinner,” Enrique suggested. I wanted to say no but held my tongue, knowing I shouldn’t control his decisions. There was a fine line between looking after someone and controlling their actions.

“Orlando, hope you don’t mind taking Ari with you,” Mike yelled as he dragged Skyler away. I welcomed the distraction and turned to see the horrified expression on her face. Is she afraid?

“You don’t have to…” Her trembling voice trailed. “I don’t want to be trouble.” Hazel eyes darted to the sides, and fingers fiddled with the hem of her trousers.

Is she nervous because of me?

“You’re no trouble.”

Didn’t she want to ride with me? The thought was unsettling. I couldn’t stomach the simple fact. It could be something else. The reasoning wasn’t convincing enough when my own insecurities sprang free from the depths of my mind. Without another word, I turned and headed toward my Jet Ski, climbing on it. Am I misreading the signs? No. She wouldn’t be posting my photo on social media if she wasn’t interested, would she?

My shoulders relaxed when I noticed her following me, and it was then I realized I was gripping the handle too tight. Why am I angry? I had no answer. And when she climbed on, she didn’t make a move to hold me.

“You’ll have to hold me if you don’t want to fall off.” Her hesitation could be because of fear, but she showed no fear when she swam in the sea. Even now she appeared confident, showing only traces of discomfort. Rejection bit my heart. It shouldn’t matter. She is just a friend. The reasoning once again failed. Her arms encircled my waist tentatively at first and then in a death grip as I accelerated.

The Jet Ski shot forward, full of life. The sound of its motor drowned the surrounding sounds as it ripped through the water. The feel of the wind on my face was exhilarating. Adrenaline rushed to my brain, and simultaneously her scream ripped through the air, piercing my eardrums. Confused, I slowed the engine to a stop. Her grip was so tight that I couldn’t turn to face her. “Stop screaming! We are not moving.”

“Oh, God! No, no, no, no, no.”

Her grip loosened, and her breathing grew erratic. Eyes so wide, she acted as if she woke from a nightmare. Crap. I misread the signs.

“Take me back!” her panicked voice demanded. She was hyperventilating, and I still couldn’t move. Nails scratched at my chest from where she gripped me.

“Take me back. Oh, God! This is…”

I had to do something. Her fear was squeezing my heart. Guilt washed over me. I should’ve checked if she was okay with the water. I should’ve asked. My selfish, arrogant ass was too busy to notice it earlier.

“Orlando…” Fear and panic poured out of her. Her face grew red and eyes wider.

“Relax, Arianna.”

“Please take me back.”

“Okay. We can go back once you have calmed down,” I pacified.

“I’m calm,” she claimed, her voice trembling, and her hold on me eased a bit. But I could still sense her fear.

“I’m going to turn around, and we’re going to go back, okay?” She pressed her cheek flush to my bare back as I gently patted her hands.

“Okay.” She paused then said, “Wait!”

“Now what?” I snapped, regretting it immediately. Crap. Once again, I felt like shit. It was my fault she was in a situation like this. Her fear was the reason for her hesitation. My anger at myself got the best of me. Damn. I should fucking get hold of this temper.

“I’ll come to the front,” she said.

Her response took me by surprise. “You want to drive?” Now, that amused me. Why else would she want to come to the front?

“No. It’s just…I’m scared.”

Well…if she came to the front, her view to the sea wouldn’t help her. Then an idea popped in my head. As genuine as it was at first, my evil twin poked its head up from inside.

Our group was nowhere in the vicinity. The security guards watched us from a short distance. A wave of my hand would get their boat closer, but for some selfish reason, I didn’t want to do that. Her hold on me tightened when I tried to loosen her grip.

“You do realize you can only move if you let go of me, right?” The ski bobbed in the water, and she tightened her hold around me. I shouldn’t enjoy this, but I did. I liked the way she held on to me. “I suggest you close your eyes.” Fuck. My voice was huskier. Not something I did intentionally.

Arianna obeyed immediately. I turned my upper torso and lifted her. With her eyes closed, her hands looped around my neck, unwilling to let go as I adjusted her on my lap. Slender thighs pressed against my strong ones. I could feel the slight tremor in them. Despite the situation we were in, I couldn’t help but admire how it felt to hold her that way. It had been years since I held a woman so close. Her breathing fanned my face. What would she do when she realized how close she was?

“Can we go now?” This time it was on purpose. I felt the slight shiver of her body’s reaction to my voice.

Her eyes snapped open, her gaze doing a quick sweep around us before trailing down my naked chest. “Why aren’t you wearing a life jacket?”

“I don’t need one.”

“What if you fall?”

“Why did you come if you’re afraid of the water?”

Her lips quirked, eliciting a nervous laugh. “I’m not usually afraid. Being out here in the open makes me uneasy.” Teeth nipped at her lower lip, something she often did.

“Now that your position is changed, do you think we can go for a round?” I asked, swallowing the urge to trace her cheek.

“I don’t know.” Her tone unsure, her nervous gaze flicked around us.

“Hold on to me. If you aren’t comfortable, then we head back to the shore, okay?” We could go back. If we did, she’d miss what I wanted to show her. It was Enrique’s plan, and I couldn’t wait for it.

“Okay.” She inched closer.

When the engine powered up, she buried her face into the crook of my neck, and her hands wrapped around my torso. Crap. I could go on like this forever. My heart skipped a beat and had been erratic the entire time she held me like that.

“Orlando…we are…oh, God!”

Her trembling voice once again stuttered. With a soft chuckle, I shut off the power. We were here already.

“What’s happening?”

She looked around.

“I forgot to check the fuel tank.” Instead of offering comfort, I teased. My action surprised me. With Arianna, I had no answer to several questions.

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

Her reaction was hilarious. It was a task to not laugh and ruin the moment. My hands cupped her face and stopped her from looking around. “Don’t look.”

“I…I…”

“Arianna…”

Her fear rose; I could see it in her eyes. But somehow I knew she wouldn’t regret coming here. Her lips were parted as her gaze scanned the background again. While a part of me knew I should take her back, another part of me wanted to show the beauty that was worth the effort. She was safe in my arms, and I said to myself it was okay. She’d relax once she saw there was no danger here.

“Look at me.”

“I don’t want to die yet,” she squeaked.

“You won’t.”

My jaws clenched. I didn’t bring her here to die. No. Her breath fanned my lips, and before I could stop, I kissed her.

Soft. That was the first thought that surfaced in my mind. She wasn’t responding. Her body was stiff in my arms, and regret filled me. I knew I should stop. Still, due to the unrelenting greed, my tongue darted out briefly to taste her. When I pulled away, her eyes were wide open, and she blinked as if to clear her vision. Her breath whooshed out.

“Turn around.” I hid my guilt and disappointment. I wanted to apologize, but no words formed. What the fuck did I do? Now she would hate me.

“Huh?”

She blinked again.

“Unhook your legs from my waist.”

The simple kiss had my heart racing. Clearing my throat, I pulled on the emotionless mask, acting normal.

“Oh.”

There it was again, the pink tint on her cheeks as she averted her gaze. Relief flooded me as she fumbled. Her face was redder, and I knew it wasn’t due to anger. No. She’d be raking me over the coals if she was furious. Arianna was silent. And that silence spoke volumes. She was also blushing. Her pale skin made it so obvious.

She hadn’t berated me for the kiss yet. Growing bolder by the minute, I demanded, “Stand up and keep your eyes on me.”

When she turned, an awestruck look crossed her face. Together, we looked at the orange hues of the setting sun. It was a vision to behold. The sight was serene with no interruption of mankind. It was just nature and us.

“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered, admiring the sunset while I admired the way it illuminated her skin with a golden glow.

“It is,” I said, inhaling her natural flowery scent mixed with the salty tint of the sea.

She turned, and our eyes locked. Her lips parted, and the heat rose within me. With her body pressed against me, awareness shot to my lower half. My gaze zeroed in on her lips. I wanted to kiss her again.

A warning bell rang somewhere in my mind, but didn’t I cross the threshold already? I’d kissed her once. What difference was this second going to make? A lot. Hopefully, it would be for good.

This time when our lips met, she kissed me back. Her hands tugged at my hair, and her tongue pushed past my lips, meeting mine. The sunset and the gentle breeze were long forgotten as I held on to her, knowing it would be hard for me to let go now.