Page 73 of Mila: The Godfather

Friends… right.

All too sudden, he steps back and hunches over. “Get on my back.”

Frowning, I ask. “What for?”

“We’re getting in the water.” He says, as a matter of fact.

“But why do I need to get on your back? I know how to swim.”

Still hunching over, he taps his back, arguing with me to do as he says. “Yeah, but I don’t trust those little fuckers. Did you know a dolphin tried to rape a woman once? Horny little shits.”

My jaw falls, too stunned with his words. I look at the innocent-looking creatures, and suddenly I am not that excited to get in the water. “You are telling me that my favorite animals are the sea’s sex freaks?” I blurt out. I should really research more about this piece of information he just provided.

Then the best thing I ever witnessed happens.

Riagan throws his head back and laughs.

He laughs with his entire chest, and I stand there in awe.

I thought that this island was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen and will likely ever see.

Until now.

Until the sight of Riagan O’Sullivan laughing out loud out of pure joy.

Once again, his laughter is one of happiness and not cruelty.

Without thinking more about it, I step forward and hold on to Riagan’s neck as he quickly maneuvers me on his back. “Hold on tight.” He looks over his shoulder at me, and I have to concentrate really hard on his words and not on the thoughts that keep popping in my head. Thoughts about how his skin feels against mine. How not one single thing bothers me about this moment.

I don’t think about germs.

Not about the problems waiting away from this island.

Nothing.

I hold tighter, enjoying the feel of him, and he smiles.

Big.

He smiles, and the sun suddenly seems to shine brighter.

A second later, we’re going overboard and jumping into the water, going under.

And I have one thought, and one thought only.

I wish these moments could last a lifetime.

Every fear.

Every heartache.

Every bad thing that’s ever happened to me seems to have washed away once we reach the surface.

I let go of Riagan’s neck, and swim on my own. It’s freeing. So that’s what I do for at least twenty minutes.

I go under and swim like I would when I was a little girl with my sisters, pretending we were mermaids. All the while, Riagan seems contempt just watching me.

He even held me close while one of the dolphins gave me a kiss. Imagine that. My first kiss and it was a dolphin who gave it to me. The same dolphins Riagan accused of sexual predators. Just the thought of it all has me laughing by myself.

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