Page 105 of Kai
I jumped, taking him along with me.
Chapter Thirty-two
Kai
Cece’s squeal pierced my eardrum as we dropped through the air. Her grip tightened around my hand, and her nails dug into my palms. No problem. I was never gonna let her go. As we hit the surface almost in tandem, I kept my body straight and my ankles crossed.
The water welcomed us with a splash. Our momentum combined with gravity to pull us under, all the way to the clear bottom. In unison, our feet touched the sand. It scattered beneath our soles, swirling around our ankles like a burst of placer gold.
Through a liquid curtain, I watched Cece’s face as she realized we now stood on the sea floor. A spark of fear flitted through her eyes, but when she looked up at the light refracting through the clear layers and the fish darting around us, her expression changed. She aimed a brilliant grin at me, one that relaxed her features, ignited the light in her eyes, and brought new joy to my life.
Her sable hair eddied around her face, a dark, swirling corona. Her eyes turned even more crystalline as she peered at me. I couldn’t detect any trace of panic on her face. Air escaped her nose and lips. The muted sound of laughter bubbled out of her. We stood there for only a few seconds, but to me, it felt like forever. Astounded by her courage, forever seemed for real.
I pointed my thumb up toward the surface. She nodded. Keeping a firm grip on her hand, I bent my legs and pushed. My smart overachiever did the same. Although my momentum was stronger than hers, we propelled ourselves upwards.
Up, up we went, escorted by the bubbles we created with our exhalations, bodies straight, faces uptilted, aiming for the sun like a pair of Icaruses.
Halfway up, I glanced down. The light refracted over Cece’s stunning face, caressing her skin with soft, diluted rays, smoothing the tension from her features, imbuing her with a magical nimbus. For once, she looked comfortable in my element, flowing like a beautiful mermaid.
I scissored my legs, adding propulsion to our ascent and pulling her up with me. She would not drown under my watch. I would not fail her. Following my example, tightening her clutch on my hand, Cece kicked as well. Breaching the watery ceiling, we broke the surface together.
The minute our heads popped out of the water, Cece took a huge inhale and squealed.
“I did it!” She sputtered, coughed, and laughed, treading water, relying on her inelegant dog paddle to brace on my shoulders. “Kai! I jumped!”
“You did great.” I basked in the smile on her face.
“Wedid great!” she amended breathlessly. “Oh, my God, Kai. I saw fish! And they saw me! Like, at eye level.”
I burst out laughing. “It happens.”
“That was so fun!” I’d never seen her smile so wide, her gaze so bright. “Can we do it again?”
“As many times as you wish.” I pulled her closer and planted a kiss on her lips.
In reply, she threw her arms around my shoulders, wrapped her legs around my waist, and kissed me back, a heartfelt kiss that tasted like salt and gratitude.
“Thank you!” she breathed, allowing a little space between our faces.
“Mahalo.” I thanked her, too, for listening to my sorrows, putting her trust in me, and sharing this extraordinary momentwith me.
Her exuberance was new to me. It was as fiery as her fury, as enthralling as her passion, and as beautiful as she was. Seeing the playful side of Cece?
It was a high I’d never forget.
This was what Cece looked like when she was happy, when she let go, when she allowed her past to recede and her joy to emerge.
“You’re so beautiful,” I whispered between small kisses. “You’re even more exquisite when you smile, when you’re free. You know that?”
“I don’t know about beautiful,” she said. “But I feel different, lighter. I think my swimming instructor would call what I’m feeling ‘buoyant.’”
“Yup.” I kissed the tip of her nose, chuckling. “I feel the same.”
“You do?” Her eyes glittered like sparkles right before she reached down and fondled me. “Oh, yes. Hard and buoyant indeed.”
“If you wanna go again, you better stop that.”
“I want to go again.” She gave my sensitive dick a little squeeze. “But I also want this.”
