Page 41 of Whispers at Seaside
“Might be?”
“I’ve never tested the theory, but there’s a possibility.”
He hugged her to him as they left the bookstore. “You’ll have me by your side. Come on, sunshine. I’ve only got a few weeks to convince you that you can trust me. What better way than from high above shark-filled waters?”
“I CAN’T DO this.” Mira clung to the grips of the parasail for dear life. “The scariest thing I’ve ever done was give birth, and that was in the safety of a hospital bed!”
Matt patted her thigh. “NASA came up with this idea as part of their survival training for pilots who had to eject from their aircraft over the water. It’s safe.”
The instructor, a burly guy who looked like he ate sharks for breakfast and had spent the trip out telling them about his GoPro videos, explained that they’d take off and land on the special parasailing boat. He said they could take a dip in the water if they’d like. Swimming near shore was one thing, but now that Matt had planted the idea of sharks in her mind, there was no way she was dipping even a single toe in it.
She gazed into the dark sea surrounding the boat. “Unless you fall and get eaten in these shark-filled waters.”
“I was kidding. There are probably only a couple in there.”
“Matt!” She swatted him, and he leaned over and planted a loud kiss on her lips.
“Are you ready?” the instructor asked.
Great.She was going to fall from the sky and get eaten by sharks and this guy would probably film it with his GoPro and make millions from a highly monetized YouTube video.
Matt gave the instructor a thumbs-up and the boat began to move.
“I get the idea of living in a safe little world where you control everything around you. I’ve done it my whole life, just like you have since you’ve had Hagen. It’s time for us to see what we’re missing.”
“You have not! You’re a secret savior.” She said this casually, but at some point, when they weren’t about to be flown like a kite above shark-infested waters, she wanted to delve deeper into that side of him and see what it was all about.
He laughed.
The wind kissed her face as the boat picked up speed and the cables began to tug into place. As they lifted from their seated position and her toes left the safety of the boat, she realized what Matt had said.
“You haven’t done this before?” she hollered.
Matt smiled and wrapped his hand around hers, which was still clinging for dear life to the grip. “No, but I trust we can get through anything together.”
“That’snothow you earn a woman’s trust!” She white-knuckled the grips as they sailed into the air and the sleepy little town, and the sea around it, came into view. It was a spectacular sight.
Matt pointed out their cottage and the streets where they’d ridden their bikes, but Mira was busy watching him. The wind whipped his hair away from his face, accentuating his striking features, which had taken on a golden tan over the balmy afternoon. His tank top looked sprayed on over all those hard planes of muscles she’d gotten to know so intimately last night. When Matt turned to face her again, his eyes warmed, even against the whipping wind.
“Okay, sunshine?”
It was all she could do to nod. Waking up in his arms, making love with him, was an entirely new experience. He didn’t just love her physical body; he reached deep into her soul, caressing her heart with tender, careful hands, making her feel safe and special. He was breaking down her barriers one moment at a time. She never stood a chance against the passionate, loving man who was looking at her like she’d created life itself.
“We should bring Hagen,” he said, and her heart skipped.
She bit back her initial reaction of,No way! It’s way too scary for him.He grabbed her chin and pulled her into a long, sensual kiss, bringing all of her senses tingling to life anew. She got lost in his unforgiving mouth, the feel of his strong, warm hand sliding to the back of her head as he deepened the kiss, and the wind whipping over her skin. And just like that, her fear drifted away.
Chapter Sixteen
RELAXED DIDN’T BEGIN to touch the feelings floating through Mira. The sunny afternoon had given way to a warm, clear summer evening. She and Matt had biked all over the island, seen the beaches and lighthouse, the historic homes, and everything in between. When they’d come back to the cottage, they’d opened the front and back doors, and the evening breeze filled the cozy space. It was only six, and they decided to have a late dinner after taking some time to relax. She checked her messages, of which she had only two. One from Drake telling her that Hagen was doing fine and teaching him and Rick how to use a compass, and one from Serena, who wanted to know if Mira had given in and used Nair. She quickly sent off a text to Drake—Thank you! Give him extra kisses from me. I’ll see you Sunday afternoon—and Serena—No! And he hasn’t complained.
She stretched out on the couch and closed her eyes, thinking about last night. As their bodies had come together last night, the passion swimming in his eyes and the feel of him loving her had coalesced, and she knew in that moment it didn’t matter if they’d been together a week, a month, a year, or ten. She was falling in love with Matt Lacroux, and she had been for a very long time.
Matt came out of the bedroom a few minutes later wearing nothing but a towel and a pair of black-framed glasses. Her jaw dropped open. Her naughty-professor-slash-coed fantasy sprang to life in vivid color.
He chuckled, rounding the couch.
“If you changed your mind about calling Hagen, we should probably do it now.”
