Page 67 of This Could be Love

I mechanically looked to my right.

“Other side.”

I realized why he was so amused when I turned to the left and found myself looking into a sea turtle’s almond-shaped eyes. There were no words. I was simply speechless, overwhelmed, shocked, and enraptured.

“There-there!” I stammered, pointing frantically at the spot where the head of a sea turtle had just poked out of the water. In the meantime, the animal had gone under again and was movingtoward Vince just beneath the surface. “It’s-moving-toward-you-it’s-moving-toward-you!” I squeaked and felt adrenaline shooting through my veins. Although I was pointing at the turtle with my index finger, Vince’s eyes were resting on me. And he smiled so adorably that even I forgot for a second what was happening. That I was experiencing a sea turtle in the wild for the first time in my life.

“There’s another one,” he said, and I wondered how on earth he could smile at me while watching the shell of another turtle protrude from the water behind me.

“Wow! That one’s even bigger!” I said.

“Thehonucan grow to be almost five feet long.”

My eyes grew wide in amazement. The one that was swimming past me was maybe a foot and a half and that was intimidating enough.

We pulled up our masks to follow them and exchanged one last look before going under. Vince wagged his head to show me the direction we were going to swim, and I nodded and followed him. Although we were barely below the surface, it was completely silent. Peaceful. As if time stood still. Fascinated, I took in everything happening around me: the colorful fish crossing my field of vision, the algae and aquatic plants moving rhythmically back and forth, the sand I was stirring up with my movements. And Vince, swimming with long, strong strokes next to me and pointing out something every now and then. His eyes were more schooled than mine, and he grasped everything more quickly. And he was the one who pointed out the turtle that was swimming just a few feetbelow me. At first I was startled by the shadow, then curiosity and fascination took over. I swam alongside it at the appropriate distance, looking at its shell and fin-like feet. Its face, which radiated something old and wise. For a moment, I wanted to hold onto and preserve the happy feeling that was threatening to make my chest explode. With a blissful smile, I let the animal move on and returned to the surface. Vince came up next to me.

“All good?” he asked.

His voice was distorted through the snorkel. So as not to sound the same way, I pushed mine to the side.

“Great,” I replied, somewhat out of breath. “It’s just all a little overwhelming.”

“Yeah, it is.” He pointed toward the shore. “Break?”

I nodded, and we swam back. Wading out of the water, I realized that we’d been snorkeling for almost forty-five minutes. Worn out and wet, I plopped onto my towel and watched Vince begin to mess about with the cooler.

“Hungry?”

“Yeah,” I answered without missing a beat. I hadn’t eaten anything since my midday snack and my stomach had been growling so loud underwater it was a wonder I hadn’t scared off the sea turtles.

“Well, I’ve got some wraps. Or crackers and cream cheese. And cheese cubes. What would you like?”

“All of it?”

He laughed.

“Watersports seem to make you hungry. I noticed that when we went surfing.”

No sooner had he finished saying it than my head was full of images and memories. Kisses, touches, sighs, wet skin,nakedskin. It looked like Vince was thinking the same things. Or, well, at the very least he had a particular look in his eyes before he cleared his throat and asked if I’d like any water. I nodded and took the bottle. He opted for Coke again, unscrewed the cap, and sat down next to me on my towel. Not enough for our thighs to touch, but close enough to be able to smell the remnants of suntan lotion on his skin.

“You make these yourself?”

“Uh…no.” He smiled impishly. “But I cut the cheese cubes myself, if I get any extra points for that.”

I raised a brow. “You need some?”

“Well, after the rough start there, a few probably wouldn’t hurt.” He opened the package of crackers and stuffed a few into his mouth. We chewed away in peaceful silence. “In any event, I’m glad you decided to stick around,” he said and looked at me.

“I’m glad thatyoustuck around,” I replied with a nod and took a bite of my wrap.

Smiling, he lowered his eyes.

“What’s so different about this one here?” I asked, sticking my index finger beneath my bikini strap and letting it snap. “You’ve seen me in a bikini often enough.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He answered throatily,“This one’s…more revealing.”

I was about to deny it but quickly realized he was right. This turquoise bikini was indeed my sexiest. Especially because the bottoms were tied on both sides and sat lower. But that wasn’t the reason I’d chosen it.