“What are you doing?” I asked him curiously.
He glanced at me. “Saying a prayer to all the gods I know. Particularly Poseidon.”
I snorted. Only Dean.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he jumped in the water.
I half expected him to scream the moment the water touched his skin, but he kept it together.
I dove in only seconds later.
The water was colder than I expected. Not freezing, certainly, but not warm either.
A splash beside me signaled that Jeremiah had joined us in the water.
“You okay?” I asked Dean.
He waved his arms to keep afloat and looked around and around, like he expected a Great White to emerge from the depths to eat him.
If only we’d be so lucky as to see one of those majestic beasts up-close.
The others swam away, but I stayed close to Dean. I didn’t want to leave him alone. I waited patiently while he got up the nerve to swim around.
Once he did I stayed by his side, actually taking his hand at one point to remind him I was there and he wasn’t alone in the middle of the ocean.
I looked down in the water, but it was so murky it was hard to see anything, which was disappointing.
“This isn’t so bad,” Dean replied when he lifted his head from the water. His hair was now wet and curled on the ends as it stuck to his forehead, coupled with the goofy goggles, I found him endearingly adorable.
“See!” I smiled, swimming around.
I was disappointed that we couldn’t see much and soon we all grew too cold to stay in the water.
Climbing back in the boat Dean tossed me a towel before grabbing one to dry himself off with.
“You lucked out,” I told him.
“The gods heard me.” He winked.
Shivering, I wrapped the towel around my body. Dean stepped forward, enveloping me in his arms. His warmth was welcomed. He brushed away the stringy wet hairs stuck to my forehead and bent to kiss me. I reveled in the feel of his lips. I felt like I hadn’t been properly touched by him in months, when in reality it had only been hours.
Jeremiah had packed a cooler full of drinks and sandwiches—and even a bag of Cheetos, which he tossed at Ollie.
Ollie’s hand shot up and grabbed the bright orange bag before it could fly overboard into the ocean.
Liam strode up to the cooler, running his fingers through his dark wet hair.
While Dean and I were bundled up in the towels, the others acted as if they weren’t cold at all, and that was probably true since they were used to the icy water.
I smiled happily when Liam grabbed a bottle of Dr. Pepper and drank that instead of a beer. He didn’t make a big show about it either, to try to prove a point, so that told me it was an unconscious decision.
“Liam said you guys would want Orange Crush.” Jeremiah pulled out two bottles and tossed them our way, each of us catching one.
I couldn’t believe Liam had remembered that Dean and I drank Orange Crush.
“Thanks.” I nodded to both guys.
Jeremiah squatted again, rifling through the cooler. “I’ve got turkey and ham sandwiches, which do you guys want?” He asked us first.