Secure Love (Wet & Wild 3)

“It’s not my boat. I’m not buying it. But what if you buy it and don’t like it?”

“I’m sure it’ll fit my needs just fine.”

“Ash, that really isn’t smart. If you want to do this right, you need to look at it. Test drive it. Something.”

“We have a fourteen-day money-back guarantee. If you don’t like the boat once you take it, you can bring it back and have it refunded,” the salesman said.

“Then I’ll take it,” Ash said.

“Ash.”

“Kallie?”

She sighed and that was when he decided to swoop in.

“How about this? I buy the boat, and instead of having it painted right off the bat, you and I take it out for a spin. A night on the water. If I don’t like it with you on it, then I’ll never like it at all. And if there are any issues with it, I’ll know upfront and we can drive it right back into the harbor,” he said.

He watched Kallie ponder his request of her before a grin slid across her cheeks.

“Okay,” she said. “But one night. Driving around. Testing out all of the bells and whistles. That’s it.”

“So where do I pay?” Ash asked quickly.

He bought the boat upfront and the salesman promised to keep it docked until they could get back to it. Ash went back to the hotel to grab a few things he’d purchased before the trip even began, then

he and Kallie made their way back to the dock. He was ecstatic. He wanted to re-create everything about their boat trip together. Minus the storm. He carried some food and drink for them to indulge in, as well as a change of clothes and he saw Kallie had her purse stuffed with a few things of her own.

But if things went his way, she wouldn’t need an ounce of that clothing.

“Remember when we went snorkeling?” Ash asked.

“I do. I remember you being very patient with me,” Kallie said.

“Well, hopefully you remember what I taught you. Because Bali’s coast is rich with sea creatures for us to look at.”

“Wait. We’re going snorkeling again?”

“We are,” he said as he parked the boat in the middle of the ocean.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Ash could see the look of panic on her features. Her eyes darted around the expansive ocean that surrounded them and it made his heart sink. She was afraid of being out there with him. Afraid of what might creep up on them. Ash grabbed the bag of snorkeling gear and went to sit by her and he could see her visibly shaking.

“There are no storms forecasted,” he said.

“There weren’t on the island either,” Kallie said.

“I don’t plan on sleeping much with testing out the settings on the boat. At the slightest hint of a storm, I’m turning this thing back.”

“What if you fall asleep like we did last time?”

“Trust me. I won’t.”

Ash handed her the snorkeling gear and he was relieved when she took it. The two of them slipped into the water and held hands, ducking their heads underneath the ocean’s surface. There were so many magnificent creatures to see, and soon Kallie was pointing them out and hitting him to get his attention. Their flippers carried them farther and they dove deeper than they had on the island, and he watched Kallie’s eyes constantly widen behind her goggles.

He was taken by her childlike awe of the world around her.

Yet another thing that made him fall in love with her.