“We’ve got all night. We are taking all night.”
Helpless without the ability to cling to him, he forced me to gain the friction I needed by pumping my hips. That led to a whole new kind of ecstasy for us both. Our breaths came out fast, bodies covered in sweat and lust, we worked ourselves into a frenzy until he let go of my wrists and we collided, hard. Time didn’t exist, though we stole those moments and breathed for only the other. Our bodies molded in the most beautiful way as he took away my fears and I absorbed his hurts.
“You’re still dangerous,” he whispered before we collapsed in a heap, our mouths refusing to separate until the moon disappeared and the stars faded into the morning sky.
Ella’s glee-filled shriek warmed my heart as she pulled out her gift. “Thank you, Koti!”
“You’re welcome. I got a set too so we can snorkel together, and I got one for you too.” Koti tossed the bag my way.
“Thank you,” I said, pulling the mask from the package.
“Welcome,” Koti said, an intimate smile passed between us for a split second before she addressed Ella. “Your fins are on the porch.” Ella raced to the screen door, letting it smack closed. I yanked Koti to me and kissed her soundly on the mouth, sucking on her lower lip before I kissed her just long enough to thank her properly.
“Every day you’re getting worse. You’re going to blow our cover.”
The truth was, I couldn’t help myself. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t resist her. That need was a far cry from the only one I had the day I’d landed on that island. Then I only wanted isolation, now it was hard to imagine being there without her.
She was dangerous for me in every way. I was addicted to her warmth, her kiss, her body.
Not only that, the more time she spent with Ella, the more I was drawn to her. She didn’t treat her like a kid, but a friend, which I respected. She wanted no part of authority and respected those boundaries as well. After her first few days in St. Thomas, Ella made it impossible for Koti to feel left out. She refused to do anything without her. Their fast bond made Ella’s trip much easier to manage. I didn’t constantly have the need to cater to one or the other. If I was honest, it was one of the best times I’d had with Ella. Our first vacation away from Texas just us, father and daughter, a new definition of family.
Except Koti really wasn’t a part of it, so she played friend to both of us. I couldn’t help but get a little sentimental at the sight of Koti when she slid on her mask.
“Now there is a familiar sight.”
She grinned and pushed her chest out. “Except this time, I have miss tits.”
I groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
She bounced from flipper to flipper. “You were all hot and bothered over my mother then, ewww.”
“Hey, she was a retired supermodel and I was fourteen, sue me.”
“Whatever happened to your chipped tooth?”
“The miracle of modern dentistry.”
“You should have kept it, you were a lot cuter with it.”
“Was I?”
“Your freckles are gone too, shame, and a lot of your accent. I would say I improved and you went downhill.” Throwing my head back, I laughed as Ella came barreling through the front door with her flippers attached.
“Let’s go!”
We all made our way down to the beach as Disco avoided the water, barking at the tide. After a day of sun and snorkeling, the girls settled by a fresh fire I constructed, marshmallows roasting.
“This is the life. That’s how you say it right, Koti?”
“Yes. That’s exactly how you say it.”
“I wish I lived here,” Ella piped. “Do you ever get tired of it?”
“Never. And I’ll never leave.”
“Do you ever go back to the States?”
“Technically, St. Thomas is the US.”