He nods.
“What’s it like?” I ask.
“Modern. Iron, aged wood, glass.”
“I bet it’s gorgeous.”
“I like it.”
“That’s so cool,” I say after a minute. “You’ve done everything you always wanted. Got your degrees, worked overseas, run your own business, built the house you wanted on the property you wanted.” I turn my head and meet his gaze. “I’m sorry I underestimated you.”
He nods and returns his gaze to the house.
I refocus on the land to our right. “I like this spot for the restaurant.” And idea comes to me, and I look at Levi. “Would it be possible to scavenge some of the logs from Grandpa’s cabin and include them in the restaurant?”
I stare at his profile as he considers. Strong jaw, straight nose, full masculine lips. A familiar hunger gnaws at my belly.
“I’ll look into it,” he says. “I’m not sure the land is stable enough to start pulling stuff out.”
“Okay.”
More silence expands between us. We stay like that, shoulder to shoulder, leaning into each other. The quiet is so peaceful, and with Levi beside me, my heart is easy. “Man, I’ve missed this. Missed you. I didn’t realize…”
I heave a deep exhale and push to my feet. I’m restless, needy, and I don’t know what to do to relieve the inner stress. The waves lap against the side of the boat. The sun is barely a glow on the horizon now, but the night is still warm. It’s so blissfully quiet, not another soul in sight.
“I’m going to jump in before we go back.” The decision is spur of the moment, but it still feels right. So right. I turn my back to Levi and strip off my running bra.
“Laiyla…” His voice is part censure, part shocked humor.
“If you don’t like it, just don’t look.” I push my shorts and panties over my hips.
“Jesus Christ.” The raw hunger in Levi’s voice creates gooseflesh over my entire body.
I step to the edge and cut a glance over my shoulder, smiling at the open, hungry way he’s looking at me. Then dive in.
11
Levi
“Fuck me.”
I hold tight to a rail running along the cabin so I can’t go in after her. She disappears beneath the water a long, silent moment that seems to stretch until my lungs are bursting. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath and let it out in a whoosh.
Right when a tingle of concern burns in the pit of my stomach, her head pops above the surface and the sound of her breathing reaches my ears.
“Oh my God,” she says, “this feels so good.” Then she flips and goes back under.
I hold the inside of my cheek between my teeth to remind me what reality will feel like if I trust her with my heart again. My body is having none of it. I’m already hard, growing harder by the second. Nothing better to calm that shit down than dipping in cold water. Everything between my legs will shrivel. And that might be my salvation, because when she pops above the water again, she lies back and floats. The glow from the sunset plays across her breasts and stomach and thighs.
Fan the flames. See what happens. The flame is raging, that’s for sure. The problem is, this wouldn’t be just sex for me. Somehow, it seems to be all I can manage with any other woman, but something I can’t even consider with Laiyla.
She flips and ducks beneath the water again like a fish.
“Fuck it.” I drop the anchor, grip my shirt, and pull it over my head, then shuck my jeans and boxer briefs, diving into the water just as she surfaces again.
I swim beneath her and grab her leg. She squeals, the sound filling my head as I surface. She’s laughing, smiling, a throwback to the girl I once loved so completely. My best friend. My first love. She’s the only thing I’ve ever truly wanted in life.
“Isn’t it heavenly?” she asks, lying back to float again on a sigh.