Your Endless Love (The Bennett Family 9)

“Why aren’t you wearing a life vest?” I ask later as a hotel employee helps us onto a Jet Ski. Alex goes first, sitting in front.

“Because I feel hot as it is. I’ll cook in it.”

So will I, probably, but no way in hell am I going out without one. I’m wearing a wetsuit too, even though I don’t plan to actually touch the water, but you never know. Several brave souls are swimming bare-skinned, but I’d need the water to be at least twenty degrees warmer for that.

I look like a little robot with the neon orange vest reaching all the way to my ass and the black wetsuit. I sit behind Alex, eyeing the water like the fiend it is.

“Hold onto me,” Alex instructs, which I do, wrapping my arms around his middle, my palms flat on his stomach. Yum.

This will be a Jet Ski ride with benefits. I get to feel him up and call it holding on to him. He stirs the motor to life, and I yelp as he propels us forward, scooting even closer to him until I’m pressed tight against his back.

“If you want me to stop or turn around, just say so, okay?” he shouts over the sound of the engine and the water splashing around us.

“Okay,” I yell back.

“But try to relax a bit and enjoy the view.” I try to ease my grip on him and look around us instead of hiding my face in his back. That’s not the point of this outing. If I was going to be a coward, I could have stayed on shore.

After a few more minutes of cowering, I finally sit up straight, holding my hands on the sides of his waist only. Feeling brave, I even push myself back a little on the seat, so I can move freely, turn on one side, then the other. My heart rate slows down gradually, as I immerse myself in the glorious sight. Endless blue sky, endless blue water and beautiful mountains surrounding us. Gosh, the water’s beautiful. I spot one or two multicolored fish swimming leisurely around. Leaning a bit on the right side, I try to make out if one of them is indeed neon green, or if it’s a light trick.

WHAM. SPLASH.

Chapter Sixteen

Alex

It takes me a few seconds to realize that the breeze suddenly hitting my back means Summer isn’t on the Jet Ski to block it anymore. I turn my head wildly a

round, but I can’t see her in the water. Fuck, where’s my girl?

I press the brake, but through sheer residual propelling force, the Jet Ski covers a few more feet before stopping. The second it comes to a halt, I scan the water all around. A knot lodges in my throat when I see a pair of flailing arms almost half a mile away. Jesus, how did I drop her?

Chewing the inside of my cheek, I speed in her direction, stopping when I’m just one foot away and dive right into the water.

“Summer!” I catch one of her hands, stopping her wild flailing, pulling her into my arms.

“I can’t touch the floor. I can’t touch it,” she says feverishly between sobs. Her entire body is shaking, tears streaming down her face.

“Summer, you have a life vest on, and you can swim anyway. And you have me.”

She doesn’t seem to hear a word. She keeps trying to sink deeper, and it takes me a few seconds to realize she keeps hoping she’ll reach the bottom. Jesus, how do I show her she’s safe?

Keeping myself afloat just by paddling with my feet, I cup her face in both hands.

“Summer, look at me.”

She braces her hands on my wrists, her eyes, large and wild, and so damn scared it cuts right through me. “The water is deep here, but you have nothing to worry about. I can’t touch the floor either, but it’s easy to keep afloat. And you have a life vest. You couldn’t drown if you tried.”

She grips my wrists so tightly that my skin hurts, but I wouldn’t care if she stopped my entire circulation.

“H-how deep do you think the water is?” she whispers. Well, shit. I don’t know exactly, but I have to make her focus on something else.

“Let’s get you on that Jet Ski, sweetness. Hold on to one of my arms.”

She releases one of my wrists slowly, then quickly grabs the other with both hands.

“That’s perfect. You’re doing great. Just look at me while I get you on the Jet Ski. Personally, I don’t know why you’d look anywhere else anyway. I’m by far the sexiest thing around.”

She gives me a small smile, but fear still lingers on her features. She doesn’t break eye contact once. She’s putting all her trust in me, and I won’t let her down. When we reach the Jet Ski, I lift her onto it first.