Page 71 of Diving In

“One tiny little problem.” I grinned, rolling off him and positioning myself in a seated position as he stood. “I got the anchor stuck on something and can’t get it back up. See, that’s the whole reason I’m hiding on top of a toilet instead of trying to make it back to the marina,” I said, tousling with my hair.

He ignored me as he peeled off his PFG, revealing his ungodly body. The one that I was craving so fucking badly that I couldfeelthe hunger in my belly revving back up. It wasn’t that I hadn’t seen it before, it was just that I was able to drink it in now… every single defined muscle of it.

Lost in my daydream, I almost missed it when he turned around and dove off the back of the boat. I leapt to my feet. As soon as his body went beneath the surface and was no longer in my line of sight, I felt the desire transition to uneasiness. I knew he would be fine… It was just a little too familiar. Too close to home.

I held my breath until he finally reappeared, and he wasn’t empty-handed. In one breath, he’d made his way down, unhooked the anchor, and emerged from underneath the surface, one very muddy anchor wrapped between his fingers.

“That’s my girl!” he cheered. “You hooked it between two rocks so it had sunk into the mud,” he continued, not realizing that what he’d just said had automatically granted him access to any and every inch of my body.

He tossed me the rope before he made his way to the ladder on the back of the boat. Securing it, I dashed to meet him as he climbed out of the water. As soon as he stood, I wrapped my arms around him, squeezing him tightly before looking up at him.

He placed his finger under my chin as his thumb rested on my lower lip. “It’s okay, G,” he said, clearly catching on to my emotions as he pressed his salty lips to mine.

I pressed my cheek against his chest, still wet from the ocean, and gripped him tighter before releasing him.

Making my way to the bow, I tugged at the rope before slowly placing the anchor neatly below, just like Jack had taught me. Cal snuck up behind me. I could sense his warm, wet presence behind me—not quite touching me but not far away either.

“Goddamn, Georgia. The way you handle that rope might just make me change my mind about bending you over the bow of this boat,” he muttered as he wrapped his hands around my waist and squeezed just once before letting go.

I was going to literally melt if I didn’t get my hands, my mouth, and everything else on him as soon as possible.

Strutting my way back to the captain’s seat, I caught him staring at me before I sat down. He swiftly moved to the side of the boat where he’d secured his jet ski earlier.

If he was going to play this game, then so was I.

“All set,” he stated.

As he redressed, I turned the key and pointed us in the direction of the Sand Dollar Cove Marina, but not before I did a little teasing of my own.

“Damn, that summer storm really brought the heat,” I said, tugging my shirt over my head to reveal my skimpy swimsuit.

I knew what I was doing, and I was 100% okay with that. In fact,I was enjoying it.

I turned my head just enough to see Cal’s mouth slightly ajar, his tongue tracing his plump bottom lip as he tried to restrain himself.

I wasn’t sure what lied ahead of us, but I knew I was damn excited to find out.

CHAPTER 27

Igently guidedThe Naomiright back into her slip, grinning to myself because Jack would’ve been proud and Fletcher wouldn’t have believed me. Fletcher always used to give me a hard time for my boat driving skills. Honestly, I never blamed him because my slip parking was normally atrocious. Unfortunately, I couldn’t even brag to Cal, because he’d untied his jet ski just before we got back to the cove and teetered it back to its own slip.

After the boat was secured, I made my way up the dock and spotted Cal’s Jeep in the parking lot almost immediately. I made my way toward it, leaning against it while I waited for him to meet me here like we agreed. I pulled out my phone and was mindlessly scrolling when I heard the crunch of the gravel.

“Didn’t expect you to beat me,” he hollered as he trekked up the path.

He didn’t go in the direction of the driver’s side, instead stopping just short and letting his blue eyes flash toward me. He paraded his way to the passenger side, pinning my back against the door. His hands hovered just above my head, his grip tightening.

“I’m full of surprises,” I said as I bit my lip.

He released his left hand to trail his pointer finger down my cheek, stopping on my lips. “Surprises are my favorite,” he whispered.

My lips quivered against his warmth, and I leaned in, begging him to let me feel more of him. Instead, he pulled away, and with it came a low groan from the back of my throat.

“You’re such a fucking tease, Callahan Thomas,” I huffed. He stepped back and rotated his feet, walking around to the driver’s side, the biggest grin plastered across his beautiful face.

“Where to?” he asked, turning the key in the ignition.

“Home,” I said, a smile on my face.

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