Page 85 of Changing Tides

“I figured you’d be tired from the drive and need a nap, so Leia and I are going to go hang out with Sabel at the pool for a while and let you rest.”

“God, you’re the best,” she moans.

“Ariel is going to keep you company,” Leia says.

Amiya looks over at the stuffed toy. “Ah, thanks, babe. We can cuddle.”

She wraps her arms around the doll and stretches out on the sofa.

“We’ll be back in a bit. If you wake up and want to join us, just come over,” I say, and she just lifts two fingers in response.

I’m lying on my stomach on a lounger, my eyes closed, listening to Sabel and Leia playing in the pool when a hand slides up my back.

“Hey, sexy. Wanna go for a boat ride and grab lunch with me?” a deep voice murmurs in my ear.

I open one eye and focus on him.

Damn.

“Now?” I ask.

“Yes.”

I bear up and look over at Leia. She’s wearing her arm floats while clinging to a purple pool noodle.

“I already cleared it with Nana. She’s got Leia,” he says.

“Okay,” I agree, and he takes my hand and helps me to my feet.

I pull a sheer green dress over my bathing suit and let him lead me across the street and down the embankment behind the garden, and I halt in my tracks.

“What is that?” I ask.

“It’s a canoe.”

“I thought we were going on a boat ride?”

“Hence the canoe,” he quips as he tries to tug me forward.

“That’s not a boat. It’s a floating log, and I’m not getting into it.”

He chuckles.

“The waves will topple us,” I argue.

“That’s why we’re staying in the Intracoastal Waterway,” he says.

“With alligators?” I screech.

He quirks an eyebrow. “How is it a marine biologist doesn’t know that alligators are freshwater animals?”

“Primarily freshwater. They are known to adapt to brackish waters, and I’ve seen them sunbathing on the banks back here. And even though I find them beautiful, I know enough to not disturb or entice them.”

“Scaredy-cat,” he teases.

“That’s not fear; that’s just common sense,” I insist.

He extends his hand to me. “Promise you’re in good hands. I’ll protect you.”

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