Page 23 of Michael

Michael frowned. “Okay, I will go and see him personally and entice him to give them up, I just need to do some more digging on him.”

Ambra threw her hands in the air, and Michael being Michael made use of that move to gather her up and take her mind off Coco and Colin for the rest of the night.

But waking up this morning, she felt that something was wrong. She decided to go and get her phone to call Coco before they went out for their swim, but Michael coming out in his black swim trunks had her forgetting what she was about to do.

He was so handsome with his dark hair, silver eyes, tanned complexion, and his tall and muscular physique. When he was happy, mischievous, or having fun, his silver eyes sparkled, making his features light up and soften. And he always smelled so damn good from the musky cologne that he bathed his skin in. The way he was attentive to her and all her needs and made sure she wanted for nothing and pampered her, she sometimes needed to pinch herself. Their time together in Barbados had truly brought them closer to each other.

The chalet had kickstarted their path towards each other, and the island had solidified that connection. It wasn’t just the sex between them—they enjoyed each other’s company. This was more than just friendship. Yes, they joked around and chatted about what they did in their past lives as friends, but there was an awareness between them that also made them see each other in a new light.

Ambra found herself developing stronger feelings for Michael, and she was beginning to realize that he did too. She was so happy and now dreaded them having to go back to reality, which could burst the bubble between them. But she missed her family, and both Michael and her had their careers and families to get back to.

Her thoughts were interrupted. “Catamaran sounds like fun. I have yet to be on one.”

“Me too. A first for both of us.”

He pulled her close “A first for both of us as a couple.”

“A couple,” she whispered.

“Yes. You know that’s what we are. I don’t want to be with anyone but you, and you’d better not want anyone else but me,” he mocked threateningly.

She smiled. “You know better.”

He leaned forward and whispered against her lips as she parted them for him. “Happy about that?”

“Yes.”

“Enough to forgive me for bullying Coco and all the other—”

“No.” She leaned in as if to kiss the disgruntled expression off his face but swerved away and then took off running when he began to chase her.

Chapter 11

Michael toweled himself off after getting out of the water and back onto the catamaran. He spotted Ambra over by the bar. She was chatting with the bartender when she lifted her brown eyes and narrowed them at him. He grinned and burst into laughter, remembering why he had earned that look from her.

They had been given snorkeling gear to explore the water and look at the aquatic life below. While swimming around the boat and other snorkelers, he ended up floating near one of the male crew members, who was surrounded by Ambra and some of the other guests as he talked about the water, the wreck down below, and the turtles, explaining how they would soon be coming to the surface, as he was going to drop food in the water for them.

Michael couldn’t resist and had dived under to Ambra’s legs and feet in the water, sinking his teeth gently into her flesh. This caused her to thrash and scream in fear. He then gripped her ankle as she tried to swim away, pulling her down.

He almost drowned because he was laughing so hard and swallowed so much salt water. When Ambra realized what was going on, she tried to finish him off by drowning him. But she got pulled away by one of the crew members and helped back to the boat with the rest of the people who had panicked in the water when she had let out that blood-curling scream.

As Michael resurfaced, he received some sour looks from several of the guests, while others grinned at his antics. He then turned and enjoyed the turtles that had finally broken the surface; he was in awe of how big and majestic they were.

They were now all back on board, and the Soca music was pumping out of the speakers on board the boat. Michael felt free and relaxed, and he vowed to come back to this beautiful island and the people here. He had been made to feel welcome by the locals everywhere he and Ambra had gone.

He walked up to the bar, hooking his arm around Ambra’s waist, and then leaned over to the bartender to order rum and coke instead of his usual drink. He eyed the mojito that Ambra was now drinking after having tried it earlier in the afternoon at the Rum place. She had liked the white rum, and they had bought a couple of bottles to take back with them.

Michael leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Having fun?”

She gave him a look and snorted. “I was, but then someone decided to prank me. Just wait. Payback will be a bitch,” she promised but then broke out in a grin. “That scream was horrendous, but I thought Jaws had me.”

He laughed. “No, just a love bite from your admirer. I couldn’t resist.”

He walked them out to the mesh at the front of the catamaran and laid out their towels. They sat down, looking out over the water that they were moving through.

Ambra leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed contentedly.