Page 69 of Obsession Under the Southern Stars

Her touch is slow and unhurried, and neither of us speaks while she does it. I’m in a sexual fog by now, aroused by both her firm massage and the way she skates her fingers lightly over my skin. She continues down over my abs, making sure all my skin is covered, then finally reaches the top of my shorts and runs her fingers around the edge. My stomach quivers in response.

She slides a hand over the band and down the front of my shorts.

“Joel…” she scolds when she discovers I have an erection.

I give her a wry glance over my shoulder. “Are you really shocked?”

“I was only applying sun lotion…”

“Yeah, yeah.” I move her hand away.

She returns it. “You sure you don’t want some help with that?”

I move it away again. “Absolutely not. Stop distracting me or we’ll end up in Fiji.”

She moves away. “Spoilsport.”

“Make yourself useful and get me a drink, would you? It’s thirsty work steering the boat while being massaged to within an inch of your life.”

She giggles and retrieves a couple of cans of flavored sparkling water from the chilly bin. “Here you go.”

We pop the cans and drink while the boat skims along the waves. To our right, misty in the distance, are the towns of Russell, Paihia, and Waitangi, while a cluster of smaller islands lie ahead of us. We pass Motungarara Island and Okaru Island,and then ahead of us is Waewaetorea Island, resplendent in the morning sunshine.

I circle the island, heading for the beach on the west side, go right to the northernmost edge of the white sand, stop the boat there, and drop the anchor. Zoe’s right; at the moment it’s impossible to believe there’s going to be a storm later. The sun is rising in the bright-blue sky, while the white sand glitters with gold sparkles in its rays. The hills and valleys of the island are lime-green, while the forested slopes are dark. The sea is cerulean where it’s deeper, and turquoise closer to shore. I itch to slide into the water; it’s going to be warm and silky. There’s nothing like the sensual slide of subtropical water over your skin.

I think of Zoe rubbing in the lotion. Well, almost nothing.

“So many shades of blue,” she says, gazing out at the view. “It’s so beautiful here.”

I toe off my deck shoes. “Come on, get your flippers on and let’s have a swim around.”

“Flippers?” she scolds. “You told me they were called fins.”

“It’s interchangeable, but at MOANA we tend to call the longer diving ones fins and the shorter ones we use for recreational swimming flippers.” I tug mine on, trying not to look as she strips off her shorts, revealing long, lightly tanned, bare legs. I grab a couple of snorkels while she puts on her flippers, and then we go to the stern and sit on the swim platform, dangling our legs in the sea. As I knew it would be, the water is warm this close to shore, and it swirls around my legs, soft and silky.

“Ready?” she says.

The sun’s rays bounce off the metal railing of the boat, incredibly bright; or maybe it’s Zoe who’s half-blinding me. The sea breeze lifts her dark hair. Her skin glistens from the lotion. She looks young, happy, and healthy, the gorgeous day havingblown away the shadow of what happened on the dive. Our gazes lock, and I find myself tongue-tied by her beauty and my feelings for her.

“You know I’m in love with you, right?” I say.

Her eyes widen. “What?”

My gaze drops to her mouth. “I’m just saying.”

Her lips part, and she inhales. “Joel!”

I lift a hand to cup her cheek and brush my thumb over her skin. Then I move it to the back of her head and lower my lips to hers.

It’s possibly the slowest, most sensual kiss I’ve ever had, sitting there on the edge of the boat, the Pacific Ocean lapping at our legs, the boat moving gently with the motion of the waves. The hot sun beats down on us, and my nostrils are filled with the salty smell of the sea and the subtle scent of Zoe’s perfume.

I press my lips across hers, just enjoying touching her in that special, intimate way you only do with someone you really like. I’ve spent so long admiring her from afar, and I feel honored to finally be sharing myself like this with her. I almost don’t want to breathe in case I break the magic.

She tilts her head a little, changing the angle of the kiss, and both our mouths open automatically, while our tongues slide against each other in a sensual caress. Mmm… I’m half tempted to lift her back into the boat and make love to her right now. But I don’t want our first time to be like that, uncomfortable and rushed.

So eventually I lift my head and smile as I caress her cheek. “Come on. The sea’s waiting for us.”

We don our masks and snorkels, lower ourselves into the water, and head toward the rocks at the end of the beach.

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