Page 97 of All The Way Under
“When we got back to the States, I took it to my dad’s friend, who is a jeweler. It looked like just a dark blue rock when I found it. He turned it into that. I don’t know fuck-all about jewelry, but I designed the setting and stole one of your rings for twenty-four hours so I could get your size. It was a mission in and of itself.”
“I’m so impressed. It’s the color of your eyes. It’s perfect.” I shiver.
He pulls two notecards out of his back pocket and holds one in each hand.
“I planned a few things, but I wanted to make it fun. Pick one.”
“Right,” I say, grabbing the one on my right and reading it. “It says, Brody McCoy is certifiably insane.” I flip it toward him. “Night swim? Are you crazy?”
“There are no sharks here. It’s too shallow. Just a quick swim so we can say we did it,” he says.
“I don’t even know who you are anymore,” I say, folding my arms. “What’s the other card say? I pick that one instead. Black water swimming is terrifying, Brody.”
“It’s sailboat sex,” he says coyly. “Which we can do after we swim.”
I take off my dress to expose my bikini and toss it down into the berth.
“Take off your clothes,” I order. “The sooner we dunk ourselves in that ocean, the sooner we can move on to more entertaining, safer options. Plus, I have a gift for you too.”
He’s undresses, except he doesn’t have a bathing suit underneath.
“Oh, this is just not fair,” I say, licking my lips. “I’ve waited a year for this, and you’re going to parade it around, yet make me wait?”
His smile is white against the dark sky, and his dick, like it always is around me, is hard.
“You could make it fair if you wanted to.”
“Skinny-dipping? Here?”
He nods firmly. “Break some rules, Wyndham. We’re living a little tonight, McCoy style.”
And I do. First, I make him check the sonar system to make sure nothing big is swimming near or under us, then he holds my hand, standing starboard, and we jump off the gunwale.
The water is electric cold, but Brody pulls me into his body—his warmth—and I stop shivering. He treads water so easily. I just lean my head against his wide chest and savor the closenessand this connection. The embrace is gentle, but his arms are strong.
“I feel like nothing can touch us here,” I whisper.
“Nothing can ever touch us. I will always protect you,” Brody replies, bringing my ring up to kiss it. “Look. The bioluminescence.”
The tiny blue lights float and sway in the distance like stars trapped in the ocean. That’s always what I think about when I’m sailing at night, and I see the living light the marine plankton emit. It’s alive, just like the stars, swirling and warping with the waves, never breaking, always flexing. Always bright and stunning.
Brody pulls me down and kisses me underwater, just for a few moments, running his hands over my breasts and down my sides. The warmth from his hands sends a thrill through my body, my stomach flipping with excitement. We surface, bodies entangled as he swims us toward the ladder and lets me climb back on board first.
There are two big towels folded nearby. I grab one and drape it over my shoulders. I hand a towel to Brody, and he does the man thing, dries his hair, then a half-assed towel off for his body, then wraps it around his hips.
I head to the berth where it’s always warmer and climb onto the edge of the king-sized bed. The tray of food is in the center, so Brody gets on the other side.
“From the moment I began working on this fucking time suck, I thought about you. I wanted to show you stuff as I went. It almost made it bittersweet because I couldn’t.”
“Or it makes it sweeter now because I can see how well it came out. You did a fantastic job, Brody.” I pause. “I got you a little gift too. Let me give it to you,” I say, reaching into my tote bag and handing him the box.
“When I sailed around the world, I did stop in Madagascar. Not because I’m crazy, and only for a brief stint to get some of the sand.” I pause as he opens the box, eyeing what’s inside. “The cage wasn’t there anymore, but of course I knew exactly where it was. They did convert it to a base like you said, but I talked them into letting me do this.”
I look away, hoping this brings back the same sweet memories as it does for me.
“Sand is mostly silica or quartz. You can heat it, and silica can crystallize into a gemstone.” I nod at the leather bracelet he’s tightening on his wrist. “I was going to have Cat give it to you if the wedding run-in didn’t go the way I wanted. I thought you should always have a piece of that time. To remind you of how sweet life can be in the middle of madness and desperation.” I swallow down the emotion. “I still think about our time there, and the good outweighs the bad.”
“Saylor, I don’t know what to say,” Brody says, voice breaking on the last word. “I love it.”
