Page 83 of Knot Your Sunshine
My face flames as memories of the beach gazebo flood back… curtains or not, we were very much outdoors.
We could do something similar again, except the three of us…
"Oh, you're blushing." Josh sits up, his smile turning mischievous.
"I—we—" My face burns hotter as I get suddenly shy.
"Are you entertaining the idea?" Josh continues, and Keanu's chest shakes with silent laughter beneath me.
Oh my god. Is Josh actually teasing me?
I sit up, cheeks flaming. "L—let's eat our actual food before this conversation gets any more scandalous."
"As you wish, Your Majesty." Keanu offers another piece of pineapple. "Can't have you fainting from hunger. You'll need your strength for... later adventures."
Josh actually snorts. "Adventures. Is that what we're calling it?"
"Guys." Noa warns, but he's fighting a smile.
Time slips by in lazy contentment as we eat, laugh, trade stories… The sun moves overhead, marking at least an hour passing, though it feels like minutes. Eventually, Noa stands and stretches.
"There's another spot about fifteen minutes up the coast," he says. "Perfect for snorkeling, if anyone's interested."
"Yes!" I scramble up, still clutching a piece of mahi-mahi. "I want to see sea turtles!"
"Your wish is my command." He heads back to the cockpit, starting the engine.
As we cruise out of the bay, I lean back against the deck cushions, completely content. Keanu's fingers find my hair, playing with the salt-dried strands.
"You know what I believed when I was eight?" His voice is lazy, contemplative. "I was convinced dolphins were aliens. Like scouts from an ocean planet, checking if Earth was cool enough to colonize."
"That's actually not scientifically impossible." Josh doesn't even open his eyes. "Given the vast number of potentially habitable—"
"Nerd."
"Himbo."
"Children," Noa calls from the cockpit, voice carrying amusement. "You're gonna ruin the upcoming dessert service."
“Right, almost forgot.” Keanu pulls out another container, lifting sweet slices of dragon fruit. “The worship must go on.”
"Worship?" I arch an eyebrow.
"Mm-hmm." He trails a finger down my throat. "Complete goddess worship."
His words may be cheesy, but the intensity in his eyes, playful yet edged with hunger, sends a tingle straight between my legs.
"This reminds me the ancient Egyptians worshiped some kind of dolphin deity," Josh starts. "In the city of—"
Plop.
A fat water drop lands directly on his nose.
"Oh, how rude of the rain to—"Plop.Another hits his forehead.
We all look up. The sky, crystal blue seconds ago, now hosts a wall of purple-black clouds advancing rapidly.
"What the—"
