Page 9 of An Heir Made In Hawaii (Hot Winter Escapes)

“I don’t believe you for a second. You deliberately interfered because you saw that I was enjoying myself.”

He sighed, as if he had the right to be impatient with her. “I did not poison anyone, Anika. I did not lie to Adam.”

When he said it like that, her suspicions did sound foolish. But there had been something in his expression, something predatory when he’d looked at Adam, as if he’d wanted to wring the man’s neck.

“Fine.”

A wave smacked into the boat and sent it rocking. She started and stepped back, one foot landing on the trampoline. Nicholas snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him.

Oh, God.

Nicholas’s body was hard and so deliciously warm she couldn’t stop her harsh intake of breath at how good he felt against her. The press of his hips against hers, the hardness of his chest beneath her palms. The faint yet rich scent of his cologne, woodsy mixed with the warm, peppery smell of cinnamon.

She tilted her head back to tell him to release her. And froze.

His lips were less than a breath away. All she had to do was push up on her toes and they would be kissing.

She really wanted to kiss him.

Torn between the desire that had taken root inside her and panic that skittered through her, she lifted her eyes up to his. He was staring down at her, that greedy gleam back and burning in the blue depths, his fingers pressing possessively into her bare back and scorching her skin.

Then it was gone. He kept one hand at her waist and eased back. She nearly reached for him before she curled her hands into fists at her sides.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” And just like that the casual, carefree Nicholas was back. “Ready to snorkel?”

“Yes.”

She started to brush past him, but he laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me.”

“What?”

She whipped her head around and nearly groaned. While she’d been fantasizing about Nicholas’s abs, the rest of the guests had already grouped up. Some were already in the water, swimming about with their snorkel tubes bobbing above the surface. Another quick survey revealed Adam up top with the captain.

She sighed. Her stubborn streak demanded she go into the cabin or back on the trampoline and sunbathe, anything but go snorkeling with Nicholas.

But that would be the ultimate example of cutting off one’s nose to spite their face. The conference registration had included several excursions. While she was looking forward to the waterfall hike tomorrow and a tour of a coffee estate later in the week, she’d been most excited about the snorkeling trip. She loved to swim in the lake back home. Missing out on a chance to swim in the ocean, something she’d never done before, and see a turtle up close wasn’t worth it.

Minutes later, she slipped off the ladder and into the water. Her body, used to the chilly waters of Lake Bled, acclimated quickly to the cool temperatures of the Pacific. She treaded water as she waited for Nicholas, purposefully looking away from how perfectly his black trunks clung to his backside.

Damn Irena and her sharp eyes for pointing out just how attractive Nicholas’s rear was.

Once Nicholas was beside her, she struck out with strong, sure strokes away from the boat. She kept inside the perimeter of the bobbers the captain had tossed into the water but distanced herself from the other groups. A quick glance back confirmed that Nicholas was keeping pace with her. She made a downward motion and, at his nod, dove beneath the waves.

The quietness of the water surrounded her. Peace bloomed in her chest as the tension eased from her muscles. She hung, suspended, thirty feet above the sandy bottom, looking out toward the darker depths that went on for thousands of miles. A sobering and yet awe-inspiring feeling, she thought, to realize how much more there was to the world than her tiny corner of it.

Movement caught her eye. Wonder spread through her as she looked down and saw a turtle swimming beneath her. It was massive, the shell nearly four feet across, its flippers propelling it at a steady yet leisurely pace through the water.

Excited, she turned and grabbed Nicholas’s hand, gesturing toward the turtle. His eyes widened as he glanced down. She saw his eyes crinkle as he grinned around his mouthpiece. Together, they swam down a little more, still keeping some distance so they didn’t spook the majestic reptile, but drawing close enough to see detail like a strand of seaweed trailing in its wake, the small tail peeking out from under its shell.

She waited as long as she could until her lungs started to burn. With one last look, she swam up.

“Oh my God!” she cried as Nicholas surfaced next to her. “Did you see that?”

“I was right there,” he replied wryly as he pushed his mask up onto his forehead.

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