Page 22 of Lights, Camera, Love

“You don’t have to go deep in order to get the full experience. Just stick near the surface and I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

That’s what she said.I stifled my laugh and kept on, trying to smooth over that unconvinced look on her face. “But hey, if you don’t believe me, at least believe the show and the crew. They still need us for a few weeks. That pretty much guarantees they wouldn’t put us in any kind of jeopardy.”

Sophie rolled her eyes, but some of the nervousness fell away with the logic.

“How about this? I’m willing to bet once we’re in the water, all your fears will melt away and you’ll enjoy yourself.” I leaned in, trailing my lips along the shell of her ear. “How about a little wager? If I’m right, you move to my bed tonight?”

Cheryl might be put out at the change, but yesterday, we’d talked about getting to know everyone. I hoped that included Oliver, because if everything went how I imagined it would, they’d be sharing a bed tonight. Speaking of, she and Oliver were walking side by side a few paces ahead of us, and judging from the flirty looks she was giving, it seemed she wouldn’t mind one bit.

There was no hiding the response Sophie’s body had to that idea. Despite the balmy climate, her arms broke out in gooseflesh. When I pulled away, she looked over at me again, those brilliant hazel eyes shining with desire and, if I’m not mistaken, a little less fear than before.

“Mmm,” she said noncommittally. “And if you’re wrong?”

I shrugged. “I won’t be. But let’s pretend for a minute that I am—you know, just for argument’s sake.” I laughed, easing some of the tension and trying to bring a smile to her face. “What do you want, Sophie?” Her name came out as more of a growl than I intended. Visions of her praising me as she cashed in whatever reward she demanded flitted through my head. I batted those away quickly; there would be time to ease into my kinks later, and I didn’t want to risk scaring her off so soon.

She mulled over my question for a moment as we continued toward the boat hand in hand. Then her already shining eyes got even brighter. “If you’re wrong, you move to my bed.”

Victory!

“Deal,” I agreed with a grin, releasing her hand and wrapping an arm around her sun-warmed skin. I pulled her in close so I could kiss her temple.

We reached the boat, and the others were already clambering aboard. We followed suit, finding a medics that Sophie eyed warily, three cameramen, Jess, and crew to oversee the boat and the equipment.

I steered Sophie toward the bench farthest away from Oliver because today was about having her focused on me as much as I was on her. The Brit had already encroached on my alone time with her this morning. I wasn’t letting that happen again.

I sat on the foamy bench cushions and pulled her next to me as the boat bobbed away from the dock. We took off then, speeding past a few other islands, each one smaller than the little slice of paradise we were living on. The wind whipping around us made conversation hard during our journey, but it didn’t take long to reach the dive site. There were buoys marking out the area, crystal clear water, and the call of seabirds. In a word, it was heaven. Beneath the surface, looking closer than possible, was a seabed with bright fish darting back and forth, clusters of coral, and white iridescent sand sprinkling the spaces between.

While we’d motored away from our little slice of paradise, the sunscreen bottle had made its way to us. I had never been more meticulous with sunscreen in my entire life as I rubbed it onto Sophie’s back, along her arms, and even down her legs. Was that much touching, rubbing, and massaging entirely necessary? Yes. Yes, it was.

Sophie was looking at the flippers, mask, and snorkel I offered with trepidation.

“Come on, Soph. You can do it.” As I kneeled before her, I lifted one of her feet, noting her pretty pink nail polish, and slipped on a flipper. I ran my fingertips along the sole of her other foot, tickling and distracting her while also hoping I didn’t end up with a kick to the jaw.

It worked. She canted her head back and laughed, letting out the most genuine laugh I’d ever heard from her.

How was I so enamored so quickly? This type of infatuation never happened to me. I’d never found myself this deep, this quick, and to be honest, I was a little unnerved by it. Instead of pushing her away out of fear like I might have done at home, I was going to embrace her and the feelings she had unearthed. While my TikTok thirst traps had done well with women and some guys who insisted on addressing me asDaddy—which wasn’t my thing but made me feel pretty damned good about myself—I was bad at seeing relationships through. Things always started out well enough, but within two months, it always fizzled out. Or I got distracted. Or those little personality clashes became too much. I was here, hoping I could see what it was like to be with someone all the time, and figure out if it was a me problem or just a chemistry problem.

Looking at Sophie now, I couldn’t imagine getting bored with her and her brand of fun.

“Diego, please,” she said between gasping breaths.

There went my cock again, letting fantasies run amok and hardening at hearing those words and those little gasps.

My fingers stilled, and I smiled up at her. She looked beautiful. The blue of the sea complimenting her tousled honey-blonde hair, the sun shining down on her lightly tanned skin, and the smile stretching across her face only made the kindness in her hazel eyes more noticeable.

I used the alphabet trick again, took a deep breath, and replied, “Let’s get to diving.”

After securing the second flipper, we listened intently as a crew member pointed out some safety information and the unique features of this diving spot. He was quick but thorough, and after a bit of coaxing—and the “penguin walk” as Sophie had called it—she and I were standing side by side on the deck.

“Trust me?” I asked as the snorkel hung limply from its connection on my mask.

She shook her head but smiled, looking ridiculously cute and reluctantly excited.

“You can do it, Sophie!” Jess called as she emerged from below deck. She had started looking a little green as soon as we pulled away from the dock and had hidden below. Personally, I thought being top deck in the fresh hair would have been better for seasickness, but she disappeared before anyone could offer a suggestion.

“Jump on three?” I took Sophie’s hand and didn’t mention the tremors I felt while holding it.

She nodded, keeping her eyes trained on the water below.

---