He tilted his head to the dolphins. "I'll buy you another. Come in before you miss this."
This was one of those moments she'd never forget. Her skin was electric. This was a dream. She swallowed and jumped into the ocean. Peter's arms found her waist and tugged her toward the surface. Her bra needed to go anyway. Once it was thrown on the deck, she splashed and laughed. Then she peered at the ocean waiting, but nothing was there. She spit out the water in her mouth and intended to speak, but then something smooth brushed against her leg.
She covered her lips, unable to breathe a word. Peter took her hand, and she saw even more of his strong muscles. She licked her salty lips but then swallowed the water. She coughed as a dolphin's smooth, slippery skin bopped next to her. Her free hand reached out and petted its long nose. It let her and didn't move for a moment. The dolphin's nose brushed past her lips as it dove beside her.
A giggle escaped her.
Then Peter's arms grabbed hers, and he motioned for them to swim. The smell of oak was still present, so it wasn't any fancy aftershave that made her wish for things she shouldn't. The breast stroke came back to her, and she followed. The dolphins circled them once more and then swam too fast away from them.
They swam for a moment in silence. Peter's hand on hers sent a tremble through her and knocked away her senses. If he held her close or tried to kiss her, she'd let him. Her lips puckered, though the salt water inched into her throat and made her cough.
Peter pointed her to the ship, and she swam on her own beside him.
As they floated, she didn't see a cloud in the sky. This was all like a dream.
Once they made it to the ship, he let her take the ladder first. As she latched onto the metal bars, she told herself to wake up. Then she climbed onto the deck, Peter's shadow covered hers. She squeezed her ruined black dress against the side of the ship to let the ocean have some of its water back.
Peter's arms brushed against hers as he joined her. He made his way right toward the deck chair that held enough towels for both of them. He handed her one and wrapped her in another. His wall of muscles that surrounded her sent her body temperature climbing.
Then he wrapped himself in a towel and said, "Let's get you inside. You're already sunburned. I'll scrounge up some clothes for you to wear."
His tan was perfect. She held her question of whether his color went under his suit. Instead she massaged her neck and followed.
He pointed to a room. "I'll have clothes sent to your room. Meet me in five minutes on the second floor for breakfast?"
She nodded. What else might she say? Then she retraced her steps and returned. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask why he had women’s clothes, but she hadn’t.
She washed off in the bathroom. When she came out, she found a pair of men’s shorts with an elastic waist and a tee shirt. She dropped her clothes in a pile on the floor as she changed.
Five minutes later, she walked into a room a floor above hers and entered a sitting area that displayed a tray of breakfast pastries and coffee. She dried her hands on the towel and then sat. Peter had waited for her without touching any dish, and he stood until she sat. As she lowered herself, he handed her a napkin and retook his seat.
"Does this happen to you all the time?"
"You mean the dolphins?"
"Yes. They’re my personal pets." He poured them both coffees as the engines purred on underneath their feet.
“You’re joking.”
“Yeah.” He handed her the cup. "I don’t know if beautiful creatures like them should be locked up, and besides, I don’t want an aquarium."
“They would require a lot of fish on a daily basis. Not the best pets. Perhaps you should get a dog?” Her fingers ached to touch him. She lowered her gaze. "And does swimming count as something unexpected?"
“No time for the care of any dogs and my maid would not like the extra work, I’m sure.” He added cream to his coffee. His chin bobbed as if he gave her words deep thought. "As for swimming, I'll give that a yes."
A slow smile built on her face. "I wasn't always so hard, you know. Most people would find my kind of fun rather boring."
"If boring is the worst they say about you, then it's not that bad."
"What do people say about you?"
“Much worse.” How his eyes widened made her stomach do a flip. Then he said, "Drink your coffee.”
“What do they say?”
“I don’t care what others say or think, but I've been a selfish jerk for years that never needed anyone."
"You tell yourself you're a jerk but don't see how nice you truly are." She squeezed her hair again and licked her lips. He was hard on himself. "And your siblings clearly love you."
He shook his head. "I don't deserve it."
She placed the coffee on the table and rubbed his knee. "Why?"
He ran his hand through his hair. "They left. I protected them from our father, but I did whatever he wanted. I was Mitch Morgan's heir and entitled to everything.”
“Did you act like your father?”
“I hope not, but he trained me. They didn't have to take the same lessons, over and over again. They didn't watch our mom walk out the door. And when they were big enough, they ran away. Do you know what it's like to be so spoiled and know you are being spoiled because you're the heir? It's like a poison that runs through the veins."
“Don’t torture yourself.” Her own father needed her to ensure that his retirement went well, but he had saved for years. He enjoyed himself now, and the weight on her shoulders wasn't like Peter's. Her legs parted as she leaned closer to him. “You did what you could to help those you loved and didn’t push them away.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You spoke more about caring about your family than you did about being selfish.”
“You really are optimistic.”
"Let me ask you another question. So when you were talking about me doing the unexpected, you were discussing yourself too?"
"No. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want."
"Or do you now act out to spite your father?"
His eyes widened again. "Smart and inquisitive."
The colors in his eyes that swam and fueled her fantasy of this moment didn't matter. She slumped in her chair and picked up her coffee to break the spell she was in. "Besides all your money and power, you're scared."
"Me?" He raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"You don't let people in. Your guard might be stronger than my own."
"The dolphin swim must have really loosened my brain."
Hers too, not that she'd say that. She held her breath and tried to rein in her inhibitions. She glanced out the window, but the distraction didn't work. She was still in this room with him, and it felt cozy and warm.
She sighed. "Tell you what, I don't want to go to your sister's wedding alone to sit with my friends and feel sorry for myself. I have this idea."
"I'm listening."
"Good." She probably blushed as she said, "I'd like for us to stay at each other's side for the day. If you can trust me a little, then I can trust you."