I heard him before I saw him spitting water. “What the hell was that?” he coughed, as I spit out the gulf water I’d just inhaled a gallon of.

Freaking soaked and with my nose and eyes burning, I shivered and crossed my arms over my chest. “I was going to make you give me a piggyback ride,” I tried to explain, still blinking the water out of my eyes so I could see better.

“I could’ve if you’d given me a warning,” he said, laughing easily as he swiped a hand down his face, so much like my Aaron I couldn’t find it in me to regret what had just happened. “My forehead hit the floor and my stomach scraped bottom.”

I shivered again. “I’m sorry. This was a stupid idea. If that’s not a sign I should get out before I get eaten alive, I don’t know what would be.”

Aaron’s hand landed on my forearm before I could take a step toward the shore, and the next thing I knew, that smooth, muscular expanse of his back, with its two little dimples at the bottom, was in my vision. “We’re already wet. Come on.”

I hesitated and Aaron scooted back just a little more so that if I leaned forward just an inch, he’d be right there, pressed up against me.

I could see his profile under the moonlight as he glanced at me over his shoulder. “I can carry you in my arms if you want.”

Aaron carrying me into his arms? Heck yes.

Realistically though, and for the sake of my sanity and feelings, no. Heck no. That was an awful idea.

“No, no, it’s all right,” I said, probably a little too quickly. “Are you ready this time?”

“I would’ve been ready last time if I’d known—”

I didn’t wait after I put my hands on his shoulders and just jumped, again, knees going to the sides of his hips, my forearms locked around his neck so tightly I might have been choking him. Then his own hands were on my butt, and I squeaked as he gave me a boost just a little higher up him.

“Ru, I need to breath before I pass out and we both become shark bait.”

I tried wiggling one of my legs out from around where they were wrapped at his waist, but his palm slapped high up on my thigh.

“Stop. We’ll just go in a little deeper,” he assured me with a snicker.

“Fine,” I mumbled behind him. “But I swear, if we become a shark attack statistic, and it bites me in the face, and the surgeon can’t repair the damage, you’re marrying me so you can look at my face the rest of your life and remember it was your fault.”

He chuckled so quietly as he moved deeper into the water I almost couldn’t hear him. It didn’t take long before we were chest deep in the gulf. The water was hitting me right at my breasts from how high up I was on his back. I could feel him breathing, and I was sure he could feel me breathing and feel my heart beating so fast it almost seemed at capacity.

But I ignored it all. I ignored it all except for the lights coming from the houses on shore when Aaron turned us in a circle. Except for the bright, nearly full moon in the sky illuminating the surface of the glassy water. Except for the feel of Aaron’s solid build in front of me, his hands coming to rest on my calves.

“Nice, hmm?” he asked in a whisper like he was stuck in a trance too.

“Very nice,” I agreed, my mouth just to the side of his ear. “I could get used to this.”

“You’d come in the water by yourself next time?”

I snorted. “Heck no. But if you gave me a piggyback, I’d do it again,” I said, letting my clutch of death go just enough so I could pinch his lean cheek. “Have I told you thank you today for inviting me?”

He made a thoughtful noise. “Not today.”

With my arm back around his neck, I gave him another squeeze and whispered, “In that case, thank you for inviting me.”

And Aaron squeezed my calves as he said right back, “Thank you for coming with me.” And then, “And thank you for writing me for so long.”

This man owned me entirely, and he had no idea. “Don’t thank me for that.”

He turned his head just a little, like he could see me out of the corner of his eye. “Why?”

“Because. Trust me, you helped me out a lot more than I helped you out.”

“Nah.”

“It’s true.”

“No, it’s not,” he argued. “You don’t even know how much I needed your e-mails, Ruby.” There was a pause. “I didn’t even know how much I needed your e-mails.”

I almost gushed sugar out of my mouth, and I definitely had to ignore the warm sensation in my stomach reminding me I was in love with him. I had no business thinking that, especially not when there were so many things he couldn’t tell me. “You had like two other families, too. Don’t give me all the credit. I know how it is.”

Fingertips grazed my calves and I felt him sigh beneath me. “No, you don’t, and I hope you never do,” he said in a voice that sounded resigned or sad, or maybe both. “There are so many things you see and hear that you can never forget or get out of your head, no matter how much you try. It wasn’t until you that I heard myself laugh, Ruby.” That perfect profile tipped to the side and I saw the corner of his eye peeking at me. “You don’t know what that means to me.”

I sniffed, touched by his words, and so freaking in love with this guy I wanted to make a potion that would make him fall in love with me so I could keep him forever. I’d keep spiking him for the rest of my life if I could. All so I could have him.