Reckless Abandon(34)

“You’re wearing flip flops!” I say, completely surprised. “I thought you hated them.”

Asher flashes me a grin. “I’m doing a lot of things these days I thought I’d never do.”

We walk over to the dock area where the same boat Asher had the other day is waiting.

“Does Devon mind you taking his boats out all the time? Won’t you get in trouble?” I ask as I climb onto the boat. I turn around and Asher is looking at me like I have an orangutan sitting on my head. “What?”

He walks forward and kisses my lips. “Nothing. You’re cute.” Asher must catch my eye roll because he adds, “Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls who hates to be called cute?”

I cringe at the word. Saying a girl is cute is like saying she’s your little sister or some small thing that needs care. I much prefer being called bold, accomplished, or successful. Not cute.

I scrunch my nose at Asher and shake my head letting him know I am not a fan of the word cute.

He laughs. “You’re not helping your case.”

I lean my weight onto one foot and give him a stare-down. Asher stops laughing. His tongue skims his lip as he places his arms around my waist and pulls me back into him.

“I take it back. You’re not cute.” His eyes looking directly into mine. “You’re talented. You’re feisty. You’re mesmerizing. You’re captivating. And you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life.”

Yeah, those words will do.

With a soft kiss on my neck, he releases me, leaving me breathless and brimming. I set my rose down and watch him untie the boat from the dock. His shirt is clinging to him, showcasing the deep curvature of his muscles and the two divots at the bottom of his back.

I am staring at the perfection that is Asher when he turns around and stops, looking startled. “Wait. Where’s your sister?”

“She’s not coming.”

It must be the thing he wanted to hear because Asher gives me a smile the size of Ohio.

“Lucky boy,” he says, walking past me to start the engine while the boat drifts from the dock.

I take my place, standing in front of the chair I sat in last time. We’re not going fast at all so I choose to stand up and hold on to the panel in front of me. I love being on the island of Capri but not as much as I love looking at it. I know we have “mountains majesty” back home but this place is just surreal.

Asher grabs my arm and pulls me into the spot between his legs and drives holding on to me. This isn’t a lesson in driving like it was the other day. This time, it’s out of pure need to be next to me. I settle in as the boat skips over waves and sea spray mists around us.

The waves and wind in our ears make it hard to hear anything. That’s okay. I don’t need to hear anything. I have the intense feeling of Asher behind me, the smell of the sea and the sounds of ocean. I use the hymn of the motor humming and the sound of it muffling with each crash down on a wave as a down beat in my head. Soon a chord plays over that and I hear the sounds of my violin. The chords build up and I hear them playing out an amplifier, and then another violin joins in and then another until there is an electronic symphony in my head. It is exactly the sound I was working on before the accident.

Before I couldn’t play anymore.

Before I couldn’t feel anymore.

I’m torn between feelings of excitement for my breakthrough, or fright for what it could mean, when the boat starts to slow down. So caught up in my own head, I didn’t realize Asher had released me.

I crane my head back to look at him. His gaze is fixed ahead. His face is pensive, lost in thought. I don’t know when the mood changed. I look around at my surroundings and see water on all sides of us, the island lost in the distance.

Asher turns off the engine. This should be about the time I wonder if the hot guy I met on vacation is really a murderer who dumps bodies in the middle of the ocean. If that’s the case, I should have a weapon and, unfortunately, all I have is a rose.

I remain standing by the controls while Asher walks down to the lower cabin. He stays down there for a few minutes and comes back with a cardboard box and places it on the floor at the back of the boat.

The boat is moving up and down, riding waves from the current of a large ship that passed us. By the time the boat settles down to a calming bob in the water, Asher is standing at the back of the boat, staring out in the sea.

With his hands placed on his hips and his head bowed, Asher breathes deeply. I maintain my spot by the controls and watch him. We stand in silence for a long time. I’m not sure how long, because I’m not wearing a watch, but it feels like a long time.

Finally, Asher turns around and lifts the cardboard box off the floor and opens the top. From inside, he takes out another box. This one is a black cube. It’s a thicker material than the cardboard and from the way Asher is handling it, I can tell its contents are important. He holds the black box in his hands for a moment, staring at it and not saying a word. His expression is solemn and distant.

Asher breathes in deeply and when his head lifts and sees me still standing by the controls, his expression softens.

“This is my grandfather.”

His grandfather? In a box? This is so not how I saw the day playing out.

“Nice to meet you?” I say to the box with an awkward wave.