The Trade(38)

“Is it that bad?”

“Doubt the other guys can tell, but I know what you’re doing.”

“Why does half her ass have to be out? Her brother is here; doesn’t she care about that? Look at Milly, she’s wearing a respectable one-piece.” She’s the only one wearing a one-piece.

Carson quietly chuckles. “Clearly you haven’t truly looked at your sister if you think her one-piece is respectable. The damn thing is all cut up in the front, she is practically naked.”

“What?” My scowl deepens. “Do I need to talk to her about modesty?”

That makes Carson throw his head back this time, his laugh grabbing everyone’s attention. He shakes his head and says, “Talk to her about modesty, and I go over to Natalie right now to let the cat out of the bag. I love seeing my wife confident in her body and showing it off.”

Grumbling, I say, “Fine.” Although it does make me wonder. Is Natalie confident in her body? Some women flaunt every bit of skin they can because they’re desperate for attention. But Natalie simply looks comfortable. Natural. And hopefully, that means she’s confident too. She should be. She’s fucking hot.

The boat slows as we approach an island in the middle of the crystal-blue ocean. It’s not very big at all and it’s covered in vegetation, but apparently underneath where we’re floating is the true show. Buck Island was named a national monument in 1948 to preserve the magnificent coral reefs. Over eighteen hundred acres of protected sea life rests beneath us, and it has one of three underwater trails in the United States, making it a popular tourist attraction in St. Croix.

And yet, as the captain is getting us ready, all I can think about is Natalie and how the life vest she’s wearing is propping her tits up into her neck.

“Everyone is suited up. Do we all remember our snorkeling instructions?” the captain asks, nodding his head, encouraging us to do the same. “Let’s take a group picture quickly and then find your partner; we’re keeping this a buddy system.”

Of course. Because why wouldn’t we?

We all get together on the boat, wave our arms in excitement with Buck Island in the background, and take a picture. Then, just as I thought, the couples snuggle up to each other leaving Natalie and me to partner up.

Tacking on a smile, I walk up to her and say, “Care to be my partner?”

Her easy demeanor while hanging out with the girls on the front of the boat quickly disappears as she looks up at me. Our snorkeling gear is in our hands, and there’s a good two feet of distance between us. “I can partner up with the instructor if that’s easier,” she says with little to no life in her voice.

She’s not subdued or even submissive at this point. It’s as if life was knocked out of her, or at least when I’m around, which makes me feel fucking “great.” Insert a sarcastic thumbs up here.

Sighing, I push my hand through my hair and bend so she has to look me in the eyes. “Hey, I’m sorry about what I said at the restaurant. I was trying to make a joke and it came off all wrong.” I tip her chin up, careful not to be too intimate. When her eyes connect with mine, I feel the air seep from my lungs, as if there’s a hole somewhere, leaking everything out. Fuck, she’s so goddamn beautiful. “I’m sorry,” I repeat. “I would love nothing more than to partner with you.”

She nods, but it’s a lackluster nod, which makes me wonder, is she one of those people who needs time before they’re back to normal?

Knox and Emory are the first in the water, followed by Carson and Milly, Dottie and Jason, and then we’re up next. Everyone jumped in the water holding hands while doing some stupid noise so I figured, why not us too? I go to reach for her hand to bridge the gap between us but before I can make contact, she pencil jumps into the water without me.

Ohh-kay.

Still upset.

Noted.





Something you forget while snorkeling is there’s no way for you to communicate to your “partner” other than using hand motions, you know, because your mouth is suctioned around a tube that helps you breathe.

It’s rewarding, because it’s so silent and beautiful, but when you see something exciting to show your partner, you end up flailing around in the water like an idiot trying to get their attention.

At least, that’s what I did at first because Natalie refused to be close to me. Her buddy system protocol needs some work. But that ended after the first ten minutes, because I was over the flailing. So I swam closer to her, took her hand in mine, and didn’t let go. She was very hesitant at first, actually thrashed a bit, demanding to be released, but I didn’t let up. Together we had to figure out how to swim and enjoy the experience without getting sucked up by the ocean.

And it was beautiful—once she calmed down. Blue tangs swam around us as we traversed the underwater trail, taking in the large, untouched reefs, the water so clear we can see many tiny fish living their life amongst the brightly colored coral. It was unlike anything I had ever seen and once we hit the end of the trail, we were shocked to be greeted by a sea turtle, gracefully floating with the waves.

To say it was magical is an understatement. But that magic was broken when we surfaced, as Natalie let go of my hand, and then swam to the boat, leaving me to float on my own.

Well, at least it’s peaceful out here. Instead of heading to the boat right away, I hang out in the water, letting the waves rock me up and down. I take in the scenery, the way the blue of the sky differs from the blue of the ocean. The water is more aquamarine compared to the royal blue of the sky. There are few clouds, so the sun shines brightly on my torso, heating it, only for the water in return to cool it.