her feet and began sucking her toes underneath it. Like the ocean itself was a living thing.
And it was time to swim in the waves. She was afraid—she knew there were rocks, creatures, seaweed, any number of things she could stumble into. Her bracers were useless at identifying things beneath the surface, even if she had dared to get them wet.
Instead, she left them on the lounge at the shore and followed Nero into the waves. He held her hand as he led her deeper. The water was almost up to her shoulders. It was getting dangerously deep, and every step might plunge her under.
She chewed her lip and squeezed his hand. If he left her out here, she might get hurt trying to find her way back. Or, more likely, she would not know which way to swim and she would drown. Best case scenario, she might be able to follow the direction of the waves, but she would have no way of knowing where she came out of the water.
“Ssh, sweet girl. It’s all right. Come on.” Nero coaxed her forward. “You can trust me.”
She could. She had trusted him before. But not knowing what was brushing against her legs underneath the water made it worse. When something living—and squirmy—flicked her thigh, she squeaked loudly and jumped forward toward him.
Nero laughed and hugged her. “It was just a fish. The water is filled with them.”
The water was chill, but she didn’t mind the temperature. That wasn’t her issue. It was entirely the unknown creatures and dangers beneath her feet. But he was here to help her. She forced herself to calm down. It took a few long breaths to do it, but she got there.
“We’re almost to a sand bar. I can carry you if you want.”
“No, it’s all right. I trust you.”
He kissed her hand and started leading her along once more. “Do you really?”
“I wouldn’t be out here if I didn’t.”
“But not just here. I mean…overall.” He pulled her up a small incline, and the water was just over the level of her waist. The surface beneath her feet was sandy and smooth. “Do you really trust me?”
She pulled him close and wound her arms around his waist. The water was chilly, but his skin was warm as it always was. She kissed the center of his chest. “I do. Maybe I shouldn’t. I probably shouldn’t. But I do.”
“Thank you, Hope…thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being everything I’ve ever needed.”
He tipped her head up to his and kissed her. It was filled with every ounce of emotion she knew he felt for her. She no longer doubted his words. She no longer feared he’d get bored and toss her aside.
He was hers. All hers. She wrapped her arms around behind his neck and pressed herself flush to him. He tasted like saltwater and a campfire, and it was a wonderful mix. When he deepened the embrace and wound her legs around his waist, she didn’t stop him. When he made love to her like that in the waves, there was only joy in her heart.
The equinox party had been going for hours. It was a constant stream of people, laughter, conversation, alcohol, and the pungent smell of drugs off to one side. She didn’t partake. She knew Nero did from time to time, and she did her best not to lecture him about it too frequently. He was a man of excess. There was no helping it.
After a while, it had become too much for her—the constant noise. The sound was overwhelming to her, and so was the crowd. Hundreds of people were in attendance, and everyone seemed to want to meet her. She couldn’t possibly remember the names of everyone who had come up to shake her hand and chat with them.
Most of them teased Nero lightheartedly about being in love. About finally “picking one woman at a time and not ten.” She knew he had played around, but she wondered exactly how hyperbolic they were being, or if he really had ten women at once.
She opted not to ask.
Ignorance was bliss sometimes.
Nero bantered back with them, all the while hugging her to his side and kissing her temple when they would claim they didn’t believe him. “I don’t care if you believe me or not,” he had answered. “It’s the truth. I love her, and she will be my wife. Eventually. Or she’ll kill me in my sleep, one of the two.”
Then all parties would laugh,