Shipwrecked with Mr. Wrong - By Nikki Logan Page 0,37

no larger than the yellow job—and let him put the lightest of the weight belts around her middle. It was too loose by far so he unclipped it and tossed it back onto the sand. The last thing he wanted was for her to panic as the belt pulled her under. He’d never get her back in. He’d have to take it slowly.

The mask fitted but his spare flippers were woefully large on her slim feet.

‘Okay, forget the fins. I’ll be the motor and you can hang on to me.’ Not the worst outcome, a lascivious part of him admitted.

He carried Honor’s mask and snorkel to the lagoon edge. She followed him, showing no anxiety, then unexpectedly turned back.

‘Wait.’ She grabbed the giant-sized towel crumpled up with the snorkelling gear and laid it out on the sand, smiling shyly. ‘I like the way a warm towel feels after a swim.’

Sweet how she stalls. ‘Okay now?’

She nodded. ‘This is my lagoon. I’ll be fine in here.’ She said it as if she were creating reality.

They waded out to chest height and Rob did his best not to focus on the parts of her bobbing above the swell. He fitted his snorkel into his mask and twisted it back out of the way. Then he did the same with hers.

‘Snorkels are like an extension of your trachea,’ he explained, ‘poking above the water. The idea is to breathe in slow and deep as though you were above the water and then breathe out faster and more suddenly, like you were lifting weights.’ Honor looked at him dryly. ‘Sorry, I’ve never taught a woman. How about as though you were a whale clearing your blowhole?’

‘Flattering comparison, but I get you.’

He should have known a nature metaphor would have more meaning. ‘The water’s calm inside the reef so you shouldn’t have water splashing in the spout, but if you do the blowhole thing you’ll keep it clear. After a few minutes you can ease off and only do it when necessary.’

He fitted the snorkel and helped her wrap her mouth and teeth around it. Focus on the task at hand, he told himself as she tested it with her tongue and fitted her lips tightly around the rubber mouthpiece. It was hard not to imagine those lips on him but the cold seawater soaking his lower half kept him focused.

They moved into deeper water as Honor practised coordinating her breathing. Treading water, their bodies drifted closer together and bumped several times. He wondered whether she’d noticed. She didn’t move away.

‘I can’t believe you’ve never done this,’ he said casually. ‘You guys never snorkelled off your boat?’

‘Nate wasn’t much into... Sailing was the only adventurous—’ She frowned defensively. ‘He was very good at what he did.’

But not at seeing what was important to his wife? ‘I’m sure he was.’ He got a feel for the way the water was going, then turned out to the lagoon. ‘Okay, let’s make a start. Hang onto my arm.’

Honor moved to his side, put a hand on his shoulder and tipped her face under. She surfaced almost immediately as they moved off and had to try again. The second time, she kept her nerve and kicked her feet alongside him as he propelled her along.

Rob monitored her breathing—nice and deep in, good blowholes out. He stopped on the island side of the reef and let her take hold of its edge. He was puffing from supporting himself and Honor through the water, but that wasn’t why his heart raced. Having her slippery and near-naked body pressed close beside him made it hard to concentrate. But she needed his help to stay horizontal. She needed all her air in her lungs, not tied up in exhausted muscles.

She kicked her legs slowly, steadying herself between him and the reef ledge. Larger waves came in, splashing over both their faces, and he saw that her mask was half filled with water. He moved in close, hard against her slick body and reached around her on both sides to tighten the strap at the back of her head and drain the water out. The swell pushed her into him rhythmically. This close, he would have to be a eunuch not to feel every feminine curve of her body bumping against him with the water. Her breathing stilled in the snorkel. His chest and hers brushed briefly as he stretched around behind her to fix the mask strap. Her enormous eyes lifted to his