By Sea (11 page)

Chapter 26

“Come on,” Brody said, smiling, as he sat on the jet ski, his hand stretched outward.

Rayna took his hand and stepped onto the jet ski, settling herself behind him, her chest touching his back. She was thankful they both wore life jackets, as she didn’t know if she could take skin-on-skin contact.

“Ready?” Brody said over his shoulder.

“Yes.”

“Hold on!”

Brody gunned the ski, and they took off. Rayna grabbed on to his waist as they flew faster and faster over the water, the loud hum of the motor drowning out most sounds, except Margarita screaming as Jason took a sharp turn, causing water to splash up and fully drench her.

The wind whipped Rayna’s hair around, a light; salty spray of tropical water coated her legs and arms. Watching the scenery fly by exhilarated her as they glided over the water and bounced every now and then as they caught a wave.

Brody headed for one side of the bay. As they got closer, Rayna studied the beautiful houses nestled into the trees, and Brody slowed down.

“See that pink one over there?” he asked, the motor only a low hum now as they almost came to a stop.

“Yes.”

“I heard through the grape vine the Clintons used to rent it out for vacations while they were in the White House.”

The house was massive and very, very pink.

“It’s an odd color for a home,” Rayna commented as she relaxed her grip on Brody’s waist, noting the other homes were more natural colors such as browns and whites, and fit in better with the landscape. “It doesn’t blend in very well.”

“I know,” Brody said, speeding up a bit.

“It seems like they would want to stay in a house that didn’t look like a big target on the side of the mountain.”

Brody turned and smiled. “That’s exactly what I thought, Ms. CIA.”

She grinned. “Great minds think alike,” she said.

“You know the rest of that saying, right?” Brody asked.

“No.”

“The rest of it is, ‘small minds rarely differ.’”

“Let’s just stick with the ‘great minds’ part, shall we?” Rayna asked with a laugh.

Brody chuckled. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”

Rayna returned her attention to the huge houses and wondered who owned them and if they lived there full time.

“It’s really expensive to live down here as everything needs to be flown in,” Brody said, almost reading her thoughts. Was that his supernatural power?

Suddenly, he gunned it, almost dumping Rayna off the back, and she tightened her grip around his waist.

They flew across the bay, and Brody headed for Jason’s wake. As they hit the small waves, the jet ski caught air, and Rayna held on tighter, laughing as the spray coated her face and sunglasses, and she rubbed them to see where they were heading next.

Brody took a sharp turn, and Rayna squealed as she held on tighter to Brody’s waist, her body floating to the side as if she were about to be dumped off.

“Don’t do that, Brody!” she yelled, finally able to clear the seawater from her glasses. “That scared the hell out of me!”

Brody laughed and said, “So, Ms. Badass CIA is afraid of a little ocean spray?”

“You just almost tipped me off this thing!” she continued to yell, but laughed as well.

He came to an abrupt stop and looked over his shoulder. “Do you want to drive for a bit? Would being in control make you happy?”

Rayna tried to ignore the sexual heat she felt at his words and take them at face value, yet images of him tied up on a bed played in her mind. Damn. “Sure!” Rayna exclaimed, and she listened as Brody explained she would need to crawl over him while he steadied the machine.

All in all, his instructions sounded very intimate.

He took her hand, and she stood up, swinging her leg over so that she stood on one side, while Brody leaned to the other to balance the weight. She gripped his arm, his muscle tensing under the skin.

After moving back to where she had been sitting, he patted the seat in front of him. Rayna tried to maneuver her way around his leg in the least sexual way possible, but the jet ski wobbled, sending her off balance. Brody grabbed her hip before she hit the water, and she finally, she got seated without falling in.

Rayna laughed nervously. “I thought I was going in for sure!”

“Me too,” Brody said, his close voice sending a tremor down her spine.

“So what do I do?” Rayna asked, gripping the handles, concentrating on his next words instead of the closeness of his body.

“It’s easy,” Brody said, leaning into her and handing her a plastic cord attached to the jet ski. “First, tie this on to your jacket. It’ll stop the jet ski if we fall off.” He wrapped his big hands around hers and maneuvered her fingers with his. “To go, pull this lever. To slow down, let up on it.”

As he slowly caressed her fingers while showing her the controls, undeniable warmth gathered in her core. “That’s simple,” Rayna said while clearing her throat, anxious to pull the lever.

The jet ski bucked to life, and Brody’s hands snaked around her waist as he pressed his chest into her back. She tried to concentrate on driving, but it was difficult with Brody literally wrapped around her, and now she wished they weren’t wearing lifejackets. Good God, her emotions were all over the place with this guy.

She drove around for a while, the only noise rising above the din of the engine were Margarita’s screams and shrieks. Rayna smiled, glad her sister was having fun.

“We can go snorkeling over there later if you want,” Brody yelled, pointing to the other side of the bay. “Katie said she’s seen turtles over there, so it may be worth exploring.”

Rayna nodded, and leaned into a hard turn. Seconds later, warm water engulfed her. As the lifejacket buoyed her to the surface, she saw the jet ski floating a few feet away. She certainly hadn’t seen that coming. Glancing around, she looked for Brody.

He grabbed her around her waist from behind and pulled her close. Again, she was thankful for, yet cursed, the lifejackets. She longed to be truly next to Brody, but knew the longing had nothing but trouble written all over it. She needed to stay away from this man for so many reasons.

“You okay?” he asked, his mouth right next to her ear. She could feel his breath on her neck.

“Yes. I-I’m fine,” she stammered, pushing away from him despite her desire to do otherwise. “I guess I took the turn a little too fast.”

“Hell, yeah, you did!” Brody chuckled, swimming for the jet ski.

Rayna trailed after him. “Sorry about that,” she said.

Brody reached for the jet ski, grabbing its side and turning to her. “No worries, Rayna. It’s not a big deal—it happens. Besides, you’re cute as hell all wet.”

Chapter 27

The next morning, Brody finished his swim and went to the Bridge to fill out the logs. Margarita and Rayna hadn’t said anything about leaving Magens Bay, but Brody liked to keep moving. Perhaps tomorrow they’d check out the snorkeling at Jost Van Dyke or St. John’s. Another day in Magens Bay, and he’d be ready to go.

He checked all the instruments, satisfied that everything was running properly, then headed downstairs. Rayna and Margarita were in the Main Salon arguing about something in Spanish. As an only child, he’d never bickered with a sibling, but he always assumed people outgrew it. Apparently, he’d been wrong. He watched for a moment as they each became more heated, and then he interrupted them. “What do you two want to do today?” he asked, his voice carrying over the din. Margarita and Rayna both looked at him; Margarita crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged, reminding him of a petulant child. Rayna smiled smugly, as if she’d won the battle, and Brody wondered what they were arguing about.

“What do you suggest?” Rayna asked.

She wore a light blue cover-up, and he could see the yellow bikini strings wrapped around her neck. She ran her fingers through her mussed hair as she waited for an answer.

“It’s up to you. The water is calm, so it may be a good idea to try some paddle boarding.”

Margarita sneered. “That looks like way too much work for me.”

Rayna rolled her eyes and said, “I’d like to try it.”

Brody nodded, and attempted to hide his smile. He had a feeling Rayna would be up for the challenge, and that meant he got to spend more time alone with her. “Okay. Since you’ve never been, I’ll load the boards into the tender, and we’ll start at the shore. It’s a lot easier to get on the board when you have your feet on the ground.”

“Sounds good,” Rayna said, standing.

Brody turned and headed for the bow of the boat. He radioed Jason to help him get the paddleboards into the tender.

“Is Margarita going?” Jason asked.

“Nope. Just Rayna.”

“Do you want me to stay here with Margarita?” Jason asked, his voice hopeful.

Brody chuckled. “Do you
want
to stay here with Margarita?”

“Yeah. I think I may be in love.”

Brody didn’t bother to answer as he united the paddleboards, and he heard Jason pull the skiff to the side of the boat. As he lifted the white boards over the side to Jason, he wondered if Margarita was capable of loving anyone but herself.

Once the paddleboards were loaded, Brody made his way to the back deck where Rayna waited.

The rode the short distance to the shore in silence, and Brody jumped out of the skiff and pulled it up on the soft sand. Rayna got out, and Brody unloaded the paddleboards and set them down.

“This is so pretty,” Rayna murmured. “I can’t believe how soft this sand is. It’s almost like foam or something. I don’t feel any rocks or pebbles.”

Brody looked around the beach. White sand stretched for about a half mile, and behind that was all greenery. There were some little shops and bars made of plywood sandwiched between the trees and beach, and given it was a weekday, it wasn’t crowded. Only a few families milled about, the kids building sand castles, the moms and dads swimming or relaxing in their chairs. Gentle waves kissed the white beach. Yes, it was pretty.

Rayna took it all in, a small smile playing on her lips. Brody inhaled sharply as a light breeze blew her hair away from her face. She was stunning, even prettier than when she visited him in Corpus Christi. It was as if she were in her element here on the beaches of the Virgin Islands.

Shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts, he asked, “You ready?”

Rayna nodded. “I’ve always wanted to try this,” she said, taking off the cover-up and throwing it in the skiff. Brody tried really hard not to stare at how little the yellow bikini covered her strong, sinewy body, but was thankful he wore mirrored sunglasses so she wouldn’t catch his glances.

He explained to Rayna how to get to a standing position on the board while he guided them out to the warm, knee-deep water. “I always found it’s easiest to start on your butt, and paddle out a little bit. Let’s start there.”

Rayna straddled the board, and Brody practically moaned out loud at the sight while getting on his own board. This paddle boarding lesson was either going to kill him, or be an exercise in serious self-control.

“Okay, now let’s paddle out a little bit, and then get on your knees.”

He smiled, thinking of Rayna on her knees in front of him. Oh, man. He really needed to take his line of thinking in a different direction.

After a couple of minutes, they were in deep enough water, and he balanced himself on his knees and stood up. “Your turn,” he said.

Rayna tucked her legs under her and moved to her knees. Laying the paddle across the board, she rolled back to the balls of her feet as the board slightly see-sawed back and forth.

“Now pick up the paddle and stand,” Brody said.

She grabbed the paddle and stood on shaky legs. Seconds later she was in the water.

“Try again,” Brody said with a smile as she heaved herself up on the board, a determined look on her face consisting of her tongue moving over her lips in a very seductive way, but he guessed she wasn’t even aware of. One thing was clear: she wasn’t going to let a paddleboard best her.

She made it to the standing position and turned her head to look at him, a look of triumph in her face. That was replaced a couple seconds later with shock as she lost her balance and went in again.

He laughed and went down to his knees so he wasn’t swimming as well.

“Damn it!” Rayna exclaimed, surfacing.

“You can do this, Rayna,” he said, not bothering to hide his smile.

She looked at him a moment, still in the water, but hanging on to the board. “I’m glad you find this all so funny,” she said with a grin.

“What can I say? It’s always funny when someone falls, Rayna.”

“I bet you’re the type to just about die laughing when someone trips and hurts themselves,” she accused, still smiling.

Brody shrugged. “Yeah, you’re right. Guilty as charged.”

She heaved herself up on the board. “Well, I do that too, and I’d be laughing my ass off if the roles were reversed right now,” she grumbled.

A moment later, she was standing on the board, the muscles in her legs twitching as she kept herself steady. “Okay, Brody. I can’t look at you, or I’ll lose my balance, but let’s go.”

Brody got to his feet, chuckling. “C’mon, let’s go toward the north side of the island.”

“Which way is that?” she asked, not looking up from her board.

“Straight ahead, Magellan.”

She laughed as he pulled in front of her and led the way as she obviously didn’t know which way was north. A few moments later, she paddled up beside him, about five feet separating them.

“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” she said.

He glanced over, the muscles in her arms rolling beneath her skin as she paddled, but she still stared directly down at the board. Damn, she was sexy as all hell.

“I think so,” Brody said, turning his attention back to their destination.

After a few moments of silence, she stopped paddling and said, “I can’t believe how relaxing this is.”

He propped his paddle on the board and looked around. They were far enough out so that the noises from the beach were simply a background hum. There weren’t any slapping waves against the shore; the only sounds were the squawking of the birds above and the water lapping gently at the boards.

“It’s peaceful,” Brody agreed.

“It’s so pretty out here,” Rayna commented as she looked around. “It’s different from being on the boat, even though we’re in the same waters.”

“Yeah. I think it’s because you’re right on the water and there’s only about six inches separating you from it. You really get to see things on a different level.”

He looked down at the clear water and saw the white, sandy bottom, as well as a few yellow fish swimming by.

Glancing over at Rayna, Brody took in her profile, the column of her neck, her breasts encased in the yellow suit and her tight, tanned stomach.

“Do you like your job?” he asked, wanting to know more about her.

She shrugged. “I hate being behind a desk, and I’ve decided I hate paperwork. I’m trying to work my butt off so that I can move into field work.”

“Don’t field officers have paperwork as well?” Brody asked.

“Yes, but nothing like I do in research. It’s never-ending.”

Brody stared at her a moment as she stood on the board holding the paddle in both her hands.  She met his gaze and gave him a small smile conveying hope that just about melted his bones. He didn’t know much about the CIA, but he did know that women in the military had to work twice as hard as men to prove themselves and move up the chain of command. He hoped Rayna’s journey upward was a little easier.

“We should get going,” he said, “it looks like the current is changing and we’re going to be paddling against it.”

Rayna nodded, and they began paddling again.

A moment later, a fin pierced the water between them, and Rayna gasped. Another fin came right behind the second one. To those who didn’t know the difference, it looked like sharks, the grey bodies beneath the surface a blur.

“Oh my God! Brody!” Rayna yelled, looking at him with terror.

“Rayna, it’s okay,” Brody said, trying to keep his voice calm as her fear quickly escalated, “it’s the dolphins.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, dropping to her knees, her hand over her heart.

“I’m positive,” Brody said, also kneeling.

One of the dolphins raised its head between their boards and trilled at them. Brody looked around, counting six in the group. They rolled in the water, chattering with each other.

Another dolphin swam up to Rayna’s board, nudging her hand with its nose, as if it wanted her to pet it.

“Hi,” Rayna said, pushing her sunglasses to her head. You certainly are friendly, aren’t you?”

She reached out and stroked its head, and the dolphin nodded in approval.

“I can’t believe this, Brody,” Rayna murmured. “What do you think is going on here? Why are they doing this?”

Brody longed to tell her about his ability, how the dolphins seemed to be with him wherever he went. It was one reason he enjoyed his early morning swims before anyone was up—the dolphins always accompanied him. However, that little piece of knowledge needed to remain hidden.

“I don’t know,” he said, so happy Rayna got to experience what he did almost every day.

As she pet one, she smiled widely. Another jumped out of the water a few feet away, while another floated on its back, chirping the entire time. Brody reached down and gently stroked the belly, wishing he understood what they were saying.

After a few minutes, Rayna gazed over at him. “It’s like they know you or something,” she murmured.

Brody shrugged. “I don’t see how that would be possible,” he said, as one of them splashed water in his face and the rest of them clicked and chattered as if it was the funniest thing they’d seen. Brody couldn’t help wondering if they understood what he just said and took offense to it.

Rayna chuckled as Brody wiped the salt water from his glasses.

“What was that for?” he asked the responsible dolphin, loving the sound of Rayna’s light and airy laugh.

The dolphins stayed for another few minutes and then left, the sun glistening off their gray backs as they swam away.

“Amazing,” Rayna said, watching them go.

“I agree.”

They stared at each other for a beat, the happiness radiating off of Rayna, and for the second time that day, he thought again that she belonged on the ocean. She seemed relaxed, comfortable and very content.

“Ready to head back to shore?” he asked, his throat tight as desire coursed through him.

She nodded and stood. “Yeah, I am.”

Brody got to his feet as well, and they paddled in silence for a few minutes.

“Thanks for taking me out, Brody. I love paddle boarding, and that thing with the dolphins . . . wow. What an amazing experience.”

Brody nodded, wondering who enjoyed themselves more: Rayna watching the dolphins or him watching Rayna.