“I like what I’m hearing,” I said with a laugh, steering the wheel with one hand so I could half turn to look at her.
She crossed her legs, and those perfectly toned calves were driving me crazy. She slid lower on the seat, looking up at the sky.
“I’ve never learned the constellations, but it’s not like you see too many stars in New York.”
“Dad taught me a few constellations, but I don’t remember them. We used to go fishing and camp a lot when Ian and I were kids.”
“Are you younger or older than Ian?”
“Older. He used to drive me crazy when we were kids before he started hero-worshiping me and tried to copy everything I was doing. Then when I was at the end of high school, he decided to be completely different. It was hilarious.”
“And now?”
“Now he’s my best friend,” I replied.
“Seemed that way. I always wanted siblings, but Dad never got serious with a woman. He never even told me when he was dating someone. I wish he’d found someone, because he’s lonely, even with all his activities and Buddy. By the way, did you give any more thought to adopting a dog for yourself?”
I shook my head. “It really wouldn’t be fair to the animal. I wouldn’t even have time to take it out for a walk every day.”
“Hmm... but you seemed so happy with the puppy around.”
“That was all you, Mel. Trust me.”
We were close to the Statue of Liberty now, and I had to admit it was quite a sight at night.
“This is gorgeous,” she whispered. “It looks magical with all these lights around it.”
I circled it twice at a speed that was low enough for us to take in the sight but fast enough to cut through the waves.
She licked her lips, crossing and uncrossing her legs. Her short skirt had hiked up to mid-thigh, and all I wanted was to explore her body. But I planned to wait until we got home for that. I wasn’t going to have her on this damn boat.
“Eyes up, mister,” she said in a playful tone. “This is not the time to check me out.”
“Every time is the right time to check you out,” I said seriously.
She swallowed hard. I nearly let go of the steering wheel to lean over and claim her mouth.
“We don’t want any accidents, do we?” she asked.
“No, we don’t.”
I sped back toward North Cove. We were silent on the way, taking in our surroundings. The salty air was making me thirsty, but I didn’t have any water. We reached the docks a few minutes later, and Joseph wasn’t in sight.
"Let’s wait for Joseph to come and stabilize the boat before we get out."
"Sure." She rose to her feet, looking around. “Where did I put my bag? Oh, here it is.”
She walked to the back of the boat, picking it up from the bench, but then it slid between her fingers, falling on the edge with a thud before slipping down in the water.
“Shit.” She leaned overboard.
"Mel, careful. Don't bend too—”
Splash.
She fell into the water.
I dove in after her, instantly feeling the cold water engulf my skin. One second later, my lungs started protesting.
“Holy shit," Mel exclaimed.
"Mel, are you okay? Do you know how to swim?"
We both had life vests on, but seawater was tricky.
"Yeah, I know how to swim, but the water is cold." Her teeth started to chatter.
"Are you two okay?" Joseph asked, sounding bored. I guess we weren't the only idiots to fall into the water.
"We're just cold,” I replied. “Help her out, okay, man?"
“There’s a staircase on this side of the dock.” He pointed to the right, and we both swam in that direction.
At the staircase, Joseph took Mel’s hand, pulling her out of the water while I pushed myself up on my own. I immediately got to my feet, inspecting Mel.
“I’ll go fish out your suit jacket,” Joseph said, heading back to the boat.
Mel laughed. "Well, this is unexpected."
"Come on. We’ll feel better after a hot shower."
"If I didn’t know better, I'd think you did this on purpose to make sure I come with you."
"You’re the one who lost her balance looking for your bag," I reminded her.
She groaned. "Oh, my bag." She looked out at the water. “I'm guessing it's at the bottom. Or it’ll wash out of the city tomorrow."
“Let’s see if Joseph fished it out of the water along with my suit jacket.”
She was shivering, so I put an arm around her shoulders. Not that it helped much since I was drenched too.
“Joseph, did you find a bag too?” she asked.
He shook his head, holding up my jacket. “Nah, this is all. Bags usually sink right away. They’re heavier.”
I took the jacket, checking the pockets. My phone was in there—probably dead. My wallet was also still inside—ruined too, I was sure of it.
"Did you have anything valuable in your bag?"
"Only my phone and my wallet with my ID. Oh, and the keys to my apartment, but I keep another set of keys at the gym in case I lock myself out. Nothing that can't be replaced, I guess."
“Looks like I’ll have to replace everything too,” I said.
She laughed again but was shivering even more now.
“Come on. Let's go before you catch a cold. Can you break into a run?”
“In these shoes? Not really. But I’ll try.”
Chapter Sixteen
Dylan
We ran as fast as possible to my building. The doorman’s eyes bulged when he saw us.
I led Mel to the elevator. Holding a hand to the small of her back, I ushered her in, where we met two neighbors. They stared at us with their mouths wide open. No wonder, since we were dripping with water. Mel was pressing her lips together, clearly trying to hold back a smile. I was trying too, because the whole situation was hilarious.
When we reached the seventh floor, I noticed the puddle we’d left in the elevator when we got out. Our shoes were squeaking as we approached my unit, where I unlocked my door.
"Come on, let's go straight to the bathroom," I said as we took off our shoes in the foyer.
"Yes, please." Even though the guest bathroom was closer, I wanted us to go to the one in the master bedroom. It was bigger.
Opening the door to the bathroom, I started undoing the buttons of my shirt. Mel began to disrobe as well. She took off her shirt, then pushed down her skirt. The teeth chattering was worse, so I started the hot water, and we stood under it without saying anything. It was scalding hot, but it still took us a few minutes to warm up. Only when the bathroom was full of steam did I turn it off.
"Now that's better," Mel said. Her lips had been blue before, but now they were back to that delicious tempting pink.
I couldn't help but drink her in. Fuck, she was beautiful, and I was the luckiest guy in the world that she was here with me. I pulled her flat against me, kissing her hard, pressing her against the tiles. She moaned against my mouth, lacing her hands at the back of my neck, pulling me even closer. I was addicted to her. I had no idea how it had happened, but I was.