She made a face, then walked toward him. “You’re not going to be a sour pants this entire week, are you?”
Sour pants? What was she talking about? He frowned. “I’m no such thing.”
She grabbed his arm. “Then come on.”
Chapter 5
Nara tugged on the Emperor’s arm until he grudgingly stumbled toward the ocean water. “You don’t have to be so grumpy all the time, you know.”
His eyes widened. “Grumpy? I’m not…”
“You know, I decided this morning, it’s going to be my mission to get you to loosen up during this trip. Have some fun. This is step number one. Getting you into a swimsuit and in the water.” She gave him a smile. “And now, here you are, trying to ruin it by being so stubborn.”
He walked with her until the water was knee deep, then he stopped. “I’m not stubborn.”
A wave came and almost knocked her down. His Highness didn’t even budge. How unfair. She hated that she was height-challenged. “You are, too. Let’s keep going. The waves will kill me here. They’re better out there. You can move with them.”
Derek looked like he’d rather go back indoors. “I don’t think I want to go that far.”
She pulled on his arm. “Why not?”
He swallowed, and a look came across his face that made her pause. But a second later it was gone, and he was back to his stoic expression. She wasn’t exactly sure what that look had meant, and it left her puzzled. “No reason,” he said.
Nara stared up at him, and a sudden thought entered her head. “Do you know how to swim?”
Derek averted his gaze. He didn’t answer her, but even the non-answer was an answer, and she was stunned. Who grew up in L.A. and didn’t learn how to swim? It was insane. But then a wave of sympathy washed over her and she smiled up at him. He was probably embarrassed about it.
“We won’t go so far out that you can’t stand. And when a wave comes, all you have to do is jump. You’re much taller than me. We won’t be too deep.”
He gave her a skeptical look. Unfortunately, a wave hit as he was contemplating what she said, and she wasn’t ready for it. It knocked her face first into the water. She held her breath as she tried to regain her footing and not take in a mouthful of ocean water, but she was disoriented and couldn’t get her face out of the water. Strong hands clasped her arms and brought her upright. Derek pulled her to him. “You okay?”
She coughed and took in a breath of air. She was sure her face was aflame with embarrassment, but she nodded mustered up the best smile she could. “I’m fine.”
“And you say this is fun?”
He said it in his usual stark manner, but she noticed a slight twinge of his lips when she looked up at him. Was he hiding a smile? She laughed, unable to believe it. His Highness was making a joke. How unusual. “Yes, this is fun. I promise.”
“All right,” he said, looking out at the ocean. “We’ll go deeper if you say it’s better.”
“It is. Come on.” She grabbed his hand and together they walked further into the ocean, where the waves wouldn’t knock her down. She found a spot where she could still stand and stopped. “Here.”
Derek seemed uneasy. “Now what?”
“Now, when a wave comes, jump with it. Let it bounce you up.”
He sighed. “And then I’ll be having fun?”
She slapped his arm. Man, he was buff. When did he have time to work out? He was as much a work-a-holic as her father. “Yes. We’ll be having fun.” She pointed. “Look, here comes one now.”
As the wave gathered, she readied herself and then called, “Now,” when it was about to overtake them. She grabbed Derek’s hand and jumped with him. The wave lifted them up and Nara squealed as it tossed her. She grabbed onto Derek’s neck and clung to him as the water receded, laughing.
She stared at him, her face just inches from him. He seemed to be assessing the situation, just staring at her. Touching him started to make her feel funny, like when he touched her chin in the limo, but she held on because she knew he was about to say something. “You’re right. That was fun,” he finally said.
Ha! Nara, one. Derek, zip. She was going to win this little self-bet thing she had going on. Next, her goal was to have him show that he was having fun. She let go of his neck. “Awesome. But try not to be so serious. When the next wave comes, you have to scream as it lifts us.”
“You want me to what?”
“You need to. Or you’ll never learn how to do this correctly.” She waited for another big wave. When one began gathering in the distance she said, “Okay, get ready.”
As the wave lifted them up, Derek let out a blood-curdling scream, as if he’d just seen someone stabbed to death and the murderer was now coming after him. Nara was so not expecting that. She burst out laughing.
“What the heck was that?” she managed to ask, after her laughter subsided.
“You told me to scream.”
She couldn’t believe it. Derek was making another joke. He was actually funny. How in the world had this happened? Ever since she could remember, Derek was the serious one. The one worried about his grades in school. The one worried about everything. And after his parents’ death, it became his whole life. Worry about this. Worry about that. Work and more work, and don’t ever crack a smile.
But now she was beginning to wonder if maybe she’d just read him wrong. He was being a good sport, going along with her insistence on getting into the ocean even though he probably couldn’t swim. And he seriously made her laugh just now. He was so deadpan. How had she not noticed before? “You’re hilarious.”
They enjoyed the water for another hour before she grew bored. They pulled a couple of lounge chairs into the sun and Nara laid back. “This is heaven. Isn’t it?” she said, closing her eyes and letting the warmth hit her.
Derek didn’t answer, and she twisted to look at him, shading her eyes so she could see his face. “You don’t like the beach?”
“It’s fine.”
“Just fine? Why did you plan a trip to a beach resort then, if you only think it’s fine?”
“You like the beach.”
Nara’s throat suddenly swelled and she couldn’t get any words out. Derek planned this whole trip based on what she liked? She couldn’t believe it. Who would have thought Derek could be so thoughtful? She tried to think of something to say to him. “What’s your dream vacation?”
Derek shook his head. “I don’t really do vacations.”
Now that was more like the Derek she knew. “I know you don’t. But if someone said they were giving you a free trip to anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?”
He shrugged. “Iceland?”
“You like the cold?”
He shifted and his lounger creaked. “It’s not the cold that attracts me. It’s the beauty. I grew up near the ocean. I’ve never been anywhere like Iceland. I’ve seen some stunning photos. And at least once in my life I’d love to see the Northern Lights.”
“Now, that’s something I agree with. The Northern Lights would be awesome to see.” She laid back and closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her skin. The smell of the salty seawater mixed with the coconut sunscreen was divine. She could die now and be happy.