Chapter 23 #2
We waited, the boat rocking gently beneath us, my heart keeping time with the tick of the reels. Then one sang out, line screaming as something powerful hit. Kai lurched for the rod, and then, for some strange reason, thrust it into my hands. “Keep the tip up—let him run, then reel when you can.”
I had no idea what I was doing, but I called upon any remnants of childhood fishing memories.
The weight of the fish jolted through me, a wild rush in my chest. This was nothing like pond bass.
This fish felt stronger than me. But Kai coached me, telling me when to reel, how to use my weight.
My arms shook as I cranked, and it felt like I was making progress.
But just as I thought I had it, the line went slack.
My breath caught. “I lost it.” The letdown washed over me. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Kai said easily, resetting the rig with quick hands. “Happens to us pros all the time.”
I doubted that was true, but I wasn’t sure what I’d done wrong. I didn’t have long to contemplate. Within a couple of minutes, the second rod bent hard, the reel shrieking. I froze. “Maybe you should—”
Kai was already at my side, pressing the rod into my hands, his chest brushing my shoulder.
“Nope. This one’s yours.” His voice was low in my ear, steady despite the chaos on the line.
His hand covered mine on the reel, guiding.
“Use your legs, not just your arms. Twist from your core. Let the fish wear itself out.”
The heat of him at my back steadied me more than his words. My knees bent, swaying with the rhythm he set—pull, reel, brace. Every time the fish surged, his voice coaxed me through it. His body against mine, an anchor against the strain and my burning biceps.
When I’d reeled it in close and the silver body finally broke the surface, Kai was already reaching for the gaff, his arm brushing mine as we hauled the thrashing tuna aboard. It hit the deck in a spray of saltwater, scales flashing like sequins.
I laughed, breathless and exhilarated, my whole body humming with victory. Kai’s smile was wide. “See there, I knew you could do it.”
His confidence was sexy as hell. But the way he used it to build me up—that was lethal.
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” I said, excitement still threading my words.
“I guess we make a good team then,” he said with the confident smile that melted me.
"After all we’ve been through, we kind of have to be.” I grinned. Today felt like the first normal day we’d had together. And, honestly, it was the best day ever.
When Kai grabbed a knife, I turned away, ashamed to witness the killing.
I couldn’t catch my breath—from the thrill of the fight, sure. But the residual full-body tingle from Kai pressed against me left me semi-dazed.
“You could probably get really good at fishing,” he said from behind me. I turned my ear toward him, but not my eyes. “Really fast, if you wanted to.” His deep voice rasped in a playful cadence, vibrating from my ear to somewhere deep in my belly and chest.
“Are you offering to teach me?” I asked him, halfway over my shoulder.
“Absofuckinglutely.”
The corners of my mouth drew upward, hard and fast. I couldn’t stop smiling. “Then, yeah,” I said, staring out at the horizon but picturing his face with the same goofy smile I wore. “That would be nice.”
I turned around, slowly. The tail of the tuna was sticking out from under the lid of a cooler. Kai was washing down the deck, a faint pink swirl circling the drain.
“Sorry, I couldn’t bear to watch that part,” I said, feeling like a wimp.
“I get it. But you’re gonna love the sushi tonight, aren’t you?”
Hypocritical as it may be, it was the truth. “Absofuckinglutely,” I grinned. “Speaking of food. I’m starving. Where are those sandwiches? Hopefully not under the tuna.”
His hazel eyes glittered, amused. He opened the door on the side of the console and pulled a small Yeti cooler from the hold. “Lunch is in here,” he said, motioning me to the bow.
I nestled into the big padded triangular seat at the front of the boat while Kai opened the cooler. When he produced two plastic champagne flutes, I giggled. “You did not. Please tell me that you did!”
I recognized the orange label immediately when he pulled a dripping bottle from the ice. “My favorite Prosecco.”
“I know,” he said, chillingly sincere.
Awestruck, I watched him pop the cork and pour the glasses.
It wasn’t just his muscles glinting in the sun, or the eyes that saw straight into my soul.
It was his effort to make this moment special.
To make me feel special. His thoughtfulness gave him more points on the hotness scale than his pretty face and ripped body ever could.
“To our first real date,” he toasted.
“Way better than our real first date,” I smirked, clinking the edge of my plastic flute.
I brushed damp hair from my cheek. “You know… my dad took me fishing quite a bit when I was a kid. I didn’t get it. But now, I think I do. I enjoyed the hell out of that.”
Kai’s smile softened. “I didn’t know your dad took you fishing.”
“I guess you learned two things about me today.” Holding his gaze, my palms snaked around his waist.
“For what it’s worth—you fought that one like a pro. I bet your old man would be proud.”
The warmth in his voice hit deeper than the praise. “He’d be just as proud of you for getting me out here.”
“Maybe we can take him fishing next time he’s down.”
“Oh my god,” I beamed, “he would love that.” So would I.
Kai thinking toward the future warmed me to my core. The whole month I’d known him, we’d barely been able to think beyond when the bad guys might return.
Kai smiled, unwrapping a sandwich. “Looks like this is the caprese.” He set it between us. “Which means,” he said, tearing into the second one, “this is the prosciutto and gouda.” He placed it on the wrapper beside the first. “I thought we could share.”
“I love that,” I said, my voice taking a wistful trail. There was so much I wanted to share with him. The rest of my life, for example.
My teeth sank into the crusty baguette, and I groaned at the flavor explosion of mozzarella, tomato, basil, and balsamic glaze as thick as honey.
“No matter what you eat, it tastes ten times better on a boat with no land in sight,” Kai chuckled.
We must have both been famished, devouring the sandwiches in gulps, washed down with bubbly. Nestled between Kai’s knees, leaned back against his chest, I stared out over the deep indigo expanse. “It doesn’t get much better than this.”
A gentle kiss to my temple was his only reply. For several minutes we floated, drifting in the current, soaking in the bliss. Kai’s chest rose beneath me, a deep breath that he released ever so slowly. My weight sank further into him. “I almost feel like I can breathe again,” he said softly.
“Yeah, almost,” I said, with a tinge of sadness. Part of me wished we could motor east, run off to the Bahamas. Leave all the danger and secrets behind and never look back
“I’m sorry, this is not normal. Thanks for sticking around.” He snuggled me in his arms and kissed my temple again.
A lone, fluffy white cloud drifted overhead, and his words were music to my ears. “Normal is overrated,” I mused.
“Or underachieving,” he said with a low laugh that vibrated through me. “No, but seriously, I appreciate you, and the calm you bring.”
My stomach fluttered, and I squeezed his forearms. “I feel the same way.”
“Thanks for calling me on my shit. I should have been honest with you from the start.”
I sat up, turning to face him. “I understand why you weren’t. You don’t have to apologize anymore.” We all have our reasons for the secrets we keep.
“Nah, fuck that. There’s no excuse. What’s great about what we have is that I can be real with you.” His stare sliced through me, melting my heart. “It’s not normal, Jasmine, but it’s real. And I don’t want to fuck it up. No more secrets. I promise.”
His sincerity felt like a gut punch and I thought for a second that the subs might come back up. I went stiff.
“Shit,” Kai winced. “Too much?”
What was too much was the pressure in my chest that kept me from responding. I shook my head, mute from the guilt and shame.
“I just meant that I love that I can be real with you,” he stammered.
“I know,” I said shakily. “And I love that, a lot.”
He watched my face, curious and concerned.
He’d bared his soul. No more secrets. I promise.
The truth I’d kept inside me was like a vacuum, sucking up all the air. Keeping it would ruin us in the long run. But telling it might ruin us today. I finally managed a breath.
“Kai,” I said, voice trembling. “There’s something I have to tell you…”