NICK (Carsonbrothers Book 3)

by S R Dyble

  "I have absolutely no idea."

  I wasn't prepared for the feeling I'd experience once the time came to get back on a boat. I'd allowed Nick to drive me to a dock, to one closer to where we were staying, all the while thinking nothing of it. In fact, after our brief conversation, I felt totally on edge around him. It was odd because I hadn't felt this type of tension since our first moments together. But then once we reached the dock and I saw the boats, a sinking feeling started settling in my stomach. It wasn't until I stepped foot onto the wooden beams leading out onto the water, that my heart sank and flashing images of being fully submerged underwater overtook my mind.

  "Lill'?" Nick brought my mind back to the present as I stood statue-still.

  "Are you okay?"

  I nodded. "I think I just need a minute."

  He started looking over my body as if assessing it.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't think…" he trailed off.

  "What are you talking about?" I asked.

  "You're scared to go back onto a boat after the last time. I'm such an idiot."

  "I'm not afraid," I lied.

  "Lill', don't lie to me. I'm trained to read people's body language, and I know you better than you think."

  "You're trained to read people's body language?"

  "Yes. Look, if you don't want to, we can—"

  "Wow, I bet that comes in handy…" I cut him off, sarcastically.

  He smirked at me. "It hasn't failed me yet…"

  "Well, it has now because I'm not scared…" I started walking, holding my shoulders high and convincing myself that I was in no way, shape, or form terrified of being swallowed by another humongous, hungry wave.

  "I'm usually pretty good at reading your body language," he said after me.

  "Shame you can't read my mind telling you to fuck off."

  It made him laugh and just as I was about to step onto the pristine-looking boat that he'd led me to, he took a hold of my hand, an instant charge buzzing through my skin as I took the step from the dock and onto the boat.

  "Who is steering the boat?" I asked.

  "That would be me," Nick answered.

  As Nick headed towards the cabin, I glanced around at the sparkling paint job on the boat and suddenly anger hit me hard and I marched towards him.

  "You're telling me you know how to steer a boat but you didn't once mention it? You could have taken me out to look for my parents!"

  Nick stepped away from the equipment, ready to explain himself.

  "Lilly, Dixon was lucky to get us back alive. There was no way I was going to agree to sail you into that storm. I knew it would torture you if you knew I had a license to sail."

  "So you lied to me." I concluded.

  "I did it to keep you safe."

  "Well, great job, Nicholas," I said through gritted teeth before turning and making my way straight for the edge of the boat. Just as I was about to lift my foot over the deck, I was stopped in my tracks. I hadn't seen Dixon since our near death experience and I hadn't had the chance to thank him, either. But what was he doing here?

  "Lilly, a pleasure to see you again." His Australian accent was welcome to my ears.

  "And you, Dixon."

  With that, he climbed aboard and clapped his hands together, looking over my shoulder to Nick and then back again.

  "Right, let's go scuba diving!" he said enthusiastically.

  I stared back at Nick and his eyes pleaded with me to stay.

  "You're taking us scuba diving?" I asked Dixon.

  He nodded. "Yes, ma'am. That would be me."

  When Dixon had taken me out to sea, I'd just assumed he was a fisherman. I didn't realise he was a qualified scuba diving instructor.

  "You ready to see some real beauty?" Dixon asked me and I turned to look out to sea.

  The water was calm today—no signs of a storm brewing any time soon. Although I had no idea what I was looking for.

  "We won't be going out too far, we need you to see the sea bed in order to see all the little nooks and crannies," Dixon beamed enthusiastically and it made me all the more eager.

  I nodded and searched around the boat, finding my way to the front of the boat so I could see everything on our way out.

  "Right, what are we waiting for?" Dixon clapped his hands together. "Nick, set sail, mate!"

  Nick did just that and I heard the engine starting. I searched the boat some more with my eyes, knowing a boat like this had to have cost a fortune to hire. I felt bad for giving Nick a hard time. He'd obviously rented this for us and had planned something amazing. I still couldn't bury the anger I felt for him.

  I gripped onto the handlebar leading down the side of the boat and eyed the thin ledge to the side of the boat. I would have to shimmy across it to get to the front of the boat. I took a deep breath, watching the water lapping up the sides of the boat as Nick sailed it out of the pier.

  "Careful, sweetheart, watch your footing," Dixon said to me.

  I nodded and continued walking down the ledge until I reached the front of the boat and hopped onto the deck. I glanced around at Nick watching me from inside the cabin, then made my way over to the padded bed that had been built into the boat. It was so hot and as I sat down, I pulled my top off, revealing my bikini beneath. I kept my high-waisted denim shorts on and kicked my converse off as I got up and held onto a post. The view was absolutely amazing and above the boat, seagulls were flying and I smiled up at them. I'd put half of my hair up in a bobble, but the other half swept around my shoulders in the wind and I smiled, feeling as free as the birds flying above my head. I chanced a look behind me and saw Nick staring intensely at me. Dixon was pointing to something and flicked at Nick's ear to get his attention. It made me snort out loud. I couldn't hear what Dixon was saying to Nick and I closed my eyes, bathing in the sun and lounged back on the cushioned bed beneath me.

  Ten minutes later and Dixon shouted for me. I got up and walked back down the side of the boat to where he was on the back deck. He was preparing lots of equipment and looked at me.

  "You're gonna get that lad killed," he said, smiling slightly at me, but I didn't know what he was talking about. I could only imagine he was talking about the time I'd crazily asked him to take me out to sea, and how I'd almost killed us both in the process...

  "I know, it was stupid for me to ask you to take me out that day. I never had the chance to apologise—"

  "I'm not talking about that, silly. I'm talking about you sprawling out on the front of the boat like a model, it's a wonder we even made it to the right destination. Poor lad couldn't keep his eyes off of you."

  I felt so embarrassed I didn't know what to say.

  "Relax, Lilly, I'm just pulling your leg," he said, smiling at me. "He's a really good man from what I can tell," he said, walking towards me.

  I nodded, despite everything we had been through, I knew it for sure. Nick was a good man.

  "A good man that makes mistakes," I told him.

  "We all make mistakes, men probably more than women," he grinned at me and it made me chuckle.

  "You ready to get suited up? Nick said you haven't been scuba diving before so I've gotta run you through it."

  I nodded. "I'm listening."

  "Normally you'd require actual lessons, but Nick has assured me you will be safe with him. After seeing him diving into deadly waters to save you, I'm gonna take his word for it."

  Dixon began telling me everything I needed to know in order to scuba dive correctly. Then he repeated it and asked me questions to make sure I had it.

  He showed me the equipment and explained everything in detail. I nodded to everything he said and answered his questions correctly when asked.

  Then he told me to take my shorts off so I could put the gear on. I did and waited for him to place the equipment over my shoulders.

  "Don't we have to wear a wetsuit or something?" I asked him.

  "If you're swimming in cold waters, yes. Do you want one?"

  I shoo
k my head.

  "Okay, so again, what must you never do whilst under the water?"

  "Hold my breath."

  "Good, and if you need to take the regulator out of your mouth, what must you do?"

  "Blow constant little bubbles so I don't hold my breath."

  "Correct."

  He then spoke to me again about descending into the water and how to equalise myself. I absorbed all of the information Dixon was filling me with.

  "You won't be travelling very far down, but you still need to know all of this," he said.

  Dixon continued with more information and I feared I wouldn't be able to remember it all. I probably looked terrified because he placed his hands on my shoulders.

  "It's okay, Lilly. Nick will be with you, you won't be going too far down and if he thinks there's something wrong, he'll bring you back up."

  "You talk as if Nick has as much experience as you?" I eyed him.

  He chuckled. "I know he has experience. I also know he would risk his life for yours. Therefore, I know an inexperienced diver like yourself will be fine with him."

  I nodded and looked away from him to where Nick was still standing in the cabin. I heard the motors stop and Nick turned around and made his way towards us.

  We were in open waters but I could still see land in the distance for which I was glad it didn't make me feel as uneasy about being out at sea. Looking over the side of the boat, I could see the reefs in the clear water. I couldn't believe my eyes, the water was so clear.

  "You ready?" Nick asked me as he neared.

  "She's all kitted up," Dixon said, moving aside so Nick could get equipped.

  Nick nodded and smiled at me as I stared at him.

  "You ready?" he repeated, moving closer to me.

  I nodded, averting my eyes away from his bare chest.

  "You sure you don't wanna wear a suit?" he asked me.

  I shook my head. "If you can dive without one, so can I."

  He smiled and raised his eyebrows. "You sure the fabric on that bikini isn't a little thin?" he asked, gesturing to my bikini top. "Wouldn't want you getting cold…"

  I glared at him, knowing he was making a direct reference to my nipples.

  "Are you complaining?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

  "Never," he smiled at me before taking me to the back of the boat where Dixon was waiting for us both.

  "Remember everything I said," Dixon said while checking my equipment and helping me to put my mask on.

  I nodded and opened my mouth for him to place the regulator inside. He'd already told me how to get into the water, and I wanted to show Nick that I was capable of this. That I wasn't afraid. So without hesitation, I dropped into the water and used my flippers to bring myself right.

  I did everything Dixon had told me to as Nick landed in the water about half a metre away from me.

  Even with a regulator in his mouth, I could tell he was smiling at me. I'd shocked him and he was happy that I'd taken the dive and combated my fear of the sea—quite literally. Once I felt secure in knowing I'd done everything correctly, Nick reached forward to check a few things on my gear before swiftly gesturing for me to go first. I nodded and swam forward, taking in everything as I felt Nick taking my hand. I stared at him and then back forward to watch where we were both swimming.

  I was mesmerised by everything—from the different shades of the reefs to the most beautiful fishes swimming around us. I wanted to reach out and touch everything, it was so perfect. We stopped for a moment and hovered in the water to take everything in. Nick pointed to a funny looking fish passing by that swam directly between his legs. He pulled me with him further and without hesitation, I took his hand and swam alongside him. The ocean floor wasn't that far down from where we were and in an open area without reefs. Nick swam lower down and placed both of his feet onto the floor and then saluted me. He was so bloody confident in everything he did, I began to wonder if there was anything Nick wasn't good at. Then he surprised me by swimming up behind me and placing his hands on my hips before pointing ahead. If I wasn't relying on a regulator I'd have gasped. I watched in fascination as a sea turtle swam right by us, without a care in the world. I couldn't believe my eyes. Once it had passed, I took another second to just stare at everything. I couldn't believe I was getting the chance to do this. To see such beauty. It was all because of Nick. I felt him threading his fingers through mine from where he hovered behind me and I couldn't help but stroke his fingers back as we hovered in the water, the most beautiful surroundings around us. Then out of nowhere, Nick lifted his arm out and I realised he had a waterproof camera. He'd taken a photo of us together. The first photo probably looked weird with me not knowing what he was doing, and thankfully he took another. I did as Dixon said, and for a second I took my regulator out and blew out tiny bubbles into the water. I allowed myself to smile for a second at the camera before blowing bubbles again and placing the regulator back into my mouth. When I turned to see Nick, I saw that he had done the same and was placing his regulator back into his mouth.

  After searching some more and seeing the rest of the ocean life beneath the sea, it was time to head back. We both rose to the surface of the water, careful to follow the instructions Dixon had given me.

  I was thankful that Nick knew the way back, alone I would have become a lost diver at sea. I had only thought about getting into the sea and had quickly gotten lost in the beauty. Back at the rear of the boat, Nick waited for me to climb up the ladder and onto the boat before doing the same. Dixon was waiting for us and I pulled my mask off as he began taking the equipment from my back. I was still in so much awe of what we'd just done that I couldn't speak. Instead, I just stared at Nick as he pulled his equipment off like a smitten fool. Then it dawned on me that I was only staring at him like a love-sick teenager because of what he'd just done for me. I had to remember that. I smiled at him once he was free of his kit and grinning at me.

  "Thank you," I said.

  Even though I knew nothing with Nick had changed, I couldn't have thanked him enough for taking me somewhere so beautiful.

  "You're welcome, Petal," he smiled at me before moving closer. I thought he was going to kiss me and I couldn't allow that to happen. I shifted backwards and his face fell. Then he seemed to lift his spirits and smiled at me again.

  "I'm glad you came with me," he said.

  "I can't believe I just did that," I said breathlessly.

  The longer Nick smiled at me, the weaker I felt under his stare.

  We're just friends, Lilly. Don't stare back at him. Don't do it…

  As I continued to not look back at him, Dixon took place behind the wheel and the boat started moving. I pulled the bobble from my sopping wet hair and did my best to drain some of the water by wrapping my hair around my fist. Then I took the whole lot and tied it up high. Once I was finished I glanced at Nick to see him still watching me intensely. I did my best to avoid eye contact and stared down at my body. My bikini was clinging to my body more than it normally would.

  "I'm gonna go get a towel…" I said casually.

  "You do that…" Nick said and I dared to look at him. He had his bottom lip between his teeth.

  "You look a bit creepy staring at me right now, Nicholas—not gonna lie..." I told him.

  "I couldn't give a damn..." he said honestly and continued to stare at me before moving closer.

  "Don't worry, Lilly," he said, stopping just in front of me, "I'm not gonna touch you. But stand like that in front of me, dripping with water and gripping onto your hair, I'm gonna stare at you no matter what you say... I'm only human."

  "You don't see me staring at you like that…" I answered.

  "That's probably because I don't look as sexy as you right now."

  "That's a matter of personal opinion," I said and he smiled. "Not a conversation I'm going to enter into right now…" I told him before walking away, seeking a towel and some well-needed space away from Nick.

  I took
a deep breath once I had the towel wrapped around myself. The sexual tension between myself and Nick was nothing I wasn't used to, but after experiencing something so magical with him and having him centimetres away and in my personal space meant my body naturally wanted to mount him, ultimately resulting in me doing something I knew I would regret.

  Once dry, I lounged back on the bed at the front of the boat, hoping my bikini would dry before I had to put my clothes back on. I placed my sunglasses back on and inhaled the amazing sea air.

  "You hungry?"

  I stopped in my tracks, taken off guard as I headed back into the house. I hadn't seen him standing beside the kitchen counter as I came in.

  I shook my head, feeling exposed in my bikini. I knew he'd seen me in it before, but after the comments he'd made today and in this open space and completely alone, I felt sort-of naked. After our amazing scuba diving session, I had to space myself away from Nick. I'd found myself following his every move after the things he'd said to me on the boat. It had been so magical swimming in such beautiful open waters with him, and feeling so safe with him. The way he'd held my hand under the water… I shook my head to rid myself of the memories taunting my mind and looked around the living area. It was getting dark outside which was why I'd come inside to grab a hoodie.

  "I've already eaten, kinda..." I finally answered Nick before taking steps towards my room.

  "Well, what I've made isn't exactly a meal but a snack…"

  My nose hadn't missed the beautiful chocolaty smell filling the whole house.

  "What have you made anyway?" I asked, turning towards the kitchen.

  From where I was standing, I couldn't see around the corner to the kitchen and dining area.

  "Come and see."

  "Give me a sec," I said, taking myself to my room while letting my hair loose.

  I returned in my hoodie and frayed high waisted denim shorts. I didn't have time to do much else with my wet hair, so I slapped the full lot up into a messy bun. I stood with my hands in my pockets as Nick brought a plate full of warm cookies to the table. When he saw me there, he smiled and reached into the freezer for the ice-cream. My biggest love of all time was food, there was no doubt about it. I was a huge foodie which meant I had to work out constantly to keep my weight down. Even then, I couldn't fight my appetite. My body had to have thrown in the towel over the days that I'd convinced myself that my parents were dead. I didn't say it out loud, but that was what I thought. I smiled as he placed the plate in the centre of the table. I bit my lip and smiled as he handed me a spoon. Then he gave me a certain look as I took it and sat down with my legs crossed underneath me. I didn't hesitate and took a mouthful of warm cookie with ice-cream on top. I closed my eyes, enjoying the burst of flavour hitting my taste buds. When I opened my eyes, Nick was staring at my face and my cheeks prickled with heat.