Saturday morning Oliver picked me up right on time. He seemed to have that time-and-tide mentality that I’d noticed among others I knew who were involved with boats. In spring the weather could be changeable, the equinox winds inclined to roar in a couple of hours after sunrise so I packed a small bag with every type of garment I’d need for a day out on the water. Realizing I looked as though I’d packed for a weekend getaway, I ditched most of it and left with a sweater, hat and sunscreen. I was wearing my bikini under my clothes, because one can always hope the weather might turn unseasonably hot.

The boat we used was like something out of a James Bond movie. I’m not kidding, the craft was amphibious. We climbed onboard while the boat was still inside the boatshed, motored across the sand and straight into the sea. Once we were afloat, the wheels tucked up like the undercarriage of a plane and we were away.

I was sent to take the seat up in the bow until we cleared the breaking surf. I considered bracing my feet and spreading my arms in the full Winslet Titanic stance when we approached the third wave of the set. It’s the one which always appears to be the largest, the swell building like the onset of an orgasm. As we rode then thumped over the crest the sea crashed across the bow completely drenching me. The shock of the cold dousing drew an expletive from my lips at high decibels.

It might have been a stunning clear day but it was still spring and the water was freezing.

Oliver’s apology was laced with laughter. “It can be a bit wet up the front,” he said, his comment redundant. “Come, sit here with me.”

“So you can what…pitch me over the back?” The front of my shirt was soaked, my nipples trying to drill their way out of the wet cotton clinging to my skin.

“So I can keep you warm.”

“I don’t trust you.”

“Now you’re hurting my feelings. Trust me.” He reached behind him, lifting a seat cushion and tugging a towel out from the storage locker beneath. He shook it open then gestured at me with it. I took hold of the edge and in one move he pulled me toward him, wrapping me in the cotton.

“Come here and keep warm.” He made some space in front of him, his steering hand still steady on the wheel.

He bent his head close to me so that I could hear him over the noise of the engine and the crashing sounds as the boat thumped over the heavy swell. Five minutes into the trip and his breath warmed the back of my neck, a place where every nerve in my body subsequently rushed to gather and party. I was already beyond thinking about anything but him.

I honestly tried to keep my body away from Oliver but pressing against the console meant I was at risk of interfering with the controls and anyway, the rough ride we were having was throwing me off balance so that every so often I was forced against his body. He was immovable, feet braced, a solid wall.

We carried on in silence. Behind us Waitapu Bay became a curved sliver of gold sand fringed by a tiny town. We followed the coastline, heading north, and Oliver scarcely spoke beyond pointing toward various landmarks.

I was surprised that he eased off the throttle when we seemed to be in the middle of the ocean. The boat slowed, the bow lowering, and the hollow sound of pounding against the swell became a settled, easy slap of the sea against the hull.

Oliver nudged me. “Look,” he whispered.

I turned to the direction he was pointing and saw below the surface were a number of large dark shapes moving through the water.

“Dolphins,” he said, his face beaming with pleasure.

I’m sure my face was the same. “Wow! Did you just dial these up?” The only place I’d ever seen dolphins was on television. I loathed theme parks where animals were held captive so I’d never entertained the idea that I would see them up close. We watched from the boat for a few minutes as we idled along slowly. The dolphins came to the surface and when the first one breached I couldn't contain a squeal of delight.

Oliver cut the engine and we drifted. “Do you want to swim with them?” he asked.

I did, but when I looked over the side of the boat the ocean appeared to be a bottomless depth, the water looked ominous. “Is it safe for us to do that?”

“Can you swim?”

“Sure.”

“Okay. I’ll motor into this bay and see if they follow us. Then I can anchor and we’ll have a swim.”

I didn’t need further encouragement. I’d worn my bikini beneath my clothes and I wasn't waiting for this opportunity to vanish while I prevaricated. Oliver started the engine and headed toward the small beach while I hung over the side of the boat, watching the dolphins keep pace with us. They seemed to take turns, surfacing in pairs.

Once we were anchored I pulled off my T-shirt and dropped it on the seat and began unbuttoning the fly on my shorts. I felt Oliver’s stillness and glanced at him, my fingers about to slip the bottom button free. He was watching me, intense heat in his eyes that almost made me change my mind and stay with him on the boat. Then two dolphins cleared the surface of the water in a graceful arc that seemed choreographed and looked perfect.

“Wow…am I going to stop saying wow today?”

Oliver grinned. “Not if I can help it.”

He was composed again and he ducked behind me to lower the ladder.

I stepped out of my shorts as Oliver threw off his T-shirt, then we both paused. Good grief. I was pleased to have the distraction of the dolphins because it was hard to take my eyes off Oliver’s broad chest, trim waist, narrow hips. I stopped myself before I looked any further. When I finally glanced up I discovered him taking an equal drink of the view of me.

“I don’t have a snorkel—”

I snorted, throwing a glance at his board shorts.

He grinned. “…or a mask.”

He was right about that. He wasn’t concealing much in the way he devoured me with his eyes.

“But I can offer you a lifejacket.”

I was fit, and a competent swimmer. “I’ll be fine. I won’t go too far from the boat.”

“Good. It would be a shame to cover up that pretty bikini.”

Again I silently thanked the dolphins for their presence. “After you,” I suggested, gesturing to the sea.

With grace, he stood on the side of the boat and dove deep into the water, scarcely creating a splash. He surfaced, blowing out water and shaking his head.

“What's the water like?” I called.

“Refreshing.”

“Freezing, then?”

“Pretty much.”

Diving straight into the ocean was a whole different scenario to lurking knee-deep in the shallows at the beach until your body adjusted to the cold, but when a dolphin surfaced beside Oliver my decision was made. I climbed onto the side of the boat, counted to three and dove. As I hit the water the cold temperature sucked the air from me, the shock causing a shot of pain through my chest making it feel as though it had caved in. I surfaced, and gasped, loud. “I’m dying.”

I could hear Oliver laughing.

With that, a dolphin approached me, rolling to its side as it came beside, making eye contact, maintaining the connection in a manner I’d never experienced before. It felt deep and spiritual and quietened something inside me. It rolled away and left as the next one approached. Within minutes, all eight of them had greeted me in this manner.

“They like you,” Oliver said.

“I like them too,” I replied.

We swam around with them until the cold got the better of me. “I’m going back to the boat,” I said.

Oliver started swimming and was at the boat to help me up before I’d reached it. He gripped my arm and boosted me up the ladder before quickly following. On board he pulled a couple more towels from the locker, wrapping one tightly around me.

I was still exhilarated and unable to wipe the huge grin off my face. When I caught my breath I discovered my teeth wouldn’t stop chattering.

“You’re cold. Come here.” Oliver pulled me against his warmth, briskly rubbing me, his hands working quickly over the top of the towel.

I wanted to lean into him and absorb his warmth. My body tingled wherever he touched but my teeth continued to sound like castanets.

“You know there’s a very good method to fix hypothermia?”

“You mean you have one of those foil blankets?”

“No, but fortunately I’ve warmed up.”

I was warming up, too, and I wondered how long I could stay pressed against him before it became indecent.

“You should really remove that wet bikini. It’ll be keeping your temperature down.”

“Uh-huh,” I muttered. He was right. Reluctantly I pulled from the shelter of his arms and undid the tie at my neck and back. Still wrapped in the enormous towel, my top slid to the floor of the boat.

Getting my bikini bottoms off would be a less graceful move. What’s more, I had no underwear to replace them with. “I’ll be okay in my bikini bottoms; they’re quite dry.” Since he’d been holding me, a heavy warmth had blossomed between my legs. It’s likely my bottoms were anything but dry.

He passed me a sweatshirt from the locker that appeared to hold an unending supply of things I needed. It swamped me and certainly did a great job of concealing my curves and my starkly pointing nipples.

“Arms out.”

I lifted my arms in front of me and Oliver carefully rolled each sleeve, so that I had use of my hands again.

He stood back and admired his work. “Definitely the most stunning creature we’ve had on this boat.” With that he turned and started the engine. It was a relief on one hand and a lost moment on the other.