Chapter 15

River knew he should leave this very second. But how could he resist the offered lips of the woman he’d come to love in such a short time. Her confession had reached inside River’s heart and added another layer of desire.

He did not quite understand it, but he wanted all of her, body, mind, and soul. For a moment he hesitated and searched her eyes in the starlight, giving her time to pull away. But when she closed her eyes he was done for and lowered his head to kiss her.

Her tender lips tasted of lemon, and salt from her tears, and his body hardened as she gave herself over to him. He held her in his arms, stroking her back, while his tongue delved into her mouth. Tasting. Licking. Teasing.

River explored every corner and crevice of her mouth, sliding his tongue across her hard teeth and the soft flesh of her cheeks. He caught her passionate moan in his mouth and raised one hand to cup her head to pull her tighter against him

It was like a dam had broken and the pent-up desire of the last days flooded both of them. Pippa returned his kiss, sliding her tongue across his lips, raising her hands to scrub his beard, pressing her soft curves against his hard body.

He wished he could take her right now, make her his and never let her go again, but the next instant she pushed against his chest and jerked free, her eyes full of confusion.

“I’m sorry…I’m not ready for another relationship.” Pippa jumped backwards to put the lounger between them, breathing hard and fast.

River stood up as well, hoping she wouldn’t notice his immense erection in the semi-darkness. She was right; making out with her wasn’t a good idea. He was a man with principles.

“I never have relationships with my employees,” he said with hanging shoulders.

“I guess we both have our reasons why this can’t happen again.” Pippa gave him a smile and he wanted to throw all of his stupid principles over board, along with her doubts, fears, and worries. This woman had him tied up in knots with a single glance from her irresistible blue eyes.

“Friends?” River shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts so he wouldn’t reach for her again.

“Friends,” she said and escaped the sundeck. 

River stood dumbfounded in the sultry night air, not exactly sure what had happened and why on earth he’d suggested being friends. It would be the hardest thing he’d done in a long time. How was he supposed to forget the way she tasted, the way she felt in his arms, now that he experienced both?

 

***

 

The next morning, River got up early. He doubled checked the weather forecast and then walked through the boat, making sure everything was in great working order. Half an hour later, Maria and Willem arrived. Over the next hour, the guests began trickling in and from the moment the first of the guests arrived, he stayed occupied catering to them. It gave him a much-needed distraction from fantasizing about Pippa.

The guests were a diverse group consisting of two couples and four single guys. The two married couples, Marge and Steve Harrelson and Vicki and Greg Nilson, had been friends since their college days and River immediately could tell they were going to be easy to deal with.

The four guys, Jeremy, Mike, Alan and Mark were in their mid-twenties, just like him. They were celebrating a break from college before returning for their graduate studies. They were nice enough, although River took their boastful tales about previous diving cruises with a grain of salt.

Normally, he would have enjoyed having a group of adventurous young men aboard his boat, but this time he wished they’d been helicoptered in to an igloo on the South Pole. Far away from Pippa. His jealousy intensified when he found out that all four of them were single and not opposed to a good flirt. He fisted his hands, ready to butt in, should one of them hit on her. Not on my watch, asshats.

After his guests had settled into their cabins, he called out over the PA system and asked everyone to gather on the maindeck for the security instructions. He’d given the same lecture so many times, he knew it by heart and found himself going over the various points, all while eyeing Pippa as she stood toward the back of the gathered group.

I wish there was a way I could convince her to go diving with me.

Pulling his thoughts back to the task at hand, he ticked off his most important rules. “So, in a nutshell, safety comes first. These rules are non-negotiable if you want to dive with me.

“Number one - No alcohol on the boat. I don’t store any onboard and I expect you to honor that rule and not bring any with you. For twenty-four hours before and after you dive, there is no alcohol consumption. If any of you had anything to drink yesterday, you will not be diving today. You all signed a waiver agreeing to this,” he reminded them.

River looked at each person in turn, driving his point home. At their nods, he continued.

“Good. Number two – Nobody dives alone. Dive with a buddy, or don’t dive. That means, you surface when your diving buddy does. No exceptions. If you’re diving and five minutes in your buddy needs to come up, you come up with them. Any questions about rule number two?” He once again looked around. Nobody raised a hand or asked for further explanation, but he did notice the pained frown on Pippa’s forehead. Damn. Now she’s feeling guilty again. “If your diving buddy seems to have serious problems, you do not risk your life to help them, you give me a sign to do it. Understood?”

Everyone nodded and River continued on to the next point.

“Which brings me to number three – I’m in charge. All the time. On the boat and especially in the water. If I give you a command, you don’t question it, just know that it’s imperative you follow it, immediately. I’m not an unreasonable guy, and the only time you’ll hear me giving orders is in the event of a safety issue for yourself, the boat, or others. Everyone clear on that?”

Again, he looked at each guest and got their agreement both verbally and with a physical nod of their heads.

“Now familiarize yourself with your lifejacket. In the unlikely event of an emergency everyone has to gather on the main deck next to the dinghy, wearing the lifejacket.”  River nodded towards the horizon and grinned to lighten the mood. “In the even more unlikely case that you should go overboard, always swim west.”

One of the young men looked puzzle and raised his hand saying, “I’ve never heard that before. Why?”

“Because that gives you the best chance of survival. Swimming west will put you in line for inhabited islands and other boats. It will also keep you out of the strong currents. If you get swept too far east, there’s a lot of ocean between you and the other side of the Atlantic.”

Everyone nodded in understanding and River clapped his hands. “Alright, then. I want to introduce the team. He waved them forward and Willem and Maria stood to his right, while Pippa came up to his left side, making it hellishly difficult to concentrate.

After explaining the responsibilities of each crew member, he said, “If no one has any other questions, please hand over your passports to Pippa for emigration control and make yourselves comfortable. We’ll depart in roughly half an hour and should reach our diving destination early afternoon.”

“Where are we diving today?” one of the ladies asked.

“A nearby coral reef called Mushroom Forest. It’s protected from the currents and not very deep. It will give me a chance to evaluate each of you before we attempt anything more challenging.”

“Awesome!” Marge answered.

Everyone left the sundeck, including Pippa, who left the boat for the customs office.

River directed his thoughts away from his gorgeous employee and to the upcoming dive. He was never more at ease than when he was floating under the surface of the water. It was time to get this trip underway and Pippa out from under his skin.