“Suit yourself.”

His hand brushes my arm as he walks by me, heading to the main deck. I keep my eyes glued to the screen, but eventually, my curiosity gets the better of me. Tempted by a force stronger than my willpower, I throw a look over my shoulder to the swim platform at the rear of the boat. But I don’t see him. Rising a bit out of my seat, I spot Rafael at the frontmost point of the yacht, unbuttoning his shirt. All the air rushes out of my lungs as I watch him remove the garment, revealing his perfectly defined broad back.

His pants are next.

I’m still lightheaded, taken aback by how beautiful he is, when he hooks his fingers into the waistband of his underwear. Oh my God, he wouldn’t! The briefs slide down, giving me the briefest glance at his amazing hard ass before he dives overboard. His body soars in a straight line for a split second, and a heartbeat later, a splash in the water sounds below.

My palms are pressed to my burning cheeks. I can’t believe he did that. And he’ll be naked when he climbs back onto the yacht, meaning I’ll be able to see everything I missed in that lightning-fast glimpse. All six and a half feet of buck naked, wet, magnificent male body.

How am I going to feign indifference to that?

I scramble off the sunbed, intending to hide somewhere on the main deck until Rafael is once more clothed, but the overwhelming urge to see him gets to me again. Maybe I could just have a quick look without him noticing?

Crouching low to the deck, I sneak to the front of the helm station and peek over the side, trying to see beyond the bow of the boat. The deep blue waters are still, except for the gentle ripples on the surface. Zero bare-assed assassins anywhere in sight. I run to the back of the flybridge, but it’s the same. Just the calm vastness of the Mediterranean.

“Rafael?” I call.

Nothing.

Where the fuck is he? How long can a person stay underwater? It’s been at least two minutes. I scramble back to the open cockpit and descend the metal ladder to the rear of the boat and then the steps to the waterline.

“Rafael!” I yell from the swim platform, scanning the depths in vain. “This is not funny!”

Did he drown? What if something has eaten him? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! I shove down my shorts and fling off my top, remaining only in a matching set of a white lace bra and panties. My heart is pounding in my chest, and worry for Rafael is pressing me down, but I can’t make myself step off that platform into the sea. Ever since I watched Jaws, I have a deep-rooted fear of sharks. I can swim well enough, but only in swimming pools.

“Rafael!” I scream this time, drawing out his name. There’s no answer.

A hysterical whimper leaves my lips as I lower myself to the edge of the decking and dip my feet into the water. If a sea monster ate Rafael, it must be a super huge one to be able to swallow him whole. If it comes after me, I’ll probably barely register when it opens its mouth. Quick, painless death.

“Fuck you, Rafael,” I huff and slide off the platform into the terrifying depths just as a large water-distorted shape surges from below.

I scream and shut my eyes. Water splashes all around me as I flail my arms, trying to get away, and my back collides with the swim ladder extended below the surface. Something big and thick wraps around my waist. I scream again, kicking my legs to hit—

“Ma che cazzo! Vasilisa!”

I freeze. Open one eye. Then the other one. Rafael is in the water in front of me, his right arm wrapped around my waist, while he grips the ladder behind me with his left hand.

“I thought you were the fucking Kraken,” I blurt out while fighting to draw in a calming breath.

He cocks his head, the motion dislodging a few drops of water from his hair directly onto my breasts. “The Kraken?”

“Yes!”

His lips are pressed tightly together and his eyebrows furrowed. I think I might have angered him. A deep rumbling sound comes from his chest, and, in the next moment, he bursts out laughing.

“It’s not funny!” I wrap my arms around his neck, holding on to him for dear life. “I thought you drowned, you jerk! Do you have any idea how terrified I am of swimming in the sea? I almost had a heart attack while considering how to outswim the sharks and octopuses and whales and . . . and . . . giant turtles so I could get to you!”

Rafael’s eyes suddenly darken. He’s not laughing anymore. His hold on my middle tightens, crushing me to his chest. I go very very still, hyperaware of his body basically plastered to me. His gaze captures mine and holds it with the same ferocity as his arm clutches my body. And his stone-hard cock presses right at my core.

“There is only one monster lurking in these waters now, my fiery lily of the valley.” He bows his head, placing a kiss on my shoulder. “But I think you know that he won’t ever do you any harm.”

A thrilling shiver runs down my spine, followed by another when he kisses my neck. My chin. The corner of my mouth. I feel like I’m a conduit for high-voltage power, but there’s no outlet for all that raw energy. I’m snared in his electric field, and every time his lips touch my skin, a total system meltdown happens. Finally, his mouth seizes mine. Biting. Taking. Claiming. I kiss him back, even though I know that I shouldn’t. Shouldn’t let this happen. But whatever cognitive ability I possessed, got fried. Short-circuited. Burned to a crisp.

I tighten my hold on him, plastering myself tighter to his chest, while he ravages my lips. This is wrong. I know it is, but I can’t seem to care. All sense of reality is getting lost amid the myriad of emotions swirling inside me. Excitement. Elation. Happiness. It’s so damn good to be held in his arms, with his body enveloping mine. His naked body. I can feel his hard cock brushing against my core, the lacy fabric of my panties the only barrier. I want more, and my whole being is buzzing with that need. More of this manipulative, complicated man who’s been plaguing my thoughts since the second we met.

I pull his lower lip between my teeth and bite it. Hard. “I can’t believe you left me a check for our kiss, you jackass.”

“And I can’t believe you flushed my millions down the drain.” He bites me back. “I’m going to fuck you now, Vasilisa. I’m going to fuck your pussy into oblivion, the same way you’ve been fucking with my goddamned mind for weeks, turning it into a useless mush. Can you even imagine the willpower I had to have to resist taking you into my arms and making you mine, to not simply say: Screw it all, I want her?”

“Yes,” I pant. Knowing how much I’ve been fighting to maintain my own self-control, I have a pretty good idea. My fantasies have been taking over my mind night and day—what it would be like to forget who he is . . . what he’s done . . . and to just let go? I guess I’m going to find out because my brain checked out the moment our lips touched. Primal desire and need are now in command. I can’t fight myself anymore. “Please fuck me into oblivion.”

His grip around my waist tightens like a vise. He lets go of my lip that’s been trapped between his teeth and growls into my mouth.

“Hold tight.”

I don’t question his order, just do as he said. My hands slide into his hair, anchoring my grip around his neck. Instantly, his arm around my waistline shifts, his palm glides over to push my panties down. As if triumphant in overcoming that barrier, the seawater swells against my pussy while the delicate lace slides down my legs and disappears into the deep.

Rafael strokes my ass with his palm, then moves lower, between my ass cheeks, straight to my core. Deft fingers brush my folds. And with his movements, the warm waters of the Mediterranean delicately splash my opening, even flooding inside. Rafael attacks my lips with the same rhythm as his fingers caress my sensitive flesh. It’s pure insanity.

My whole body feels like it’s scorching on the inside, heat rising through the water. Scalding. Steaming. The very air around us feels thick like fog. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I press my pussy to the tip of his cock, and close my eyes.

Rafael’s lips go still on mine. “Look at me.”

I blink my eyes open, once again fighting for breath. Rafael’s face is set in hard lines, jaw clenching, making the scars on his face more distinct.

“Don’t fucking dare close your eyes.” A low, dangerous-sounding growl escapes his throat as he slides the head of his cock inside me.

“Okay,” I whisper.

“Good.”

He pushes in a bit deeper. He’s too big. I can’t breathe. A shaky whimper leaves me. I cling to him with all my strength, my eyes piercing his.

“I don’t do slow, vespetta. But for you, I’ll try.”

Another inch. Having him inside me feels intrinsic. Intense. I’ve never had sex in the water, and the sensation is incomparable to anything I’ve experienced before. Or maybe it’s just him. His finger is still stroking my flesh, that spot between my core and the nerve-rich center of my ass, applying constant pressure. That touch alone nearly pushes me over the brink. And his dick isn’t even halfway in me.

Somehow, he’s still gripping the ladder with his left hand. Without breaking our eye contact, I grab his trunk-like biceps and tighten my legs around his waist. Taking more of him inside. My entire body trembles as he slowly fills me up. More. And more. Both of us panting. With just the sun overhead and the tranquil sea around us, we’re in our own wild world.

If it was anyone else floating in these waters with me, I’d long ago have been in a full-blown panic, cast to the coldest depths. But, it seems my mind completely believes that Rafael De Santi truly is the biggest threat in this blue vastness. And all I can feel is him. Just when I think I can’t take any more, my walls stretch further. My body adjusts to his size.

When he seems to finally be completely within me, I can barely draw a full breath. The teeniest movement from him will probably make me shatter. But Rafael holds utterly still.

“Tell me . . . Did you really jump in the water because you thought something happened to me?”

Air leaves my lungs in shallow bursts as I search his green orbs. His left iris is a shade lighter than the right one. I never noticed that before.

“Did you?” he insists and, unbelievably, pushes deeper.