Page 60 of Luck Be a Genie

I smiled, shaking my head. I really had the best friend in the whole entire world. “Thanks for coming, Dice,” I said softly. “I really missed you.”

She reached over and patted my shoulder awkwardly, which was basically the equivalent of a heartfelt hug from anyone else. “I could tell.”

“Was it the million I miss you texts?” I guessed, grinning.

She busted out laughing. “The plane flying the I Miss You banner over my house was also a nice touch.”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “Nick knew a guy.”

“Speaking of your husband...”

I followed her gaze to Nick. He was riding a wave like a pro, and just for a minute, I wanted to tweak his nose a little bit. Feeling devious, I pulled on my elemental power, and asked the water to reach out and yank him off his board, but to keep him safe while doing it.

“Here.”

Dice handed me binoculars, and I absently thanked her before focusing them on Nick.

He was gliding through a barrel beautifully before a watery hand reached through it, and yanked him off his board. He broke through the surface sputtering and glaring at me.

Dice and I laughed as I handed the binoculars back to her. “Oh, he’s going to make you pay for that. Look, he’s swimming for shore. You better run, little Lucky, because that genie is on a mission.”

I stood, about to make a break for it, but Nick cheated and blinked next to me, dripping wet and glaring. “That was mean, wife.” And before I could even scream, or protest my innocence, he tossed me over his shoulder and started back toward the water.

Dice was cracking up behind us while I pounded futilely on Nick’s back. “Not the ocean! There’s sharks, and things with stingers, and scary fish with lights on their heads!” I was laughing so hard I could barely get the words out. “I promise I’ll be good! I won’t pull you off your board anymore!”

“Too late. You want to play. Let’s play.”

I started climbing him like a monkey. “I don’t want to play. Really, I’m good!” I tried to squirm out of his arms, but he held me in an iron grip. “Nick!” I screeched as he pretended to toss me in, but gathered me to him in a hug instead.

I breathed out a sigh of relief. I knew my husband couldn’t be that cruel.

Nick’s laughing grey eyes glinted down at me as he wrapped my legs around his waist. “I felt that sigh of relief. You think you’re getting out of it, but you’re not. You won’t get over your fears until you face them.”

“But, but...”

He shook his head, cutting off my words with a kiss. Happy with where this was going, I kissed him back.

Until I felt water.

I pulled away from his lips, shrieking again. “Nick!”

His eyes were serious now. “I know, sunshine. But I’ll go with you. I’ll be right here, I promise.” Then he grinned. “Besides, you’re a water elemental. Just make everything with stingers, teeth, and strange lights stay away from you.”

I was looking down at the water now, clinging to my husband like a koala. “Do you think that will work?”

He kissed my neck. “If it doesn’t, I’ll blink them away from us.”

My teeth were chattering now. The water was cold! “Okay,” I said hesitantly.

I trusted him.

We waded in until it was just past my waist. And because it was my first time in the ocean in a long time, and I was still clinging to Nick, he only went in that far and stopped.

For a few minutes, I kept my eagle eye on the waters surrounding us, tense with anxiety. But Nick kept kissing me, distracting me in the best way until I was no longer thinking about anything but him.

Tricksy genie.

Nick pulled back from our kiss and gently moved my hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear. My legs were still wrapped around his waist, and his hands were under my thighs, but the water made me buoyant so I was slightly floating.