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"Your gorgeous breasts are going to cock that up either way, I think." I pull her closer. "Not that I mind losing some hydro…whatever. It's worth it to see your naked body underwater."
"Are you agreeing to nude snorkeling?"
"Yes, you've convinced me. Strip, Maddie."
"Only if you do the same."
We both shed our swimsuits and apply sunscreen to the places our clothing had concealed, though we each do that on our own. Touching her naked body again would be too much temptation. Once we're both ready, I can't resist doing the same thing I'd done yesterday. I sweep her into my arms, carry her into the water until it's up to my knees, and toss her in.
Maddie shrieks and giggles and then splashes me. She grins again when she points behind me. "You forgot the snorkeling gear."
While I retrieve our fins and masks, a revelation hits me so powerfully that I freeze, bent over as I reach for our gear. Since we left our room this morning, I haven't thought about work once. Not even a fleeting thought.
Maddie races out of the water, grabbing her mask and fins from me. Her smile, so bright and exuberant, makes me smile too.
I haven't thought about work at all, and I plan to keep that up until the day I have no choice but to think about it. Work doesn't matter as much to me as it did a few days ago, and that's all thanks to one source.
Madeleine Louisa Solberg.
Chapter Seventeen
Maddie
Nude snorkeling is strange and wonderful, like we're doing something naughty, though there's nobody else around to object. Even if Dexter or Ilsa should see us, I doubt either of them would take offense. Yeah, Dex absolutely would not mind. I bet he'd want to join us.
With these fancy earpieces and our full-face masks, Rick and I can talk to each other while underwater, so I tell him the names of the fish and other sea life. He seems genuinely excited to see and learn about all of it. We float a few feet above the reef where coral grows in shades of pink, yellow, orange, and green, and it grows in various shapes too, everything from brain coral that resembles the exterior of a human brain to bulbous forms, featherlike structures, rods, and tubular designs. I marvel at the diversity of coral, but the array of sea creatures swimming around and below us leaves me awestruck.
"This is unbelievable," Rick says in my earpiece. "What are all those fish?"
I point to each one as I tell him the names—a school of clown triggerfish with their white-spotted black bodies and bright-yellow mouths, and a queen angelfish with its blue-and-yellow body and rainbow-colored fins. When a fish with leopard-like spots passes below us, I point at the creature. "Look, it's a spotfin burrfish. Oh! Look at that over there. It's lavender rope sponge. That's the actual name of it, not just what it resembles. Isn't it beautiful?"
"It's lovely but not as beautiful as your arse."
I glance over my shoulder at him. He's slowed his swimming pace, apparently so he can admire my bottom. "You're supposed to be experiencing the beauty and majesty of the sea, Richard."
He swims closer so he can pat my rump. "I am doing that, but your arse is one of the great wonders of the sea and the entire world. You're surrounded by blue water and strange sea creatures, like a sexy mermaid prowling for men to seduce and drag down to your undersea kingdom."
"That's the weirdest compliment I've ever received."
"You deserve unique praise since you are a unique woman." He looks down, then points toward something below him. "What is that?"
"It's a green turtle. Isn't he gorgeous?"
"Yes, but I still think your arse is the most stunning sight."
Jeez, he's obsessed with my butt. Well, we are snorkeling in the nude, so I guess I should cut him some slack. I keep glancing at his nakedness too, especially the way his dick moves with the current of our movements.
We swim around for a while, but I don't try to gauge how much time has passed. It doesn't matter. We're both on vacation, with all our responsibilities and worries left behind. I haven't thought about disease and death at all since I came to the Caribbean and met Richard, except when I told him about my job. I've allowed myself to revel in the freedom of doing whatever I want, whenever I want, without suffering any guilt.
A manatee swims by below us, and I point it out to Rick. He's so excited about the sea life, which he tells me he's never seen in person before.
"Only a few fish," he admits, "that's all I ever saw."
I love being the one to show him this underwater kingdom, and I love his enthusiasm for every living thing we come across during our snorkeling adventure. He seems younger today like he's shed his worries and inhibitions along with his clothes.
We bob out of the water not far from shore, pulling our masks up so we can look at each other.
"Fun, huh?" I say.
