Sex and the Billionaire Crime Boss - Season 3

Ch. 29: Keeping Things Casual

"This is one of the best places," Brad tells me, "for shallow-water snorkeling. Do you want to try that?"

"Sure."

We are anchored near the edge of the sandbar, and have spent the past thirty minutes or so wading and enjoying the view. There are a few other boats here, but not as many as I would have expected. Brad explained that Bear Cut Sandbar is kind of a hidden gem for locals, with most tourists gravitating toward the areas more geared toward partying, and therefore more crowded like Haulover or Nixon Beach Sandbar. Or Whale Harbor Sandbar, where he says people often set up early in the morning to guarantee the best spot.

Bear Cut is much more low-key, and suits my mood exactly for a relaxing day.

"This was the perfect choice," I tell Brad as he pulls snorkel masks and fins out of the storage area on the boat.

"I'm glad," he says. "Have you done this before?"

"Snorkeling? Not since I was a kid."

"I just took it up recently, and I have to admit, I'm addicted."

When he strips off his t-shirt, I can't help but notice that all that time he spends in the gym has results. He has a definite six pack. For a guy who described himself as kind of nerdy during our dinner date, he has a nice build. I'd definitely be feeling physically attracted under different circumstances. Like, if I wasn't trying so hard to get over Max and automatically compare everything else to the irresistible chemistry I have with him.

Brad goes over the basics with me, and then we move into the water, just floating on top on our stomachs and looking down, since most of the area is less than six feet deep. We see all kinds of fish, many of which I can't identify. I definitely see a school of parrotfish and several pufferfish, inflating themselves to spiky balls three times their normal size when they sense danger.

Brad gestures and I follow him to a shallow coral reef, and a whole new world of color and exotic species opens up. We drift, moving ourselves slightly forward with our fins and holding hands so we don't separate. I squeeze his hand and point when I spot a large sea turtle to my left, swimming slowly past us, as graceful in the water as it is awkward on land.

Right here and now, in this underwater paradise, it's almost possible to forget about my worries and all the disturbing events of the past week. It seems like a whole different world from the one where dangerous men had a shoot-out with Max and me in a high speed car chase, and someone in my own law firm is plotting to undermine me and delete confidential client files.

We have our picnic right on the boat, with the food spread out between us on a wakeboard Brad uses as an impromptu table. Everything looks amazing, and once we start eating I realize how hungry I was.

"I thought we brought too much food," I say to Brad between bites of my sub, "but now I'm rethinking that."

"The sun, the water, the snorkeling - guaranteed to give you an appetite," Brad says. He pulls a couple cans of the fruit-infused sparkling water out of the ice chest and hands one to me. "Biggest mistake I made when I started boating was not remembering to stay hydrated."

"At the gym and on the water," I say, and he smiles back at me.

He has a really nice smile.

"I want to see you again, Hadley." He runs his hand through his light brown wavy hair. It's starting to dry in the sun, and I notice there are gold flecks, probably from all the time he's been spending outdoors and on the water. "Let's just get that out of the way now instead of waiting until the end of the day."

"Brad," I start, but he interrupts me.

"I know you want to take it slow and that's fine. I'm not looking for something too serious right away." He takes a long drink and the condensation runs in slow drops down the can, catching the sunlight.