Stateâit was filled with hard bodies, scantily clad and spread out on a multitude of beaches. She modeled for part of her living, sharing her time with some of the best male bodies known to man.
His was better.
Real.
Mature.
Stop, Madison, she warned herself.
Despite herself, she imagined him completely naked. She blushed, and was glad of sun and her glasses once again. Carrie Anne, all innocence, was able to look up at Kyle with pure childish pleasure.
âI can help you fish? Really?â
âReally. If youâd like.â
âSure!â Carrie Anne said excitedly, her eyes alight. âCan I, Mommy?â
âMaybe Mommy will fish, too,â Kyle suggested.
âMommy is going to dive over the side in a bit. You two fish,â Madison said.
âJassy?â Kyle asked invitingly.
Jassy stretched and yawned. âMaybe. In a few minutes.â
Kyle took Carrie Anne aft. Madison could vaguely hear the deep drone of his voice and her daughterâs happy laughter in return.
âFive. Itâs a great age,â Madison murmured.
âUmm. Itâs before a woman finds out about men,â Jassy replied dryly.
Surprised, Madison leaned up and looked at her sister. She smiled. âSo what is up with you?â
Jassy shrugged. âNothing new.â
âYou seeing someone?â
âYeah. Maybe.â
âTell me!â
âUmmâ¦give me a little time, huh? I want to make sure itâs not like aâ¦â
âOne-night stand?â
âWell, âthree-date dealâ would be more like it.â
âAre you sleeping with him?â
âMadison!â
âFair question.â
âNone of your business.â
âIf you canât tell a sister, who can you tell?â
âItâs private.â
âHave you or havenât you?â
âOkay. Once. Just once.â
âWhoa! So itâs serious.â
âI still need to be careful. I haveâ¦reasons. God, heâs charming, though!â
âBut who is he?â
âNot yet! And donât you dare say a word to anyone, promise?â
âWhat can I say? You havenât told me anything.â
âPlease, I donât want anyone even knowing thereâs a man in my life.â
âAll right, all right! But now Iâm going to be eaten alive with curiosity.â
âEaten alive with curiosity! Now that will lead to an interesting autopsy!â Jassy said.
âUgh.â
âItâs a fascinating science,â Jassy said seriously.
âThereâs so very much you can learn from the dead when they canât speak for themselves anymore.â
âIâll grant you that.â Madison leaped to her feet. âBut look around you. The sun, the seaâitâs a great day. Take a break from the dead, huh? Iâm going in. You coming?â
âYeah,â Jassy agreed. âIâll be along in a few minutes.â
Madison dived in.
Kyle had brought them to anchor just off a sandbar. They were near a few of the smaller reefs, but even having been away for a while, Kyle would have been careful to anchor far from a coral shelfâanchors damaged the precious living coral. They had remained far to the southwest, avoiding John Pennecamp State Park, an underwater park that protected the reefs and the sea creatures living there. There was no fishing out of Pennecamp, though it was a beautiful place to dive.
Madison swam down, estimating that they were in about twenty-five to thirty feet of water. The water was perfect, warm near the surface, cool and pleasant beneath. She shot down deep, touched and stirred up the sand, then kicked to the surface again. She looked to the boat, ready to shout to Jassy to come join her.
But Jassy had moved aft. Madison heard her laughter, Kyleâs deep voice, Carrie Anneâs shrill giggle of delight over something.
Her invitation to her sister died on her lips.
âHowâs
Gina Whitney, Leddy Harper