Page 90 of The Scientist

“Yes.” He nodded. “I want to show you something.”

“Again, probably a phrase Ted Bundy has uttered,” I said. “I knew you were trying to get rid of me!”

He laughed. “I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble if I wanted to get rid of you. I’d just set a bird loose in your house.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Hola Alexsander!” a Hispanic gentlemen greeted him from aboardTheLady Krilleras we walked up.

Lex greeted the gentleman, who evidently was the captain of the boat. They started speaking in Spanish to one another, still not cluing me in on what we were doing.

“How did you manage to find someone with a boat in less than twelve hours anyway?” I asked.

“He owed me a favor,” he said with a smile.

“Do I even want to know?” I asked, and he chuckled.

There was a ladder to climb aboard the boat, which Lex used first before holding his hands out to help me. I shivered with pleasure when he put his hands on my waist to steady me as I descended the ladder onto the boat. The fact that I managed to do it even in this outfit was a small miracle.

The captain spoke in Spanish to Lex again before he entered the small cabin onboard that could only fit one person, so I knew we’d be taking the only remaining seats at the front of the boat.

“Sorry, he only speaks Spanish,” Lex said to me.

“That’s okay. I know you guys were just discussing the best place to dump a body.”

His eyes widened, and he gave a small gasp. “So you do speak Spanish.”

I laughed before tugging on his pullover. "Just remember our deal—shirt needs to come off that way I won't realize when my time's up."

He rolled his eyes, a grin playing across his lips. “Just keep your coat buttoned. It might get pretty chilly on the ride. But it should only take about ten minutes to get there.”

I started humming the funeral march, and he shook his head, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

We couldn’t really talk anymore when the boat got up to a higher speed as we made our way toward the open ocean. He was right. It did get pretty chilly as the wind whipped across my face. I pulled my coat in even tighter around me.

He leaned close to my ear so that I could hear him above the noise of the boat, sending shivers down my spine that had nothing to do with the chill in the air. “Are you okay? Are you cold?”

“I’m fine,” I told him, but my traitorous teeth started to chatter.

“Take mine.” He started to unbutton his own coat.

“No,” I said, grabbing his hand. “I have a much better idea of how to keep warm.”

I took his arm and wrapped it around me. He smiled, pulling me in close. I breathed in the scent of him—clean laundry and that earthy maleness. It started as a ploy just to get him close to me, but it really did help to keep me warm.

True to his word, in about ten minutes, the boat started to slow as we pulled up next to a cluster of large rocks about a mile out from the shoreline. The sun had completely set at this point, and the only light being cast was from the countless number of stars shining brightly above. They were so breathtaking. I was never able to see the stars in New York.

“So, I know it’s been hard for you adjusting to living in California,” he said, leaning close to my ear, the warmth of his breath fanning over my face. “But I wanted to show you something that you can’t see much of on the East Coast.”

We walked to the side of the boat as the captain anchored next to the rock cluster. After finishing, he went back inside the small cabin again, leaving the two of us alone again.

“Look just over there.” He pointed to the far side of the rock cluster where the waves were crashing over. I looked in the direction he was pointing and tried not to focus on his hand pressing against my lower back.

I had to blink a few times to make sure what I was seeing was real. The water shimmered with an iridescent blue glow all along the line of rocks. Even the waves seemed to emit a faintluminescence as they crashed against the rocks, each splash adding to the surreal spectacle.

My eyes went wide and my lips parted. “What is it, Lex?”

I could see out of the corner of my eye he wasn’t looking at the water. He was watching me. “It’s called bioluminescence. It’s pretty easy to find along the coast of California.”