Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele

Chapter 25 [Cordelia]

Jude pauses at the door, his face a bit uncertain as he touches his lips where I had just kissed him for the

first time.

"I know this is sudden but I was wondering if maybe you'd be open to going out later today?" he asks with a small smile. "Maybe we could head to the beach, get a bit more sunshine, and you could come to my lab after," his eyes are bright with hope, "What do you think?" I usually avoid the beach. I am terrified of the water. But he looks so earnest and hopeful that I agree.

"Great!" he claps his hands. "That's settled. We'll do a little swimming and then..."

"Swimming?" my nervous voice hitches, raising an octave.

The problem is, I never learned how to swim. I've always been a bit afraid of the water. Silly, I know, living near the coast. But I rarely made it out to the beach.

I tell Jude all of this and he laughs. "Oh don't worry about that," he brushes aside my fear. "I am an excellent swimmer. I used to spend my summers in the Catalina Islands. I can teach you."

He leaves with a bright smile on his face as he heads down the steps.

When Tilly comes home for lunch I explain my dilemma.

"But I don't even have a swimsuit!" I cry.

Tilly grabs my hand, pulling me towards her room. "You can borrow one of mine," she drags me into her bedroom, "Come on, I'll help you pick something.

Everything Tilly has me try on is embarrassingly revealing. I had to flat-out say no to anything that is a g- string. I love my body, but I don't need anyone to see that much of it.

Eventually, we settled on a mostly tasteful thong bikini in bright green and a thin built-in skirt of sheer material "for modesty."

There is absolutely nothing modest about this look.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea," I confess to Tilly. "Doesn't this feel like too much too soon?"

"Nonsense," she shakes her head. "You've had your heart closed off for so long-It's going to be scary opening up at first but trust me, it'll be worth it." She gives me a little hug. "Give him a chance to show your what it can feel like to have someone like you back." Jude arrives as I'm pulling on the swimsuit. I can hear him, but I am uncertain about going out to see him like this.

Tilly eventually convinces me to leave the room by handing me a shirt to hide the bikini. I still feel naked, but at least now most of it is covered

"Now you go out there and you don't come back until you've had your naughty way with that sexy man," she orders me as she pushes me out of her bedroom,

His eyes sweep over my body appreciatively. "Perfect, he smiles. "That'll be perfect.

I grab a hoodie and a pair of sweats for later, and we head down to his car.

We only live about 20 minutes from the beach, and soon we are face to face with the Pacific Ocean. It is hard not to be in awe at the sight. It is both beautiful and terrifying. Knowing I am afraid of the water, Jude is gentle with me. He tells me a few basic rules for entering

ng the ocean: Never turn your back to it, and never go above the waist. I tell him I'd rather not go above the knee, but he laughs.

"I'll stay right here next to you the whole time," he promises. "I won't let the ocean take you.

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I know he is trying to be comforting, but all I could see after that is waves with fingers and hands waiting. to steal me away.

Before I put a single toe in the water, my phone buzzed. It's my anonymous stalker. I toss my phone back into my bag and let Jude take me by the hand to the edge of the water.

Jude peels off his shirt and walks boldly, fearlessly, into the ocean. He turns back to face me. And motions with his hands for me to join him.

I stand frozen, watching him. As the barest finger of the seafoam touches my large toe, I jump back.

"The ocean isn't going to bite you, I promise!" he smiles. "I mean, the sharks might, but the ocean is harmless."

"SHARKS!" I squeak. "I wasn't even thinking about sharks."Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

"Nah, you don't look enough like a seal to be worth their time," he tries to convince me. "It's really the jellyfish you need to watch out for."

"Is this supposed to be convincing me," I put my hand on my hip as I walk closer to the water to scold him. The wave touches my calf, "No," he smiles as he reaches forward to pull me into his arms. "It was supposed to distract you."

That's when I notice I'm wet up to my waist.

Damn him, he tricked me!

"So now that you're here, let's get to work."

Jude spends the next hour teaching me how to float on my back, and then on my front. He holds my waist as I start to do the barest of strokes.

"You're a natural," he tries to convince me. "Just wait, we'll have you swimming like a fish before the end of summer."

"Not likely," laugh as I experiment with floating on my own.

"We should probably head back," he turns his back to look at the beach. "It's starting to get late and..."

I don't hear the rest because as his back is turned, I feel the sand give way under my feet. Jude!" I call out and he turns, but it is already too late, I have been pulled beneath the waves. Gasping, I try to take a deep breath. My arms and legs are unable to remember the less from a Chapter 25

moment before, as the unbearably salty water fills my nose and mouth and I start to panic.

VictoryAnne Vice Author

Never turn your back on the ocean...

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