I shrugged.
As the next fifteen minutes wore on, I tried to pay attention to the day's plans. I found myself paying more attention to Sebastian, though. He sure looked incredible in his cargo shorts and a tight T-shirt. Biting my lip, I admired how his biceps flexed as he handed out the schedules for the day.
Schedules…. Ah, yes.
I peered down at the paper in my hand. All the groups were painting again today. Oh, joy. I made a mental note to check my chair before sitting down, especially if Seth was around.
The contingency plan if the weather cleared up was a nature hike through the forest. I liked that idea. Maybe I could pawn my group off on Ginny or Lacey and sneak off with Sebastian.
Stop, I warned myself. I was out of control. Sebastian was making me feel confident, so unlike the real me. His smiles, his not-so-subtle innuendos… I guessed his yin brought out my yang, whatever that meant.
To my surprise, once the day was underway, the painting session went really well. Seth behaved. I knew it was only because Sebastian was keeping him occupied. Seth looked up to Sebastian, it seemed. He didn't want to disappoint him.
Score another point for Sebastian.
The skies cleared late in the afternoon and we were able to take the kids out for a quick hike before dinner. Sad to say, there were no opportunities to get Sebastian alone in the forest. After dinner, however, back at the main cabin, my luck turned. Sebastian asked me, out of the blue, if I wanted to go out on the lake with him.
"In a canoe," he said. "Just the two of us."
"Hell, yeah!" I replied.
He looked at me curiously. "Okay."
"Will that, uh, require any special oaring skills?" I droned on, since I couldn't think of anything better to ask.
Sebastian burst out into peals of laughter. And then he assured me he would handle all the "oaring" that needed to be done to navigate the canoe around the small lake.
A short while later, with the setting sun turning the sky the prettiest shades of pink and blue, Sebastian and I were floating around the lake in an old wooden canoe with peeling red paint on the sides.
The evening was kind of cool, so I was glad I'd changed into blue jeans and brought along a windbreaker to wear over my T-shirt.
Still, it all was very nice.
The canoe was large enough for four people, but someone had removed two of the wooden plank seats, creating more than enough room in the back for two people to sit down comfortably in the base of the canoe itself.
I suspected Sebastian had chosen this boat specifically, especially when he began repositioning old quilts and pillows he'd thrown in the back of the canoe before we left the boathouse.
As he settled in on the blankets, he glanced up at me. "Want to sit with me back here?" he asked, patting the space between his legs.
I had a feeling it might have been part of Sebastian's plan to try to kiss me again, which was fine with me.
And nervous as I was over that possibility, I couldn't stop my big mouth from messing up the moment. "Is that the starboard part of the boat?"
I pointed to the back of the canoe where he was, though I made no move to rise from my wooden plank seat to join him.
Sebastian looked at me with confusion, but then he smiled and again patted the spot between his legs. "Just come back here with me, Brooks." He shot me a flirty gaze, blue eyes flashing in the waning light, and added, "You're not afraid of me, are you?"
"Of course not," I mumbled as I stood and tried to steady myself in the rocking boat.
Of course, as luck would have it, at that exact second, the canoe got hung up on some debris in the water. When Sebastian tried to steer us away, the boat lurched, sending me tumbling headlong into his lap.
"Oh, my God, I am so sorry," I babbled.
I scrambled to sit up straight. Laughing, Sebastian kindly helped me maneuver to a seated position between his long legs.
"It's okay," he said softly as I took a chance and leaned back against his solid chest.
He encircled me in the warmth of his arms, and I shivered. "Are you cold?" he asked, his heated breaths tickling my ear.
"No, not at all."
I sure as hell wasn't. In fact, I was starting to feel warm, very warm. Being cocooned in Sebastian's arms made me feel all toasty and safe, and, dare I say, aroused. I squirmed around, purposely grinding up against Sebastian's crotch, hoping to feel if he was having a similar reaction.
Unfortunately for me, Sebastian caught on to what I was up to and slid his hands down, stilling my hips.
With more heated breaths at my ear, he warned, "Don't start something you're not willing to finish, Brooks."
A thrill coursed through me. I was insanely attracted to Sebastian, but we hadn't even kissed yet. Oh, well. What I really wanted was a damn first kiss.
I quit squirming, but Sebastian kept his hands on my hips, giving me a light but firm squeeze that sent more shockwaves through my body.