“I’m not ready! I—Aden, what are you doing?” I stare in horror as he slowly prowls toward me.
“You wanted an adventure.” His long strides are calculated because every adjust I make he counters with one of his own until I’m backed into a corner. “I’m giving it to you.” His eyes track to my chest that’s rising and falling way too fast. Even though he insisted I wear a T-shirt over one of Celia’s bikinis it’s the burn-out kind, tight with a v-neck and covers little more than the bruises on my upper arms and back.
“I’m scared.”
He closes in. “Don’t be.”
“I don’t know how to not be scared.”
His big hand covers my hip. “I’d die before I let anything get to you.”
I blink up at him, shocked by his words. “Don’t say that.”
“I’m serious.” He leans in and his breath is hot against my neck. “Dying to protect the life of a beautiful woman is an honorable way to go.”
I press my forehead to his shoulder, hiding the pink I know is rushing to my cheeks and whisper, “You think I’m beautiful.”
His other hand clutches my hip. “You know I do.”
Now I’m practically panting and even though I can’t see anything around Aden’s big body I know Jenkins isn’t more than a few feet away. “Well . . .” I swallow hard, trying to regain my wits. “What are the chances of you having to sacrifice your life for mine?”
He smiles against my skin. “You want a calculated risk assessment?”
“Please . . .” My breathing is so loud I should be embarrassed. “Yes, please.”
He shrugs one big, tan shoulder. “Less than one percent.”
“Less than?”
He steps closer, brushing his hard chest against mine. “Despite what happened last night—”
“Aden—”
“You’re safe with me.” He presses his lips against my temple. “I’m sorry.” His voice cracks, but he quickly clears his throat.
“I know you are.”
He nods and backs up, giving me back a little oxygen. “So . . . you comin’?” That friggin’ crooked smile flashes, turning me into a brainwashed minion.
“Yeah.”
He grabs my hand and leads me to the back of the boat, where he heaves the kayak over and into the water. He easily slips into the back seat of the two-seated vessel, then holds his hand out to me. “Nice and easy, I’ll do my best to keep it level.”
My lips knit together as I concentrate on stabilizing myself on the bobbing banana-looking thing, and with him lending me his strength I manage to drop my ass into the front seat.
“Atta girl, freckles.”
“I did it!”
He chuckles. “See, that wasn’t too bad, huh?”
It really wasn’t, but now that I’m floating over God knows how many things that could kill me, my victory is short-lived.
“Jenks, don’t go anywhere!” Aden yells out as he thrusts one side of the oar into the water, propelling us toward the islands.
The man grumbles something back that I can’t make out over the splash of the water around me and the roar of my pulse in my ears. “Where’s my oar?” I search the small space, but there’s nothing.
“Relax. Leave the paddling to me.” His powerful strokes push us through the dark water and I try hard to do what he said. I practice deep breathing, blowing out through my mouth, focusing on the land ahead rather than contemplating the wildlife that dwells below.
The wind blows my hair around my face and the sun warms my skin. This time Aden insisted I slather myself in SPF 50, so while the heat touches my skin it doesn’t burn. I imagine what he must look like behind me, the muscles in his back and shoulders contracting with every push through the water, a fine sheen of sweat making his bare torso sparkle in the light. Unable to resist a peek, I turn around and the tiny boat rocks to the side, sending water spilling in around my butt.
“Gah! That’s cold!”
He chuckles. “Eyes forward, ya perv.”
I gasp and my face flames. “Perv? I was just trying to see how far away from the boat we’d come.”
“Sure you were.”
I open my mouth to defend myself but figure he’s got me figured out already so I’ll quit while I’m ahead.
It takes longer than I thought it would, judging by the distance from Aden’s boat to the islands, but he finally slows his rowing in a small inlet where the cliffs shelter the water from the wind to make it still and glassy.
“You okay?” I hear him fumbling around with something behind me, but I don’t dare look now that I know it’ll throw us off balance and keep my eyes on the rocks.
“Aden, this is amazing.” I tilt my head way back to see to the tops of the rocks towering above us.
“It’s called Lobster Shack Cove. We’ll anchor here.”
There’s a splash to my right and a rope that dangles off the side of the kayak.
“Anchor?” There’s a good twenty yards between us and a small strip of beach. “Are we getting off?”
He hands me something over my shoulder. “Put this on.”
“A mask?” I turn around, this time more carefully to avoid rocking the tiny boat.
He’s slipping a mask over his head, wearing it like a headband with the snorkel dangling. “Yeah. Here.” He snags the mask from me and slips it over my hair, popping it over my eyes and making a few adjustments to the strap. “Put this in your mouth.” He guides the snorkel to my lips with a devilish grin on his face.
“Who’s the perv now?” I mumble as he puts the damn thing in my mouth, sealing my fate.
I’m going to have to get in the water.
Looking over the edge of the kayak I can see the ocean floor. There’s a few fish, but nothing big and toothy waiting for me at the bottom.
“Remember what I said about keeping you safe?” He pulls the mask over his eyes, then grabs my hand.
Unable to speak with the snorkel in my mouth, I nod and squeeze his hand.
“If you let go of the fear you might actually enjoy yourself.” He brings my knuckles to his lips and then lets go and dives off the kayak.
The abrupt motion rocks the boat and I scream through the snorkel tube and try to steady it. Aden pops up just a few feet away.
“Come on, freckles.”
Yes, I can do this. I try sliding one foot into the water, but my weight tilts the kayak.
“Just jump!”
“Shut up!” It’s what I say, but what comes out is a jumbled mess of gibberish through the filter of the snorkel.
I push up to a squat and look over the edge. You can do this, Sawyer. Celia would do it. She would push me off the side of this boat and laugh hysterically when I came up gasping for air.
But these are things I’ll never get to do with my sister, and as much as I want to believe she’ll recover, the odds are unfairly against her. She’d give anything to be where I am, to be standing on the edge of something amazing and all I have to do to enjoy it is let go of my fear.
With renewed strength I push to stand. I do it with so much force that it sends the kayak out from under me. I stumble backward and land ass first and gracelessly into the water.