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I glanced back at the shoreline. “Have to be extra careful here. This is where Willa Hollingsworth nearly drowned a couple of years ago.”
“Oh, yeah. I guess I’d forgotten about that since I wasn’t here at the time. What happened?”
I pulled off my own T-shirt, reveling in the warmth of the sun on my bare skin. “Willa’s a big animal lover. She thought she saw a dog in the water and swam out to rescue it. She got caught in a riptide.”
“Thought she saw?”
I shimmied out of my shorts, leaving only the swimsuit I’d put on this morning. “Well, it was night, and nobody actually saw the dog. So either it didn’t make it, or she was mistaken. Either way, her parents didn’t take it well. It was the same night Gwen Busby disappeared. That was what prompted them to move off island and take her with them. Anyway, Sawyer is the one who saved her. His quick thinking is the only reason she survived.”
“Shit. That’s gotta leave some trauma.”
I thought of the watchful quiet and reserve I’d seen in Willa since she’d come to work at the tavern. She did the job, but I could tell being around all the people was hard on her. “I’m sure it does.”
We drifted a little further down the coast, to the next little inlet, and Hoyt dropped anchor.
“Shall we?” He offered his hand again.
I took it, and we leapt, hitting the water at the same time. That first stunning grip of cold stole the breath from my lungs. We hadn’t quite hit high summer, so the water hadn’t warmed to my preferred swimming temperatures on the ocean side of the island. Kicking hard, I broke the surface and sucked in air.
“Jesus, it’s freezing!”
Hoyt grinned. “Give it a minute. You’ll adapt.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “A gentleman would offer to share body heat in the meantime.”
“I’m nothing if not that.” He reached out and snagged me, pulling me against his body.
On a sigh, I wrapped my arms and legs around him, which had the delightful side effect of settling my center against the bulge behind his board shorts. A bulge that got considerably more prominent as the motion of him treading water to keep us both afloat rubbed us together.
God, that felt good.
The low rumble in his chest told me he felt the same.
“Hoyt?”
“Yeah?” His voice was a little strained.
“Does this boat have a cabin?”
Those green eyes sparked. “It does.”
“I think maybe we should go check that out instead of swimming.”
“You’re right. It’ll definitely be… warmer below decks.”
“Mmm.” I gave him a quick, nipping kiss and let go, swimming back to the boat.
We clambered aboard and stumbled toward the cabin. I hadn’t been inside since we boarded back at the marina, and I stopped short at the multiple little jars of flowers he’d set up in the cup holders around the space. Which meant he’d had time to plan this little outing beyond just making arrangements to rent the boat.
His hands came to my hips from behind, and he pressed a kiss to my shoulder. “Too cheesy? I wasn’t counting on this, but I was hoping.”
Overcome that he’d tried to add a little romance and sweetness, I turned in his arms. “It’s perfect.”
His lips brushed mine in a whisper of a kiss. “You’re perfect.”
“Mmm.” Stepping away, I backed toward the double berth at the bow, reaching back to untie the straps of my bikini top. Nerves made my hands shake as the last knot pulled free, and I let the fabric fall to the floor.
Hoyt swallowed and swore reverently.
