Page 139 of Revv

Then she sprays me directly in the face and takes off again.

Fucking menace.

And I’m having the best goddamn time.

More importantly, so is she.

There’s no phone in her hand. No crease between her brows. She isn’t worrying about the Honda or what she should be doing back in Tampa. She’s soaked, sun-flushed and laughing so hard after taking one wake too fast that she has to slow down to recover.

Exactly what I wanted.

Eventually, we head farther out, slowing near a shallow reef where the water changes completely. The darker blue gives way to clear turquoise, pale stretches of sand visible beneath the surface between patches of reef.

The city looks distant from here, softened by heat and salt haze, and without both engines screaming, I can hear the slap of water against the hulls.

I kill mine and look over at her.

“Going in?”

Her expression changes immediately. “Absolutely fucking not.”

I laugh. “Come on, Mama.”

“Nah, I’m good right here.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” I slide into the water and swim around to the back of her jet ski. “You’re practically welded to the fucking thing.”

“Exactly. We’re happy together.”

I rest my arms on the platform and look up at her. “Trust me.”

She gives me a look. “You say that way too casually for someone who regularly makes terrible decisions.”

“Not with you.”

That quiets her for a second.

I move closer, holding my hand out. “Come on. I had you on the surfboard, I’ve got you now. I’m not going to let you go.”

Her eyes drop to my hand, but she still doesn’t take it.

“Do you trust me?”

That takes some of the fight out of her.

Her eyes drop to my hand, lips pressing together while she thinks about it. I don’t push or try to joke her into saying yes. I just wait.

Finally, her hand slips into mine.

“Yeah,” she admits quietly, eyes lifting to mine. “I do.”

Ah, shit.

I wasn’t prepared for how hard that would hit.

Not ‘I trust you to drive’ or ‘I trust you not to let me drown.’ Just I trust you.

Something tightens behind my ribs, and every smart-ass comment I had lined up disappears.