Page 35 of The Other Half

“Put your finger here.” I reached for her hand to guide it but froze when I thought about touching her skin. “There.” I pointed instead, and she looked up at me.

“There?”

“Yep.”

“Now, let me get Hank out of the way, then we can practice the motion of casting. Hank. Truck,” I said. Hank hopped up from where he lay by her feet and leapt onto the open tailgate of my truck. It was a launch for him, and he scrambled to keep from sliding back down. “Good boy.”

“He really listens well.”

“He’s a damn good dog. Now, let’s see how well you can listen.” I smiled.

“I’m all ears. Show me how to wield this thing.”

While I talked her through it again, she hung on every word and practiced bringing the rod back to position and casting.

“Am I ready?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Exchanging a nervous glance, I stepped out of the way. Since I taught people to fish for a living, I’d been on the receiving end of those hooks on more than one occasion and didn’t feel like digging one out tonight.

“Here I go!” Grinning wide, she got into position. The rod came back and with the flick of her wrist it flew forward, but instead of a long, smooth cast, the lure snapped in the air and remained hanging from the tip.

“You forgot to release your finger,” I said when she looked at me with confusion flooding her eyes.

“Oh, yeah!”

This time she drew back, but before she could cast, she released her finger too early and the lure dropped to the rocks behind her.

“Oh, no!” Laughter peppered her words while she looked at the mess behind her.

“It’s okay. It takes a few times to get the hang of it.”

“I’m never going to get it.” A big pout pushed out her bottom lip.

Damn it. I knew what I had to do, but it made my stomach twist in a lethal combination of fear and excitement.

“I’ll show you,” I said on a sigh while I took her rod and cranked it back up. After getting the line the right length, I stepped up behind her. Trying not to brush up against her, I positioned myself with my arms along her sides and held the rod out in front of her. This next part was going to hurt.

“Wrap your hand around mine and put your index finger over mine. I want you to feel the moment I release.”

While I held that rod for dear life with my arms around her waist, her hands found their way on top of mine. When her small fingers settled on mine, a surge of electricity traveled down my spine. A shudder followed, and I hoped she hadn’t felt it.

Yep. This is downright torture.

As if I wasn’t in enough agony feeling the soft skin of her hands caressing mine, she leaned back against me and our bodies snapped together like the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle. The top of her head rested just under my chin and her back pressed into my chest. Without my permission, my arms tightened around her body and she leaned in harder.

Oh, God.

Swallowing hard, I struggled to regain my composure. A soft breeze blew and the floral scents from her hair drifted into my nose and made me dizzy with desire. With sweaty palms, I struggled with my grip on the rod.

“Like this?” she asked while she slipped her index finger on top of mine. With a curious peek up from below me, our eyes locked. When I looked into them, I felt a strong current pull at me. Even though I fought against it, it sucked me under, and I got lost beneath the weight of her stare. And this time I didn’t want to come up for air.

“Yes, like that.” Her finger stretched as long as it could but only went half the length of mine.

“Now just keep your body relaxed and soft and move with mine.”

I drew back the pole as she softened into my embrace, together we moved it back and forth until I felt like she had the motion down.