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Nerves rioted through me as I lifted my arm in the air. “Excuse me.”
“Yes.” Jimmy pointed at me and shouted from the bow. “Girl in the front row.”
I smiled, feeling silly for raising my hand. “Um, I was just wondering how I would be taking care of the payment?”
The payment?That was my big conversation starter? I really did suck at this.
“One sec.” He crossed the ten feet or so that separated us and the closer he got the more potent his smile was. And when he took off his sunglasses and I saw his light brown stare, every thought I had in my head evaporated.
I’d thought his smile alone was potent but adding in those large brown eyes surrounded by thick lashes was a dangerous combination.
He stopped in front of me and lifted his arms so that he was grasping the overhang above my head. He leaned in beneath it to where I was seated. “I couldn’t hear you with the wind.”
“I…” Speak, Isabella! I commanded myself. I lifted my hand and twisted my earring, suddenly feeling shy. Having Jimmy’s full attention focused on me in such a small space was a lot to take in. “I was just wondering how I would take care of the payment for the charter? Venmo, PayPal?”
“Don’t worry about it. I was headin’ out anyway. And I’m honored to be the captain of your maiden voyage.”
Oh, boy. If he only knew how badly I wanted him to be the captain of my maiden voyage…and I wasn’t talking about the cruise.
He gave me a wink and started to turn around.
“No, I can’t let you do that.” I stood and reached out to grab his arm just as the boat hit a wave, knocking me off balance. I stumbled back and then to the side, unable to get my sea legs to steady. I felt like Bambi on the ice.
Jimmy turned back and caught me before I fell forward. He twisted his body, holding me in his arms, and ended up tumbling onto the bench in a seated position. The momentum of my swaying caused me to fall onto my knees and face-plant right into his lap.
It all happened in the span of a few seconds, max, but while it was happening, it seemed as if everything was going in slow motion, and I was still unable to stop any of it.
As soon as I realized the position I’d landed in, I tried to move away. I started to lift my head and realized that my hand was on something very hard—and very big. Instinctively, my fingers squeezed around it as I used the leverage to push myself up and I heard a deep moan vibrate from his chest.
Once my brain caught up to what was happening, I jerked my hand away from his lap like I’d touched a hot stove. And to be fair, my palm tingled as if I had.
“I’m so sorry!” My eyes flew to his.
Horrified didn’t even come close to describing how I felt. Strangely, though, it didn’t seem that Jimmy was even the slightest bit bothered by my inappropriate groping.
He possessed a calm confidence that equally put me on edge and at ease.
“Darlin’, you have nothin’ to apologize for.” His voice held something that it hadn’t when we’d spoken earlier. A rough quality that had my entire body breaking out in goosebumps.
“I didn’t mean to…I touched you…your…there…” I looked back down at where my hand had just been and my mouth watered at the sight.
“Like I said, you have nothin’ to apologize for. I’m not complainin’.”
“You’re not?”
I couldn’t tell if he was flirting or just being nice to make me feel better about this uncomfortable situation. My heart was racing so fast I was sure that it was putting the tear to the test, but honestly, if this was how I went out, so be it. I felt more excited, more alive, on this boat with Jimmy than I’d felt in my entire life.
“You can touch my there anytime you like.”
Was he serious? Was that an invitation? I honestly wished I had some clue. I knew that these circumstances weren’t likely to fall in my lap, like I had in his, again. I figured a follow-up question wouldn’t hurt. “Really? I can?”
His grin widened and I could see that my response wasn’t what he was expecting. “You sound surprised.”
“I am,” I answered honestly. I’d spent the past few hours lusting after him, wondering what his powerful body would feel like beneath his shirt, his shorts…but simply getting permission to touch him had never crossed my mind.
But since I had it now, I didn’t want to waste it.
This was an opportunity I didn’t want to squander. I would’ve assumed in this situation I would be nervous, but somehow, with Jimmy I wasn’t. My pulse fluttered faster than a butterfly on speed, and I was trembling from head to toe, but it was from anticipation, not anxiety.
