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It was a quick peck, but George’s ensuing smile had me ready to be dismissed.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll get the tender ready,” I mentioned as I stood up.
“Be careful out there today, there’s no clouds.”
I stared at George, confused. What was he talking about?
“You already have sunburn on your cheeks and chin,” he explained.
It was beard burn, but sure, let’s call it that.
I cleared my throat. “I’ll be sure to slather on the SPF.”
Rafe stifled a chuckle behind his coffee cup.
I grabbed my mug and held it up. “Thanks for the coffee. Text me if anything changes and you need me to report back on ship.”
“Will do,” George replied with a nod.
Rafe smiled at me. “Have fun.”
“Thank you, Rafe. I will.”
I was gonna try my best.
Floating back downstairs, I made my way over to the stern and began the process of checking the tender. After conducting some tests on the engine, I made adjustments to ensure it was ready for our outing.
Jana brought down a cooler with water and snacks, just in case. We probably wouldn’t need it at the beach club. Still, it was always good to be prepared.
An hour later, Derrick appeared and helped me get everyone into the tender. Rowan and Andrew sat at the back with Dylan and Max, and Alex, Jared, Aiden, and Kiernan in the next row behind me. With the cooler near my feet and everyone ready, I started up the engine and steered us over to the island.
Thank God everyone, including myself, was wearing sunglasses. It was hard enough standing inches away from Kiernan but if we made eye contact, and after everything that happened between us, I didn’t know if I’d be able to keep my reaction to him a secret.
This trip today might not have been the smartest idea I’d ever had. I wasn’t sure Kiernan and I were good enough actors. Or that we were ready to face other people’s scrutiny. Would I be able to act indifferent when everything felt so new and intense between us? I’d never had a problem with this type of thing before because sex was just a release. It was fun, and hot, and yeah, sexy, but just a release. And then I was done.
Even if I had a desire to go back for seconds, I rarely did. No one ever had that kind of hold on me.
Not until Kiernan.
My longing for him kept building inside me like a rising tide.
Was I out of my depths or was this going to be the ride of my life?
Given where my mind—and every other part of me—was at, I didn’t know if it was safe for me to be operating a vessel.
A wave of sea spray hit my face, giving me a much-needed cooldown as I tried to get my head back to work mode.
As usual, when we arrived at the marina, Alex and Kiernan were out of the boat first. They helped me tie up the tender and got everyone disembarked safely.
Then it was my turn.
But I didn’t notice how slick the floor of the boat was and as I stepped up onto the dock with my right foot, my left slipped.
Rookie mistake.
The next thing I knew, I was hauled safely onto the dock by my own personal bodyguard.
Swoon.
