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I point to the lines. “Safety first. You never step into a loop, okay? When you untie the rope, wrap it around your arm and between your thumb and finger.”
“Learned that in boy scouts.”
“Okay, you stay right here and do this one.” I point. “I’ll be right there.”
“Got it.” I watch him for a second, not because I’m worried he’ll do it wrong but because he’s simply nice to look at. Before it begins to look obvious that I’m staring, I go to work on the other rope.
A minute passes and I hear, “Oh, shit.”
I glance up, and lose my balance as the rocking boat pulls on the rope, and drags me with it.
“Jesse,” I yelp, and he drops what he’s doing and rushes to me. I windmill my arms, and he grabs for me, only to lose his balance and splash into the water right on top of me.
I always thought I’d die if I ever found myself beneath Jesse’s hard body, but I never saw it going down like this and if I don’t get out from underneath him, I really am going to die. I maneuver my body until I’m free, and we both surface, gasping for breath.
“Are you okay?” he asks quickly.
No, I’m not okay. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever be okay again. I just finished warning him about safety only to make a stupid mistake myself, and now here we are in the harbor.
Way to make a good first impression, Josie.
“I’m okay, are you?” I squeak out.
“This water is fucking freezing.”
I sputter as the icy water from the Halifax harbour seeps into my clothes and saturates my bones. Is this what cryogenics is like? My teeth clang together. “It’s colder than freezing.”
With his most excellent upper body strength, Jesse easily lifts himself onto the wharf. “I got you.” He reaches down, and fishes me out, effortlessly rescuing a popsicle formerly known as Josie from the icy water. My body collides with his, and I shiver hard, fearful my bones are going to shatter. “We need to get out of these clothes fast.”
Oh, God are we going to get naked? We hurry onto the boat and close the door of the cabin, our friends nowhere to be found. A noise sounds from the bedroom I usually sleep in when onboard, and my gaze jerks to Jesse as heat infuses my body—pushing back the cold.
“Naked, now,” Jesse orders as I shiver, my brain too frozen—or hot—to think straight.
“Right,” I say, and tear off my coat. I go for the buttons on my blouse, and my hands freeze in place. Should I go to the bathroom, or even to my grandparents’ bedroom? I don’t normally undress in front of others, and this is Jesse Freaking Campbell, who is turning my knees to soup.
“Do you need help?” he asks, and before I can answer, his big fingers start working the buttons on my shirt. “Good?” he asks once he finishes. I nod and slide the wet shirt from my shoulders standing before him in my bra and soaked yoga pants.
He tears off his coat, sweater and T-shirt, and once again I’m frozen in place. Have you ever watched cartoons as a child? There was this skunk, and his tongue would hang out and his eyes would bulge from his head when a pretty black and white female cat walked by. It was ridiculous and over the top, but I’m pretty sure I look like that skunk right now as I stare at Jesse’s bare upper body as his hands go to the button on his jeans.
Okay, now that’s the proper way a person makes a good first impression.
2
Jesse
I might be a red-blooded male who likes women, but I shouldn’t be staring at Josie as she undresses. Then again, how could I not ogle the woman before me? She’s gorgeous and sexy—don’t even get me started on how those yoga pants are messing with my brain, not to mention the want in her eyes as she watches me strip. You know what else is messing with me? The goddamn sex sounds coming from the bedroom beside us. I’m going to kill Dane. But still. No. I shouldn’t be staring because I’m a damn gentleman. Or at least I try to be.
I try to stop my teeth from chattering. I’m surprised I’m still shivering, actually. With the way my body is heating, I should be melting at this woman’s feet.
“You should take your pants off,” I say, and her mouth opens a little. Yeah, I think our frozen brains are taking us both down a sexual path. “I’ll turn.” I spin around and tug off my own pants, not an easy task when they’re soaking wet, and grab up my drenched clothes. “Where should I put these?”
“Just…ugh…God, this is hard.”
Now I can’t help but want to hear her say those exact words with her body beneath mine.
“Bathroom?”
“Yes, ugh.” She shuffles behind me and then gives a satisfied sigh. “Finally, got it.”
