Page 74 of An Italian Wedding Adventure

‘You or Kira can manage that surely.’

‘Kira and I are going to be managing the group. You’d get more photos, better footage. What’s really the problem?’

She didn’t immediately answer.

‘You still don’t like small boats,’ he supplied for her, trying not to smile at the memory of her rafting in Sardinia.

‘I never have,’ she said through gritted teeth.

‘That didn’t stop you before.’

‘You’rethe one who told me about listening to your fears.’

‘Listen – and then do it anyway. I think that’s what I would have said. You just need to get used to it. I could take you out to practise capsizing. That would show you how safe it really?—’

‘Nooo, thank you. I’ll skip the capsizing. I just— There are a lot of other things I could be doing.’

‘You’ve got it all under control.’

She scowled, blowing her hair out of her face as she did so, and she looked so sweet, his mood lifted against his will. ‘Don’t use your mountain-guide voice with me.Iknow you’re human and you’re just saying that.’

He grasped her hand, squeezed and let go again when it was obvious that she didn’t want the others to see. ‘At least they didn’t ask to have the ceremony on the water.’

Her eyes widened in horror.

‘Get dressed!’ He peeled off his T-shirt for emphasis, but the effect was ruined by a titter from the women behind him and he inwardly groaned when Sophie’s smile faded.

‘Okay, everyone!’ Kira called the group together.

Andreas glanced back at Sophie to find her shrugging out of her light blouse to reveal a black one-piece with two cut-outs at the hips and his mouth went dry. Kira’s voice became nothing more than a buzz in his ears as his thoughts travelled back to the night before, when he’d used his hands and his lips on her skin – all over her skin.

‘Andreas?Andreas!’

Blinking to clear the fog in his brain, he turned reluctantly from the sweet view of Sophie’s frown to work out what he’d missed. Hopefully, Kira hadn’t called him too many times.

‘We might need your help to push off. We’ll go in pairs and I’ll lead in the single kayak.’ Kira hefted her paddle like a spear.

‘Who are you going with?’

At least Lucia resisted a wink, but Andreas still stiffened at the question. ‘Äh?—’

‘He’s going with Sophie!’ He could have given Lily a kiss on the cheek. ‘She’s taking photos, so he’ll need to paddle for her.’

‘Yes, I’ll be Sophie’s chauffeur,’ he managed.

Lucia still requested his help to climb into the plastic boat. Kayaks were notoriously wobbly and most accidents happened while getting in and out, so he supported her as gallantly as he could.

‘Arse first,’ he instructed her in a clipped tone.

‘Did you just say, “arse first”?’ she repeated with a snicker.

‘If you try to step in, you’ll rock the boat, so…’

‘I suppose it’s arse first then,’ she said with a smile, plonking her bottom into the seat as he held her arms. He repeated the process with Lucia’s boatmate.

‘What’s your name, sorry?’

‘Katie.’

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