Page 33 of His North Star
“See?” James replied. “I told you I’d keep you safe.”
It helped that Ty was there. Although I had to stop relying on him. “You did. Thank you. I’m glad you didn’t let me back out.”
“Happy to help.”
Ty paddled two yards away from us. “Hey, James, what’s that?” He flicked his oar, spraying us with water.
I shrieked, sucking in a gulp of air when the icy water hit me.
“Oh, bring it on,” James challenged, using his oar to get back at Ty.
“Hey,” I hollered at Ty. “Your best friend is getting drenched here. I’m freezing. Have some mercy, will you?”
Ty purposely moved the direction of his paddle toward James. “Sorry, Mare Bear. Lean forward so I can drown this rat.”
“Who you callin’ a rat?” James retorted.
Ty grinned and did his best to keep most of the water going in James’s direction. Lys joined in the melee, and it was every person for themselves.
Chaos ensued. Each of us used our paddle to splash the other kayak as much as possible. In the end, a truce was called. Goosebumps covered my body. My arms shook as I paddled toward the bank where a van waited to take us home. After working together to carry the kayak to the vehicle, I told James I needed a shower and hot chocolate. Stat.
He rubbed his hands up and down my arms. The bumps grew bigger. This was the most physical contact I’d allowed James. I shivered, but not from the cold.
“I have a hot tub at my place.” He smiled in a way that had my knees going soft. “Want to come over?”
My teeth chattered. “As long as we stop by my house on the way for a change of clothes.”
“No problem.”
I stepped closer to him, a big move on my part, and wrapped my arms around his torso. I fit differently in his arms compared to Ty’s. With Ty I felt safe. With James it was… nice. But not the same.Moving on, Maren.“Any way this offer can stay between us?” I asked, tilting my head up to meet his eyes.
There. I could be bold, just like Mom said.
He replied in a low, gravelly tone. “If Ty and Lys weren’t here right now, I’d kiss you.”
I sucked in a breath. Was it too soon for that? “Depends on your behavior,” I warned. “I like to take things slow.” If Blake heard that, he’d drop to the floor laughing.
James’s townhouse was what I’d call clinically modern. Everything was white. His bachelor-pad furniture had sleek lines. Three black and white pictures hung on the walls in the
open-concept main floor. If I lived here, I’d paint the walls a warm neutral and add pictures with pops of color to add contrast. And throw pillows. Lots and lots of throw pillows to offset the straight lines of his couch.
“This feels really good on my muscles,” James said, eyes closed, head back against the hot tub ledge.
“It really does.” My limbs were completely relaxed. “Maybe it’s time to convince my parents we should add one to the bed-and-breakfast. Well, maybe not. We’d probably have to fight guests for it every night.”
“You could fence it off and keep it locked.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” I nodded slowly as I dreamed about watching the stars above while melting in the warm water. “Ty’s parents had one growing up. We spent a ton of time in that hot tub.” I smiled at the memory of being the only girl with Ty’s rugby buddies for more than one soaking session. I didn’t mind the attention since the boy I really wanted didn’t share the same feeling.
James sat up and moved across the small space to sit next to me. He picked up my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. His thumb drew circles around my wrist. Tiny waves rippled in my stomach.
“Tell me something that no one else knows about you,” he said.
I never liked questions like this. Ty knew almost everything about me. To come up with something that even he didn’t know was difficult. The only parts left of me were the ones too embarrassing or shameful to admit. What random fact could I come up with? I settled lamely on, “I can hold my breath for two minutes.”
“Really? That’s kind of impressive.”
I shook my head. “It’s not a skill that comes in handy except when swimming.”
