Page 29 of Forbidden Kisses
“Fine. Just clumsy. I’ve forgotten most of what your father taught me as a teen. I can’t even half stand up in a boat.”
“You’ll learn again,” Jack said. “A captain has to stand. Especially when we win this thing.”
Grace swiped her hair out of her face, pinning it behind her ears. “Well, I hear you’re the best.”
“Chris was the best,” Jack said, not meaning to dampen the mood. It was just the truth. He offered a smile. “But I’m not bad.” He turned her away from him and placed his hands on her shoulders as he guided her to the wheelhouse. There was a seat behind the helm and he gently nudged Grace to sit down. “I don’t want you taking another stumble. Thanks for putting her in the water,” he said to Noah.
“Her?” Grace laughed. “That’s a little sexist.”
“All boats are female.”
“Right. I remember that now. I thought your dad was crazy when he first taught me that.”
Jack laughed, then turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. A rush of adrenaline shot straight through him at the sound. He’d forgotten the spark he felt here at the helm of a boat, on the brink of an adventure.
“All right.” Noah stepped forward and slapped a hand against his. “I’ll go free the rope.”
A moment later, the three were out in the calm waters and setting forward. The boat cruised slowly as they navigated through a no-wake zone.
“The plan today is just to make sure theSummerlyis running smoothly for the tournament. Grace, you can get a feel for the water again,” Jack explained. “You need your sea legs out here.”
“Sea legs. Right.” She nodded as she continued to sit.
Noah pulled a visor onto his head and handed Grace a ball cap. “You’ll fry if you don’t put something on, sis.”
Grace took the hat and pulled it on.
Thesisendearment rubbed Jack the wrong way. So did Noah’s stopping by the other night. His younger brother was the reason Grace had pulled away, and Jack resented the hell out of that.
Noah whacked a hand down on the bill of Grace’s hat and Grace swatted him playfully. Just like a couple of real-life siblings.
Jack stewed and tried to ignore their banter. “Hold on,” he growled without meaning to. The boat passed the no-wake zone boundaries and he pushed the throttle forward. In response, the boat lurched forward, full speed ahead. At twenty knots, there was no room for talking, roughhousing, or thinking. It was just the boat and the wind—the best feeling in the world once upon a time.
Chapter 8
Grace held on to her ball cap as theSummerlyzipped through the water. The wind on her face made it impossible to think. She could see why people loved doing this. Some chased their worries away by drinking—she’d seen that often enough working as a bartender at Dewy’s. Others let the wind clear their minds.
After a half hour, the boat slowed, bouncing on the wake of other boats in the water. It took a moment for Grace’s hearing to adjust to the absence of the engine and wind.
“This is where we’ll come on tournament day. It’s a favorite spot for us,” Jack said.
Grace lowered her arm, no longer needing to secure her hat. She stood, trying out her sea legs, as Jack had called them. “Then we throw our lines in the water and catch a fish?” she asked.
Jack and Noah shared a look, then burst into laughter.
“If only it was that easy, Captain. What exactly did my father teach you? You have to find the fish, lure it to your hook, and then somehow get that five-hundred-pound sucker on the boat. It can take hours,” Jack said.
“Don’t worry, though. All you have to do is steer and look pretty.” Noah bumped a featherweight fist against the side of her arm.
Grace swatted Noah’s hat off his head, loving how easily she’d slipped back into being his big sister. It was almost like they were kids again. The playful spirit between them was something she’d always treasured. She glanced over and caught the look on Jack’s face as she and Noah bantered. Jack’s jaw was locked. She couldn’t see his eyes through the sporty sunglasses on his face, but if she had to guess, the blue of them had darkened the way they did when he was upset.Jealous?She swatted his shoulder, too, surprised at the charge her body got from his. Playfully wrestling with Noah was a world different from sharing a touch with Jack. “You’ll let me do more than steer, right?” she asked, pulling her hand away quickly.
Jack lifted a brow under his shades. “You want to handle a pole?”
“Not on the day of the tournament, of course. I don’t want to get in the way. But I wouldn’t mind trying my hand at your favorite spot.”
His brow stayed up on his forehead. Yeah, referencing his favorite spot sounded a little dirty.
“Did you bring your rods today?” she asked, flustered. Her discombobulation grew as both of Jack’s brows lifted. She felt like smacking a hand against her own forehead. Who knew fishing lingo sounded so dirty? She pressed her lips together, afraid to say anything else.
