Page 4 of Married to Murder
I studied him as he tied my board leash to my ankle. My fingers itched with the desire to touch his blond, windblown hair. But I controlled myself and instead stared out to sea, running over all the tips Seth had given me. If I didn’t stop fantasizing about my instructor, I was liable to break my neck out there in the water.
Seth straightened, brushing hair from his eyes. “Okay. I’m going to swim out with you, and I’ll be behind you in the water.”
“No board?”
“Not yet. I want you strong on your board before I leave you.”
I sucked in a shaky breath. It was annoying how nervous I was. I never got nervous about anything anymore. I was the CEO of a very successful family business, Trenton’s Treats—handmade chocolates that were sold all over the world. I’d been running board meetings since I was eighteen years old. Not many things rattled my confidence these days. But standing on the beach, about to enter the water, my legs were wobbly and I felt short of breath from nerves.
“Why am I so damn anxious?” I scowled.
“Because you respect the awesome power of the ocean.”
I met his sincere gaze. “Yeah, it could snap me like a twig.”
“Nah. Not these waves.” He patted my arm. “You’ll be fine. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“Still need to pay that rent, right?” I gave a stiff smile, trying to rein in my fear.
“If you’d rather back out, there’s no shame in that.”
I wrinkled my brow. “I’m no pussy.”
He laughed. “That’s not what I meant. I just mean if you feel too uncomfortable, I’m not going to force you.”
I exhaled a rough breath. “No. I’m not backing out.”
“Okay.” He smiled. “Let’s go. We’ll swim out to where the waves are breaking. You’ll want to lie on the board where the line in the center runs down the middle of your body. Remember, keep your toes on the end of the board, and when a wave comes, remember what I showed you about getting up on the palms of your hands.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“We’ve got this.” He slapped my back and headed toward the water.
I had two choices: follow him, or turn around and chicken out. I followed him. Once I was in the water, he swam beside me and gave me encouraging smiles every few minutes. As we got farther out, I saw a couple of waves coming, and my heart began to bang against my ribs.
“Okay, these waves are perfect to learn on, Tanner. There’s lots of white foam, and the waves are small. Remember, when you paddle with your hands, keep your shoulders high and arch your back. You want power in your strokes.”
“Yeah. Got it.”
“I’m right here.” He placed his hand on the small of my back. “I’ve got you.”
I believed him. He had a way about him that felt solid and honest. I knew he’d take care of me as best he could. But the majority of my success or failure would be on me. I tensed my muscles as the foamy wave broke right behind me.
“Lift up and get ready to stand.” His voice was calm but forceful. “You can do this, Tanner. I’m right here.”
My heart squeezed at the warmth of his voice. It was odd how strongly I could feel his desire for me to succeed. I barely knew him, but he wanted me to succeed almost as much as I did. “Okay.” I felt the wave catch the board and start to push me.
“Paddle,” he commanded. “Arch your back more.” He started swimming along beside me even as the wave loomed over his head. But his eyes were pinned on me. He didn’t even seem to care that he was about to be wiped out by a wave.
I focused on keeping my feet together and my shoulders straight and high. I began to glide faster and faster as the wave grabbed me. Once quick glance back and I saw Seth go under the wave as it smashed over his head. But I looked forward again and tried to do him proud. As the momentum gained I pushed up, hands shoulder width apart, and I twisted my body and pulled my left leg under me. My balance was shit, but somehow I managed to still drag my right leg forward and stand up halfway. The wave now had me completely in its grip, and I heard Seth give a loudWHOOPas I managed to stay mostly upright.
“Holy shit,” I yelped, riding the wave and experiencing an exhilaration I hadn’t felt in years. I remembered Seth’s advice to just have fun and enjoy the sun on my skin, and I relaxed my muscles and tried to do just that. The sensation of riding that board was amazing. I laughed out loud because I felt so accomplished. Unfortunately, the next second I lost my balance and wiped out, falling off the board and swallowing a mouthful of salty seawater.
The wave tossed me around under the water for a few seconds, and it was hard to know which way was up. The board yanked against the leash attached to my ankle, but at least the board didn’t swing around and slam me on the head. I felt strong hands grab my biceps, and Seth jerked me up out of the water, gasping for air.
He was grinning and stumbling, trying to help me stand. “You did it!” His eyes sparkled with pleasure. “You stood up on your first wave, dude, that’s awesome.”
I laughed and coughed, still trying to clear my lungs of the seawater. “Fuck.” I coughed some more, and the water pushed me against his body. The feel of his muscled chest and thighs rubbing against mine made my gut clench. But then he let go of me, and we stumbled out of the waist-high water to the white beach.
