I chuckle. “Yes.”
“Are there any sharks out here?” she adds, pointing toward the ocean.
“My turn for a question,” I reply as we head over the dunes and down onto the sand. I don’t ask it immediately, instead walking us down the beach until we’re a couple of meters from the shore. Lowering my board to the sand, I watch as she does the same before I turn to face her.
“That guy at the airport,” I start, watching as she pulls her lower lip between her teeth. “Does he mean something to you?”
Taylor shrugs and looks away, her eyes on the surf and the handful of people already out there catching waves. It’s a beautiful day–sunshine, blue skies and just enough wind to create some surf. It’s the kind of day that really makes me miss living in Australia.
“I’m not sure that’s a yes or no question,” she eventually says, eyes still on the horizon.
I reach over and turn her face to mine. “Fine, did it upset you to find out he was getting married?”
Taylor runs a hand through her hair again, eyes on her feet as she moves one of them through the warm sand. “Yes and no,” she eventually replies. “How about you?” she adds quickly before I have a chance to ask why. “Have you slept with any of the crew from this flight?”
I chuckle, shaking my head a little. “As of right now, no,” I reply. “But ask me again tomorrow,” I add, winking at her. “Might be a different answer.”
She rolls her eyes, shaking her head a little as she looks away. “So, you haven’t slept with Ali or Brigid?”
I reach for the sunscreen, squeezing a huge blob into my hand before handing it to her. “I’ll give you this one for free,” I say. “I don’t even know which one is which,” I admit. “Contrary to what you’re thinking Captain Patterson, I have not in fact, slept with the entire cabin crew.”
She nods but says nothing more as she squeezes out some sunscreen and starts to rub it into her long, already tanned legs. I have to swallow hard, force myself to look away, and imagine the feel of the cold ocean if only so my dick will calm down. At the same time, I’m almost regretting buying her the rashie because now I don’t have an excuse to rub sunscreen on her back. When she’s finally done, she looks up at me.
“Do me?” I ask, laughing as she scrounges her brow. “My back, you perv,” I add. “Although the other option is up for grabs too if you’re interested?”
Taylor takes a deep breath, squeezing out some more sunscreen before moving behind me. The second her hands hit my skin, I know I’m in trouble. It takes every single ounce of self-control I have not to turn around and pull her against me, show her exactly what her hands on my body are doing to me.
I knew spending the day with her would be dangerous from the second I walked up to her outside the crew lounge back in L.A. For me, it was an instant and strong attraction and nothing about that has changed, despite our initial hostility toward each other.
Now, alone with her, her hands on my body, it’s torture of the heaven and hell kind.
After we’re both done, I take her through the basics of surfing, including how she should attempt to stand when she lands herself a wave. I keep it brief because at this stage, I really need to get into the water and cool off. If I thought having her hands on me was bad, putting mine on her as I hold her hips and help her pop up on her board is pure fucking torture.
“Ready?” I ask, grabbing my board and holding it in a way that hides the huge boner I now have.
“Nope,” Taylor replies, shaking her head.
Laughing, I nod toward the surf. “Come on, let’s do this.”
As we walk toward the water, Taylor says, “You never answered my question about sharks.”
I grin. “Well, this is their territory,” I tell her, laughing as she immediately stops walking. “Don’t worry,” I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the water. “I’ve never actually seen one!”
It feels unbelievable being back in the Aussie surf, the feel of the cool saltwater as it breaks on my legs bringing back so many memories. With my hand still in Taylor’s, I thread our fingers together and pull her further in until we’re about waist-deep. After I get her sorted on her board, I tell her to watch me catch a couple of waves so she gets the hang of it when she needs to try and stand up.
I’m a little rusty on my first few, but I still manage to get up and ride the waves into the shoreline, each time paddling back out to where she sits on her board. She watches me as though her life depends on it, and when I finally encourage her to have a go, I can tell she is totally shitting it.
With my hand on her lower back, I quickly remind her of all the things she needs to do. She glances back at me, a terrified look on her face. I can’t help but laugh as I give her arse a quick smack before pushing her board as the next wave swells behind us. She paddles hard, standing up a little too late but still managing to stay upright for a few seconds before she eventually falls off.
When she paddles back out to me, though, she’s got a huge grin on her face. “So?” I ask as she sits up on her board beside me.
“Unbelievable,” she says, a huge smile on her face. “It’s so beautiful out here.”
Laughing, I reach over and squeeze her thigh. “I knew you’d like it.”
We stay out for an hour or so, catching as many waves as we can. Taylor manages to stand up a few more times and I have to give her credit for never giving up. Surfing is hard work, but no matter how many times she gets knocked down, she always paddles back out with me and tries again.
Makes me realize how determined she is, how much she fights when she wants something. Makes sense that she’s made it all the way to captain; she’s clearly someone who not only doesn’t take no for an answer, but will keep trying to make it, no matter how many times she falls along the way.