Page 10 of Unmoored

It’s sweet that he wants to impress me, but I want to tell him that he doesn’t have to try that hard. He’d look good in anything—or nothing at all.

Murph raises his hand, waving hello, and my heart leaps.

“Hi!” I call out, waving back as he slows the engine. “Are you gonna show me how to park—excuse me,moor—a boat?”

His reaction is a mix of an irritated frown and an exasperated smile. The frown ends up winning as he rolls his eyes up at me. “If you like.”

Then he pulls back the throttle until the engine almost cuts out completely. It looks like he’s lost control… but in the smoothest possible manner. Somehow, the tide is just sweeping him right toward the side of my boat.

How the fuck did he do that? And why do I find it so sexy?

“Ready to go?” Murph asks.

“You bet.” I step up into the gap between the stern railings, watching the distance shrink as I brace myself to make the jump.

I’m not going to embarrass myself in front of him any further. This should be easy, right? As easy as hopping over a crack on the sidewalk?—

The waves lift the speedboat up and drop it a few inches. My stomach rolls and I clutch the railings with both hands.

Nope. Fuck that.

Murph’s boat has those buoy-like balloon things hanging off the side. It means our boats don’t actually collide when he gently bumps into me—but it also means he can’t get right up to the side of the boat.

“I’ll get a little closer,” Murph says, correctly guessing at the look on my face. “Don’t worry. We’re not in a rush.”

Ugh. I’m still going to have to jump, though. And if I think about it, I’ll chicken out. So before Icanthink about it… I push myself off.

I leap straight into Murph’s boat, landing with a surprisingly loud thud on the flat deck.

“Whoa there!” Murph exclaims.

And at this moment, my adrenaline arrives. It floods me, making my head spin and my heart race much too fast. “I made it!” I burst out, equally surprised and proud of myself.

Murph nods and jabs his thumb toward the faded orange thing sitting on the boat seat. “Before I could even tell you to put on a lifejacket,” he says in a tone that’s probably supposed to be gently scolding.

But I’m still grinning up at him. “See? I can do this boat stuff?—”

A little wave lifts the boat no more than a few inches, and I’m stumbling toward Murph.

I slam into him, which is a lot like hitting a brick wall, except I can’t help but notice the warmth of his breath on my cheek, the feeling of my knee pressed into his leg…

Murph’s hand closes around my shoulder automatically, steadying me. “You all right?”

Is it this well-earned confidence that makes me melt into a horny puddle? Probably.

Do I hope it continues, even at my own expense? Absolutely, a thousand times yes.

I giggle too loudly. “Gool.” Then there’s a beat of silence as I try to figure out the syllable that came out of my mouth.

Way to be cool, Eden. Or… gool.

Murph opens his mouth to make a comment, his eyebrows creeping up with amusement. But I lift my chin to cut him off. “Good and cool. It’s internet slang,” I bluff. But my cheeks are burning like fire as I push myself upright again. “Lifejacket now, right?”

Murph gives me an amused glance like he suspects better. “Uh huh,” he grunts over the sound of the engine.

I hastily stumble toward the seat and grab hold of it, trying to shove my arms and head through it at the same time.

After a couple of attempts, I glance back at Murph. He looks both horrified and fascinated, like he’s watching a slow-motion train wreck.

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