Page 10 of Protected By The Mountain Man

I asked, “Are you a solid swimmer?”

“Uh, yeah?”

I furrowed my brow. The boat was rocking more now that we were close to the shoreline. The waves were always more intense where land and water met.

Leveling her with my most serious stare, I asked, “Are you sure? Because we have two options. One. We can sleep here on the boat tonight, or at least wait until the storm passes. Or two. We can swim to shore. But that option only works if we’re both strong swimmers.”

She swallowed hard. “My gym has a pool. I do laps sometimes? But I haven’t spent much time on the open water.” Then she looked to shore, “But it doesn’t seem that far. I feel confident.”

“As confident as you did going kayaking by yourself today?”

Mia blew out a breath. “I guess you’re questioning my judgment.”

“No. I just want to make sure you can handle this. Because the boat’s not a bad option. The storm is only predicted to last for around three hours. We can sit here and wait it out.”

“In the movies there’s always a place below deck.” She looked around the boat as though she were trying to find a hatch that led to a snug little bedroom.

“No, ma’am. Not this time. This is just a simple fishing boat, not a pleasure cruiser. What you see is what you get.”

Biting her lip, she said, “Let’s do the swim. I can handle it.”

“What do you need to gather?” I asked. “Any clothes?”

I hadn’t noticed anything that resembled clothing, but I was hoping her little bag held some. I was comfortable in most situations, but being around a stranger who happened to be a pretty young woman who wasn’t wearing anything on her bottom made me feel a little uncomfortable.

Mia was too young for me.

And too beautiful.

And not from around here.

And her damn pussy was right there under the hem of the t-shirt, completely bare and tempting me.

My cock surged up again just thinking about it. The woman was making me hot for her.

“Uh, my clothes were on top of the kayak and I think they might have blown off. I saw my towel stuck in some bushes on the shoreline.”

Damn. “Okay. That’s okay. What else do you need? Keys?”

“And my phone. It’s in one of those submersible waterproof bags.”

She rummaged in her bag for a minute and pulled both those items out to show me, then tucked them back in again, as though I’d needed visible proof of her car key.

Meeting her eyes, I studied her. That hint of nervousness still clung to her, but she seemed fairly calm. I got the feeling that Mia Brentley was the kind of woman who could normally handle herself.

There was a steadiness in her that attracted me, even while the boat rocked us around wildly.

“Okay. It’s not far, but this is how it’s going to go. I’m going to tow you to shore. You’ll float on your back and kick your legs. I’ll be behind you, with my arm around your waist. Plus, I’ve got these. Put one on.”

I dug around in my storage bay under the seats and tossed her a life jacket, then put one on me.

Once I had mine on, I noticed she seemed to be struggling with hers, so I told her, “Let me help.”

Mia gave me a small smile and lifted her arms out while I snapped her buckles in place.

“Looks like I was rescued by Superman.”

“Naw. I just know a little bit about water. It can be safe most of the time, but it’s best not to take risks in weather like this.And you’re an unknown factor for me. I’d rather play it safe.” I tightened the straps on her life vest.

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