Page 42 of The Exposed Heiress

Emma swam closer. “It’s not true. My grandmother used to say that about stepping in puddles.”

He watched her treading water. “Were you a competitive swimmer?”

She pulled her hand over her face to remove some of the water. “No, I’ve done two triathlons, but I never had time for team sports.”

“Have you had enough exhilaration?”

She laughed. “No. Can we swim to that old dock?” She pointed to the shore.

Leo ran a hand through his hair. “It’s marked hazardous.”

Emma looked towards the dock. “For boats, but we could swim over there and explore the wreckage?”

“It’s far and we should have wet suits if we want to stay in the water any length of time.”

She moved her arms back and forth through the water. “It can’t be that hard.”

Her lips weren’t blue but she had to be cold. “Part of sailing is having established rules. If you don’t, then you could find yourself in danger.”

She rolled her eyes.

She was looking for a physical release. He wasn’t the man to give it to her.

“I’ll race you to that white dingy out in the water. I’ll even give you a head start.” He pointed to the marker about 500 meters away.

She splashed him with water. “I don’t need a head start.”

He smiled at her. “On the count of three.” He held up each finger as he said, “One, two, three. Go.”

He swam a fast crawl without looking back at her. He wanted to check her progress but kept pushing forward. Getting to the dingy first, he turned and saw her twenty-five meters out.

Reaching him, she had trouble catching her breath and said, “You’re insanely fast.”

He pulled her into his arms and held her steady. “You’re not so bad yourself. I used to be a competitive swimmer. I practice in a pool most days, but the water is far warmer.”

Emma touched his legs with hers as she treaded water and he adjusted his hold on her.

Becoming aware of his heartbeat, Leo resisted pulling her closer and instead tried to focus on the horizon.

Her breathing began to calm down. “I’m okay.”

He gently moved her over to hold onto the dingy. “The metal is slippery.”

He watched a barge in the distance. The wake coming off the large vessel caused them to sway up and down.

He said, “It’s fine—it’ll stay in the deep part of the channel.”

She let go of the dingy and began treading water. “Your boat looks so far away.”

“Would you prefer a leisurely pace?”

Adjusting her top, she said “Not a chance.”

They swam back to the boat and he kept her in sight. His body began to acclimate to the cold water and the exertion from swimming kept his muscles working.

Leo pulled himself up the small ladder on the back of the boat and held his hand out to Emma. Tugging her out of the water, he guided her onto the deck.

She shivered. “I didn’t expect it to be so cold.”

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