Page 31 of One Night

“Okay.” She nodded. “Okay.”

When she rose to her full height, I looked up at her and saw the sun shining down on her pretty face.

“I did it.” Her words came out in a whoosh of breath. “Holy shit, I did it!” She shot both fists up in the air. Her unexpected movement jolted the board, and though I tried to steady it, her feet did a little tiptoe dance until she toppled over my shoulder.

“Fuck.” I grumbled and reached into the water to haul her up by the vest. I expected her to be annoyed that she had gotten soaked and frustrated that she fell, but when her laughter rang out across the water, happiness danced under my skin.

As I gripped the sides of her vest, her hands found my shoulders. “That was incredible. Can I go again?”

I stared into her golden eyes and grinned.

ELEVEN

SYLVIE

It tooka few more tries to get my balance and be steady on my feet, but I did it. It didn’t matter how many times I wobbled or forgot all the small adjustments Duke had instructed me on—he never got frustrated or annoyed when I didn’t get it right.

Instead, he smiled up at me and let me try again until I was satisfied. Finally, after I was steady, I was able to paddle a few circles as Duke followed me into slightly deeper water and called out encouragement. After the last time I stumbled and hit the water, I climbed back on the board and sat, letting my legs hang and watching the waves lap over my knees.

Duke slid in next to me, holding the board steady in the waist-deep water. Droplets clung to his thick dark hair, dripping onto his sculpted shoulders. They burned a path down his chest and back, and I fought the urge to drag my tongue up that line just to see what the crisp lake water tasted like on his skin. I had convinced myself that the kiss behind the Sugar Bowl was some kind of fever dream. I desperately wanted him to do it again, but so far he’d kept an annoyingly respectful distance.

I pointed to a small sandy tree-lined clump of land in the distance. “What’s that place over there?”

Duke followed my gaze, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the proximity of his bicep to my leg. I carefully widened my knee and touched it to the outside of his arm. When he didn’t move away from my touch, I relaxed into the warmth of his skin on mine.

“Want to go check it out?”

I nodded as excitement danced through me. “Let’s do it.”

“All right, hold still.”

I gripped the edge of the board with one hand to balance myself and watched as Duke effortlessly pulled himself onto the paddleboard. He widened his stance, his corded leg muscles on full display, and held out one hand to me. I gently placed my hand in his and let out a small yelp when he hauled me up to standing. My free hand clamped around his waist. I stared down at the cut lines of his abs—that little V that apparently made all women, including me, stupid.

Duke cleared his throat, and when my eyes whipped to his, a sexy smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. He reached for the paddle in my opposite hand, and I released it.

Duke centered himself and glanced over his shoulder at me. “Just try to keep steady, and I’ll get us over there.”

I rested my hands on his hips. “Is this okay?” I whispered.

He grunted in response. “Yeah. It’s okay, Sylvie.”

Heat pooled between my legs as I inched closer, resting my front against his back. I hated that our life jackets kept me from capturing his warmth. I was playing with fire, but the seclusion of the beach and the freedom of the lake made me not care.

Duke’s muscles rippled as he paddled us through the water toward the small island. Despite seeing the beach in the distance, it felt like we were miles away from civilization—miles away from a life that told us that being here together was so wrong.

Beneath us, the crystal waters of Lake Michigan revealed rocky formations below the surface as fish swam around and scattered as he moved us through the water.

When we got close enough, he turned his head to me again. “All right, hop down. We can walk from here.”

Gently hopping off the board, I let myself sink below the surface before my vest popped me up, and I wiped the water from my eyes. Duke continued watching me. Heat rose in my cheeks, and I lowered my lashes. I followed him, and when we reached the beach, it was softer and sandier than the main coastline. Long lake grass dotted the area and led to small groupings of trees around the island.

I took in its seclusion. “Think anyone else is here?”

He shrugged. “I doubt it. The only way to get to it is by boat or board, and I didn’t see anyone else around.”

It was an island oasis all to ourselves. Excitement danced through me as I walked with Duke toward the beach. Once we were there, Duke dropped the paddleboard and paddle, along with his vest and bag, near the edge of the tree line. I unclipped my life jacket and stripped it from my body, letting the cool breeze ice my skin.

“Are you cold?” For the briefest moment, Duke’s eyes flicked down to my hard nipples, and I didn’t have the audacity to tell him that I was burning up, and that it was standing so close to him that had turned them into needy little pebbles.

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