He glanced up at the sail and then turned back to her. “It’s just like any other boat. We only put up the sail if the winds are good. Other than that”—he turned her slightly and pointed her in the direction of the back of the boat— “it’s got a motor we use.”
She relaxed slightly, glancing up at the sail again. “I’m not sure why I’m nervous,” she admitted, feeling stupid. When he held out his hand for hers, she took another deep breath and set hers in it and allowed him to pull her easily onto the boat, lifting her slightly.
For a split second, she felt weightless and free. The feeling was intoxicating, and she allowed herself to be shuffled to a long flat section under the sail.
“Sit here,” he said, motioning to the area. “This way you’ll be out of the way and still have the best view.”
“Everything okay?” Sarah stopped beside them.
“Yes,” Calvin answered automatically. “Just showing Bella the ropes.” He smiled back at Sarah.
“Cool,” Sarah answered, shifting a bag. “We’ll be ready to push off in a few minutes.” She disappeared down a narrow set of steps.
“I’m going to go help out. Will you be okay?” he asked her softly.
Since she didn’t trust her voice not to shake, she nodded and quickly sat down. She felt better when she wrapped her fingers around a thick rope dangling in front of her.
She watched as everyone else moved around, preparing the boat for their day trip. She was so occupied watching Calvin that she hadn’t noticed they’d left the dock. Her fingers tightened on the rope until Calvin moved in front of her and bent down until they were eye to eye.
“Hey.” He touched her knee gently with his hands. “Are you doing okay?”
“Yes,” she lied again.
He chuckled. “You are a terrible liar.” His hands reached for hers and started rubbing them slowly. “You’ve been on boats before, yes?”
“Yes,” she admitted and nodded.
“Then you’ve got this.” He smiled up at her and her eyes locked with his. She noticed how much lighter they were than her own. Where she had dark eyes the color of coffee, his were more caramel colored.
Then she looked down at their joined hands and a thought of how his would feel roaming over her flashed in her mind. Would they be soft? Rough? Something told her that he would know just what to do to please her. She doubted he would fumble around like Sam, her first, had.
His hands shook hers, and she realized he was talking, and she hadn’t heard a word he’d said.
“Sorry,” she replied.
His chuckle warmed her. “It’s okay.” His thumb was tracing the inside of her palm, moving up to her wrist and continuing moving in slow circles. “You know, we’re not going too far from the shore.” He nodded towards the rocky cliffs just off the side of the boat.
“That’s not it.” She glanced up tentatively then her eyes grew as the boat bobbed slightly.
“Is it the sail?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I… don’t know. I guess it’s the thought of not being in control.”
“Okay, come with me.” He stood up and reached out his hand for hers.
She shook her head quickly and tightened her grip on the rope.
He leaned closer and lowered his voice until he was almost whispering. “Trust me.”
There was something in his dark eyes that told her she could trust him, something almost mesmerizing, so she reached out her hand as she held her breath.
He wrapped an arm around her waist as they made their way back to where Adam was standing behind the wheel. Her brother and Rowan were sitting nearby getting the fishing poles ready. The women were laying blankets out to sunbathe on.
“Think we can take over for a while?” Calvin asked easily.
Adam shrugged and stepped aside. “She is all yours,” he said in his deep French accent.
Calvin smiled at her. “Come here.” He nudged her until she stood between him and the large wooden wheel.
He took her hands and placed them on the wheel, keeping his bigger hands over hers as they steered the sailboat across the water.
She relaxed slightly when her back bumped into his front. Just feeling his strong arms around her, holding her as she took control of the boat, had her letting a deep breath of relief out.
“Better?” he asked, his breath so close to her ear that it caused small bumps to rise over her skin.
She closed her eyes and tried to stop herself from moaning with want. Nodding, she relaxed a little more.
“Think you can enjoy yourself now?” he asked softly, nudging her hands slightly so that the boat turned a little, lining them up with the shore.
“I… guess so.”
“Hey, sis,” Ben called out, and she and Calvin both turned towards him as he snapped a picture of them. Laughing, his brother looked at his screen. “At least you’re not as green as you were before,” Ben added.
“Jackass,” she said to her brother and instantly felt better as anger took over. Ben snapped another picture of them, then laughed.
“You still love me,” Ben called back as he wrapped an arm around Sarah, who playfully slapped his shoulder and hugged him back. “Sarah used to get sick when I’d take her out when she was pregnant.”
“Did you stop taking her out?” Bella asked him.
“No,” Sarah answered. “He just learned that if I was pissed at him, I couldn’t focus on being sick.” She shifted so she could see Bella more clearly. “It worked.” She smiled.
“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “I could be pissed at him.” She nodded then glanced back towards Calvin, and her anger for her brother fell away as desire for Calvin took over. Having him so close to her had caused her body to almost vibrate.
After a moment, she realized that when she’d been imagining what it would be like to be with Calvin, she hadn’t been focused on her fears.
As the boat carried them further away from the dock, she dreamed about Calvin’s hands on her as his body lightly bumped up against her own.
When she heard the motor cut off, she glanced around. Calvin had reached over and cut the engine without stepping away from her.
“We’re here,” he said with a smile and, for a split second, she marveled at the feeling of his chest against her shoulders. Then he stepped back, leaving her swaying slightly as she still gripped the wheel lightly.
The boat was bobbing in the middle of a small cove.
“This is the perfect spot,” Adam said, tossing an anchor into the water. It caught and the boat jerked to a halt.
“Think you can come up front with the rest of us?” he asked her.
She nodded and followed him around the deck. She made her way around the other couples as the men all finished getting the fishing poles ready while Sarah, Lilly, and Kayla chatted as they tanned themselves on the deck.
“Doing okay?” Calvin asked.
“Yes, thank you. I feel so stupid.”
“Fear is nothing to feel bad about.” He leaned closer to her. “I’m afraid of heights myself.”
“You are?” As an answer, he nodded. Then he smiled and glanced over her shoulder. “Look, dolphins.” He pointed.