For too long, she’d convinced herself otherwise.
“Yeah, I like it.” Seeing her relief, he added softly, “You have killer legs, lady. You should show them more often.”
She licked her lips again. “You know why I don’t.”
“Yeah,” he answered softly. “I know.” Making sure they were far enough away from other boaters, he half turned toward her. “But it’s just you and me out here, and you can trust me.”
“I do,” she said in a breathless rush. She, too, glanced around, but the few other boaters on the lake paid them no attention. “I was thinking...”
Though his muscles clenched, Lang waited quietly.
“Would you want to kiss me?” Before he could answer, she rushed on. “Just a kiss. I want to, and I think I can, but I’m not sure—”
“Just a kiss,” he repeated, already standing from the driver’s seat, taking a step toward her. He drew a slow breath. Don’t mess this up, he warned himself. He didn’t want to give her too much time to think about it, concerned that she’d become anxious, or even start to dread it, so he touched her chin to lift her face and lightly brushed his mouth over hers.
The simple kiss packed a hell of a wallop, at least on his end. He wasn’t at all sure how Hope felt about it.
When he straightened away, she still had her eyes closed. Smiling, he stroked his fingers over her hair. It was every bit as silky as he’d imagined. “Hope?”
She swallowed. “That was...fine.” Her eyes fluttered open. “Nice, actually.”
“I’m glad.” Don’t push it. Don’t push it. Retaking his seat, he asked, “Fast ride or slow?”
With a suddenly blank expression, she asked, “What?”
The grin almost got away from him. “Want me to drive fast or slow? The lake’s not crowded, so we can either cruise like we’ve been doing, or you can settle into the seat, get a hold of something, and I can show you how much power she has.”
Her smile flitted into place. “Fast,” she decided. Dropping into the passenger seat beside him, she braced her feet and said, “Ready when you are.”
That did interesting things for legs, showing the slight muscles and emphasizing her trim ankles. She was such a small woman...and she was having such an incredible impact on his life.
Grinning with her, he said, “Hold on,” then slowly accelerated until the wind whipped back her hair and she laughed out loud. They cut through waves with only a few bounces. Overhead, hawks soared. Atop fallen logs, flat turtles sunned themselves.
For twenty minutes, he drove them around, keenly aware of Hope’s upturned face, the way the sunshine glinted on her glossy hair and the utterly serene smile on her lips.
He’d had a few serious girlfriends in his lifetime where love seemed possible, but he’d never felt anything like this. With Hope, all the emotions were richer, warmer, sharper.
As he neared the cove at the far end, he slowed considerably. A crane, standing with wings spread, watched them warily. Along the rocky shoreline, a large carp glided just beneath the surface.
Hope stood to look over the windshield. “I’ve lived here for four years now, and I’ve never seen this part of the lake.”
“Parts of it are shallow.” Elm tree branches spread out overhead, shading the area. “I can only go so far into the cove without risking damage to the prop.”
“It’s so pretty, isn’t it?”
In profile, she looked even more delicate. He visually traced her face, from her smooth brow to her inky lashes to the slightly upturned nose and parted lips. He didn’t mean to, but he cared for her, he wanted her, so it seemed natural to look at her body, too.
Glancing at him, her smile started to fade. “Lang?”
Damn. Trying to cover his interest, he asked, “Did you put on sunscreen? I don’t want you to burn.”
Not fooled but apparently not worried, either, she nodded. “I did. I wasn’t sure how long we’d be out, so I brought more, just in case.”
“Want me to drop anchor here? We could swim.”
Her eyes flared. “Here?” Looking around at the irregular shoreline, the towering trees and the dark water, she frowned. “I don’t think I’m quite that adventurous.”
“Is there anywhere else on the lake you’d be more comfortable?”
“Is there anywhere without fish?” she teased. “No, I’ll just observe this time. Is that okay?”
“Hey, whatever you want.”
“You should still swim, though. I don’t mind.”
“Then how about you sit on the swim deck and I’ll just take a quick dip?” Hopefully the cold water would have a head-clearing effect.
“The swim deck?” Curiously, she looked around again.
“There in the back. It’s made low to skim the water so it’s easier to get in and out of the boat.” Nonchalant, he turned off the motor, stood and stripped off his shirt.
He was very aware of Hope’s gawking. The sun on his shoulders felt good, but Hope’s interest felt better.
Removing the heavy anchor from a locker beneath a seat, he stepped up to the bow and attached the rope to a cleat.
“You’re good at that,” Hope said, moving closer to watch as he secured it. “Is that a special knot?”
He grinned. “The loop in the rope fits in and around the cleat.” Enjoying her attentiveness, he took a moment to explain the various parts of the boat and how to anchor it. “We’ll drift a little, but not enough to take us too close to the shore.”
She eyed his chest. “Are you, um, going to put on a life jacket or anything?”
“I can swim, but if it’ll make you feel better—”
“Yes, please.” She lifted her chin. “If you drown, what would I do?”
“Drive the boat for help?”
Already shaking her head, she said, “I couldn’t. I’ve never driven a boat.”
“After my swim, I’ll teach you.” They could go slow until she got comfortable. With any luck, she’d enjoy boating enough that they could go out more often.
Her lashes lifted and her dark blue gaze locked on his. “Okay, but before you jump in...” She inched nearer. “Would you mind giving me another kiss?”
Lang groaned, but again, he didn’t want her to change her mind so he lightly took her shoulders in his hands and drew her closer. “I will do anything you want, okay? You only need to tell me.”