“I’m not. Today’s an admin day.” He lifted his coffee cup. “Usually I hate them, but it’s starting out pretty good.”
“I love admin.”
“That’s not possible.”
She laughed at his outraged expression. “It’s true. I like being organized. I get a thrill when I tick something off my to-do-list.”
“Maybe you can do mine. I’ll go surfing instead.” He winked at her.
“I could help. What do you need to do?”
He tipped his head to the side, looking at her through thick lashes. “It’s boring stuff. I need to get some numbers together to refinance the boat. I need to raise a bit of cash to make some repairs.”
“Oh, I love numbers.” Her eyes lit up. “And spreadsheets. Do you have spreadsheets?”
He laughed at the excited expression on her face. “Yeah. Really big ones. But it’s okay, I can do it this morning. Then I’ll treat myself with a surf this afternoon.”
“Maybe I’ll come and watch you do that instead. You look hot in board shorts.”
“You should come with me. I’ll teach you.”
“To surf?” Her eyes widened. “Oh no. You don’t want to see that.”
“Yeah I really do.” He leaned across to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “I want to see you on a board. Come on, I’ll make it fun. I promise.”
“I’ve never surfed.”
“I’m a patient teacher.” His smile widened. “And we both know you’re strong enough. I’ve seen the muscles in your legs. I’ll even let you play with my numbers if you’d like.”
She laughed and shook her head, watching as his eyes danced with amusement. “Okay, but I’ve got the feeling you’re getting the better end of the deal.”
“It’s a win-win.” He sipped his coffee. “Come on, let’s get some work done, then I’ll meet you at the beach.”
He swallowed hard as she pulled her t-shirt over her head, then unbuttoned her cut-offs and climbed out of them, and tried really hard not to ogle her. Autumn Paxton could rock a swimsuit better than any woman he’d seen.
He was fighting a losing battle.
Taking a long, deep breath, he told his body to behave itself. He was thirty-one-years-old, long past the age when it was acceptable to get a hard-on at the beach.
She pulled her hair back, fixing it into a messy bun with a brown hair tie, then inclined her head to look up at him. “I don’t have a wetsuit,” she said, glancing down at her blue swimsuit, cut high at the hips and low at the back. “Is this okay?”
This time he wasn’t going to look. “Try this top, courtesy of Lorne’s surf shop.” He passed her a waterproof, long sleeved surf top, with a zipper from the neck to the mid section. “I think the guy might have a little crush on you. When I told him I needed surf gear for you, he offered it up.” He grinned and looked out at the sparkling blue ocean. “The water’s not too cold at this time of day, and we won’t be hitting the strong waves, but you don’t want to hurt your chest when it’s against the board.” He pulled his own surf top on over his head, tugging at the hem until it reached his long board shorts. “We’ll be starting your lesson on the beach, anyway.”
“We will?” she asked, pulling the top over her head and re-fixing her hair. And no, he wasn’t looking at the way it lifted her chest high. Not him.
He cleared his throat. “Yeah. I’m going to teach you how to stand on a board.”
She caught his eye and started to laugh. “I’ve been standing since I was about six months old. I think I have it covered.”
“Try it on the board in the water without practicing and you won’t be laughing,” he told her, raising an eyebrow. Put your board on the sand and lie stomach down on it.”
“You’re very bossy,” she told him. “I kind of like it.”
“It would be a lot easier if you didn’t answer back every time.” He grinned and shook his head.
She gave a mock-pout. “That wouldn’t be much fun.” She pointed at a black cord, attached to a thick cuff. “Is that to put around my ankle?”
“Yep. But you don’t need it on now. We’ll attach it when we get to the water. Now stop talking and get down on the board, woman.”
She blew him a kiss. “As you command, sir.”
He rolled his eyes.
She did as he told her, putting the board down on the warm sand, then lying flat until her stomach and chest were pressed against the waxed surface.
Griff knelt next to her, taking her feet in his hands and placing them at the end of the board. “You’ll start off paddling through the water like this,” he said, adjusting her toes until they were flexed against the board. “But you need to be ready to jump up when you see a wave.” He grabbed his own board and laid down next to her. “See where I have my hands?” he asked, placing his palms on the board and lifting his chest up from the surface. “You want to push up with your toes tucked at the end.” He flexed his biceps, centering himself as he lifted his entire body up from the board, balancing for a moment on his palms and toes. Then he tucked his leg beneath him, placing the sole of his foot firmly on the board, before bringing the other one further forward, in the space between his braced hands. “Make sure your feet are far enough apart to keep you stable.”
“Like this?” She mimicked his movements, arching her back as she pushed herself up from the board and set her feet forward in a one-two movement. God, she looked good.
“Yeah. Just like that. This time, let go and use your thighs to stand up. Keep your knees bent.”
Ten minutes later they were in the water. Griff had left his own board on the sand, and was holding Autumn’s steady as she climbed on and sat down on it the way he showed her.
“A lot of surfing is about sitting down and judging the waves,” he told her. “That’s something you’ll learn over time. You don’t want to hit it too early or too late, or take a wave somebody else is heading for. For now we’ll practice here in the shallows until you get used to balancing in the water.”
“Okay. Can I try it now?” Her eyes glinted with excitement.
“Sure.”
The first three times, she ended up plunging underwater, coming back to the surface and spluttering as she coughed the water from her mouth. The fourth time, though, she managed to balance for five full seconds before going under.
“I forgot to say you’ll get really wet. All the time. Even if you hit a wave right you can end up going under.” He grinned. “It’s a good thing you look sexy when you’re soaking.” He lifted her back up onto the board, his strong hands circling her waist. “Try to look ahead when you stand instead of at your feet. Trust your body to know what it’s doing.”
“Like this?” She lifted her head, keeping her eyes set on the water ahead as she pressed her hands on the board and bent her legs, scooting them forward until she was balanced.
He grinned. “Perfect. Now lets go a little deeper. See if you can get used to the waves.” She was a natural, and it made him want her more. She didn’t care about getting wet, or spending more time underwater than a dolphin. She was too determined for that. She was flexible, too, and lithe.