Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“Wait…I need the other paddle!” I exclaim, but his hands are already gripping the small rope knotted at the front as he carefully starts to pull me and the plastic banana boat into the water.
“No, you don’t,” he corrects. “You’re the birthday girl. Your only job is to enjoy the ride.”
I want to argue and tell him that I still have one good foot and two good arms, but Mack is a man on a mission, dragging the boat deeper into the water. Since it’s the Gulf, there’s not much action in terms of waves, but the first few feet in jostle the kayak from side to side, and I have to grip the edges to keep my balance.
“Hold on tight, Katy. Just a few more feet and it’ll be calm again.”
When the water hits his knees, he pauses his momentum to expertly hop into the front seat before I can question how in the hell he was going to get in the boat without tossing the whole thing upside down.
Pretty sure those rock-hard abs of his have something to do with that…
“Have you kayaked before?” I ask him as he starts to paddle us toward the horizon.
“Not since I was a kid.”
“Well, color me impressed.”
He chuckles and glances over his shoulder at me. “Let me guess, you thought I wasn’t going to be able to get in without flipping you over?”
I snort. “Pretty much.”
“Katy, you underestimate my skills,” he says, and immediately, my mind reminds me of what Anna said about him… “I’d bet my right tit he has a big cock and he’s really good with his mouth…”
Oh, for the love of everything, I cannot go there. Never ever ever.
I try to shake myself out of my randy thoughts and think about normal things like the way the sun bounces off the water. And how blue the sky looks. And how clear the water is. And how delicious Mack’s back muscles look when he’s paddling.
Instantly, the urge to slap myself across the face is strong.
“You okay back there?” he asks, and I nearly choke on my own tongue when I respond.
“Yeth…Yes. Of course. I’m good.”
“So, you don’t mind if I get us out a little farther?” he questions. “There’s something I want to show you.”
I peek over my shoulder and realize we’re pretty far away from the coast already, and the people on the beach are still becoming smaller by the second. Mack’s college girl fan club, specifically, is watching us intently, but I can’t make out the expressions on their faces.
“Uh…like, how far are we talking?” I ask. “Because I prefer to visit Mexico by plane, you know. Plus, I don’t even have my passport.”
“Not too much farther,” he says through a chortle and stops paddling to reach behind him and gently squeeze my leg. “I promise we’ll be safe, okay? I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Okay.” I take one last look at his groupies and turn back toward him in front of me. “Truth be told, the open ocean might be safer for me anyway. I don’t think the Barbie triplets are going to be too thrilled with me when I come back from riding shotgun in your kayak.”
“The Barbie triplets?” he questions with a laugh. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you. I was supposed to give you their number yesterday, but then I kind of took a trip to Looptyville.” I laugh lightly. “Seeing as I’m riding with you now, they probably think I withheld on purpose.”
Mack snorts. “College girls?”
“Uh-huh,” I mutter, wondering if the idea of younger women excites him. I absolutely loathe the fact that the thought of it makes me feel a little jealous.
“Huh,” he huffs, paddling us farther with swift strokes. “And here I thought you were the only one pulling attention from the college crowd this week.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Yesterday. Some college guys in the ocean couldn’t stop talking about how you were ‘fuck me’ hot.”
“Say what?” I practically chortle. “You are joking.”
“Nope,” he says confidently. “I heard it with my own two ears.” My heart trills in my chest in the silence of his pause. “They’re not wrong, by the way. Though I don’t know that I’d use the same descriptors.”
Mack Houston thinks I’m hot?
I don’t know if it’s the heat or the Vicodin I took this morning, but my heart feels all wonky inside my chest. Like it doesn’t know if it wants to speed up or slow down.
I swallow hard against the weird sensation and make myself take a long, slow breath of air in through my nose and blow it out through my mouth.
“Almost there,” Mack updates as he continues to move us skillfully through the water, conversation about the college co-eds long forgotten. Evidently, he’s about as interested in those girls as I am.