"You probably do outdoorsy stuff like this all the time, don't you?"
"Yep. Don't you?"
"I would, but I never had a lot of free time. And then when I switched managers...well..." I dig my oar deeper into the water.
"I should corrupt you and introduce you to all my crazy activities."
"What kind of things do you do?"
"I'll try anything once, but I love mountain climbing. It's part of the reason I bought in Spain."
"Wow. Is it hard?"
"It's a good workout and wouldn't take you long to get the technique down. You could do it."
"What's something you haven't done but want to try?"
He doesn't hesitate. "Ziplining. I've done it for military training, but I want to do it over a cavern or through a jungle. Have you done it before?"
"Not outside, but in my concerts."
"I bet you've gotten to do all sorts of awesome things from your tours."
I shrug. "Not anything too crazy."
"Hey, I forgot to give you a lozenge for your throat. They're in the pocket of my bag."
"It's okay. I can get it later."
"It's been almost a day, and we didn't get to make your tea last night. You should take one."
I set my oar on top of the boat. "My throat's already feeling a little better."
"That's good, but humor me."
I unzip the pocket and pull one out. "Aye aye, boss. I'll have one if it'll make you feel better."
"It will."
I bite back a smile. "You need anything?"
"Throw me a pack of food. You should have something to eat too."
I remove two packets and hand him one.
"Tamales are sounding better and better, aren't they?" he says.
"Don't torture me talking about them."
"Forgot to ask you something."
"What?"
"My rat wasn't spicy back at camp, was it?"
I scoff. "No way. I don't know what they were complaining about. On a scale of one to ten, I thought it was a three."
"That's what I thought!"
We eat in silence, and when I finish, I put the slippery elm in my mouth. A boat passes far enough away from us, but it creates bigger waves, and we get sprayed with water.
"Zoe, you all right?"
"Yep. I'm a diva, but I won't melt."
"Funny."
"The water felt good. The sun is hot."
"We'll put more lotion on when we stop."
I'll rub your body as much as you want.
"So country boy, do you have a cowboy hat and boots?"
"Busted."
"Ha! Knew it!"
"You didn't ask about my belt buckle."
My lower body pulses, thinking of the arrows on his V.
Bet you're hot as sin in those items.
"So tell me the stories behind your tattoos."
"I don't have that many."
"Should be easy to tell me then."
"Semper Fi is for the Marine Corp."
"You have a heart with Fernanda over it. Is that your ex-wife?" A stab of jealousy pricks me.
He snorts. "No. Not at all."
"Then who is she?"
"I got it when my grandmother passed."
"Oh. That's nice. Her name means brave journey."
"Brave journey," he mumbles. "Huh. I didn't know that, but it's perfect to describe her."
Just ask him.
"And the arrows?"
"Just aesthetic," he quickly replies.
"But what do the arrows mean? Surely you positioned them there for some reason," I tease.
He groans.
I spin. "Why are you groaning?"
He keeps paddling, but his face turns red.
"Why Dirk Zamora. Are you blushing right now?"
"No."
"Yes, you are."
And you just get sexier.
"So why did you choose to place it on your V?"
"I think you just like my V."
I mumble in Spanish, "I think you just like my ass."
He replies in Spanish, "I do like your ass. And your legs, and lips, and pretty much every other part of your body."
Thank God I'm looking forward, and he can't see the smile that's hurting my cheeks.
The waves become rougher, and the kayak rocks side to side.
"Dig into the left Zoe. We need to go in a bit."
We move near land.
"See the tip of the bay?"
I glance at it. "Yes. It looks kind of far."
"It might take us most of the day to get there. Trying to get around it will be the challenge. The waves will get rougher at the point."
"Is it not safe?"
"Should be as long as the weather stays calm. When we get closer, we'll stop and take a break, so we have fresh arms to go through it."
"Are your muscles getting tired already?"
"You seem a little obsessed with my body parts today."
I'm always obsessed with your body parts. Today is no exception.
"I think your arrows might have you thinking with the wrong body parts."
"And she's back to the V."
"I'm not the one who put arrows pointed to my private parts."