Pieces of Us - Carrie Elks Page 0,44

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.

Thank god the water was more than waist deep.

“I think you’re ready to catch a wave,” he murmured, when she’d mastered paddling and turning on her stomach. “You’re looking to hit it just before it breaks. If you’re too early you won’t be able to ride it. Too late and the foam will take you under.”

“How can I tell that it’s the right time?”

“Look for a swell coming forward.” He grabbed hold of her board and turned it around until she was facing the horizon. “See that one?” he asked, whispering in her ear. “It looks like it might come good.”

“So when the wave gets here I start to paddle with it?”

“Yep, and when you feel your board connecting at the right speed, you stand and let the wave do the rest.”

She nodded, her face serious. “Wish me luck.”

He stood back, crossing his arms over his broad chest as Autumn checked over her shoulder to see how close the wave was. She began to slowly paddle, her long strokes increasing in speed when the swell was a few yards behind her, but she wasn’t fast enough for the wave, and it lifted her before crashing onward, leaving Autumn floating in the flat.

“Don’t worry,” Griff called out to her. “I see another good one coming. You spot it?”

She turned her head and nodded, looking back at him with determination. “Okay, I got it.”

“Start paddling now,” he told her, keeping his eye on the approaching swell. “You’ve got about five seconds until it reaches you.”

Autumn pushed her hands