Sailing at Sunset - Cindi Madsen Page 0,76

shop, so she was now advertising boat rentals to the marine life underneath them. I’m sure all the fishies will be so impressed they’ll swim right over.

As they circled a strip of land covered with trees and a handful of houses, Danae found her rhythm. Her muscles burned with the effort, but each stroke gave her a sense of accomplishment.

After a while, her arms turned into wet noodles, her strokes off enough that her oar smacked into Josh’s paddle.

“I got it,” he said, and she was going to protest, but her tired body spoke louder.

“Just for a quick breather.”

If anything, it felt like they glided through the water faster—she suspected Josh had been paddling slower to match her pace.

Since she couldn’t do much else, she kept peeking at the guy behind her. He caught her staring and winked, and her heart soared way up to the sky, executing moves similar to the seagull overhead. Flapping, gliding, and dipping, before flying higher to do it all again.

Suddenly, a spray of water arced over her, the stream going right down the back of her life vest.

The snicker behind her clued her in to the fact that the dousing was far from accidental. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the shore. Josh pivoted them in that direction, leading her to believe that was their destination. Since they were well within swimming distance, she decided to rock the boat. Literally.

Using her paddle, she scooped as much water as she could and flung it over her shoulder at Josh.

“Oh, it’s on,” Josh said. They slapped water at each other, laughing and dodging the cold sprays, gasping whenever one slammed into them.

Tall grass skimmed the bottom and sides of the boat, and then the front hit the sand. Josh climbed out to tow them ashore and, assuming he’d use his advantageous position to drench her, Danae stood to jump ship.

Only her foot caught on the edge of the kayak’s seat. “No, ahhh—” The weight of her body propelled her forward, face-first toward the water, and she had the fleeting thought she was about to lose this water fight to herself.

But then Josh was there, catching her around the waist and steadying her. The kayak bumped into his shins, which had to sting, but he remained firm. Their eyes met, and her breath lodged in her throat.

He readjusted his grip, swung her around, and lowered her onto the wet sand. “You good?” he asked, still holding her in place, and she managed to nod.

“Yeah. Thanks for catching me.”

“Anytime,” he said, his voice low and husky. Goose bumps skated across her skin, and she reconsidered the mental pats on the back she’d given herself earlier for straying from the itinerary. She’d taken safety precautions, but now that she was away from her coworkers, she worried that she hadn’t taken nearly enough. The life vest strapped around her might prevent her from sinking underneath the water’s surface, but she was still drowning, one wrong move away from falling for a guy she’d agreed to remain just friends with.

“Watch this low branch,” Josh said as he dodged it himself.

Danae followed after him, short enough to duck underneath the branch instead of going around it like he’d had to do.

A few more strides, and they reached the highest point on the trail. Instead of surveying the landscape, he watched for Danae’s reaction.

Her eyes glittered as she peered down the hill. Leafy green trees with moss-covered trunks stretched high into the sky on all sides, the cleared-out trail providing an ideal view of the sparkling bay and the tiny island they’d passed. “Wow. It’s breathtaking.”

Josh towed her a few steps backward, to sit on the weathered wooden bench on which he’d spent countless hours throughout his life. He’d grabbed her hand without thinking, but now he was thinking far too much about not letting it go. Sticking to friends when it came to Danae was a lot harder than he’d expected.

As soon as he released her hand, he curled his into a fist so he wouldn’t be tempted to reach for it again. “Little Bay Conservation Area has managed to stay almost hidden. It’s off the beaten path, and you can go from beach to forest in a manner of minutes. You can even see upper Buzzards Bay in the distance.”

He’d wanted to share this slice of heaven with Danae, certain she’d appreciate it. But, another thing he’d underestimated…? How intimate it would feel. They were already