An Endless Summer(85)

“What the hell do you think you were doing?” he asked, dumbfounded. “Didn’t get enough the first time you nearly drowned?”

I drew in a long line of glorious air before managing to gain my voice. “I was jumping in at the deep end.”

Sean laughed, pressing his forehead into my shoulder. “Bloody hell, you need to come with a warning label.”

I couldn’t bask in the glory of my daredevil attempt to conquer my fear, I was too busy shaking uncontrollably as the adrenalin wore off and shock set in.

“You’re shaking like a leaf; come on, let’s get you out of this water.”

Sean hitched himself onto the boat with such grace, like he had done it a million times before, no doubt. I still held onto the ledge of the boat with a fierce grip – without the press of Sean’s body behind me, securing me in place, I felt incredibly vulnerable. But before I could let it worry me, he grabbed my wrists.

“Come on.”

He groaned as he lifted me up and out of the lake, giving me the leverage to hook my knee onto the edge and push up and onto the boat. He did it so easily, as if I had weighed nothing more than a feather instead of a fully clothed woman, wringing wet. I stumbled into a kneeling position and a pool of lake water settled around me. I fought to keep my heart from racing and my entire body from shaking.

Sean shifted towards a metal storage box. Flipping it open he rummaged inside and retrieved a blanket. He spun around, proud as punch, and chucked it at me with a grin. The sun shone behind his massive shoulders, the rays glistening on the droplets of water that ran down his toned body – he looked like some Greek statue. It would have been enough for most girls to kneel before him and worship. Instead, I met his eyes and burst into tears.

Sean’s smile fell; I saw that much before I buried my face in my hands and unashamedly, uncontrollably sobbed.

“Hey, hey, hey …” He hurried to me and gently pulled my wrists away from my face. “Oh, Christ, Amy, please don’t cry. I have a blanket and a first aid kit but nothing for tears.”

Sean’s attempt to lighten the mood only caused me to cry more. Before the next series of chest-hitching sobs came, without a word he pulled me into his arms, holding me tight. I was engulfed in them, my head pressed against his chest. I could hear the rapid beating of his heart and I felt instantly warm, even more so when he swept the blanket around me and gently rubbed my back.

“Shhh,” he whispered into my temple.

I was slowly calmed by the soothing motion of his whispers and the feel of the hypnotic circle he traced on my shoulder blades. It only took a moment to snap out of my anguish and become acutely aware of the feel of Sean’s bare skin under my hands. My arms were wrapped around him, threatening to squeeze the life out of him, but I knew he could take it. It was like embracing a boulder, except instead of cool stone I felt warm flesh. His skin was so soft, my dampened cheek rested right near his heart, goose bumps formed on my flesh for a whole other reason now. My cheeks flamed as I became painfully aware of how good I allowed myself to feel in his arms. The thought completely sobered me from hysteria. I let my arms fall instead, grabbing the blanket and wrapping it around me. I shifted away from his touch. Sean lifted his arms and allowed me to go. He looked at me as if not knowing quite what to make of the crazed, chin-trembling lunatic before him.

After a long silence he moved towards the front of the boat.

“I guess we’re not waterskiing today, then,” he said with a gentle smile. “If you want I could take you to my lake house?” He didn’t look at me when he spoke. Instead, he focused on the fuel gauge with immense concentration

“W-what?” I struggled to my feet, gripping the blanket tighter around me.

“Or I could take you back?”

The blanket entwined in my legs as I hurried forward. “No!” I all but blurted out.

Sean slung his arm on the back of the driver’s chair, his eyes trailing over what must have been a somewhat dishevelled state. My eyes bloodshot from my tears, hair damp and dank from murky lake water, the grey of the blanket stained with dark, wet patches as it wrapped around me. Even though his eyes made me want to shift awkwardly under their scrutiny, I held myself there, looking back at him, keeping my spine straight.

Just when I thought Sean’s icy gaze could slice into me, a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You sure?”

I pulled the hem of the fabric upwards so as to manoeuvre my way into the passenger seat next to him.

“How fast does this thing go, anyway?”

Sean’s smile widened. “How fast are you willing to go?”