hand to help her board.
“I can’t believe you’ve never been on a boat before.”
“Never. Well, unless you want to count a canoe at camp one summer.”
He’d spent his entire life on, in or around boats. Sailboats, speedboats, rowboats, tugboats—if it went on the water, he’d built it, raced it or at least crewed it. He’d never met anyone who hadn’t even seen one up close before.
Ally seemed to be taking the inspection seriously, as she asked questions about the sails and the cleats and how it all worked. As she trailed a hand along the tiller, his blood stirred, wanting that hand to caress him instead.
He cleared his throat. “She was designed to race, so she’s lean. No frills to weigh her down.”
“Is that what you’re going to do? Fix her up and race her?”
“No, I can’t race her. Her hull is too heavy to compete with what’s out there now.”
Ally looked at him. “But you do race, right? Or you’re wanting to?”
Was she serious? A look at Ally’s heart-shaped face told him she was. She honestly had no idea. How long had it been since he’d had a conversation with someone who didn’t know who he was? Wells Racing and the OWD Shipyard really had consumed his life—to the extent that it had probably been at least five years since he’d met anyone who wasn’t as obsessed as he was. Maybe more like ten. And while part of him wanted to impress Ally with his list of credentials, he held it at bay. It was nice to be incognito for once.
“I race…among other things.” It wasn’t a lie. Pops still kept his command in the offices of the OWD Shipyard—in name at least—but Chris found more and more of the day-to-day business crossing his desk these days. He juggled a lot, but Wells Racing was still his main focus.
Ally grinned at him. “But do you ever win?”
He laughed before he caught himself. “Occasionally.”
“Is it dangerous?” She didn’t meet his eyes as she asked that, but the too-casual way she poked at the deck line belied her interest.
“Not really. You can get hurt, don’t underestimate that, but it’s pretty hard to kill yourself.”
Her shoulders dropped in relief. “That’s good. My brother races dirt bikes for fun. It’s pretty easy to kill yourself doing that.” Ally poked her head into the hatch. “Not a lot down there.”
“Like I said, she’s built for racing. Bare necessities only.” He liked watching her explore the Circe. As the breeze molded her dress to her curves, he realized he liked watching her, period. The erection he’d only recently got back under control stirred to life again.
Ally sat on the edge of the cockpit and ran her hands over the smooth planks of the deck. “This is neat. Thank you for showing me.”
Unable to resist, he sat next to her. Possibly a little closer than was called for, but Ally didn’t move away. “Neat?”
“Yes, neat. I like to learn new things.” She looked sideways at him and shrugged. “In fact, I’ve decided that this vacation is going to be all about new things. I came by myself, which was definitely a first. I’ve—”
“You came on a Caribbean vacation by yourself?” Even though she’d been wandering the dock alone, he assumed she had friends or family somewhere on the island.
“It’s a long story, but, yes.”
He started to ask another question but she cut him off.
“Seriously, it’s a long, boring story. But I’m here now, and I’m making the most of it. I’ve tried new foods, let the spa spread mud all over me, and now I’ve been on a boat for the first time. I’d say I’m off to a good start.”
He was still reeling at the mental image of Ally nude while mud was painted sensuously across her breasts. He cleared his throat. “You’re quite the adventurer.”
She beamed, her brown eyes lighting up. “I wouldn’t go that far. But I am taking baby steps.” Ally closed her eyes and leaned back to enjoy the sun. It was an artlessly erotic pose—back arched, breasts thrust temptingly toward him, the gentle curve of her neck exposed. “This is wonderful. The wind and the water are very relaxing.”
He was anything but relaxed. “Would you like to go out?” he blurted.
Ally sat up and opened her eyes, the shock readily apparent. “I’m sorry, what?”
Well, that hadn’t been his smoothest move. He cleared his throat. “Sailing. Would you like to go out sailing tomorrow?”
“Oh, I don’t know…”
“Come on. It’ll be fun.”
“I’ve never—”
“I thought you were being adventurous on your vacation.”
Ally shifted uncomfortably. “There’s adventurous and then there’s the fact that I’m not a very good swimmer.”
“The chances of you going overboard are pretty slim unless you jump.”
Ally looked over the mess he’d made of the Circe, a wary look in her eye. “But—”
He followed her gaze and laughed. “Not on the Circe. She’s not up for company yet. I’ll borrow a little cat or something. Start slow.”
Confusion furrowed Ally’s forehead. “A cat?”
“Catamaran. Like the ones you see on the beach down there.”
She looked to where he was pointing and nodded. “It’s kinda big, don’t you think, for my first time? Maybe something smaller, like those over there?” She pointed to some dinghies tied up at the dock.
“Ah, Ally, you don’t want to start too small. You want to get the full experience.” He dropped his voice and teased, “Bigger really is better, you know. It’s not the same sensation at all.”
She caught her lip in her teeth, the picture of indecision. “Um…”
“We’ll take it really slow and give you some time to get comfortable. We won’t go very far until you’re sure you’re ready. Just nice and easy.” He stroked her arm and gooseflesh rose under his fingers. “We won’t go too fast, I promise—unless you decide you want to, of course. And I think you will once you get into it. Otherwise, you can relax and let me do all the work while you just enjoy yourself.”
Ally’s eyes were wide and dark as she exhaled gently. “Are we still talking about sailing?”
Who cares about sailing? He stopped and gave himself a strong mental shake. “Of course. Well? Are you game?” He could see the indecision in her eyes. She wanted to go, but something was holding her back. “Are you afraid? Of the water?”
She hesitated as she looked away. “No. Not afraid, just not any good—I mean, I’m
