“Just balance there for a while,” Jessie said in the patient voice of a coach. “Rest on all fours and try to ride with the waves instead of resisting them. Just let yourself relax and rest.”
Rest! It was like an arm, leg, and ab workout all at the same time. Nothing about this was restful. Plus, my butt was practically in Jessie’s face. I had on a shirt and shorts over my swimsuit, but the wet clothes clung to me, leaving nothing to the imagination. Especially up front. The only place my t-shirt didn’t cling was over my breasts. There, it hung way down, giving the guys a view straight down my swimsuit every time I was in this humiliating position.
The only small comfort was that Brock wasn’t here to witness my humiliation. He’d told us he had something else to do this afternoon without any other explanation.
“Good job,” Jessie said, seconds before a wave lifted my board up and hurled me into the water. I scrambled to regain my footing, spitting out gross-tasting saltwater as I did.
After one hour, Jessie and Kincade swapped places, Kincade having a go at teaching me while Jessie glided smoothly over the waves.
After two hours, I was ready to die.
Or to kill them both. Either way.
Still, I didn’t want to give up. I was horrible at this, it was humiliating, but… deep down, I liked these men. Well, not at the moment, but in general. And I wanted to do this because they wanted me to do this.
So I tried. And tried again. And again, until I was about ready to burst into tears or to strangle one of them.
Then a sound reached me, even over the noise of the waves. Holding onto the damn surfboard, I looked around, Kincade doing the same. Finally we both spotted what was making the noise.
There, on the horizon, was a dark blue jet ski zooming across the water at incredible speeds. The driver cut to the right, toward us, hitting the waves at an angle that propelled the jet ski high into the air.
Now that was the way to travel in the ocean. It made surfing look about as appealing as eating crackers instead of wedding cake.
“Son of a bitch,” Kincade muttered.
The jet ski was going slower now, zigzagging back and forth as it made its way closer. I could see the driver now, a tall man wearing a fitted black t-shirt.
It was Brock.
He brought the jet ski around, cutting its engine as he got close. He let it drift and, somehow, it glided right up to us. Brock lowered his mirrored sunglasses, looked down at me, and extended his hand.
“Come with me if you want to live.”
He didn’t have to ask me twice. I put my hand in his and he pulled me clear out of the water, manhandling me into the right position. I straddled the seat, put my arms around his torso, and grinned like a madwoman as the engine roared to life and he got me the hell out of there.
16
Brock
The jet ski sped away from the beach as fast as I could push it. Maddie clung to my back but was quiet as we made our getaway.
Anger filled me. Jessie and Kincade were like brothers to me, but sometimes, they just didn’t fucking think. They were as comfortable in the ocean as most people were in a bathtub, and they seemed to have forgotten that not everyone was. Poor Maddie had looked exhausted then I came up to her. Exhausted and like a drowned rat.
Exactly how long had they planned to continue their ‘lesson?’ Until she drowned?
Really great plan.
Now that the beach was well behind us, I steered the powerful jet ski parallel to the land, going around the island counterclockwise. The place was bigger than it seemed. Its tropical scenery was marred by a lot of downed trees.
I slowed as I looked for a landmark Jessie had shown me on his map. Squinting through my sunglasses, I finally found it. I slowed to almost a crawl and guided us into a little lagoon, a protected area with tall trees around us.
For the first time, I felt Maddie stir behind me. The pressure of her sweet body against me lifted as she evidently sat up and looked around. She still kept her arms wrapped around my waist, however. I couldn’t say that I minded that part of it.
Fallen logs, both recent and older, lined water that was nearly still. Some waves crashed against the narrow entrance, but by the time they reached the far side of the lagoon, they were barely perceptible.
I drove us to a little rocky beach and then killed the motor. Making sure that Maddie wouldn’t fall, I carefully swung my leg over and climbed off. Then I turned to help her down, but one look at her changed my mind. She was fucking exhausted. Good thing Jessie and Kincade weren’t here, or I would’ve given them a real piece of my mind.