CHAPTER3
mariella
At seven o’clock I stood in front of the restaurant, half hoping the lumberhottie wouldn’t show. After he left yesterday, I’d compiled a long list of reasons posing as his private diving guide would be a very bad idea. I could use the cash though. I’d already stayed in British Columbia longer than I intended. If I wanted to move on, it would be smart to build up my savings.
Of course, Shyla thought I should go for it, especially after I told her how good looking he was. She said if I didn’t take him up on his offer, she’d be more than happy to take my place. I suppose that’s what convinced me. Picturing Kai with my gorgeous roommate made my heart squeeze. It’s not like I had any claim over him, but thinking of the two of them spending a whole day together made my chest feel like an elephant had decided to sit down and take a break on it.
I tightened my grip on the soft side cooler I’d packed. If he was going to have me hauling his ass all over the coast, at least I’d have provisions.
“Sorry I’m a few minutes late.” Kai called out as he crossed the clearing, his voice echoing in the early morning quiet.
“No problem. Gave me a chance to grab us some coffee from the restaurant.”
“Thanks.” He nodded toward the travel mug sitting on the picnic table. “Is that for me?”
“Help yourself.”
He looked even better than yesterday. Though summer had started, temps hovered in the upper forties overnight, and he had on a plaid flannel shirt and a gray knit beanie. I’d always been a sucker for a guy with a beard and a knit cap. Kai looked like he stepped off the page of some northern outdoorsman magazine. I almost expected him to pull an axe out of his bag and start chopping wood. Not that I would have complained.
“Did you look over the list and come up with a plan for today?” he asked.
“Yeah. We can take the boat down around the Trail Islands. It’s out in the strait, so less protected than some of the closer dives, but it’s worth it.”
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get moving.”
I tightened my grip on my coffee. “We need to drive to the dock where Bryan keeps the boats. Do you have your gear?”
“It’s in the truck. Do you mind if we take my car?”
“Sure.”
Usually I wouldn’t be so eager to hop in the car with a stranger even if he had hired me to take him out on a boat, but I’d checked up on him last night. His story about being an underwater photographer was legit. I’d spent hours poring over photos he’d taken around the world. The way he captured the peace and beauty of the ocean took my breath away. His photos brought back memories of the time I’d spent diving off the coast of Florida where I grew up and made me ache to experience it for myself again.
Once we got to the dock, it didn’t take too long to gas up the boat and give everything a quick once over.
“Can I do anything to help?” Kai loaded the last bit of his gear onto the deck, then climbed aboard.
“Life vests are under the seat in front of you. Do you need a safety demo before we get underway?”
“We can skip all that.”
“Suit yourself.” I untied the line off the bow while the motor idled. I might not have been in the water, but it was impossible to avoid getting out on a boat around here. Still, it had been a few months since I’d been in charge. These days I preferred sticking close to shore.
“You sure know your way around a boat.” Kai tugged the line holding the stern to the dock and pulled it on board.
“My dad always said I was more comfortable on a boat than on land.” Thinking about him put a smile on my face. I’d lost my parents a couple of years ago, but I still felt their loss like it had happened yesterday.
“That makes two of us.” Kai lifted his mug of coffee toward me. I suppose he meant it as an act of solidarity, but we were nothing alike. He was about to solo dive in an unfamiliar place. I’d visited the Trail Islands dozens of times and yet someone could have offered me a million dollars to dip my toe in the water, and I’d refuse. Even being out on the boat had my heart jackhammering in my chest.
For the millionth time, I wondered why the hell I’d let some lumberhottie talk me into taking him out on the water today. It wasn’t just his looks. Though the way those light green eyes drank me in over the rim of his mug did funny things to my belly.
With a cold wind whipping past our heads, it was too loud to keep up conversation, so I navigated the boat out into the main strait in relative silence. This time of year there were plenty of other people out on the water, reminding me why I preferred winter when the tourist traffic slowed to a trickle.
We finally reached the dive site, and I cut the engine before dropping an anchor. I could tell Kai was a pro by the way he readied his equipment. Reminded me of the rigorous checklist my dad had ingrained in me when we prepped for dives together out of the shop he owned.
The sun had broken through the clouds, so I shed my jacket and settled onto one of the bench seats on the bow. I’d brought a book along to keep me occupied while Kai was underwater, but the words didn’t hold my attention.
Especially when the muscled hottie started stripping off his shirt.
He had the body of an athlete—tall and lean, with just the right amount of muscle. His shoulders rolled as he pulled a wetsuit out of his bag. My gaze followed the ripple of muscles down his back, stopping at his waistband. Surely he wasn’t going to drop his pants right here on the deck. Though none of the other boats were super close, I was sitting only a few feet away from his half-naked backside.
“You know there’s room down below where you can change.” Maybe he’d take the hint and save me from the lust-induced haze that threatened to toss my reservations overboard.
He turned slightly, and his lips curved up in a teasing smile. “That’s okay, I get claustrophobic. If you don’t mind, I’ll just change here real quick.”
If I didn’t mind? Yes, I minded. The last time I’d seen a guy naked had been too long ago to remember, though I remembered he looked absolutely nothing like the lumberhottie standing less than ten feet away. Before I could say anything, Kai dropped his pants. I closed my eyes, afraid to look. Even thinking about what I might miss sent heat racing up my chest and across my face.
I thought two days alone with him would be an easy way to make some cash. Swallowing the lump wedged in my throat, I wondered if I’d been wrong.