Jaci Burton - Hope Flames

“Give me a few minutes’ recovery time, then we’re going to do this again.”

She laughed. “You’re on.”

This was nice. And different.

She had to remind herself not to get attached to Luke. This was supposed to be fun and simple and just about sex and this weekend. They had agreed that neither of them was looking for a relationship.

But as she yawned and snuggled in close to him, she realized that she felt . . . safe with Luke. That’s what was different about him. She never felt threatened or exposed when she was with him.

She felt safe.

And she hadn’t felt safe with a man in a very long time.

“COME ON, LAZY, time to get up and put your swimsuit on.”

As the haze of Luke’s voice reached her, Emma blinked against the harsh light that poured in through the open deck.

“It’s morning already?” She rolled over on her stomach and pulled the pillow over her head.

“Yup. And we’re burning daylight. Let’s get moving.”

“I need coffee.”

“Already made. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

She groaned, but rolled out of bed. As she stood and stretched, she smiled at the unfamiliar soreness, remembering last night—the three times they’d made love last night. And each time, Luke had been a giving lover, making sure she was more than satisfied.

“Delicious,” she whispered to herself. She went into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and combed her hair. She found her swimsuit and threw on shorts and a tank top over it, forcing her eyes to focus as she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. The smell of coffee was her savior.

Luke had already poured her a cup.

“You’re my hero,” she said as she took a sip of the dark brew.

“I’ll bet you say that to all the guys who make you coffee in the morning.”

“Yes, it’s a regular revolving door of hot men brewing me coffee.”

He leaned against the counter, and she drank her fill of him. He wore a pair of blue-and-white board shorts and no shirt, and that delicious thought continued. He looked hot and tan, his abs washboard tight and sexy, his hair still sleep-tousled. The last thing on her mind this morning was water-skiing. She wanted to drag him back upstairs and have her way with him about five or six more times until maybe she got tired of him.

“You keep looking at me like that, two things are gonna happen,” he said, giving her a very hot look over the rim of his coffee cup.

“Yeah? What two things?”

“One, I’m gonna get hard, and two, we’re never going to go water-skiing today.”

Her lips curved. “And those are bad things?”

“Not necessarily, but there’s plenty of time for those things later. Today I promised you I’d take you water-skiing.”

With a sigh, she said, “I guess you’re right.” She looked around. “Where are the dogs?”

“Out back. I already fed them.”

“Don’t you sleep?”

“I got plenty of sleep.”

“As I recall, we didn’t sleep much last night.” She’d drifted off, but he’d awakened her in the middle of the night, hard, and stroking her breasts. She’d gone willingly into his arms. Just the memory of the two of them making love in the dark had her body quickening, wanting more.

“You’re giving me that look again,” he said, arching a brow.

“Am I? You know, we could put off that whole water-skiing thing.”

“Temptress. I’m going to go check the gear. You’re dangerous to be around when you’re sleepy and sexy.”

She grinned and went out back, finding the dogs playing nearby. Annie was fighting Daisy for a stick, though it appeared to Emma that Daisy was merely humoring her. Boomer sat on the sidelines like a spectator, above it all. Annie would growl and Daisy would hold on, clearly stronger than the pup, at least for now. Eventually Daisy got bored and dropped the stick. Annie ran off victorious.

She brought the dogs inside and poured herself another cup of coffee.

“How about some breakfast?” Luke asked as he came back inside.

“Sounds great.”

They put together eggs, bacon, and toast. Working with him in the kitchen was fun. Luke didn’t sit there and expect her to do the cooking for him. Instead, he made the bacon and toast while she cooked the eggs. And since they worked next to each other, he’d lean over and kiss or touch her, giving her chills—and ideas.

They sat at the table and ate. It was very domestic, and quite romantic, as Luke poured juice and brought it over to her.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He kept smiling at her, and staring at her, giving her looks that distinctly reminded her of how he’d gazed at her when he was inside her last night. Very direct, with not-so-subtle meaning. Which meant she’d get hot and flustered, and she had no idea why they were going water-skiing when right now they could be upstairs in bed together.

It wasn’t that long of a weekend, after all.

But she understood he was trying to entertain her, no doubt afraid she’d get bored.

Though she didn’t find sex with him boring at all.

Wow. Wasn’t her mind on one thing and one thing only right now? Talk about the end of the sex drought.

After they ate, they cleared the dishes and she went upstairs to grab her beach bag and slide into her flip-flops.

“What about the dogs?” she asked after she came downstairs.

“There’s a run over on the other side of the property. We can leave them outside for the day and not have to worry about them wandering off. Plenty of room in there, and since it’s a nice day and not too hot, they can be outside rather than stuck inside the house.”

Luke led her over to the dog run, an oversized fenced-in area even larger than she had imagined. It was well shaded, with a large bowl he filled with water.

She wouldn’t have to worry about the dogs. They were well secured and had plenty of room to play. And Luke was right—she knew they’d much prefer to be outside than to be stuck in the house. This way, Annie wouldn’t have to be crated.

“This will be perfect,” she said.

Once the dogs were secured, she and Luke climbed into the truck and took off. It wasn’t far to the ramp, so Luke gave her instructions on backing the truck down the ramp so he could get the boat in the water. They worked as a team, and before long he had the boat off the trailer. She pulled the truck and trailer forward, parked, then climbed onto the boat.

“Hey, nice job. You didn’t even sink the truck,” Luke said with a wink.

“Gee, thanks.”

He backed the boat out and took it slow out of the shallows, then pushed the throttle. Emma held on as he sped past the lines of trees along the bank, wind slapping her ponytail across her back.

The breeze was wonderful, the sun already promising a very hot day as they cruised along the tops of the waves. She settled in and enjoyed the view of the lake as Luke throttled down and they moved along at an easy pace. She finally took a seat and looked out the side as other boaters breezed by, some of them waving as they passed.

She’d been working at a grueling pace for the past few months, before and ever since the clinic opened. To be able to relax like this was a small bit of nirvana.

Luke finally pulled the boat to a stop in the middle of the lake.

“Ready to ski?”

She inched out of her seat. “I . . . guess so.”

He smiled at her. “It’s not that hard. I’ll give you some instruction, and we’ll have you up in no time.”

He took her to the back of the boat and got out a life jacket and the skis.

“What about you?” she asked. “Won’t you get to ski?”

“I’m fine. I’ve done it thousands of times. I really want you to do it today.”

“I could drive the boat, and you can ski.”

He cocked a brow. “Ever driven a boat?”

“No.”

“Then get your skis on and get out in the water. I’m driving, you’re skiing.”

“Shouldn’t there be three people on the boat?”

“What for?”

“One to drive, one to ski, and the other to watch the skier.”

He gave her a look. “Emma. I’ll have my eye on you the whole time.”

“Then how will you be able to see where you’re going?”

He laughed. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing here. Eyes in the back of my head, babe.”

Dammit. She supposed she was out of excuses. Luke gave her a litany of instructions, told her how to squat down when he first got going until she felt herself balanced, to remember to hold on to the line, and to let go if she fell.

“I have all that.”

“Then get in and have some fun.”

She was dubious about the fun part, but she slid into the water and swam over to the skis, put them on, and grabbed the rope handle when Luke tossed it to her.

“Point the tips of your skis toward the back of the boat,” he said. “And when you fall, raise your hand up so other boaters can see you. I’ll keep an eye out for you and come around.”

“Sure.”

“Have fun.” He grinned.

“Yeah. If I even get up.”

“You’re strong, Emma. And you’re coordinated. You’ll get up. Just remember what I told you.”

“Okay.” She was utterly terrified, and hoped she wouldn’t embarrass him.

He started up the engine and went slow. The rope had slack, so she sat there for a few seconds, her heart pounding the entire time as she tried to remember everything Luke had told her. As soon as the rope started to pull, she tensed, ready to get up.

This was much faster than she anticipated. The rope pulled taut, and she promptly face-planted in the water.