Sailor Proof by Annabeth Albert
Chapter Fifteen
Derrick
“Are you sure you’ve done this before?” I finally had to ask Arthur after our kayak spun in a circle. Again. The lake was gorgeous, pristine blue waters rimmed by gently sloping mountains, but I’d enjoy it more if I was less worried about us tipping.
“Yes.” Arthur’s voice was tight. I couldn’t see his face, but his shoulders were tense too, and I wished I could rub them. It wasn’t his fault that outdoor activities weren’t his thing and that his sporty family kept giving him shit about it.
“Hey, it’s not an insult. I’m only trying to match your pattern.” We kept zigzagging our way across the lake because we couldn’t match our forward strokes. Arthur’s movements were highly erratic—fast one moment, leisurely the next, like he was trying to give paddling his best effort, but his attention kept wandering.
“Sorry. It’s not you.” Arthur looked back over his shoulder with a pained expression. “I’m tired of being hopeless. I have rhythm and coordination, I swear.”
“I know you do.” I gave a strong forward stroke in the opposite direction to correct our course before we could spin again. “Maybe you just need a beat or music.”
“Do not suggest singing where the others can hear you unless you want to be subjected to camp songs for the next four hours.”
“Consider me warned.” I laughed because even cranky Arthur was still fun, and indeed, some chatter and chanting that could be singing filtered back from the kayaks farther ahead of us. “Perhaps it’s just a matter of practice.”
“I’ve got a long list of things I’d rather be practicing.” His voice was suggestive enough to do devious things to my insides. The summer sun beat down on us, and his relatives were scattered all around us on the lake, and still I wanted to drag him behind the nearest rocky outcropping and kiss him senseless.
“Like?”
“What?” Arthur made a surprised noise that made me chuckle. I’d laughed more in the last twenty-four hours than I had in months. It made my chest expand, like suddenly I was getting fifty percent more oxygen, and I grinned at the back of Arthur’s head.
“Tell me what you want to practice.” I pitched my voice low, but the others were far enough away that I figured it was safe to tease. If I was going to have a secret fling with my pretend boyfriend, at least I was going to enjoy myself.
“You’re not going to tell me to behave?” His shock was totally worth whatever level of hell was reserved for guys like me who messed around with their best friend’s brother.
“Well, the middle of a lake is probably not the best place to flirt, but I’m way more curious than I should be about your personal wish list and how I can help you fulfill it.”
“I want to kiss you again for starters.” Voice all dreamy, Arthur actually settled into a paddling rhythm I could follow, enabling us some decent momentum to match my revving pulse.
“I think that can be arranged.”
“Like a couple of hours of that would be nice. And—”
“Come on, slowpokes!” A canoe filled with the family of one of the cousins shot past us. There were so many of the various cousins and in-laws that I’d completely given up trying to keep track of names. This group all wore matching blue T-shirts and impish grins.
“Fuck my life.” Arthur groaned and stretched, paddle almost getting away from him before he yanked it back.
“Kissing sounds like a better plan,” I said mildly.
“Yeah, it does.” Arthur sighed, losing the rhythm again and making me need to work hard to avoid tangling our paddles. “Tell me your absolute favorite thing,” he demanded after I straightened the boat back out. “Maybe kayaking isn’t my strong suit but I want to be stupendously awesome at sex.”
“You get any better at kissing and I’m going to need a cardiac team on standby.”
“I’m serious.” Ahead of us, the mountains undulated, and we were far enough away from the camp that the shoreline was all green and lush, tempting me again to find a hidden spot amid all the trees and rocks where he could practice kissing to his heart’s content.
“Me too.” I groaned because the next item on the agenda was a picnic lunch, and chances were high that there would be a Euler lurking behind every bush. “And honestly, I’m super easy to please in that department and, as Steve said, achingly vanilla, sorry to say.”
“Steve can fuck off. I happen to love vanilla things.” Arthur didn’t sound one bit deterred by my admission, and indeed was downright enthusiastic as he finally settled back into a paddling pattern I could follow. “And add some whipped cream, a cherry, maybe some hot fudge, and I’ve got all the excitement I need.”
“I think whipped cream is for the advanced classes.” Bantering with Arthur was better than an actual hot fudge sundae.
“Damn it, why do we have to be on a lake right now?” He gave a dramatic huff, which only had me smiling wider.
“Hey, it’s not that bad. At least the scenery is gorgeous.” The sky was the sort of blue one seldom saw in more urban areas, a startlingly bright shade competing with the turquoise water for beauty. The shadows of the mountains reflecting on the surface of the lake added to the tranquil yet expansive vibe of the place.
“I’d take the four walls of the cabin if it meant—”
“Look at you guys going straight now!” Oliver and Taylor zoomed close enough to yell at us. “Way to go!”
Splash. Of course, their attention made Arthur lose focus and our paddles clanged together. “Oops. Sorry.”
“Nah. I think that was me that time,” I lied.
“I’d offer to race you to the picnic spot, but I wouldn’t want to make you feel bad.” Oliver made no attempt to hide his amusement over our difficulties.
“You’re on.” Voice all angry, Arthur didn’t glance back at me for confirmation before starting to paddle harder.
Well, okay, then. I didn’t fully understand sibling rivalry, but I’d been pushed by ill-advised bets enough in training to know where he was coming from. It was hard to back down from a challenge, and I got caught up in the race right along with Arthur.
Apparently being pissed off improved Arthur’s focus because he kept a steady paddling pace for once, and I could more easily match his speed. Ollie was counting out strokes for Taylor in a quick rhythm that kept them even with us, something that I should have thought of doing and undoubtedly would have had my brain not been so sex-addled.
Later. I still wasn’t sure why I’d relented, other than that I was human and there was only so much temptation I could take. Bottom line, even if ill-advised, I needed this thing with Arthur, and the anticipation had me far less sharp than usual. What should have been an easy victory against Oliver and the kid turned into a neck-and-neck race.
Ahead of us, a row of kayaks and canoes were already lined up on a rocky patch of shore, and some of the older kids watched our approach, waving and cheering. At the last second, we inched ahead of the other kayak, and our boat was first to touch the rocks.
“We did it!” Arthur whooped.
“It was a tie,” Oliver grumbled.
“Close enough.” Undeterred, Arthur helped me moor the boat while gloating at Oliver.
“You’re cute when you win,” I said before I remembered we had an audience.
“Damn. You truly are perfect for each other if you find that smug mug cute.” Oliver rolled his eyes at us.
“You’re almost too good at the boyfriend act,” Arthur whispered when they were out of earshot.
“Maybe I meant it.” I hung back as we approached where one of the guides was distributing sack lunches.
“Yeah, right.” Arthur’s eye roll was near identical to Oliver’s, and I didn’t get a chance to press my case before one of the aunts was asking for our sandwich preferences.
“Over here.” Calder waved us to the log where his crew was sitting. As I’d suspected, there were zero opportunities to drag Arthur off into the woods for more kissing practice during the lunch break. Calder and our military buddy friends dominated the conversation, and ordinarily I’d enjoy listening to stories about their past adventures, but right then I would have traded all three of them without a second thought for a cabana with a locking door.
And while the kayaking went much smoother on the return trip, my distraction level only increased. Arthur was extra bouncy, celebrating little victories like us sticking with the main group without zigzagging, and the happier he got, the more desperate I became to get him alone and get some of that sunshine for myself.
“See? Kayaking wasn’t so bad, was it?” I asked as we approached the camp’s docks. I spied our cabin among the trees and that made me paddle faster.
“No, it really wasn’t.” Turning his head, Arthur grinned at me. “Not a bad day at all.”
We worked together to return the kayak to the guides waiting on the shore. Wiping my forehead, I whistled low. “At least we had sun for it.”
“Says the guy who doesn’t require SPF 100 to be out in this weather,” Arthur teased as we headed for the path back to the cabins. “And after all that work, I’m desperate for a shower.”
“Me too.” Our cabin still seemed too far away for my tastes. I sped up my steps. “Race you? First one back gets all the hot water.”
Arthur easily matched my pace even as he snorted. “A competition? You really do fit in almost too well with this family. And I’d rather tie you.”
“Oh?”
“Then we’d have no choice but to share.”
“True.” Laughing, we both trotted faster, more in sync than we’d been while kayaking, and by the time we reached our little porch, I was filled with an unfamiliar giddy energy, feeling young and alive and even more craving the taste of Arthur’s mouth.
I could have either let him win or beaten him handily, but instead, I made a show of reaching for the door lock at the exact same instant as him. Fate sealed, we crashed into the cabin together, door thumping shut seconds before I pushed him against the wall.
“Okay, now that was fun.” Arthur’s grin was downright edible and he was a most adorable captive as I trapped his hands over his head.
“Yeah, it was.” I leaned in and claimed his mouth. He tasted like sunshine and laughter and mint, and I was done holding back. Inhaling deeply, I let myself get drunk on his coconut scent. I was going to get horny every time I smelled sunscreen after this, and it was going to be worth it. Kissing Arthur was like eating cotton candy, sweet and light, and not nearly enough to fill me up.
Even as I kept the kiss going, I tugged his shirt loose from his shorts and snaked my hand underneath to rest on his side. That first hint of bare skin was absolutely electric and I growled softly.
“I want you so badly I can’t decide between right here and the shower.”
“Both. I vote both,” he panted as I nipped at his neck.
I laughed darkly because we were totally on the same page. “Doubt we have time for both before dinner. But we can make the most of—”
“Fuck.” Arthur cut me off with a pained groan. “Before dinner. I agreed to a rehearsal for the talent show, didn’t I?”
“You did.” Exhaling hard, I released his hands from the wall and stepped back. “It’s okay. A quickie probably wasn’t the smartest thing.”
“It was a fucking brilliant idea. I want all the quickies.” Shaking his head, he made a noise that was half chuckle and half groan.
“Later. We’ll do it right. Promise.” I pressed a fast kiss to his mouth, trying to erase his disappointed expression. “But you probably shouldn’t keep the kids waiting too long.”
“Yeah.” He raked a hand through his hair.
“Do you need my help with the show?”
“Nah. I can put you to work, but it seems like one of us should get a shower. Why don’t you shower fast then join us when you’re done?”
“Okay,” I reluctantly agreed, my body still not happy with the abrupt end to the kissing.
“But you’re going to owe me shower fun before the week is done.” He wagged a finger at me before straightening his clothes.
“Count on it. Later.”
“I’m starting to hate that word. Later better come sooner.”
“Tonight. Promise.” Even as I said the words, my cock stirred, already eager to get back to what we’d started. I had no business making Arthur any kind of promises, but no way could I pass this up either. Tonight. Him. Me. And no more interruptions. I’d make it happen.
