I know, Shay. I know. I won’t let you down.
After taking Shay back to her place to get her bathing suit because she refused to let me buy her one, we headed down to the water for a few hours of jet skiing. I hadn’t ridden in nearly three weeks, but as soon as I got on the water I realized how much I’d missed it.
Like on my bike, Shay wrapped her arms around me, but she held on a little too tightly. Turning around, I saw the fear in her eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“I’ve never been on one of these,” she admitted.
“It’s just like my bike. Just hold on. I won’t let anything hurt you.”
“It’s not that.” Shay bit her lip nervously and knitted her brows. “I don’t know how to swim. Even though I have this life jacket on, this is scary.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Shay lowered her head. “I didn’t want to be boring.”
“Princess, you’re never boring. If you don’t want to do this, just say the word and we can do whatever you want today.”
She shook her head and looked up at me. “No, I want to. I’ve lived here all my life and never gone out on the water.”
“I’ll take it slow at first, and when you’re ready, just let me know, okay?”
Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and nodded. “Okay. If I hang on too tight, just tell me. Water just freaks me out.”
“Shay, we don’t have to do this.”
She forced a smile and squeezed her arms around my waist. “I’ve got my sunscreen and life jacket on, so I’m ready. Let’s do this!”
I took it easy, but from the moment the engine started, her cheek was pressed to my back and her arms locked tightly around me. For the first few minutes, her hands trembled against my stomach, but then slowly her hold on me eased and before long I heard her giggling behind me.
“This is so much fun! I had no idea!” she squealed in my ear.
I sped up and yelled back, “Hold on!”
“Don’t go so fast! Stefan! Not so fast!”
I covered her hand on my waist with mine and squeezed gently to let her know she was safe. “It’s okay. I’m here. I won’t let you get hurt. Don’t let go!”
We soared across the water, bouncing against the waves and one another for hours, and her fear gradually evolved into trust for me. When she got frightened, she yelled and squeezed me tighter so I slowed down. After a while, she didn’t even have to say anything. I knew a squeeze meant slow down, so I did.
Pulling up to the dock, I let her off and took the jet ski back to where I kept it before meeting up with her to take her home. I’d had a great time, but she stayed quiet as we walked to my bike. I had pushed her past her limits a few times, so maybe it had been too much?
“You okay?” I asked as I reached out for her hand.
She looked down as my fingers weaved in between hers and shook her head. “Yeah. That was fun.”
“We can do it again, if you like.”
Shay stopped and turned to face me. “I’d like that.”
“Good. It’s a date.”
“A date…”
“We can call it that now, you know. That’s sort of what we’re doing together.”
Shay smiled up at me, making me feel like the luckiest guy in the world. “Dating, huh? The women of Tampa will never believe it.”
“Funny. I don’t care what they believe. All I care about is that you believe in us.” I stopped in front of my bike and took her in my arms. “Tell me you believe in us. I need to hear it from you, Shay.”
She hesitated for a few moments and then finally said, “I believe you want me to see the best in you, Stefan. I believe all this has happened so fast that I’m scared of what we’re doing even more than I am of being in the water. But I believe I’ve never been happier with anyone in my life, so I’m trying to forget about my doubts and fears.”
I cupped her face and kissed her softly, wishing we were back in my bedroom with me buried deep inside her. “You’ll see. I’ll put all those doubts and fears to shame. Then all you’ll have is that happiness.”
My phone vibrated, and I looked to see a text from Cash. Need to talk this afternoon.
“Duty calls. Time for me to go meet with my brothers. Let me get you back to your place.”
Cash and Kane sat in their usual places around Cash’s desk when I walked in feeling like I was bouncing on air. Unable to keep the grin off my face, I asked, “What’s up, big brothers?”
“Stef, you look different today? What’s going on?” Cash asked, immediately suspicious of my happiness.
“Just off a midday quickie in your office with the flavor of the week?” Kane added in his usual ballbusting way.
I sat down and laced my fingers behind my head. “About that. I’m dating Shay. Feel free to be jealous, Kane.”
“I’m happy for you, Stef,” Cash said with a smile I knew was genuine. “I figured as much when I saw you two at the hospital. She’s not your usual type, though, little brother. Does this mean you’re finally growing up?”
“I’m a changed man, gentlemen. The man whore is gone, replaced by the man you see in front of you, happy with one woman.”
“No way,” Kane said with a sneer. “I don’t believe it.”
“I can understand your jealousy. Shay’s got it all—looks, brains, a great personality.”
“A great personality? When the hell have you ever cared about a great personality? And what happened to you two just being friends? I knew that was total bullshit. Even more important, does Lola know?”
“We didn’t want to be just friends. And I have no goddamned idea what Lola knows.”
Cash cleared his throat and both Kane and I stopped our sniping at one another to look at him. “You and your love life are sort of what this meeting is about. Shank seems to be more and more miserable every time I speak to him. He called me this morning and between the veiled threats and his tone of voice, I get the feeling Lola already knows you’re off the market and has told Daddy. I don’t begrudge you happiness, Stef, but this thing with Lola is getting away from you.”
“Have you made any progress finding anyone else who can help us? There’s got to be someone in this town who’s willing to help us with more power than that scumbag Shank. We’ve got politicians and businessmen as members here. Can’t they help?”