black-and-white suit he’d seen her wear The Day of the Hot Tub, as he’d privately dubbed it, probably wasn’t the best scenario around a bunch of teenage boys who had sex on the brain 24/7. The turquoise-and-black neoprene wet suit she had on was sexy enough, and that covered her from her neck to just above her elbows and knees. It also hugged her body like spray paint and showcased her toned arms and legs. And, Sweet Mother Mary, that high, round ass.
He blew out a breath, shook out his hands, then got his head back in the game. “Hey,” he said, walking up to her. “Isn’t that Austin’s boat?”
“Well, hello, there. I was surprised when Mary-Margaret said you were coming And, yes. Austin donated it to the cause...with a stern caveat that only you drive it.” She grinned up at him. “I don’t know whether to be offended or not.”
“Have you ever driven a boat?”
“A couple of times, although I will admit to being more at home in kayaks and the like.”
“There you go.”
“I could so drive it!” Owen, the smallest of the four boys, stepped between them, his narrow chest puffed out.
“No, Sport,” Max said easily. “You can’t. If the owner stipulates only me in order for us to use the boat, then only me it’s going to be.”
“Besides.” Harper smiled at the teen. “You get to do something way cooler. You get to ride the Gladiator Rage.”
“What’s that?” Owen demanded, but his gaze had already followed the sweep of her hand and he stilled. “Oh, man!”
The rest of the boys looked where he was staring, and suddenly there was a stampede to the huge blue, gold and black towable U-tube that stretched across the end of the dock. They whooped and clustered around it, checking it out.
“Holy shit.” Jeremy, who tied Malcolm as the largest of the teens, nodded at the four red sets of handles across the top of it. “This thing’ll take all of us at once? That’s monster epic!”
“I call the outside,” Malcolm said. “That’s the position that makes you bounce the highest.”
“I call the other one,” claimed Brandon.
“Aw, man!” Jeremy groused.
Max noticed that Owen didn’t say anything.
So, apparently, did Harper. “You all do know how to swim, right?” she asked.
Jeremy, Brandon and Malcolm all agreed they did with varying degrees of scorn. Owen looked at the dock.
Max slid his arm around the smaller boy’s shoulders. “Buddy?”
Owen looked up at him. “I can swim a little,” he said. “But I’m not whatcha might call a strong swimmer.”
“Everyone’s going to wear a life vest,” Harper assured him. “That keeps you buoyant even if you do go in the water.”
“Hey, I’m a great swimmer,” Brandon protested. “I was on swim team for four years. I don’t need no stinkin’ life vest.”
“And yet you get to wear one, anyhow,” Harper said with an easy smile. “The inn has rules, and this one goes, no vest, no ride.” She turned back to Owen. “So, as I said, you’ll have a vest to keep you safe. But is this something you want to do? Because, if it makes you uncomfortable, you can always ride in the boat with us.”
“It’s not quite as bouncy in the middle,” Malcolm said. “And whoever’s next to you can try to lean in on the jumps to keep you in place.” The other boys nodded their agreement, whether out of solidarity or a fear that Owen’s reluctance might somehow tank their afternoon, Max couldn’t say.
But Owen nodded. “That’d prob’ly work.”
“Then, put these on,” Harper said, handing out the life vests. Once the boys each had one, she tossed a larger model to Max, then pulled on her own. She looked at the three bigger boys. “Start out with Malcolm and Brandon on either end, then take turns switching off with Jeremy, so everyone who wants a shot at that position gets one. Can you live with those terms?”
“You bet!”
“Yes!”
“Hell, yeah!”
“All right then.” She grinned at them. “Let’s
He blew out a breath, shook out his hands, then got his head back in the game. “Hey,” he said, walking up to her. “Isn’t that Austin’s boat?”
“Well, hello, there. I was surprised when Mary-Margaret said you were coming And, yes. Austin donated it to the cause...with a stern caveat that only you drive it.” She grinned up at him. “I don’t know whether to be offended or not.”
“Have you ever driven a boat?”
“A couple of times, although I will admit to being more at home in kayaks and the like.”
“There you go.”
“I could so drive it!” Owen, the smallest of the four boys, stepped between them, his narrow chest puffed out.
“No, Sport,” Max said easily. “You can’t. If the owner stipulates only me in order for us to use the boat, then only me it’s going to be.”
“Besides.” Harper smiled at the teen. “You get to do something way cooler. You get to ride the Gladiator Rage.”
“What’s that?” Owen demanded, but his gaze had already followed the sweep of her hand and he stilled. “Oh, man!”
The rest of the boys looked where he was staring, and suddenly there was a stampede to the huge blue, gold and black towable U-tube that stretched across the end of the dock. They whooped and clustered around it, checking it out.
“Holy shit.” Jeremy, who tied Malcolm as the largest of the teens, nodded at the four red sets of handles across the top of it. “This thing’ll take all of us at once? That’s monster epic!”
“I call the outside,” Malcolm said. “That’s the position that makes you bounce the highest.”
“I call the other one,” claimed Brandon.
“Aw, man!” Jeremy groused.
Max noticed that Owen didn’t say anything.
So, apparently, did Harper. “You all do know how to swim, right?” she asked.
Jeremy, Brandon and Malcolm all agreed they did with varying degrees of scorn. Owen looked at the dock.
Max slid his arm around the smaller boy’s shoulders. “Buddy?”
Owen looked up at him. “I can swim a little,” he said. “But I’m not whatcha might call a strong swimmer.”
“Everyone’s going to wear a life vest,” Harper assured him. “That keeps you buoyant even if you do go in the water.”
“Hey, I’m a great swimmer,” Brandon protested. “I was on swim team for four years. I don’t need no stinkin’ life vest.”
“And yet you get to wear one, anyhow,” Harper said with an easy smile. “The inn has rules, and this one goes, no vest, no ride.” She turned back to Owen. “So, as I said, you’ll have a vest to keep you safe. But is this something you want to do? Because, if it makes you uncomfortable, you can always ride in the boat with us.”
“It’s not quite as bouncy in the middle,” Malcolm said. “And whoever’s next to you can try to lean in on the jumps to keep you in place.” The other boys nodded their agreement, whether out of solidarity or a fear that Owen’s reluctance might somehow tank their afternoon, Max couldn’t say.
But Owen nodded. “That’d prob’ly work.”
“Then, put these on,” Harper said, handing out the life vests. Once the boys each had one, she tossed a larger model to Max, then pulled on her own. She looked at the three bigger boys. “Start out with Malcolm and Brandon on either end, then take turns switching off with Jeremy, so everyone who wants a shot at that position gets one. Can you live with those terms?”
“You bet!”
“Yes!”
“Hell, yeah!”
“All right then.” She grinned at them. “Let’s
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