The Summer of Jake by Rachel Bailey

it seemed that way because it reminded me of Jake? I’d always associated the fragrance of the beach with him, but he had his own distinctive smell—part beach and part him. He must be close enough to smell now, but it was impossible to distinguish anything apart from the strong scent of the water. Next time I had a chance, I’d allow myself the luxury of soaking up his Jake-fragrance.
    “Feel the sensations of the ocean.” His voice sounded dreamy, like he was tasting and feeling the ocean himself. Letting another breath out, I turned my attention to what I could feel.
    The breeze danced across my skin, lifting the edges of my hair, and I could feel the sun’s warmth through my shirt. I could also feel the internal heat of arousal flowing through my body, making my breasts tingle against the pressure of the surf board and the rest of me call out for him. The intimacy of Jake’s voice, in the low, husky tone was enough; but added to this awareness of my body that he was encouraging, I had no hope. This was fast becoming pure torture.
    “Now,” he continued, “imagine yourself becoming one with the ocean.”
    Oh, dear God in heaven. There was only one thing I wanted to become one with at the moment and it wasn’t the ocean. What I really wanted was to taste him—his skin, his mouth—and feel him pressed flush against me, and to have him taste and feel me. The two of us together…
    Crap, I had to do something.
    My eyes snapped open. “Jake, I think I’m getting a bit hot in the sun. I might just jump in the water and cool down.”
    I slid down into the refreshing coolness, heart racing, still with the awareness of all my senses. I could feel the water moving my hair around my head and hear the unmistakable sounds of being underwater. After staying under as long as my breath would hold, I slowly resurfaced beside Jake and treaded water.
    “You okay?” he asked. There was something strange yet intense in his eyes—he must’ve been worried when I bailed out.
    “Yes.” I smiled to reassure him, determined to ignore the fluttering from the direction of my heart at the intensity of his gaze. “Why did we do that?”
    “I wanted you to experience the ocean the way I experience it.” He ran a hand along the surfboard he was still holding. “Riding the waves is only half of it. The rest is being out here and feeling a connection with the water. There’s nothing else like it.”
    “I think I understand.” It was obvious this was important to him, and I was touched he’d shared that part of himself. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
    “I wanted to do it.” He smiled, and I felt a sense of connection between us before he turned and patted the surfboard. “Here, hop back on, and I’ll take you in to the shallows to work on your surfing.”
    “If you don’t mind, I’d rather swim in. I could do with the exercise.” And with getting rid of some of the adrenaline and hormones that were coursing through my body, giving me inappropriate suggestions about accidentally bumping into him under the water, then wrapping my legs around him.
    I spent an hour learning where to put my feet and how to get from lying down to standing in a fluid movement. Jake was patient and encouraging, coaxing me into trying again each time I fell off.
    After one magnificent fall, I laughed and asked, “Do you think I’ll ever be ready for water deeper than my ankles?”
    “We all had to risk the deep water some time.” His eyes met mine and held, as if by magnetic force, then he splashed me and grinned. “You’ll be fine. Maybe not today, but one day.”
    I grinned back, imagining the unlikely event of me surfing big waves the way I’d seen Jake do it. “You were right, this is fun.”
    “But I think you’ve had enough for today. You’re using muscles that aren’t used to it, and, if we do much more, you’ll be too sore to visit Kelly and Mum on Saturday.”
    And there was no way I was going to miss that. “Okay,