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His brow creased, but then a flash of something passed over his face like he’d discovered the secret of eternal youth. “Hold up, I have an idea.”

Brody gripped the outside of my arms and lifted me gently away to the side. He placed me down on the gnarled wood of the jetty and ran his eyes over my face. I raised my hand to touch his cheek, but before I could, he gave me the cheekiest grin I’d ever seen. Then he leaned in, kissed my forehead, and disappeared over the side with a gentle splash.

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The second Brody disappeared from view, I scrambled to the jetty's edge, my damp feet slipping against the timber. There was no sign of him. He couldn’t have drowned. From memory, he was a superb swimmer, and the water here was only waist deep. I scanned the surface until a scraping sound came from below me. Wood on wood.

As I leaned out to peek under the jetty, a blond head emerged from the gloom. Within a heartbeat, Brody strode out, pulling an old rowboat behind him. The water caused his jeans to cling to his slim hips, and I wet my bottom lip.

“Are you crazy?” I giggled. “You’re gonna get soaked.”

He shrugged, tipping his head to one side and sending me a look that a thousand women would kill for. All smoldering and delicious. “I remember some crazy girl swimming out to our boat once. She didn’t mind getting soaked.”

I pulled in the tiniest breath. “You remember that?”

“I’ve never forgotten. In fact, I think that was the day I fell in love with you..”

My cheeks fired hot. “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about that? It was hardly my best moment.” From my hazyrecollection, he’d held my hair for me as I’d puked my guts up after my first taste of beer.

“But it was one of mine, and I’m so sorry it’s taken me this long to admit how I feel.” With a slosh of water, Brody brought the boat to rest in the water below. “Will you join me?”

I met his eyes, finding nothing but love and mischief in them. Just as I always remembered. I swallowed. Hedidlove me, and maybe he was right. He always had. Hadn’t it been the same for me? I’d been all-in with Brody as long as I could remember. And now we could be together.

There was no way I would lower myself into anything gently, let alone this boat. Nope. If I was going to cast myself adrift with this man, I would go feet first. Make a splash. Immerse myself in everything we could be together.

A soft breeze rustled through my ponytail, and I grinned before slipping off the side of the jetty. The moment I hit the water, the rude crash of chill hit my skin, and I almost went under. A muscular arm circled around me, though, and I gasped as Brody brought me into his chest. Steadying myself against him, I looked into his eyes, his smile, and those soft, soft lips of his. Without a word, he dipped down and picked me up with one arm. He brushed his lips against mine before pulling the boat closer, leaning his weight on one side and gently tipping me in.

I clambered across the old tarps in the hull and scooted to sit on the little plank seat toward the back. My wet skin slapped against the worn wood. The boat lurched alarmingly to one side, and I gripped the edge of the hull as Brody climbed in after me. His jeans were saturated now, and his T-shirt clung to him like a second skin. He leaned over the side, sculling one large hand through the water.

The boat slowly pulled away from the jetty, and we moved out into the center of the lake. Not only did this man come with a killer smile and the body of Adonis, but he had oars for hands.I could only imagine what that meant for other parts of his physique.

“What are you grinning at?” he asked, mid-stroke.

“You.” How could I explain to him how perfect everything was? I moved my fingers to touch the band of stitches around my finger. My leap into the lake left them soaked, but the gift was so simple and so sweet. “I was just wondering what your fans would say if they could see you now. Crocheting, hanging out with nerdy girls in boats.” Brody winked at me, and my gut tugged low down.

We stopped in the middle of the lake, and he kneeled in the hull. The gentle lapping of water caressed the boat’s sides. “Do you think Mrs. Woodcock can see us here?”

I giggled. “Unless she has a submarine hidden in the reeds, I’d say we’re safe.”

Brody lifted a brow and shifted his position, moving the tarps around to make a little nest at the pointy end of the boat. He brushed at the canvas. “It’s dirty.”

My cheeks lit hot. “Then let’s join it.”

His eyes darkened, and one corner of his mouth lifted. Brody gave me just enough time to suck in a breath before he moved toward me. With his eyes full of fire, he lifted me off the seat and laid me on the tarps with a crunch of brittle canvas. It was hardly a five-star hotel bed or a cozy blanket in a cornfield for our first time, but even with the smell of dust tickling my nostrils, I wouldn’t swap this little row boat for the world.

Brody kneeled above me, running his eyes over my face and then my T-shirt. “You’re wet.”

If only he knew. I squirmed a little under his gaze, keenly aware of every flaw in my body. He’d be used to drop-dead gorgeous women. Women who didn’t have bruises on their shins from skating. Women who always waxed within an inch of their lives. I swallowed.

“And you also look terrified,” he said.

“I’m just cold,” I lied. I mean, it was partially true. My T-shirt was more than a little damp, and even I could see my hardened nipples straining against the cotton.

Brody shifted a little. Maybe his kneeling on the bottom of the boat hurt his leg. Even so, the corners of his mouth lifted, and his voice dropped to a husky whisper. “I can warm you up if you like.” He gripped the bottom of his T-shirt and pulled it over his head, peeling it off slowly. The muscles of his chest rippled at the movement, and my eyes traveled straight to the chiseled slab of his stomach, and the trail of fair hair disappearing beneath his waistband.

I must have laid there with my mouth hanging open because Brody lifted a brow and smirked. “Something wrong?”