Page 50 of The Hang Up
Reassured by his words, Miriam anchored the blade of her paddle into the muck at the bottom of the lake. Steadying herself, she swung one leg into the boat, then the other. She planted her butt on the seat, appreciating the dished-out shape that cupped her backside.
She looked over her shoulder at Jason, who seemed to be thinking scandalous thoughts about her backside. Henry seemed distracted by the plastic dinosaur cradled in his lap, so he didn’t notice the heated look exchanged by the two grown-ups.
“Very nice,” Jason murmured as he shot a look at her ass. “I’m going to enjoy this view very much.”
“Absolutely,” Miriam replied with mock haughtiness. “Not a cloud in the sky, and the mountains look stunning.”
He grinned. “Too bad the life vest blocks my view of the mountains.”
“Uncle Jason! When I’m big like you, I’m gonna go mountain climbing, too!”
Miriam felt her smile falter, but she tried not to let either of them see it. She tucked a curl behind her ear and breathed deeply to get her bearings back.
Perhaps sensing her discomfort, Jason chose to change the subject. “You ready to head out on the water, sport?”
“Yes! Do I get a paddle?”
“Nope, not this time.”
“Does brontosaurus get a paddle?” He held up his dinosaur.
“You and brontosaurus have another very important job here.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re my navigator,” Jason said. “I need you to tell me where to go. You think you can do that?”
“Yeah, I’m a good nabinator!”
“That you are.”
Miriam felt something tugging at her heart, and she watched as Jason gripped the end of the boat and pushed them out into the water. Gripping his own paddle, he slung himself into the rear seat and grinned at her.
“Ready to do this?”
Something about that grin sent her stupid libido bubbling again. Dammit anyway. “Are you going to tell me what to do?”
“I’m getting there. Okay, watch me for a sec.”
She’d been watching him all morning, admiring those well-defined pecs and biceps that looked like they’d been chiseled out of granite, but that probably wasn’t what he meant.
“This is a basic forward stroke,” he said. “You want the paddle to be nearly vertical, and your grip hand out over the water.”
He demonstrated, executing a series of crisp, even strokes that made his muscles ripple, the boat move forward, and Miriam’s whole body hum with desire.
“You see how my shoulder rotates forward, then I plant the paddle, then rotate my shoulder back as I pull through?”
“Uh-huh,” Miriam said, trying not to be distracted by those glorious shoulders.
“You try.”
“Okay.” She gripped her paddle and turned to face forward. Now that she wasn’t gaping at him like a damn fool, she gave the paddling thing her best shot. “Like this?”
“Close. A little deeper.”
The words were perfectly innocent, but they sent a jolt of adrenaline straight to her lady bits just the same. She ordered herself to concentrate, to focus on dipping the paddle into the water like he’d demonstrated. The canoe sliced through the water with ease, propelling them farther out onto the lake.
“Keep your back nice and straight and draw the paddle along the edge of the boat,” he said.“That’s it. Just like that.”
