Page 93 of Wicked Dares
His body brushes lightly against my back, and heat spreads across my skin. He reaches around me, places his hand over mine on the wheel.
He leans closer. “Feel that?”
His voice so close to my ear sends awareness skittering down my spine.
“Feel what?” I try very hard to sound like I’m not affected by him.
“The pull.”
I focus long enough to notice the gentle resistance beneath my hand as the yacht moves through the water.
“When the wind changes,” he begins, “you feel it through the sails and through the helm. Everything is about the wind.”
“That sounds like it could be hard.” I think of times when I read about people being lost at sea.
“It can be. But not so much on a boat like this, unless you panic and you don’t know what you’re doing.”
The yacht tilts slightly, and I grab his forearm. Strong muscle flexes beneath my fingers.
Levi glances down at my hand before looking at me again, amusement flickering across his face. “Nervous?”
“Of course. I don’t want to make us sink or something.”
He holds my gaze. “You’re safe with me, Butterfly.”
Safe.
I don’t miss the message behind the word.
I don’t just hear it, I’m listening.
With his gaze still on me, he reaches toward one of the controls beside the wheel. “Alright, Butterfly. Keep us steady.”
My eyes widen. “What?”
“Relax. You’re not captaining an ocean liner.”
“That’s reassuring.”
He grins and steps away from me far too quickly for my liking. And suddenly, I’m standing alone at the helm with nothing but ocean surrounding us.
“Oh my God.” My heart stops. The wheel feels heavier now without Levi’s hand over mine.
“You’re doing fine,” he says easily, watching me from a few paces away.
The yacht shifts gently beneath me. I tighten my grip, panic taking over. “I’m absolutely not doing fine.”
“Yes, you are.” He folds his arms across his chest, looking far too entertained by this. “Keep her straight.”
I glance between him and the endless water ahead of us. “Straight where? There’s literally nothing out here.”
“That’s the beauty of sailing.”
I stare at him, wondering if he’s serious. He is.
I laugh despite my panic.
A stronger gust of wind catches the sails overhead, and the yacht tilts slightly again.
