Page 24 of Carnal Risk

“Maybe,” she hedged and gave him a small smile. “But the real reason I’m here is because of Lars. I work for him, but he’s also a good friend of mine.”

“He is?”

“You sound surprised.”

“It’s just that he’s never brought you round, is all.”

“You mean to your outings?” Selby wondered what kinds of things they did together besides go skydiving.

“Yeah, our events.” He smiled and lay down. “Get on your stomach like this.”

“Aren’t we going in the water?” she asked, but did as he told her.

“Soon enough. You like the water?”

“Ocean water? Not really.”

“I see.” He shook his head and blew out a breath.

“What?”

“You sure you want to do this?”

“No. I mean yes.” She pressed her forehead onto the warm Plexiglas out of frustration and then stared at him. “Listen, Seth. I’m going to be perfectly honest here. I want this, but I’m not like you guys. My guess is that’s why Lars hasn’t introduced us before. This isn’t my thing.”

“I understand. It’s not for everyone. Most of us, we breathe this company. Some of them get kind of intense with it. But don’t worry, I’m not like that. Don’t get me wrong. I love this place, everything Garrett’s built. But if Lars says you can do the job, that’s good enough for me.”

“I really can help. It’s not just because I’m trying to get the contract for DLar-Tech.”

“I believe you. Look, all of Garrett’s team members have experience within the field, but you don’t need to do this to prove your worth.”

“It’s not about proving my worth.” No, I had to do that in the boardroom today. “Maybe it’s more about proving something to myself. But you’re right, the kinds of things you guys do aren’t something I’d ever do.”

“Not everyone’s cut out for jumpin’ out of a plane. But this…” He gestured to the ocean. “We’re just having a lil’ fun today. No big deal. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She raised a questioning eyebrow at him and gave a small groan.

“I swear it. Seriously. And by the way Garrett’s acting, I can tell he’d kick my ass if I did.”

“Sorry, I don’t mean to be a baby. I just get nervous.” Selby couldn’t believe that in the course of one day she was confessing her fears to two different men. This after going nearly ten years without talking about it with a solitary person besides Lars. She supposed that no one had ever pushed her to do anything remotely outside of her comfort zone. Garrett would never settle for anything less.

“No worries. Just pretend you’re in Hawaii or someplace like that. Nice and easy, right. No matter what Garrett told you, he’s not letting you go just because you can’t surf.”

“I know that but he’s right. You guys. His company. There’s something about what drives your customers. And as much as I get what you’re saying about what that is, I don’t really understand it.” Selby gave him a small smile. “I can do this.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” Selby glanced over to Garrett. She’d never needed or wanted a man’s approval but her stomach fluttered in excitement as he gave her a smile. Guarded behind his shades, he’d studied her. The heat of his gaze shot desire throughout her body. Her pussy ached. She brought a palm to her flushed cheek. Fucking hell, she thought. How can I be thinking of sex at the same time I’m scared to death? Garrett’s words played through her mind. Sex. Fear. These are the things that make us feel alive.

Lie flat, up onto my hands and knees and stand. Selby repeated the instructions as she paddled out to what probably amounted to three feet of water. Despite Seth’s assessment that the surf wasn’t rough, Selby disagreed. Her stomach lurched as she glided over another swell. She tasted the briny water as the cold mist sprayed her face. She heard Seth whistle and she stopped, bobbing about right before the breakers.

“You ready? This isn’t something you can learn online. You just need to commit to a wave and practice.”

“Um, okay,” she managed, her voice shaky.

Selby barely noticed the ice cold water that numbed her fingers. As if she were a live wire, her body hummed with excitement. A rush of water came and she paddled. He may have told her she couldn’t have learned online, but she could damn well follow an instruction. She pushed onto her hands and knees. As she surged forward, she attempted to stand. Selby screamed for dear life as her feet slipped and she fell sideways into the water. Although she’d failed miserably on her first attempt, the challenge of almost succeeding drove her to try again.

By her fifth attempt, she’d grown more comfortable. She laughed with Seth while they floated, waiting for a wave. Selby glanced to the beach and caught sight of Garrett standing at the edge of the surf. She bit her lip, stunned that he’d taken off his shirt. She wished she was closer so she could inspect every inch of the rock-hard ridges of his abdomen. As his arms were crossed, she was unable to make out the details of the tattoos on his chest. The man was a specimen of fitness at a level she’d only seen on the magazine racks at the grocery store.