She nodded.
He hit the gas. The engine roared and the boat came alive. They sped over the surface of the lake, slicing the water in two.
“I love this,” she yelled, laughing. “This is so great. Faster, Grant. Faster.”
“You asked for it, sweetheart.” He pushed the lever all the way forward, and the boat accelerated to a dizzying speed.
After a few minutes, he slowed the boat down, coming to a stop in the middle of the lake near what looked to her to be a small island.
“Your turn, Maude.”
“My turn what?”
“Your turn to drive.”
“I’ve never driven a boat before.”
“No time like the present, sweetheart. Get over here.” He stood. “I’ll be right next to you the whole time.”
&nb
sp; She moved into the driver’s seat. “Okay, but I am a little scared.”
“So was I my first time, but it only lasts for thirty seconds because you start having so much fun. Push the lever forward a little bit and then you turn the steering wheel like you would a car.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for this, cowboy?”
“Let’s go.”
When she pushed the lever forward, the boat took off very fast. “Oh my God.”
“No problem. Back it off a little. That’s it. Perfect. Take a few turns. Excellent.”
In a few minutes, she felt like she’d mastered the boat. “Hold on tight.”
He laughed.
She pushed the lever all the way forward. Like lightning across the surface, she raced the boat down the lake. She yelled, “I’m an expert. Look at me.”
“Slow down a bit, Maude. Take us over there close to the island. It’s a perfect place to swim.”
She felt so comfortable driving the boat now. “Right here?”
“Right here.” He threw over an anchor and took off his shirt and shorts. As he stood before her in only his bathing suit, she got a full view of the most perfect male, muscled chest and six-pack abdomen. “Maude, are you ready to swim?”
“You bet I am.” She stripped off her clothes, revealing her green bikini. “Cannonball!” She jumped into the lake.
When she came up above the surface, she watched him dive into the water. In a playful mood, she splashed him when he came up.
“So that’s how it’s going to be with you,” he said with a grin. “If war is what you want, then war is what you get.”
They started splashing each other like crazy, but his crashing waves were twice the size of hers.
“I surrender,” she yelled to him.
The water stilled.
He smiled. “Do you really surrender?”