I groaned, but did as she instructed, feeling like I nailed it on the first try. She finished showing Zack and came over to me.
“Lie down,” she said.
I did as instructed and laid flat on the board.
“Now put your hands here,” she moved my hands to the correct position, “And lift up your body through here.”
Her hands were now on my torso and she was looking me right in the eye, a mischievous, flirty grin on her face as she moved my body into position. I was amazed that she could be so professional, and yet so flirtatious at the same time. I were being honest, I was more than a little turned on by it as well.
I did my best to banish those thoughts from my head. There was no way in hell I could let myself go there with her. I wouldn't.
“Now hop up on your knees,” she instructed.
As I did so, her hands moved lower, grazing my ass ever so slightly. She winked at me, letting me know it was intentional. She gave me a seductive little lick of her lips and a flash of more to come in her eyes.
Yeah, telling her we weren't hooking up should be fun, I thought.
“Let's try that again,” she said.
“No, I think I'm good,” I said, my throat dry. “Let me keep practicing. Maybe work with Zack and Zoey on their stance some more?”
Emma shook her head. “You don't have to be afraid of me, Marcus,” she said with a laugh. “I'm not going to judge you. Everyone starts somewhere.”
Oh, if that was my only concern, I'd be more than happy in that moment. But the way she'd touched me, the way she'd looked at me, I could feel myself growing hard in my wetsuit and the last thing I needed was an obvious erection. Especially with my kids right there.
Emma's eyes moved down my body, as if she could read my mind. But then, being a man in the presence of a gorgeous woman, she probably didn't need psychic powers to determine what was going through my mind.
“That's not what I'm afraid of,” I muttered under my breath.
Laughing, she patted me on the butt playfully. “Fine,” she said, “Lie down and work on your feet and hands some more. I'll help the kids.”
She walked over, and yes, I watched her tight little ass as she walked away. I couldn't help myself. I was grateful to be able to lie down flat on my stomach, hiding myself against the surfboard, because I really didn't want my kids, not to mention everyone else on the beach, to see me standing there with a raging hard-on.
Thankfully, Emma spent the rest of the time with the kids. We never did make it in the water, which Zoey protested, of course, but Emma was there to defuse the situation and talk Zoey down off that particular ledge.
“Slow and steady,” Emma said. “We have to put safety first. We need to get the basics down before we get in the water, okay?”
“Fine,” Zoey said. She turned to me and asked, “Since we didn't get to surf, can I play in the waves for a bit before we leave, daddy? Pretty please?”
“Sure,” I said, still lying flat and feeling incredibly awkward about it. “Go ahead. I need to change anyway.”
“I'll keep an eye on them,” Emma said. “Go ahead, change into something more comfortable.”
Emma and the kids walked toward the ocean, and I stopped and stared as they played happily in the waves. I could hear their laughter from far away, and I couldn't help but smile. It brought so much joy to my life to see my kids smiling and having fun. I really didn't want to ruin things with Emma. She was perfect for my children, and I was so grateful that she was a part of their lives.
I feared that if I slept with her, it would ruin it. But then, if I didn't sleep with her, I ran the same risk. I felt damned if I did and damned if I didn't.
I felt caught in a no-win situation and had zero idea how I was going to get out of it.
ooo000ooo
That night, I was staying inside my house. Hiding, really. It was perhaps a little immature, but I was hoping to avoid the potential awkwardness with Emma. But right around nine or so that night, there was a soft knock at my door. When I heard it, my heart sank into my shoes.
Part of me wanted to go into hiding, to quickly turn out the lights and pretend I wasn't there. I didn't trust myself around her. She was an attractive woman, and I wanted to do things with her that I shouldn't want to do. And she was not only agreeable to sleeping with me, but was pursuing me aggressively.
I couldn't avoid her forever.
When I answered the door, my jaw nearly hit the floor. There was Emma, but she looked so entirely different. No longer was she the cute little girl next door in her sundresses and short-shorts; she was a woman and there was no denying it. She wore a black sheath dress that hugged her curves just right. The dress was low cut, showing off her perky breasts and making it hard not to stare.