Sadly, it was an apt description. She’d never seen Graham so passive before but she supposed Raquel had beaten him down, too, without him even realizing it. But that was Graham’s problem, not hers.
For the rest of the weekend, she had a fuck-hot boyfriend to enjoy.
“We’re going to win!”
Evie glanced over at Garrett and Aaron, who were only one canoe length behind her and Eric, both of their red, sweaty faces creased with determination as they rowed for all they were worth. Most everyone else in the family who’d started with them in the race had fallen way behind with no real chance of catching up, including Graham and Raquel, who was screeching at her fiancé to go faster because she hated to lose.
Evie looked over her shoulder at Eric, who was sitting behind her since he was heavier and more muscular, so therefore he could apply more steering force to the canoe than she could. “They so aren’t going to win!” she yelled to him as she dug her paddle deeper into the water to increase their speed.
“Damn, you really are competitive!” Eric grinned at her. “Then again, so am I, so let’s do this!” His shoulders flexed as he made a hard, downward stroke with his paddle, which gained them a few more feet on the boys.
“Pump harder!” Evie’s brother shouted to Aaron. “Pump faster!”
“That’s what he said,” Aaron replied, and snickered at his dirty joke. “And it’s paddle harder, paddle faster, you dumb ass!”
“Whatever, just do it!” Garrett panted for breath. “You’re not going to let a girl beat us, are you?”
“You underestimate your sister,” Eric called out from behind her, his voice filled with laughter. “She’s a badass and competitive as fuck!”
Thank goodness they were in the middle of the lake, far from everyone else in the race and all the other family members who’d brought folding chairs down to the shore to watch the fun event. Nobody could hear their bantering, so offending anyone with their choice of language wasn’t an issue.
“Doesn’t hurt that she has a beast sitting behind her!” Garrett grumbled.
Evie shook her head and cast another glance back at her brother. “Will you two stop being such pansies?”
“Jesus Christ, look at his arms!” Garrett went on. “They are bulging!”
“I bet that’s not all that’s bulging,” Aaron joked around his huffing and puffing as they valiantly tried to keep up.
“If you two spent more time concentrating on rowing, rather than eye-fucking my hot boyfriend, you might have a chance at winning!”
“He’s so fucking distracting. It’s not fair!” Garrett accused good-naturedly. “You’re in front of us and all I can see are his broad shoulders and his tight ass!”
“We should use it as an incentive to row faster,” Aaron suggested, nearly wheezing now. “You know, like a dangling carrot.”
“A dangling carrot? Seriously?” Garrett’s winded voice was ludicrous. “I’d rather have other kinds of dangling incentives!”
Behind Evie, Eric chuckled at their innuendo. He was such a good sport about it all, and Evie appreciated him letting her brother and Aaron have fun, even if it was at his expense.
The buoy up ahead that indicated the finish line drew closer and closer, and suddenly the power of the canoe gliding over the surface of the water increased exponentially, which was all Eric’s doing, because honestly, Evie was exhausted and her arms were beginning to feel like limp noodles. His strength and stamina were impressive . . . but then again, she already knew that.
With Garrett and Aaron still shouting behind them, Evie and Eric’s canoe passed the buoy, declaring them the winner, and she was so excited that she jumped up to her feet and raised her paddle over her head in victory while shouting a triumphant hurrah.
The sudden move caused the vessel to rock hard from side to side, and Eric’s eyes widened in an oh shit moment as he stood up with his feet braced apart to stabilize the wobbling canoe. Despite his efforts, she lost her balance anyway, and he reached out and grabbed the front of her life jacket as she toppled overboard, taking him right along with her as they plunged into the cool water.
Seconds later, they bobbed to the surface of the lake, both of them laughing with Evie sputtering on the water she’d managed to swallow.
“I think I might need mouth-to-mouth!” she teased him, coughing.
With a sinful grin, he hooked his fingers in the front snaps of her life jacket and drew her to him. “I’m happy to oblige.”
The fact that they were both wearing flotation devices made it hard to get close and stay that way, but Evie wrapped her legs around his waist, anchoring herself to him, while he framed her face in his hands and brought her lips to his for the hottest, sexiest form of CPR imaginable.