He drew his brows together, obviously noting that she hadn’t accepted his apology. “You’re on the right boat. I’m teaching the lesson.”
“You are?” Her stomach apparently didn’t get the message about being careful, because it was fluttering like a schoolgirl’s.
He smiled and reached for his shirt from the deck. “Yes. The instructor was sick.”
Shelley was losing the battle against admiring the sexy sight of the muscles in his back flexing as he pulled his T-shirt over his head, when someone said, “Excuse me?”
They both turned at the sound of the woman’s voice. A gray-haired couple waved from the dock.
Quinn touched Shelley’s arm, a touch that sizzled through her from head to toe. “I think this is the rest of our class.” He took a step away, then glanced over his shoulder and said again, “I truly am sorry, Shelley.”
Her heart in her throat—sweet and hot was clearly a very dangerous combination, dangerous enough to make her want to throw caution to the wind—she managed a nod.
Quinn helped the older couple up the ramp and onto the boat. Neither of them could have been taller than five feet. Dressed in white slacks and white shirts, with navy blue sneakers and floppy blue hats, they looked like they were ready for a Florida cruise.
“Well, hello, sweetie,” the woman said to Quinn. “I’m Georgette Gainer, and this is my husband George.”
“Georgette and George?” he said with a friendly smile. “You two were obviously meant to be.”
Shelley also smiled at the couple and held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Shelley Walters.”
“You too, honey. What we usually tell people is just to say, Hey, GiGi, and we’ll both turn around.”
She eyed Quinn and Shelley as Quinn put his hand on Shelley’s lower back for a moment to guide her around a coil of rope lying on the deck, then looped her arms into George’s.
“George, aren’t they a handsome couple? They go together like tea and crumpets.”
“Oh, no,” Shelley said quickly, even as she tried to fight back the desire vibrating through her at nothing more than Quinn's hand on the small of her back. “We’re not a couple. Quinn is the instructor. I’m just here for the class, like you are.”
“Oh?” Georgette shared a surprised glance with her husband. “When we saw you two, we thought you were together. I’m sorry. Me and my big mouth.”
After helping the older couple put on their life vests, Quinn stepped in front of Shelley to help adjust hers, the apology still evident in his eyes.
When she’d protested that they weren’t a couple, his hand had dropped from her back. And she’d instantly missed it. Just as she missed the smile he’d replaced with a frown.
What other man did she know who would have apologized a dozen times inside of five minutes? Shelley knew the dangers of becoming involved—even for a fling—with a successful, wealthy businessman. At the same time, however, a part of her admired that he was so driven and interested in his work. When she was doing something she loved, she felt the exact same way.
Plus, for a little while at least, she’d been sure there was more to him than met the eye. Because despite how much pressure she knew he was under, he’d still set his work aside for a while, first for his family and then to take her clamming out on the beach. For a few wonderful hours, she’d had more fun with him than she’d ever had with anyone else.
And when she added in the way his kisses had rocked her down to her very soul and his caresses made her feel utterly wild and wanton? Moment by moment, his sweet behavior on the boat chipped away at her resolve to remain careful.
“One more chance.” She said the words softly enough that only Quinn could hear them.
His eyes lit with relief and a renewed desire that not only warmed her from the inside out...but also made her hope she was making the right decision by letting Quinn Rockwell back into her life.
KNOWING HE’D MADE Shelley sad was a terrible feeling. But seeing the light in her eyes dim when he’d been apologizing and she’d been struggling with how to respond? Hell, that had just about killed him.
Thank God by the time he’d helped her with her life vest, she’d decided to give him one more chance.
A chance that he was bound and determined not to screw up.
He powered up the boat and piloted it into the bay. Georgette and George sat side by side holding hands, and Shelley stood at the bow with the wind blowing her hair away from her face.
The more Quinn thought about her initial reaction to his apology, the more he respected her. Shelley’s strength did not lessen her femininity—on the contrary, it added a depth that both intrigued him and put him in his place. Her reaction was something he could see his mother or Sierra having, and that endeared her to him even more.