“Isn’t there a rule about not swimming for two hours after you’ve eaten?”

Autumn dug her feet into the sand until Balen was practically dragging her toward the water. There was a trail of skid marks halfway down the beach. “You ate one bite of egg. I think you’ll live. Besides, it’s an old wives’ tale.”

“But what if I get a cramp?”

“Then I’ll rub it out.”

“What if you get a cramp?”

“Then you can rub mine.” He needed to stop thinking about Autumn rubbing his anything because his board shorts had zero crotch support and he was about to embarrass himself.

“We could drown out there! Are you even qualified to teach me how to swim?”

They stopped in the wet part of the sand. The waves lapped their ankles before receding and then reached up to envelop them again. He turned around to make some smartass remark about David Hasselhoff wishing he could swim as good as Balen, but the joke stuck in his throat. He didn’t think Autumn was going to appreciate his Baywatch reference. She was really scared.

As common as Autumn’s fear of water may be, unfortunately, it was one he didn’t understand. Balen could practically swim before he could walk. He was more comfortable in the water than out of it. When he was surfing, it was the only time he felt alive, like his body, mind, and soul were in sync with nature—with God. There was nothing in the world like riding a wave and becoming one with the ocean. It was pure adrenaline.

“Autumn, do you trust me?”

She bit her bottom lip and a shiver raced straight into his cock. This was not the time to be thinking about Autumn’s mouth, or how incredibly soft her lips were. Mostly because those were solo memories—except for that brief loss of control this morning—and that just reminded him how much he shouldn’t have been doing what he’d done with her the other night. He’d known she was drunk. There was no excuse for his lapse in judgment. It didn’t matter how much she’d told him she wanted it—wanted him. Thank God she’d passed out when she had, because he wasn’t sure he would’ve been able to live with the guilt of having sex with a woman too drunk to remember it.

That was a low not even he would cross. Balen might not have always made the soundest of choices—case in point the whole sex tape debacle—but he would never, ever, take advantage of a woman. That being said, he’d never met anyone like Autumn before. Her ability to impede his self-control both intrigued and concerned him. Especially now, knowing what he did about her personal issues, because he absolutely would have buried himself inside that woman, and in hindsight it would’ve been a disastrous mistake.

With that thought in mind, Balen tried not to notice how gorgeous she was in her yellow polka-dot bikini. Every time his gaze landed on one of those marks he’d put on her hot little body, a surge of male satisfaction rose inside him that he had no business feeling. He had no claim on her, nor did he want one. They were just friends…with the tempting possibility of benefits, because holy hell, she’d melted so sweetly in his arms earlier.

“Trust is something earned over time, Balen. I don’t really know you.”

Spoken like a woman who’d felt the sting of betrayal. “Well, if I was going to kill you, I’d come up with a better way to do it than this,” he teased. “I can’t teach you to swim if you don’t get in the water. If it helps, I was a lifeguard all through high school. I taught swimming lessons to five-year-olds, so I can certainly teach you. We can do this, Autumn. You can do this.”

Her grip on his hand tightened, and she looked past him to the sea. The fear in her eyes was slowly replaced by resolve, and something that felt a lot like pride swelled inside his chest as he watched her dig deep and grasp that stubborn determination he’d witnessed yesterday, right before she’d taken that seventy-five-foot plunge. She nodded her acquiescence and Balen wanted to kiss her. He wanted to tell her he was proud of her for having the courage to face her fears— again—but he didn’t dare. He couldn’t risk liking this woman any more than he already did. So instead, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “All right, then. Let’s do this.”

* * *

The water was cooler than Autumn expected. Goosebumps prickled her skin and she could feel her nipples puckering beneath her thinly-lined bikini top as they waded deeper. She tried to distract herself by counting how many times Balen’s gaze strayed below her neckline—six, so far. But she had to give him credit. He was giving it his best effort to keep this lesson professional. He wanted her to learn how to swim, and she knew she needed to. It was time.

When they stopped, the water was a few inches below her breasts. The waves made her sway in the water, but they weren’t strong enough to knock her off balance. No, she was pretty sure that tilting equilibrium came from her nearness to Balen. Being this close to him made her heart race, adrenaline was pumping through her veins. She began to shiver and he briskly rubbed his hands over her arms.

“Cold? Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the temperature in a minute.”

Maybe she would, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to Balen’s touch. Even the simplest contact ignited a fire that set her desire on a slow burn, warring with the anxiety churning inside her.

“Once you get moving, you’ll warm up.”

His gaze dropped—seven.

Clearing his throat, he continued with the lesson. “The key to swimming is in your legs, learning how to move them without exhausting yourself, and minimize your effort. We’re going to keep it simple, so I’m going to teach you the freestyle stroke. A common mistake is trying to gain your propulsion with your kick. That comes from the arms… Autumn, are you listening to me?”

“What? Yeah…I’m listening.” She was trying, she really was, but Autumn preferred the distraction of the man in front of her to the anxiety trying to crawl up her throat. She really hated being out here.

“Good, cuz there’s going to be a test at the end.”

She really hoped he was joking. “Wouldn’t this be easier in, I don’t know…a hot tub or something?” Maybe she could entice him to take this lesson to a safer, shallower, more enjoyable body of water.

Eight...

“You’re killing me.”

Autumn refrained from remarking, “better you than me.” She’d be up for just about anything that got her out of the water. But Balen wasn’t taking the bait.

“So, I’m going to hold you up and we’re going to perfect your kick first. Your kick should do four things: give you good body position, be low drag, drive your rotation, and use small effort to conserve energy.”

He ticked up a finger for each point, but she was still stuck back on, “I’m going to hold you up.” Autumn’s life would literally be in this man’s hands. This wasn’t what she’d signed up for. Then again, she didn’t remember signing up for any of this. Yet here she was, in the sea with Poseidon here, and she was stuck somewhere between terrified and turned on, because her body was reacting to this guy with a mind of its own.

“A common mistake beginning swimmers make is bending their knees. With good kicking technique, you can bend it a little on the down stroke, but this shouldn’t be a driven movement. Kick from the hip with a straight leg and a slight knee bend will happen naturally. Keep your toes pointed to reduce drag. We’ll work on timing next. You ready to give it a shot?”

Balen didn’t give her a chance to answer before his hands were on her waist and he lifted her up, tipping her parallel with the water. The sound that came out of her was not pretty—part-scream, part-shriek. Autumn’s legs flailed but had none of the form her swimming coach just imparted to her. She grabbed onto Balen’s waist and clung to him like a barnacle. By the time she got her arms and legs securely fastened around his rock-hard body, she’d effectively climbed him like a pole.

The low, throaty groan that left him on exhale was like audible foreplay to her senses and she was suddenly aware of all the contact their flesh was making. She could feel his erection pressing against her sex as her legs banded around his hips. The intimacy shocked her, as did the ache in her core blooming to full-blown need.

She had to let go and climb off her swim coach before this went somewhere they’d agreed not to take it. Balen held himself statue-still, as if he was very aware of the thoughts going through her head. And if she had any doubt, the warning in his voice was all the confirmation she needed.

“Autumn...” Her name was a strained growl rolling off his lips. He’d reached the limit of his control.

“Sorry…” She untangled herself from his body. “I wasn’t ready.” It was a lame excuse for the fool she just made of herself, but he was gracious. Balen’s brow arched, a smile tipping the corner of his mouth.

“Are you ready now?”

She wasn’t, but she was as ready as she would ever be. Autumn nodded, not trusting her voice, and he reached for her again. His hands reconnected with her waist, and she was in the water again, only this time she didn’t scream like a mauled gazelle.

“Straighten your legs. Point your toes. Now kick from the hip.”

She did as instructed but went nowhere as Balen held her in the water. She focused on what he told her and her fear slowly dissipated as she mastered the skill and realized he truly wasn’t going to let her go.

“Point your toes a little straighter. That’s it. See? You’re a natural.”

Autumn laughed. “You’re so full of shit. Now I know why your eyes are so brown.”

His throaty chuckle rolled right through her and she lost her timing. Her leg dropped a little too low and she caught drag with her knee, tipping off balance. She was going under! As a bolt of panic raced through her, she closed her eyes tight and held her breath, preparing to take a header, but just as the water kissed her cheek, she was plucked out of the water and set upright.

“You okay?”

A shiver ran through her as his thumb gently brushed her hip. She could feel his body heat radiating into her. Autumn’s lungs stopped working and she forgot how to breathe.

Nine…