Brig loved being out on the lake, and especially having Claire here with him. Rudy and Beau were great guys, but he wished it was just him and Claire. The weather was perfect, mid-70s, and the water temp was still nice from the summer. Everybody took a turn wakeboarding, except for Claire. She wasn’t thrilled but finally agreed with him that the possibility of crashing on a wakeboard with a head injury was too much of a risk.

They jumped in and swam for a while, and though Brig stayed close to Claire, he didn’t stop her from swimming. Brig tried not to stare with an open mouth at Claire in her two-piece floral suit. The yoga classes she went to must be challenging to develop sleek muscles like she had.

After they climbed out of the water from swimming, Rudy drove the boat while Brig slalomed. The warm air against his skin and the cool water hitting his face as he pulled hard against the boat to lean deep into a turn on his single ski and send a wall of water into the air, were exhilarating. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t showing off for Claire.

He skied hard and was out of breath by the time he called it quits and dropped the rope. His speed reduced, and he sank into the water. The boat swung back to pick him up, and he extended his ski. Beau grabbed it. “Great job, man. I wish I would’ve learned to ski at some point. Wakeboarding’s a lot easier to pick up.”

Brig grabbed the platform and pulled himself up. “For sure. I think waterskiing might be a dying sport.”

He unzipped his vest and caught Claire checking out his chest then looking away quickly when he caught her gaze. Brig hid a smile and resisted the urge to flex. He’d worked hard to maintain his build and was glad she’d noticed.

“Nobody water skis anymore?” Claire asked.

“Not much.”

She’d wanted to wakeboard, and Brig was sure she would accomplish anything she set her mind to after her brain was completely healed. She looked adorable with her hair all mussed and no makeup on from swimming. Brig was so used to seeing Claire as this perfectly poised professional who flirted with him then shot him down. It was a dream come true for him to see her cute and carefree. Well, as carefree as someone could be with amnesia and a stalker after them.

She grabbed the smaller vest, that was still too big on her, and stood. “Well, you’d better teach me then.”

Brig grinned. Even though he couldn’t teach her today, he loved her fire. He walked toward her in the open space of the boat. Claire was so petite her head was at about his chest level. Her eyes grew wider as he came closer. Brig ignored Beau and Rudy. They were both good at security which meant not speaking up, blending in. Rudy usually had a quip ready, but he knew when to keep quiet.

Claire’s eyes focused on his chest. “That is, if you’re willing to teach me.”

“I’d willingly do anything you asked.” Brig’s voice got low and husky, which he hoped Beau and Rudy didn’t notice. He was going to have to tell her no, but it was too fun to flirt with her first.

Claire’s gaze rose to meet his gaze. She studied him for a few seconds, as if testing his sincerity. “I might call you out on that,” she finally said.

Brig smiled. “I hope you do.”

Claire pulled the vest on and zipped it up. “All right. Let’s do this water skiing stuff.” She flashed him a brilliant grin that made him happier than being out on the lake.

“One problem. You can’t ski with a recent brain injury.”

“Why’s that a problem? I’m much too coordinated to fall.” She tilted her head to the side and gave him a sassy look.

Rudy laughed. “Whoa, the big-name sports agent is fiery!”

Brig shot Rudy a look. Claire was big-time and sassy, and she could hold her own in any situation, but Brig had to protect her even if she thought she could ski today. Waterskiing wouldn’t be quite as dangerous as wakeboarding for potential hits to the head, but she could still fall wrong and injure herself further. “I can’t risk injuring that beautiful head.”

Claire glared up at him, not seeming to even register his compliment. “What’s it going to hurt me to try? I’ll go slow and I won’t cut hard like you did … this time.”

Brig glanced at Rudy and Beau for help. Beau grinned and Rudy raised up both hands. “Come on, boss. Let her try.”

Brig knew Claire was tough and athletic enough that she might be able to get up easily. Maybe all the yoga gave her impeccable balance. If she didn’t try to cross the wake, she wouldn’t be in danger of hurting her head. Yet she would be in for swallowing a lot of lake water and frustration. It had taken him weeks to learn how to slip one ski off and drop it behind him into the water while skiing and figure out how to balance on the remaining ski. Then it was a few more weeks before he mastered getting up on a slalom. His brothers and sisters were all the same. It wasn’t an easy feat.

“With your head injury …” He tried again. He couldn’t let her do this, and he wanted to spare Claire any pain. He was too far gone for her and felt like protecting her was his mission.

Claire grabbed the ski he’d set on the back to dry and leapt into the water with it. Brig’s jaw dropped. Rudy roared with laughter. “Spunk. I love this girl.”

Brig shot him a withering look. Rudy lifted his hands quickly. “Not like that, boss. You’ve got dibs. I got it.”

“More than dibs,” Brig muttered, but did he really? Claire was one of the most impressive women he knew, and she hadn’t wanted to date him before her amnesia. He pushed all of that away, grabbed his life jacket, zipped it up quickly, and leapt back into the water. The cool liquid closed over his head before he bobbed up to the surface, blinking away the moisture and swimming over to where Claire was struggling to pull on the ski.

She glowered at him. “You come out here to tell me I can’t do it?”

Brig laughed. “I came to help.” He took the ski from her and grabbed the rope that was floating nearby. Looping the rope over his left hand, he held on to the ski with that hand as well and then wrapped his right arm around Claire’s waist, right underneath her lifejacket. He pulled her against him. Her waistline was trim and the feel of her skin under his fingertips sent his heart to pumping faster.

“I’m pretty sure this isn’t the way to waterski.” She was focused on his lips, and her breath was coming almost as quick as his.

Brig wanted to be alone with her and kiss her until she knew how he felt about her, that he’d always been half in love with her and now it was triple that. When her memory returned would this time spent together be enough to secure him a place in her life, or would she ditch him again?

“I don’t know. This might be more fun than waterskiing.” Even with their lifejackets on they were close. When she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and her hand touched his bare flesh, a flash of lightning pulsed through him.

“What’s your plan here?” she asked.

To kiss you. To love you. To convince you I’m the one for you, he thought it all in rapid succession but he didn’t say any of it. “Pull us closer to the shore.” He called out to Rudy.

“You got it, boss.” Rudy put the motor into gear and slowly tugged them toward the nearest bank.

Claire stayed focused on his face as the boat pulled them. Brig relished having her in his arms. Rudy cut the motor and Brig touched the spongy bottom of the lake with his feet. He let go of the rope and tugged Claire around in front of him. Encircling her with his arms, he said, “Lift your right foot.”

“Okay.” She leaned back against him, and Brig knew it was a very good thing they had lifejackets on. His bare chest touching her back might send him into heart failure.

Brig’s breath shortened as he lifted her lovely leg and helped her get her right foot into the front boot and left foot into the back. His ski was much too big for her, and he didn’t plan on letting her ski today, but he could show her how. It was as good an excuse as any to have her close.

“Lean against me,” Brig said.

“No problem,” she whispered.

Brig swallowed hard. He was going to tell Rudy and Beau to go for a long boat ride. He didn’t care that the sun was shining brightly and there were a few other boats on this lake. All he wanted to do was pretend he was alone with her.

“Beau, get the red rope out of the seat next to you. It’s a deep V.” Beau complied and held the cheater rope up. “Perfect. Swap them out please.”

As they waited for Beau to swap out the ropes, Brig savored every second of Claire floating in the water, leaning back against him. It would’ve been hard to balance herself with both feet in the ski, and Brig was grateful for the opportunity to hold her close. Beau threw them the new rope, and Brig put the tip of the ski through the V.

“When you’re ready to ski this rope would help keep the tip straight. Much easier.”

“You think I need easier?” Claire sassed.

Brig laughed. “I think you could take on an army by yourself, but I don’t want you to drink the lake trying to get up.” Luckily, she was so small the boat would rip her out of the water if she could keep from being pulled over the ski and drinking a lungful of lake water. He didn’t know why he was playing along with the ruse that he was going to let her ski, but someday, he really did plan on helping her conquer the lake. “Your biggest problem is going to be keeping your weight back as the boat pulls you up,” he continued. “I want you to think about leaning back and putting pressure on your back heel. Keep the tip of the ski up, and you’ll get it.”

“Tip up, weight back, pressure,” she repeated. Turning her head, she was inches away from his face. Her eyes flickered from his lips to his eyes. “I think I got it,” she said breathlessly.

Brig’s own breath caught. He’d loved being on or in the water his whole life, but nothing had been as exciting as this interaction with Claire. “You’ll do great,” he said, resisting claiming her lips right then and there.

She smiled and focused back on the boat. “Okay, I’m ready.” She called out.

Brig gently took the rope out of her hands and tossed it to Beau. “Go for a drive,” he told Rudy.

Rudy saluted him, engaged the motor, and the boat shot away.

“What?” Claire turned to stare at him. “What are you doing?”

Brig reached down and slid her feet out of the ski, they popped out easily with how small she was. He turned her in his arms, luckily she didn’t pull away or slap him or something.

“I can’t let you ski, Claire. If you hit your head wrong …” He shook his head. “A second brain injury could be devastating.”

Claire studied him. She was so close he could stare into the depths of her bluish-green eyes. She tilted her head to the side and pushed out a long sigh. His stomach tightened. She was going to be so ticked at him. A small smile played at her lips, and Brig caught a breath.

“You’re right. I was letting my pride talk instead of my common sense. I can respect you protecting me from myself if …” She grinned and relief rushed over him. “You promise to teach me to slalom next time.”

Brig’s grin was bigger than Claire’s. “That sounds like a plan.”

The boat idled up next to them and interrupted their moment. Brig would’ve stayed in the water with her in his arms all day. Claire had so much grit and personality. She could definitely take on the world and come out the victor, but she was also willing to listen to him and not injure herself further. It was the first time he’d see her voluntarily slow down. If only she’d let him watch over her every day.