Project Passion Read Free Page B

turned to do
something with the motor.
    It sputtered to a stop and the
aluminum fishing boat, bows piled high with colourful nylon bags of
camping gear, drifted maddeningly slowly towards the beach as
Heather stood petrified.
    Wrong shoes!
    She still had on her neoprene surf
slippers…too late now.
    The smell of perfume, underarm
deodorant and the taste of a dry red in her mouth was all she had
to comfort her as she waited.
    “ Hi, Heather!”
    “ Hi.” Heather managed to
get it out, barely.
    She was so scared. The guy wasn’t fat
or anything, and he seemed to be about the right age.
    He had a shirt on, and shorts, and a
set of aviator sunglasses. He was barefoot. His hair was short and
he wasn’t dressed like a hip-hop artist or anything like
that.
    Heather waded out into the sandy
shallows, guiding the boat in and steadying it as Braden got
out.
    “ You look very
nice.”
    “ Huh? Oh.” Heather didn’t
know what to think just yet, but it was a start.
    “ Um, thank you.
Braden.”
    They took a look at each other, and
she wondered what he thought. The guy was tall, taller even than
her, and that was saying something. He was heavier too.
    The mental picture of what this might
look like if it actually worked thrilled through her and she
wondered what was wrong with her breathing…
    “ Let me help you get this
stuff out of the boat.” This was a nice safe subject and would buy
a little time.
    She concentrated on just breathing and
not saying anything for a while. This had to work. It had
to.
    Braden gave her a casual little pat on
the ass. Her nipples straightened up inside the tee
shirt.
    “ Thank you. I’m sorry I
missed you at the boat launch, but I got hung up in
town.”
    Heather said nothing as she still felt
guilty at bolting. It hadn’t done her any good anyway, had it?
She’d never had a man touch her there before. The shock was
intense. The wind whipped around her naked skin, bringing a flush
of new-found awareness. Her body was coming alive.
    The pair of them worked at getting
Braden’s tent pitched, surprisingly big but he’d rented everything
at an outfitter’s and took what was offered. Heather felt Braden’s
eyes upon her, but it was all right after a little while, and in
their internet chats they had agreed beforehand that nothing might
happen. If so, they would try to enjoy the outdoors and shake hands
like friends when they left. The question of payment had never come
up. She would have done it, though.
    It would be a shame not to give it an
even chance.
    She had fantasized about it often
enough, but there was every chance the reality would be totally
different and not at all what she really wanted. They both knew
that in advance. They were both adults, and in control of
themselves.
    They didn’t talk much at this stage of
the game.
     
    #
     
    A loon cackled out on the lake. The
breeze had died, and now with no wind it seemed a little warmer.
They sat on a big log beside the fire. His smell was just nice,
aftershave and a little sweat as she drank it in, testing
it.
    Heather put some sticks on the fire to
build it up.
    “ We’ll have to collect some
more wood. When was the last time you ate?”
    Braden shrugged.
    “ I had a good breakfast
this morning, and a cheeseburger and fries before leaving
town.”
    Heather thought about it and bit the
bullet.
    “ Well, ah…why don’t I throw
a big steak on and you can pour me a glass of wine. It’s in my
cooler. And if you wouldn’t mind gathering some more firewood
before it gets dark…”
    Braden’s head bobbed in
acknowledgement as Heather sort of hung her head.
    “ That’s a good idea.”
Braden stood. “Is everything all right, Heather?”
    Surprised by the question, Heather
stood up too. She moved closer to Braden, standing a foot in front
of him and gazing into the other’s eyes.
    “ Yeah. It’s just that I’m
really scared—scared, you know, and I know I’m not that
good-looking…” She felt terribly awkward, wooden