“Okay. We’ll go through a few things to remind you. Which foot do you put forward if you were on slippery ice and you were going to fall?”
She thought about it for a minute and put her left foot forward.
“Okay, so you’ll want to use your right foot to steer, so when you pop up on the board, slide your left foot forward and your right foot back.”
He worked with her on the sand, making sure she had an understanding about how to pop up—first crouching, then standing—once she caught a wave.
Once she had enough confidence, she was ready for the water.
“Remember to use your back foot to steer,” he said.
“Got it. Let’s do this. I’m hot.”
“Yeah, you are.”
She shook her head, but smiled at him. Ben took the lead and she paddled out behind him. He was the expert and she intended to let him show her the right waves.
They finally got to where Ben wanted them, water-wise and she turned her board around and sat up next to Ben, the waves undulating underneath them.
He passed up a few, explained that some were too rough, some too high, some too puny.
“Good wave coming up,” he said, pouncing onto his feet in a crouched position. “Get ready.”
She did the same, and when the wave hit, she tried to balance herself and ride it.
This was not like riding a bicycle. She had forgotten how to surf, so while Ben rode the wave easily, she only made it a few feet before she tumbled off the board and had to pull herself up and try again.
And again.
And again.
It was exhausting, but Ben came back out each time and rode with her, giving her encouraging words and telling her she could definitely get up.
When she fell again, she was pissed.
“You can do this,” Ben said. “Balance is the hardest thing. Try just going up on one knee first. Once you grab your balance that way, you’ll be able to stand.”
“I’ll try.”
She was determined to succeed, so next time she did the one knee thing, and got up that way. She didn’t make it all the way into the wave, falling off halfway, but it was something.
Ben caught up to her and smiled. “See? Progress. You’ll get there.”
“Yes, I will.”
She was nothing if not determined. She’d stand on this damn board. Sometime today. Maybe.
After several more attempts, she finally stood, on a very small wave that she rode all the way onto shore. It was the most exhilarating ride she’d ever taken.
She raised her arms in triumph. Ben was there to swoop her off the board and plant a hot kiss on her lips.
“I did it.”
He grinned. “Yeah, you did. I told you that you could.”
She swept her hair off her face, staring out at the water. “It was work.” She blew out a breath.
“It always is.”
She patted his chest. “You looked magnificent out there.”
“Thanks. I’m hardly competitive, but I can still surf.”
“You sure as hell can. And I really had forgotten how damn hard surfing is. I have a new appreciation for the sport.”
Now that she’d managed to master a wave, she wanted to do it again. They surfed awhile longer, then called it a day. Ben packed the boards up on the SUV and they drove back to the hotel.
“I need a shower and a change of clothes before tonight. And quite possibly a nap.”
He laughed. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight.”
She kissed him good-bye, then went up to her room and stripped out of her sundress and swimsuit.
She thought about taking a shower, then yawned.
Surfing was exhausting. She should consider doing it more often. Holy crap, what a workout.
She yawned again and stared longingly at her bed.
Okay, nap first. Shower later.
She shut the drapes, climbed into bed and closed her eyes.
Chapter Eleven
It had been a damn good day. Alex rode the elevator up to the hotel suite with a grin on his face.
He’d scored high today. He was primed and ready for tomorrow’s competition.
Tonight, though, he was ready to kick back and relax.
He slid his key in the door, breathing in a sigh of relief at the cold air-conditioning. Leave it to Ben to know he’d be hot and tired after a long day and he’d need the A/C cranked to arctic.
Now all he needed was a cold beer and a hot shower. He stripped out of his board shorts and headed straight for the shower, letting the hot water rain down on him for a few seconds before grabbing the soap and scrubbing the salt water from his body. After his shower, he put on a pair of a shorts and a T-shirt and grabbed a beer from the wet bar.