Faith in You Read Online Free PDF Page B

muscles in his arms and legs bunched, grew taut, then relaxed. She admired his athletic grace and the strength he controlled with such ease.
    He executed one other run across the smooth waters of the bay and then turned the board into shore, coming up a few feet away from her, smiling broadly and shaking crystal droplets of water from his hair. “That was great. You ready to give it a try?”
    Carmen smiled and nodded, but her insides were a mass of trembling goo. Although she considered herself relatively athletic, this sport seemed way too difficult. Still, she was willing to give it a try as she had told him when he had called a few days after their first date to invite her to go with him. Rising, she brushed sand off her bottom and strode into the shallow water along the shore where Paul was busy setting up a smaller windsurfing board for her use.
    His head was bent and he was intent on his task. He mumbled for her to put on a life vest before coming over.
    She returned to land, grabbed one from the back of the pick-up truck he kept just for his water sports gear, and slipped the bright orange vest over the black maillot she had worn in deference to their activities. Her bikini would not have held up for long on the windsurfer board.
    This time when she approached, he smiled and held out his hand. “I promise, you will like this.”
    “I will try my best,” she said, slipping her hand into his.
    Paul drew her close with his one hand as he held the board steady with the other. He looked down at Carmen, grinning. “I will too,” he replied and bent his head, brushing his lips against hers. Her lips were warm and heated his which were cool from the spray of the water as he windsurfed. She leaned closer to his body, but the bulkiness of the vests kept them from getting too close.
    Carmen pulled away, shrugged and looked at the board with some trepidation. “You really expect me to get on this?”
    Paul laughed. “It’s just like surfing.”
    “I’ve never surfed. Never even tried it or thought about trying it.”
    Paul considered what she said and nodded. “Okay. How about thinking it’s an oversized skateboard?”
    Carmen laughed and shook her head. “Nope. Didn’t do that either.”
    “Scooter?” he offered hopefully.
    “Nope. Not a big choice of things like that when I was little kid in Cuba.” A trace of sadness darkened her eyes and he regretted putting it there.
    “How about we just give this a shot anyway? I promise I’ll catch you if you fall.”
    She glanced at the board again, then at him. “Think you can handle me?”
    Paul chuckled and grabbed her hand. “I think you’re just what I want to handle.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and turned her so that she faced the windsurfer, his hands resting on her waist. “Ready?”
    Carmen nodded and he said, “On three. You’re going up on the board. One. Two. Three.”
    On three he lifted her and tried to steady her as the board shifted under her feet.
    Carmen managed to stay up for about thirty seconds. Then the board went one way and she went the other, straight back into Paul’s arms and down as her fall dragged them into the shallow waters.
    They came up sputtering and drenched, laughing in one another’s arms. Paul hugged her and drew her close. “Okay,” he said. “So it may not be as easy as I thought. Want to try it again?”
    She nodded, content to keep on trying so long as he kept on catching her in his arms. He counted to three again, lifted her, and this time she managed to stay up long enough to grab the bowed arm of the sail, balance for a minute or so before tipping the whole contraption over and ending back up in his arms.
    Paul grabbed her around the waist as she came up out of the water, laughing and hanging onto him.
It was something he could get quite used to
, he thought. He joined in her laughter, his spirit feeling free and unfettered. “Have you swallowed half the bay yet?”
    “No, not yet. Ready?” she asked him,