Page 76 of Wrecked

“Me!” Jessica’s double Ds bounce out of her life vest as she hops up and down, a hand raised in the air. “I want you to go extra fast,” she says to Adam with a sexy shimmy.

He grins at her request before pushing her and the tube away from the boat.

Adam has been in a great mood all day. When I suggested camping, I didn’t realize how much he actually missed it. It’s like a piece of him that was lost has finally been returned. And, with it, a portion of his soul is back in place.

Suzanne and Rory lift themselves onto the boat as Adam starts the engine, and we take Jessica for a spin around the lake. Jessica squeals and screams as the tube bumps up and down in the water, going over the wake the boat is making.

Adam doesn’t take it easy on her. She asked for fast, and that’s what she’s getting. He whips a few turns that have everyone on the boat holding on for dear life, and when the water kicks back, we wipe the spray from our faces. With the sun shining down on us, by the time we get back to camp, we’re all sure to be dark and tan—or bright red where Rory is concerned and slightly pink for me.

Jessica manages to hang on for the ride. When she’s done, Adam pulls her in and disconnects the rope.

“No more tubing?” Suzanne asks in disappointment.

“No,” Adam says with a wide-mouthed smile. “Who wants to try waterskiing?”

His eyes are bright, and there’s a crinkle around them. God, I haven’t seen him this excited about anything…ever. It’s so off for us to witness that even Suzanne looks at me like, Is he really this happy?

Rory and Adam hook up the rope for the water skis that Adam brought, and from the floor of the boat, he lifts his skis. When they’re secure, Adam hops into the lake with his life vest and skis in place. He sits in the water, only his head and the tops of the skis showing, and gives Rory a thumbs-up.

The boat starts off slow and gradually picks up, as does Adam. He’s standing and holding on to the handle. His body rides the water from left to right, the heels of the skis pushing into the lake, creating a cascade of water around his feet. His movements are graceful, and there’s no denying the strength of his body as he uses every muscle to stay erect. Knees bent, his thighs must be burning to keep form. His biceps are bulging as he grips the handle, and his shoulders are flexing as he skims across the water, over the wake, and back.

Rory makes some turns, and Adam must be getting comfortable because he starts to show off. He lets go with one hand and dips his body down low. I gasp, thinking he’s fallen, water shooting all around him, but he pops up and does it again on the other side.

The engine roars louder, Rory shifting into a new gear. I grab the side of the boat and steady my legs, all while trying to keep an eye on Adam.

The boat is making sharp turns, and Adam is being whipped harder and faster through the water, like a rag doll.

My heart pounds in my chest, and my stomach drops.

He looks like he’s being beaten up by the wind and current.

“Rory, slow down. I think he’s hurt!” I shout.

“He’s fine,” he calls over the wind as he makes another turn.

I fall on my butt and rise up as quickly as I can, my sea legs shaking. Blocking the sun from my face, I look back and see Adam’s still there.

Turning around, I see a ski ramp approaching. There is no way Adam will be able to get on it with the speed we’re traveling. He’ll slam into the plank and kill himself.

“Turn to the left. He won’t make the ramp,” I call over the wind.

But Rory just shakes his head with a smile and gets the boat as close to the ramp as he can, putting Adam in eyeshot of the runway to his death.

I can’t see him with the water shooting up all around. My heart leaps into my throat, and I scream as Adam’s skis hit the ramp and fly up with rapid speed.

In the blink of an eye, he is airborne. His body projects off the ramp, and then Adam does a flip in the air before landing on his skis with his fist up, pumping in victory.

My hand is over my mouth, my chest caved in.

He’s fine.

He’s more than fine. He mastered a fucking flip on water skis while the boat was driving a million miles an hour. And I actually screamed.

With wide eyes, I look over at Suzanne, who is looking back at me with narrowed eyes and a head tilt.

I jerk my head at her. “What?”

She doesn’t say a word. She studies me, oddly pensive, as the boat slows down, and Rory pulls Adam back on board. The two are slapping backs and laughing.