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“Does it hurt?” He traced the mark on unhurt skin, and his gentle touch made her feel a bit light-headed.
“I’ll be fine,” she said.
Mark frowned. “I think we should go in,” he declared and released her hand. “I’ve got some salve at home that will help that.”
“No. Really, it’s barely a scratch. I’ll be fine.”
Mark shook his head. One thing was for sure, his jovial mood had disappeared. “No. We’re going in,” he said, his sunglasses hiding his true feelings. Was he angry at her? Disappointed?
“I’ll do better next time. I’ll—”
“No.” Mark shook his head. “That’s enough for today.”
“But…” She felt a sharp jab of disappointment jolt her stomach.
“You won’t be much good out here with that injury. We should go back.”
“No, I’m fine,” she said, but was she? Life on the sea changed so suddenly, and the boat had lurched so quickly, she just wasn’t sure she was ready for more excitement. Besides, she could almost feel her sunscreen losing its potency as the warm sun beat down on her bare shoulders. Still, she didn’t want to be the one to call the day. She’d be a trooper.
“We’re going back in.” Mark glanced at the horizon and then back at land.
“Don’t go for my sake,” she said. “I’m fine.” She rubbed her shoulders and clung a little tighter to the railing. She would be fine, too, in a minute, when she could catch her breath and if her palm stopped throbbing. Besides, she wasn’t even sure what had affected her more, the near capsizing or his strong embrace.
Mark studied her, his dark eyes missing nothing.
“No, we should head in.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not.”
Laura let out a frustrated breath. No talking sense into Mark when he’d decided a course of action. The two fell into a more somber kind of silence. Laura didn’t know why with Mark the mood always changed so swiftly. Maybe it was better they’d be going in.
* * *
MARK DIDN’T LIKE seeing Laura hurt, and he definitely didn’t like the fact that he’d nearly lost her overboard. What was he doing, taking out a total novice out to sail when he knew how unpredictable the wind could be?
He spent the entire ride back to the marina beating himself up. He should’ve waited until he could find an experienced crew hand to help him. Laura should’ve been a passenger, not someone he relied on. He’d put too much on her for a first sail, and he knew it. If he was on speaking terms with his brother, Edward would’ve said the same thing.
He glanced at Laura, who stood on the bow of the boat. She looked unsure, clutching the railing with her good hand while she cradled the injured one in front of her. It was his fault she was hurt, and he couldn’t risk her being hurt any more. Not by him. Not out here on the ocean where bad things could happen. She needed to be safe. On shore. Where she belonged.
After they pulled into the marina, Mark jumped off the boat with the line to lash it to the dock. He worked on securing it as Laura watched from the boat.
“You still need a crew,” she said, eyeing him.
“Edward’s got all the best people,” he answered, not looking up as he gave the knot a hard tug.
“I could be on it. Your crew. You could teach me.”
He froze as she made the suggestion. And watch her almost get swept overboard again? She wasn’t ready. Hell, he might never be ready to nearly lose her like that again.
Mark shook his head.
“It would take too long for me to teach you the ins and outs of racing,” he said, straightening. She stood at the ladder, hands on her hips.
“You don’t think I can do it.” Her voice was all challenge. He glanced up and met her fierce green eyes. The sun brought out red highlights in her dark bob.
“No,” he lied. He didn’t think she could do it. Some people took to the sea, and others didn’t. “It’s just not feasible for me to get you where you need to be by race time. And it’s dangerous. You saw how it can be, and that’s not under pressure, trying to go fast.”
“I can do it.”
“Even if you could, we still need three more people.” Mark stood near the ladder of the boat and held out his hand. There was only about a six-inch gap between the boat and the dock, but he wasn’t taking any more chances with her safety.
She glanced at his open palm for a second and frowned. For a minute, he thought she might not even take it, but then she finally slipped her hand into his. He helped her down and kept his hand on hers a beat longer than necessary. He didn’t want to let her go, not really, but he did once she was safely on the dock.
