Watching Rhys attach his squirming bait to his fishing hook kind of kills the flirty mood, if I'm honest. "Um, you're going to attach the bait to my hook, right?" I ask with a taut grimace, actually shuddering at the thought of having to do it myself.

Smirking, Rhys shakes his head. "Nope, you're on your own, baby." Then he laughs, knowing how much I am struggling to share the boat with live and smelly maggots.

I shudder again, knowing that I am now going to have to actually hold one between my fingers. I'm not going to wimp out and get him to do it for me. It's because of the very reason that Rhys thinks I won't do it, that I absolutely will. As much as I hate the disgusting and wriggly things, I want to wipe that smirk from off his face and impale a stupid maggot on my hook. Besides, I have the most glorious of panoramic views to help me through it. I need to fully embrace this moment of being in a cute little boat and floating on the magnificent Echo Lake—I will bait up and I will catch a fish.

With a jerky hand, I choose which lucky larvae I shall sacrifice first. Swallowing hard, I reach in and finally have one being held firmly between my shaky fingers. Rhys is laughing behind me, I honestly could scream, it feels that gross. Choosing not to scream and to totally ignore a sniggering Rhys Ryan, I somehow manage to pierce the maggot onto my hook. Feeling a little queasy, I hook the next one with nauseous precision. After successfully doing two (and not actually fainting) I soon have a neat little row of punctured maggots on my killer hook. Holding it up to show Rhys, my smile is smug and my chin is high. He nods approvingly, gifting me with a rewarding little wink. Thoroughly pleased with myself, I wait for him to help me to cast out. Sacrificing larvae is one thing, casting out is quite another. When I watch Rhys do it, he makes it look so effortless and simple. The boat barely rocked as he did it; casting out his line across the beautifully still and quiet lake. Placing his rod into a boat rod holder, he carefully makes his way over to me. I am absolutely terrified to properly stand up in the buoyant boat, scared that I'll move too much and topple us over. Taking hold of my hand, Rhys gestures for me to be brave and to stand. As I do, my lack of balance causes the boat to precariously sway from side to side, which causes me to lunge forward and cling onto Rhys for dear life. "I've got ya." He confidently assures me as he steadies my balance in his protective arms. "I want you to carefully turn around and then slowly pick up your rod. Keep your movements really slow and steady." His hands are low on my hips now, holding me still.

Reluctant to fully let go of Rhys, I cautiously turn but keep hold of him with my left hand, which amuses him no end. "I think this might be a good time to tell you that I was the girl who once completely took out two boys I was friends with during a cycle ride...balance really isn't my thing."

Rhys carefully stands behind me again, holding his hands on my hips and squeezing them with his fingers. "Just use those sexy hips of yours to keep yourself steady." His voice is deep and dominant, his breath hot against the back of my neck.

Looking down at where his masculine hands lay, my lips start twitching with a sassy smile. "You think my hips are sexy?"

His cheek comes close to mine. "Very." Comes his low and seductive reply.

Standing triumphantly tall, I slowly align my hips to balance myself as I look out to the reflective lake with a growing smile. "My hips are quite partial to yours, too." See? I'm finally managing to have flirty fun in a boat with Rhys Ryan, some maggots, and a fishing rod for company.

Pressing the front of his body to the back of mine, he knows he is deeply affecting me. Enjoying every single second of his closeness, I bring my shoulders back slightly to eliminate any possible space between us. Rhys then shows me how to hold my rod correctly with his deft fingers touching me in the most sensual of ways. When he moves back, my content body moves with him. When his upper body carefully leans forward, I do that too. We seamlessly cast out together, almost conjoined as we do. I watch as the fishing line reaches right across the clear and shining lake, knowing that I couldn't have done it without Rhys. "Thank you." I quietly say, glancing sideways at him.

Not moving an inch, he smiles. "My pleasure." Our mutual gaze is fixed and flirtatious and only interrupted by Rhys slipping my rod into the other holder that's attached to the little boat. I won't lie, I miss his body not being pressed to mine. I miss the heat of his breathing down my neck. I miss the sensation of his roaming fingers. I miss it all. "So what now?" I cheerfully ask, trying to forget just how much he makes me want to be close to him.

Pulling me gently down to sit beside him in the sweet little blue boat, Rhys warmly answers me. "We wait."

As bright as the sun sits in the clear blue sky, it's cold floating upon the glistening lake, so Rhys has kindly brought a thick blanket to wrap ourselves in. Snuggled up comfortably close on the seat, we just keep smiling at each other. "This is so lovely." My hand wants to hold his as I look away from him and out to the far-reaching water.

Bringing my hand up to his warm lips, he kisses it with quiet affection. "I adore how British you are." He then kisses my fingertips, smiling as he does. "I'm so glad you're here." His eyes look back at me with a mixture of raw relief and distant sadness.

I have wanted to bring up his sister before now but know he finds it difficult to talk about her. At this point, I only know that she's in yet another rehab and is supposedly doing okay there. So with some trepidation, I decide to ask about Maci. "How is your sister really doing, Rhys?"

Looking straight ahead, he thinks carefully about what he will say. "She's as good as she can be, I suppose. They keep me up to date with her progress."

"Have you been to see her?"

Vehemently shaking his head, his chin drops to his chest with shame. "No, I can't." Sideways, he looks back up at me with eyes so dull and depressed. "I'm so angry and disappointed with her, Clara. If I were to see Maci, she would see my anger and disappointment...and that would just hold her back in her recovery." He holds tighter to my hand, like it somehow gives him the strength to carry on. "I can't tell you how many rehabs I have paid for her to go into. We have tried so many different types of therapies and counselling, none of it works. I just feel like I have all this fame and money, but I can't make Maci better with any of it." Looking down at our interlocked fingers, he sadly smiles. "You wanna know something else?" His eyes move up to mine, so I just nod that I do want to know. That's when he admits more of his painful truth. "I just know that she will leave this rehab and go and get high all over again. I don't think she'll ever be free of drugs." I don't say anything, I just squeeze his hand tighter to silently let him know that I am here and that I am listening. "We used to be so close. I used to look up to her so much. We even used to sing a lot together, Mace actually has a really great voice." He faintly smiles at the long-lost memory. "But when mom met Don, everything changed. Mace rebelled against them being together. It had only been the three of us for quite some time, because our father chose to leave us all behind. Don isn't exactly the fatherly type, if you know what I mean. He tolerated us and we tolerated him for Mom's sake. I had my music as an outlet, Mace had her useless group of friends. They all got in with some older guys who took drugs. We all thought that Mace was just going through a rebellious phase, but it quickly became more than that. Even back then, I couldn't understand what she was doing. Even then, I was angry and disappointed with her. As my music began to take off, the more we grew apart. I had become resentful of her. Maci was resentful of me. Our lives couldn't be more different now. I don't even feel like she's my sister anymore. She hasn't been that person for a very long time. So I've learnt to live without her. I only pay for her rehabs because it keeps mom happy, it makes her feel like she's doing something about Maci's problems. But that's exactly the thing, Clara...they are Maci's problems."

Cuddling up against Rhys's arm, I choose my words wisely. "Maybe Maci isn't ready to face her problems? Maybe she just doesn't want to?"

Kissing the top of my head, Rhys then sincerely looks at me with a smile of admiration. "You are the only person who has had the balls to actually say that to me, Clara. We all have been thinking the exact same thing, but no one has had the guts to say it out loud." Bringing me closer against him, he keeps on talking. "Addiction strips away every moral layer that a person possesses. Every single time Mace gets high, the more of my sister I lose. Once the drugs have a hold of someone, it becomes a battle to get that person back, but only if they want to come back. And that's the saddest part about it all, I don't believe that Maci wants to come back." He then sighs, needing to let out all of the sadness that he has kept inside of him for so long. It's like he is wanting to finally get rid of everything he has been feeling.

Glad to be the one that he has chosen to share his pain with, I hold his face between my hands and close my eyes to give him a soft and comforting kiss. It's the only way I know how to ease some of what he is feeling without saying anything at all. Lifting me, so that I'm now sitting in his crotch, Rhys urgently kisses me back. His fingers wildly sink into my hair as his mouth seizes more of my own. Slipping off the seat of the boat, he gently lies me down against the bottom boards of it. Stroking the seam of my mouth with his parted velvety lips, his voice is enticingly quiet. "I want to sleep with you. As in, no polka dot onesie, no closing our eyes and actually sleeping...I mean, I want to sleep with you. Right here. Right now." More of his seducing lips brush over my anticipating mouth. My fingers caress the back of his hair as my teal eyes do the talking for me. I want this. I am ready for this. Without saying a single thing, my body gives Rhys the answer he is looking for. It pushes itself up to him, offering itself to be carnally his. Trailing my neck with the tip of his teasing tongue, Rhys whispers into my ear. "Are you sure you want this?"

Stroking his face with one of my adoring fingers, I nod with a slow forming smile. "I want this." I truthfully tell him, knowing that I really do.

Rhys smiles against my neck, kissing and tenderly sucking it. "Are you ready to rock this boat, Clara Thorn?" He asks, taking my ear lobe between his teeth before staring down at me with a roguish smirk.

Returning his roguish smirk with one of my very own, I eagerly answer him. "I am absolutely ready to rock this cute little boat, Rhys Ryan."

Who needs Kokanee Salmon when you can have Mr Mega Famous himself?