by Annie Rains
“One of?” she asked.
“Well…” She was fishing and it made him smile. “This weekend was also one of the best things to happen to me.”
“For me, too.”
Noah pulled his Jeep into the parking lot of her townhome and parked beside Joey’s truck. If Joey weren’t here, Noah would be fishing to go inside and see if the sparks between him and Krista still existed in Blushing Bay.
“So, uh, what happens next?” she asked as they sat in front of her home.
“Next? Well, I, uh…What do you think should happen next?”
Her gaze narrowed on him, telling him he better have a game plan.
Crap. He was already screwing things up, and he had no idea what to say or do.
Don’t screw this up, Noah.
“Next, I think we should go out. On a date.” He looked over, relieved to see that Krista was smiling again. “And I’m not talking about Wednesday Wings. I reserve that night for my best friend.” Her smile grew wider and he felt like some kind of hero. “How about tomorrow night?”
She cocked her head. “I would love that actually.”
“I’ve recently learned all about romance, so, uh, this can be a test of sorts.”
And a test to see if this thing between them floated or sank.
Krista nodded. “It’s a date. I can’t wait.” She went to reach for the door handle, but he stopped her with one hand.
“You’re not going to go inside and tell Joey all about, are you? Because well, uh…when we were kids, he said he’d give me a beat-down if I ever made moves on you.”
Krista’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t know that.”
“Not that I was ever scared of your brother, but we do work together now and it could be awkward on the boat this week if you tell him we had sex all over the Sawyer cabin. With spiked condoms.”
Krista held her belly as she folded forward and laughed. “I would never tell my brother that. We don’t share those kinds of details.”
Noah nodded, wanting so badly to kiss her right now.
“Is that why you never made a move on me?” Krista asked.
Noah thought she looked a little hopeful, like she wanted his answer to be yes. Joey’s threats had never factored into his avoidance of her, though. It was all Noah, because he’d known that deep down he was just a screw-up like everyone thought. And Krista was the one thing in his life he couldn’t afford to screw up. So what the hell was he doing now?
“Maybe,” he responded, knowing there was no maybe about it. Maybe, for once in his life, though, he could do something right. He wanted this thing with Krista to work. Their trip had been near perfect, and he didn’t want it to end.
Leaning over, she pressed her mouth against his in a sweet kiss. “I can take my brother if it comes to it.”
Noah grinned. “I’ll help you with your bags.” He walked around his Jeep, retrieved her luggage, and carried them inside for her. He could hear the shower running down the hall, where he presumed Joey was. Good. There was at least time to steal another quick kiss.
He leaned in and slid his hands from Krista’s waist to her bottom. Then he pulled her in for a taste. Question answered: Hell, yeah, the sparks had followed them back to Blushing Bay. He was so hot for this woman, they could practically set the town on fire.
—
Krista bit down into her muffin and closed her eyes.
Grace was seated across from her at the Blushing Bay Café with an expectant look on her face. “Spill already! What happened?”
Krista opened her eyes and turned to glance around, making sure there was no one around that shouldn’t hear the details she was able to let loose. “Okay. It was incredible,” she finally said, pulling her coffee to her. “I mean, the cabin is awesome, but as soon as we got there it was as if all the sexual tension between us shot through the roof. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other.”
“Oh, my God, Krista. This is awesome. So you two slept together?”
Krista nodded. “More than once. And he cooked me a candlelit dinner.”
Grace clasped her hands at her chest. “Aww! This sounds serious. Do you think you guys will continue seeing each other? I mean, as more than friends.”
Krista picked off a piece of her muffin. “We have a date tonight.”
“An actual date? Wow. You might just be the one to get Noah to settle down.”
“Am I being stupid to think that’s possible? I mean, you and I both know Noah.”
“Maybe after almost thirty years, he’s finally growing up.” Grace chuckled as she chewed her breakfast. “I don’t think it’s stupid at all. I think you should go for it. You two would make a great couple.”
Krista grinned. “So, moving on, I stocked a drawer at the Sawyer cabin with all kinds of kinky things that you and Jack might want to try.”
Grace’s eyes lit up. Now she was the one glancing around the café to make sure no one was overhearing. “I don’t know if he’ll be game, but a little honeymoon experimentation would be fun.”
Krista giggled. “I’m sure you can convince him. But you might want to make sure you have condoms when you go.” Because she and Noah had used those for themselves.
Grace’s eyes rounded. “Oh, my God. Did you two use an entire box of condoms?”
“Not an entire box.” But they’d come really close.
“Well, safety first. And who knows. Maybe Jack and I don’t need condoms on our honeymoon. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to come home pregnant. I’m not getting any younger.”
Krista grinned past the feeling taking hold in her chest. The one she’d been feeling for a while now. She was being left behind. Babies naturally followed marriage for most couples. She wasn’t getting any younger either, and she wanted those things for herself just as much as the next girl. “A baby Grace or Jack would be amazing,” Krista offered, feeling guilty that she was slightly heartbroken over the idea of being left out of what seemed like a secret club of women.
Grace got a dreamy look in her eyes. “Jack is awesome with kids. He’d be a natural in the role of dad.”
“Noah, too.”
Grace looked up. “Whoa. Did you really just say that?”
Krista slapped a hand over her mouth. “I didn’t mean to say it out loud.” She sighed. “We’ve only been together for one weekend. Talking like that is crazy and foolish. Forget I said it.”
Grace pressed a hand to her chest. “I started having thoughts like that about Jack almost immediately after finding each other again, too. It can’t be helped when you’re in love.”
Krista didn’t deny it. Why should she? She’d been in love with Noah from the beginning of time—and waiting for him to catch up. “So,” she said, switching subjects, “Noah and I have decided to put on a Friends-and-family-giving next weekend.”
“Your first couple event already?” Grace popped the last piece of her muffin in her mouth. “Count Jack and me in. Should we bring anything?”
“Just yourselves. We’re having it at the Sawyer Seafood office since neither of our places is big enough.”
“Perfect. Speaking of the office.” Grace stood. “I have to get to work.” She stepped over and gave Krista a hug. “Thank you for prepping the cabin for Jack and me.” Pulling back, she grinned. “Not that I think it was a huge hardship on you two.”
Krista shook her head. “Not at all. I would’ve done it for you no matter who I got stuck up there with for the weekend.” But she was awfully glad it had been Noah, and despite her reservations, she was cautiously excited about the new path the weekend had set for them.
—
Krista spilled out of the elevator five minutes late for work. Crap. And Karen was waiting at the nurse’s station for her, eyebrows raised. Double crap. “Good morning, Karen. Got stuck in traffic,” Krista said, laughing nervously under her breath. She put her things down and sat in front of a computer to check her patients’ statuses.
Karen didn’t budge.
“Everything ok
ay?” Krista asked, glancing over.
“We have a few new intakes. Your friend Adam is back.”
Krista froze. “Adam? Why, what happened?”
Karen gave her a knowing look. She pointed a finger. “That right there is the reason I told you not to get too close. You’ll burn out if you offer pieces of your heart to every patient who enters this floor.”
Krista resisted rolling her eyes. She was growing so tired of this conversation. “I’m just concerned about a patient of mine.” She logged into the computer and scrolled through the alphabetized list of patients until she found Adam’s name. Her breath slowly expelled as she read through his most recent data. “It’s just a small respiratory infection. He’s fine.”
Karen placed a hand on Krista’s back. “Are you?”
“Of course. I care about him just like I do all my patients.” And how could any nurse not care with the same vigor? She’d burn out faster if she walked this floor and operated with a cold, guarded heart. Maybe that was the reason Karen was so eager to be done with this place.
Karen frowned. “Okay. Well, I’m off, too. And I’m actually taking some of my vacation time before I retire. I thought I’d put you in the role of head nurse for the next few days while I’m gone. Are you up for it?”
Krista sat up straighter. She nodded without hesitation. “Of course. I’d love to.”
“Good.”
Karen started walking away and Krista plowed a small elbow down by her side. She’d save the victory dance for later, and maybe she’d celebrate this small step forward with Noah on their date tonight.
Chapter 14
“All right, man. Give it to me straight. What’d you do to my sister this weekend?”
Noah’s gaze darted left and right. He was stuck on a forty-foot boat with an oaf of a man who could probably toss him overboard if he wanted. Noah was built, but Joey was a heck of a lot bigger.
“She was singing in the shower this morning.” Joey crossed his arms at his oversized chest, looking unamused.
“Oh, yeah?” And that little fact satisfied the heck out of Noah. He was the reason Krista had woken up giddy. And maybe he’d been guilty of humming a tune in the shower this morning, too. Noah avoided Joey’s gaze for fear that what he’d done to Krista was written all over his face.
“Geez, man.” Joey shook his head and turned away to look out on the calm water. A few pelicans glided across the sky. One missled itself toward the expanse of blue, no doubt aiming for a fish. Joey didn’t seem too concerned over the loss. He had bigger fish to fry.
Noah wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t going to lie, but he wasn’t going to kiss and tell, either. So he just waited quietly. He guessed his silence was answer enough.
After a long moment, Joey turned to face him again. “She’s a grown woman so I have to let her take care of herself. But I’m still her big brother and if you break her heart, co-captain or not, I’ll have to rip you in half.”
“Fair enough.” Noah blew out a pent-up breath. “She’s at no risk of getting her heart broken, though. It’s not like that between us.”
Joey raised a brow. “Not like what?”
“You know. She’s my best friend.”
“If you tell me you’re friends with benefits, I’m going to have to make you fish bait.”
“No.” Noah adjusted his sunglasses and trained his eyes on the water. “It’s more than that. Truthfully, I have no idea what we’re doing. That’s why I’d rather not talk about it. Krista won’t get hurt, though. She knows me and she knows what she’s getting into with me.”
Joey shook his head. He was wearing a ball cap today to shield his face from the sun, and Noah could see his eyes reflecting more than the ocean. Wisdom. Concern. “Maybe she knows in her head. But what my sister knows in her head and believes in her heart are often two different things. Just warning you.”
Noah let that sink in. Krista was intelligent, but Joey was right. She did sometimes lead with her heart in spite of her sharp mind. He slid his gaze to Joey. “You’re, uh, just teasing about making me fish bait, right?”
Joey laughed as he unfolded his muscled arms. “How about I just let you sweat on that thought?”
They anchored the boat, tossed some chum in the water, and cast the lines. The rest of the morning was silent. Noah liked that about his new co-captain. They got along great, worked well together, and there was very little chatter amongst them. Joey, unlike his sister, kept fishing sacred. He could talk with the best of them over a couple drinks down at Castaways. And, as a cabbie, he knew how to start and carry a conversation with just about anyone. But out on the water, with their lines suspended into the deep blue, he sunk into the same quiet meditative state that Noah did. Even Beauty had learned to remain quiet when they were out on the boat. When Noah had crewed with Jack and Chris, things had been different. Jack and Chris were always cutting up—not that it scared the fish away. Those two had been fish magnets. The pressure of that was heavy and suffocating. As was the memory of what had happened to Chris. Chris’s death had hit Jack the hardest, but Noah felt the loss, too. Chris had been a good man, who’d lived and died by the sea. Filling his and Jack’s shoes was a tall order. With Joey aboard, though, the job felt doable. They couldn’t replace the former crew, but they were a crew in their own right.
By the time he and Joey docked, they had two good-sized tunas and about fifty pounds of other quality fish to take to the fish house.
“Good day,” Noah said, shaking Joey’s hand.
“Yeah. Now I’m going home where my sister is probably still humming.” Joey’s mouth quirked. “See you tomorrow, Cap.”
—
Noah went home as well. He showered and pulled on a pair of jeans and a clean T-shirt, then hopped back in his Jeep to go pick up Krista for their first official date. Joey’s warning haunted him as he drove. Krista might know who he was in her head, but believe something entirely different in her heart. Maybe her heart was right, though. Maybe he could be that committed guy she wanted him to be. He was a captain of his own boat now, even though he still felt like that little boy he’d been decades ago. The screw-up who couldn’t do anything right. The kid voted least likely to succeed. One thing he knew, he’d done Krista right this past weekend. He’d never seen her look so happy. And truthfully, he’d never been as happy, either. Maybe the tide had changed in his life. Hope pinged around in his chest.
He parked in front of her townhouse and stepped out to ring the doorbell. He wasn’t usually nervous going to get his best friend. But Krista wasn’t just his best friend anymore. She was the woman he’d spent the weekend with. The woman he’d been resisting for most of his life. He held his breath until she opened the door and beamed back at him. Everything inside him relaxed then. There was no reason to be nervous with Krista. He knew this woman, better than he knew himself. And he absolutely adored everything about her.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey yourself. I’ve been looking forward to this date all day.”
She rewarded him with a smile. And that was the biggest catch of his day. Krista grabbed her purse and followed him to the car. “So where are we going?”
Noah opened the passenger side door of his Jeep. She looked surprised and he was suddenly punctured with guilt that he hadn’t been doing so all along. Maybe he’d been a bit of a slacker growing up, but he’d always had manners. His father had made sure of it. Krista was a woman. Why the hell had he not been opening the door for her?
“Thank you,” she said, climbing into the passenger seat.
He stood there for a second wondering if he should lean in and help her buckle her belt as well. That was a move he’d used on some of the women he’d dated in the past. It brought him close enough to smell them, close enough to kiss them if he wanted to. Krista would see past his charms, though. Judging by the look in her eyes, he didn’t think he needed to anyway. She looked about as eager as he did for whatever happened next.
He c
losed the passenger door and met her on the other side. “I’m taking you back to my place,” he said with finality.
Krista raised an eyebrow as he looked over at her from the driver’s seat.
“To cook you dinner.” He shook his head. “Has your mind always been this far in the gutter?”
“You’re cooking me dinner tonight?” she asked in disbelief.
“Why do you sound so surprised? I cooked you dinner at the cabin, or have you forgotten?”
“No, but that was the cabin.”
“The weekend we shared had nothing to do with the place. It was me and you. Just a new version of us.” He reached for her hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “I want to explore that,” he said honestly. He’d had enough time on the boat today to think about what they were doing together. They were exploring uncharted territory. It was new and exciting, and terrifying at the same time.
“I’d like that.”
“Well, then let’s do it.” He drove to the marina and parked. Then they walked along the dock toward his houseboat and climbed aboard. His boat was about the size of an RV. The cooking provisions were minimal. He could cook a couple of small steaks in the oven, though, and sauté a few vegetables on the stove. “Make yourself comfortable,” he told Krista, who was already seated on his couch and petting Beauty. He dipped into his refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of sweet red wine. “See, I was taking notes this weekend. Dinner, wine, and…” He cursed quietly. “I forgot the candles.”
“As small as this place is, you’d probably set your home on fire.” Krista laughed, going to the cabinet to retrieve two glasses.
He popped the cork and filled each glass halfway.
“The question is, did you remember to buy the other essential item?” She blushed over her wine.
Noah frowned. He hadn’t purchased anything else. “Dessert?” he asked.
“I guess you could call it that. Dessert and condoms are both in the for-her-pleasure category.”
“Ohhhh.” Noah’s southern region lit up. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him, a breath expelling over his lips. Holding her in his arms was what he’d been missing all day. “Have I ever showed you my bedroom?” he asked in a low whisper. In a matter of seconds, he was already hard for her.