He shuffled on his feet and looked uncomfortable. “I keep in shape.”
“That’s apparent, and speaking for all the women of Heartbreak, we very much appreciate it.” She felt on firmer footing seeing him blush. It added more of a sway to her hips as she joined him, handing him one of the life jackets.
He didn’t say anything, taking the life jacket and sliding into it. She did the same. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when she zipped hers up, hiding her breasts. She’d picked her fire engine-red bikini, not thinking about it, but now she realized the skimpy top showed through the light yellow of her tank top.
Guess he did still want her.
That awareness made her feel powerful. He might be the one with all the muscle, but just like Hercules, he had a weakness, and that weakness was her. She was his Meg.
The Disney movie Hercules had always been her favorite growing up. She was known to watch it even now. She identified with Meg’s character more than any other Disney princess, probably because Meg wasn’t a princess. She was real, flawed, and sassy just like Zoe.
“Get in, and I’ll push you out,” Trip said.
She did as he instructed, taking the paddle he offered, and then sat as he gave the kayak a push into the water. She paddled out a ways, giving him time and room to join her. Floating on the mirrored surface, with the sun shining down, had all her worries leaving her in a rush.
When he paddled up to her, she rewarded him with a huge smile. “Thank you. This was the best idea. I need to make more time for this.”
“Why haven’t you?” he asked. “You’re usually on the water most days in the summer, even when it rains.”
Knowing that he’d noticed her activities caused a fluttering deep in her belly. “Life has gotten more complicated, I guess,” she answered vaguely.
“Complicated how?”
He wasn’t going to let it drop, she realized. Instead of answering, she took off in the kayak, using deep strokes of the paddle to glide away from him. He didn’t have any problem catching up to her and keeping in line.
“You want to know why I picked kayaking for our date?” he asked.
“I assumed it was to keep you from touching me.”
“That’s part of it. I want to get to know you, remember. In order for that to happen, you need to answer my questions.”
“See, that’s where the problem lies. A woman likes her mysteries.”
“Some of the boys you date, might fall for that, but not me.”
“Boys?” She cocked a brow.
“Men, all right. Just how many men are you dating?”
“How many women are you dating?”
“Zoe,” he growled.
“Fine. I haven’t had time to date lately. You’re the first I’ve dated since I left college.”
“What about Derek? You were out with him last week.”
“Derek and I have a…curious friendship. I really can’t go into it more than that. We’re good friends, but I’m not romantically interested in him.” His shoulders seemed to relax at her answer.
“Why did you leave college?”
“After a semester, I realized it wasn’t for me.”
“And what is for you?”
“Is this going to be like twenty questions? I’m starting to feel interrogated here.”
“In order to feel that way, you must be hiding something.”
Not only was he sexy as hell, muscled to within an inch of his life, he was also very intuitive. But then he was a cop with a stellar record and his father a decorated one. It seemed to run in the gene pool.
She glanced at him from under her lashes. “If I tell you something, do you promise not to share it with anyone, including my family?”
His eyes narrowed. “What are you up to, Zoe? Does this have something to do with why you were stripping?”
“Yes, but I won’t tell you unless you promise me.”
“Good hell, it isn’t illegal, is it?”
She laughed at that, the sound echoing around the still waters of the lake. “No. I might push the boundaries but never that one.”
He studied her for a moment. “All right, you have my promise. I won’t tell anyone what you share with me tonight.”
She released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding as she waited for his answer. Now where to start? “I was stripping to earn money.”
“That I got. What I don’t understand is why you felt that was the only way to earn money.”
“Not the only way, just the quickest. I’ve started a project that requires a lot of upfront costs.”
“What type of project?”
“Developing my own fabric line. I’ve been painting patterns on fabric and designing clothes with Derek.”
“Excuse me?” He stopped rowing and rested the paddle across his lap, looking at her stunned. That was obviously not what he was expecting to hear. “You were taking off your clothes so that you could make clothes?”
She chuckled. “It’s funny when you put it that way, but yes.”
“Why are you keeping it a secret? Besides, don’t you have a trust fund from your mother.”
She did. All the kids had money put aside for them that their mother had set up before her death. She’d wanted them to use it for college or getting certified in their chosen careers. It was how Catriona had the seed money for her business. Dare had used his to finance building custom sled dogs and racing, and Ryder had invested in Wild Log Homes as a partner, while Brey had taken his off to Nashville to become a Grammy-winning song writer. Sorene had saved hers for the down payment on the Lake House, and Kennadee had become certified as an EMT firefighter.
“If I’m not in college, I can’t touch the money until I’m twenty-one.” Didn’t that bite?
“Why didn’t you talk to Jack? He’d loan you the money.”
“I don’t want to ask my daddy for money. Besides, if you were in my shoes, with my track record of starting things and not finishing them, would you invest in my business? I didn’t think so.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth. I would invest in you, Zoe. You’re talented. I’ve seen your paintings. I still remember you drawing on the walls when you were little, and instead of getting into trouble like Ryder and Dare had when they did it, your mother praised you and had the drawings coated with a sealant so they would remain. Ryder and Dare were not happy about you not being punished, let me tell you.”
His words had emotion swelling in her throat, and she had to look away. She concentrated on paddling her kayak until she could get these overwhelming feelings under control.
Trip seemed to understand and gave her some time, before he said, “Wait, go back. Derek is doing this with you? Derek Waterman?”
“He’s the only Derek I know. And he’s an amazing designer. You remember that dress I wore the other night to the Pump House?”
“How could I forget? You were stunning in it.” Realization dawned. “You mean, you and Derek created that?”
“Yes.”
“Good hell, why are you keeping this a secret? You should be sharing it with the world.”
Pride flushed through her in a warm wave. “We plan to. But first we need enough items for a show.”
“And you’re afraid to tell your family what you’re doing because you don’t think they will support you? That’s crazy, Zoe. They love you.”
“I know they do. But I want to show them something solid, something finished, with an ironclad business plan in place. Derek is in the same boat. Luke Waterman is not going to like that his son designs women’s clothes.” Luke Waterman was an avid hunter and had a taxidermy business that he wanted Derek to take over when the time was right.
Trip grimaced. “No, he will not.”
“See, the need for secrecy?”
“I understand why you think so, really understand why Derek does, but you’re underestimating your family, and stripping for the funds to get this up and running is not the way to go about it.”
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“Maybe not, but it was the quickest way.”
“What made you even think of it?”
“Derek and I were designing costumes for the girls, and the owner asked me if I’d like to dance for him. When he, and the girls, told me how much I could earn, I jumped at it. The equipment I need isn’t cheap.”
“How much money do you need?”
“Oh no, don’t even think about it. I will not take money from you. Hell, no. I’ll do this on my own. My way. Understand?”
“Yeah, I get it. I just wish you wouldn’t make everything so hard.”
“Sometimes doing things the hard way is the right way.”
Chapter 12
Trip looked at Zoe. Hard was right.
He’d been hard since she’d opened the door earlier and he’d seen her in the soft sundress, with fabric so thin it would take nothing to rip it off her. Then she’d returned in short shorts and a mesh top that showed off the deep red of her bikini top. He couldn’t help but remember the red halter he’d stripped her of that fateful night when he’d lost control of his senses.
It seemed each time he was around Zoe his ability to think, to reason, was as effective as grasping at gossamer spiderwebs in the hope of turning them into nylon rope.
They paddled their kayaks toward shore, having traversed the circumference of the lake.
“You know this conversation has gotten too serious for kayaking.” She took her paddle and slapped the water, splashing him. She laughed at his wet, shocked face.
“You think that’s funny?” He cocked a challenging brow.
“Sure do.” She raised her paddle to splash him again and he grabbed it and gave it a yank. She squealed and went into the drink. Now it was his turn to laugh when she broke the surface bouncing like a buoy since the life jacket shot her straight up.
She wiped water from her face and slicked back her hair, looking even sexier wet.
This wasn’t a good idea.
“You’re going to pay for that.” The glint in her eye should have had him back paddling as fast as he could. She reached him before his mind engaged the warning. She reached up and flipped his kayak.
Instead of popping to the surface like she did, he swam deeper, his muscles straining against the objecting life jacket. He came up under her, grabbing her legs and dunking her under again.
He waited for her as she surfaced, sputtering. “You forgot who the water fight champion is,” he said.
“That was underhanded.” She slapped him with water. He returned spray until they were acting like kids in an all-out water war.
Swimming toward her, he reached out and hauled her into his arms. The life jackets kept them buoyant so neither had to fight to stay afloat. A smile lighted her face, her eyes shining like emeralds in the evening sun.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he said, right before his mouth took hers.
On a moan she returned the kiss, her legs coming up and locking around his hips. He answered her action with a guttural groan. What he wouldn’t give to slip inside her, right here, right now.
Before the kiss got away from him—and all the blood in his brain reported to his second in command—he broke away. He held her but put some space between them.
“You sure have a way about you,” she said, her legs still locked around him and her eyes dazed with passion. “You make me stupid.”
He gave a low chuckle. “Right back at you. I do believe we’ve proved that there is no rational thinking to be had when our lips engage.”
“Hmm, but boy, it feels sooo good,” she hummed and arched against him.
He about gave in right then and there. But too much was at stake to surrender to his desire to have her again.
Not yet.
He’d come to realize that she meant a lot to him. Maybe everything.
On a curse, he gently withdrew her legs from around his waist, wincing as the cold water targeted his second in command. “Come on, we better grab the kayaks before they drift to the other side of the lake.”
She glanced around, locating hers about twenty feet away. They were a hundred yards or so from shore. “Guess we didn’t think this through.”
A lot they hadn’t thought through. “We’ll have a bit of exercise before dinner. Good thing we didn’t eat first.”
She swam to her kayak, depositing the paddle floating farther out into the seat and then started swimming toward shore, towing the kayak behind her. He did the same, but she reached shore before him since his kayak had drifted the opposite direction into deeper water. The longer swim did him good, and he had himself back under control by the time he dragged the kayak onto the beach.
That was until he turned to see Zoe in only her bikini, wringing out her tank top and shorts, her nipples beading like sharp points through the minuscule top.
The look he sent her was hot enough to singe her skin. What she wore right now was less than when she’d been stripping.
Good God, he wasn’t going to make it.
“You have to put some clothes on,” he blurted out. “Now.” His voice sounded like he’d eaten a pound of gravel. “Are you trying to kill me?”
She paused from trying to get the water out of her clothes. Glancing down at her bikini, and then the evidence stretching the seams of his shorts, she said, “I don’t have any other clothes, and I don’t relish wearing wet ones.”
He stomped off toward his truck, grabbed his jacket from the behind the seat and the picnic basket and blanket. Stomping back, he went to hand her the jacket, thought better of it, and tossed her the blanket. “Wrap up in that, and I mean cover everything up.” His nostrils flared as he attempted to wrangle his overwhelming need.
Not saying a word, but biting back a knowing smile, Zoe wrapped herself up in the blanket. Then she took her tank top and shorts and hung them on diamond willow branches to dry.
It wasn’t enough. He’d caught a glimpse of that bewitching body beneath the scraps of fabric and knew what lay under that blanket. “I can’t do this. I need to take you home.”
“Seriously?” Her brows rose in surprise.
“Seriously,” his tone grim.
“What’s your objection to having sex again? Because I want to, in the worst way.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, clenched his teeth, and tried to keep his muscles from moving forward and grabbing her. “I told you before. I want to get to know you. And you, me.”
“I already know more about you than you probably want me to know,” she informed him.
“No, you don’t.”
“Put me to the test then.”
“What’s my favorite color?”
“Not going to challenge me?”
“You’re deflecting the question.”
“Fine.” She opened the blanket, flashing the bikini. “Red. Your favorite color is red.”
“Good Christ, woman. You are trying to kill me.”
She took pity on him and covered up again. “Try me. Make the next question a little harder.”
She had to go and say harder. If he got any harder, it would surely be his demise. “What did I make for my seventh-grade science project?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope.” There, maybe this discussion would help him recover. He just had to ask questions that steered the conversation away from anything sexy.
“A volcano?” she asked.
“Wrong.”
“I know you did a volcano at some point because you, Ryder, and Dare blew up the shed out back.”
“Oh, that. Okay, you get half a point since that was sixth grade.”
“Let’s cut to the chase. Your favorite food is Mexican, and you hate artichokes and coconut, which is probably more of a texture thing than the actual taste as I’ve seen you add coconut milk to your coffee. Your first date was with Eliza Wood at fifteen. You went to the movies, I believe it was Twilight. Your first kiss was with Mina Webber under the bleachers during halftime when you played the championship hocke
y game against the West Valley Timberwolves in Fairbanks, and the first woman you slept with was—”
“How do you know all that?” he interrupted.
“I’ve stalked you all my life. It’s no secret that I’ve had a crush on you. I’ve paid attention. There isn’t much I don’t know about you.”
“Okay, what is something you don’t know but always wanted to?”
That stopped her for a moment, and she tapped her lip, thinking. “Why did you turn down the job offer at Quantico?”
She knew about that? “Do you have my house bugged?”
“No, I don’t have your house bugged, but I have excellent hearing, and since I’m the youngest of seven, I’m fairly sneaky. I overheard Ryder and Dare talking about the offer you received after helping to locate the little girl that had been kidnapped a few years ago.”
He’d worked hand in hand with the FBI, and the girl had been the third one missing in four months. Special Agent Niall Windsor had been impressed with him and recommended he be brought into the FBI.
“I turned them down because I like my job as an Alaska State Trooper. Being a cop is political enough. I can’t image what it’s like in the FBI. That isn’t the life I want. Alaska is in my blood, it’s where my heart is.”
“You could have been stationed here with the FBI.”
“There was no guarantee, and I wasn’t willing to take that chance. Plus, I like working in a small town where I know everyone and everything that goes on.” Except he hadn’t been aware of what Zoe had been up to until he’d seen her dancing onstage.
“Are you still going to take me home, or can we eat whatever you brought in the picnic basket? I’m starved.”
“I think I can risk it, if you promise to stay covered up.”
“Coward,” she muttered.
“Not a coward. A survivalist.”
“Call it whatever you need to in order to feel better about yourself.” She took a seat on the grassy meadow and peered into the picnic basket.
He laid his jacket on the grass, using it to keep his wet clothes from picking up dirt and debris and made sure he wasn’t within arm’s reach of her.
“Fried chicken and potato salad?” she commented. “Look at you. Real picnic food.”
Wild Card (Alaska Wild Nights Book 4) Page 6