Boss Rules: A Knocked Up Romance

by Jenna Gunn

  “Ready, Carson?” The man pins me with that scrutinizing look of his when he returns and drops himself onto the deck of the boat. He often calls me by my last name at work even though the other members of the team took to calling me Ray or Raven right away. Personally, I don’t care. In Texas, being called Carson was way more common.

  Of course, calling him Archer would do no good at all since there are five Archer men on the county rescue payroll.

  I nod my reply, knowing he’s still watching me. He’s always watching me. Slipping on my mandatory life jacket, I pretend not to notice the way his gaze sets fire to my skin.

  That kind of observation is something I’m more or less used to. When you’re a woman in a male-dominated job, it seems like someone is always watching, either judging your ability or watching you like you’re on the menu.

  I’ve never let that stop me. It’s just adds fuel to my fire.

  The engines roar to life, vibrating the hull beneath my feet as I work to release the dock-lines. The breeze cools my heated skin that’s being seared by his proximity as we cruise slowly through the marina toward the channel. The channel carries us from the relative quiet of the marina out into the ocean for an interesting day ahead, and I can’t help but shiver a little in anticipation.

  9

  Chapter 9

  Recruit Raven Carson, all five feet six of her, is standing too damned close with her slender hand clasped on the grab-bar on the boat, reminding me of all kinds of dirty things we’ve done together.

  My eyes keep dropping to her long, very feminine fingers wrapped around that hard metal rod.

  Fuck, what the fuck was I thinking, putting myself in the position to be alone with her today?

  I made the schedule; I’m the damned boss.

  My drive to get closer to her won over my better judgment.

  I stupidly thought it would be a good idea to personally evaluate her skills on the boat when I could have let anyone else do it.

  Even though I know I shouldn’t want to, I’m determined to figure out what makes Raven tick.

  To solve the Raven Carson puzzle that’s been laid out in front of me since she took the seat next to me on the train. Since she toyed with me. Since she left me weak, sated, and starving for more.

  As her boss, I should understand her. Right?

  It’s a decent argument.

  But it’s far from the real reason.

  Old habits die hard. And taboo women are like delicious exotic confections. Raven’s as taboo as it comes, completely at the top of the list of women not to do the dirty with.

  The truth is, I like playing with fire.

  The flame is so close right now that I can wave my hand over her heat and feel the sting.

  Just a glance her way, and I feel things in my body that I should not feel when I’m in uniform.

  Unable to resist any longer, I say, “So, here we are. All alone.”

  Her eyes skate across me, and even though she’s got her dark sunglasses on, I feel it like a hands-on inspection. Like just days ago when those sexy nails were biting into my back.

  And every damn time she does that with those enormous dark ocean blue eyes of hers, I get a flood of lusty visions of her spread across a wide expanse of white sheets in the early morning light, my name on her lips as she comes.

  She laughs. “Yep. I guess you like to torture yourself.”

  “What, it’s not tempting to you?”

  In reply, her sassy mouth points out, “Remember our conversation about your penis?”

  I don’t reply; I just watch the water ahead.

  Penis—the word on its own on her lips brings up all kinds of dirty images like me bending her over my office desk instead of the hotel desk.

  Suddenly, a seagull swoops down, issuing a shrill cry at me like some scolding mother, yelling it’s warning to get my mind out of the gutter.

  Alright. Alright. But I know any attempt at ignoring her allure is going to be as short-lived as a five-year-old kid’s attention span.

  “Not even a little tempted?” I joke back, trying to quell the slight feeling of disappointment I shouldn’t be feeling in my chest.

  She doesn’t even bother to look at me. “Oh, I’ve thought about it. But you’re not worth it.”

  Ouch! That one stung. Yet, she admitted she thought about it.

  “Watch out. She’s got fangs.”

  She smirks. “And a swift knee. Just test me to find out.”

  “Maybe I feel the same, like my job is worth more than a romp in the sack with you.”

  It’s so logical, but why is it so hard?

  Picking up the binoculars, she looks at the horizon. “I’m glad we see eye to eye then.”

  Raven looks right at home on the boat, standing next to me at the helm. She is proving to be a damn good candidate for the full-time job. Those black-out sunglasses she wears obscure her lovely eyes, but I know behind them, her gaze is acute, always on guard. Not much gets by her, or so it seems. On land, she’s been hitting all the marks, but we’re just getting started.

  My brain and my body have been having the ultimate war. Should I want her to have the job or just want her period?

  I’m not that used to working with the opposite sex. Why the hell does it have to be one woman who’s gotten under my skin?

  And not only is she a coworker, but Raven is also the first under my command, now that I’ve taken over after my father retired.

  Not that Christian and the others aren’t watching.

  They like her, but I’ve seen the doubtful look in their eyes. They think I can’t resist the temptation.

  It’s the ultimate challenge of my restraint.

  Only I think I played the wrong card today.

  What was I thinking?

  Okay, if I really admit it, when we’re far from shore, I plan to ram my tongue into her sweet mouth and satisfy something that’s kept me awake for nights.

  The smell of summer and her shampoo drifts over me as the wind shifts the ocean breeze. Honeysuckle is the fragrance, if I guess correctly. I briefly allow myself the indulgence.

  I start in on my self-lecture:

  She’s off-fucking-limits

  Mixing work with bedroom antics is the worst damn idea in the world

  Gotta have one-hundred percent of my mind at work when I’m on duty.

  Don’t daydream about what she looks like beneath me, naked and crazy with lust.

  Getting it on with Raven Carson again is a big fucking NO.

  It has to be that way. When I’m on the job, I give it my all, just like my father, uncle, and all the other Archer men.

  Raven shifts and I catch a view of her out of my periphery, but I turn my attention back to the water. The ocean is calm—like perfect dark navy blue glass—in front of me as I guide the boat out through the channel. I know it’s only a matter of time before that changes, though. The forecast is calling for growing swell and wind, starting mid-morning. Playtime is about to be over.

  10

  Chapter 10

  It’s not long before we get a call over the radio—dispatch reporting that Tower 1 has spotted a kayaker that’s gone far from shore. Given the forecasted change in the weather, this could spell disaster for the kayaker. I give the boat some more throttle and plane the hull up on top of the water, turning us toward the kayaker’s supposed location. Within a few moments, Raven spots him through her binoculars. “Looks like someone made a good decision in calling this in. The guy doesn’t look like he’s really prepared to be out here.”

  Shaking my head, I say, “He’s a disaster waiting to happen.” The man’s not wearing a jacket, his boat looks overloaded, and he’s obviously out of shape—not the indicators of an experienced sea-kayaker. “You got this?” I ask as we near the boater.

  “Yep,” Raven says as she moves to the side of the boat where we will come alongside the man’s kayak.

  “Hello, sir. Ocean Rescue here.” She raises a hand in a friendly wave.r />
  The red-faced, out of shape kayaker grins up at Raven with delight. “Well, hello there!”

  There’s a handful of beer cans in the kayak. Mr. Day-drinker has obviously been sucking down some serious alcohol already.

  Raven’s polite but firm when she speaks to him. “Sir, the weather is going to change soon. You’re pretty far away from the shore, and things could get bad out here. The wind is going to start pushing you farther from the beach. It’s best if you get in with us and let us take you back.”

  The man looks around, surprised. “It’s calm as can be. It’s great out here.”

  I see Raven’s eyebrows rise a bit and drop back down behind her glasses. “Yes, sir, but have you checked the forecast?” she says patiently.

  “Yesterday. And it looked fine.”

  “It was, but the forecast changes quickly here. The weather is getting ready to shift. We recommend that you get in the boat with us now, sir. We’ll tow your kayak back for you.”

  A pout forms on the guy’s round face. He’s probably spent the last 51 weeks working, finally got a week off to go to the beach, and here we are, interrupting his morning of kayaking. We see it all the time.

  “Do I have to?” He wipes sweat off his already glowing forehead with his arm.

  “We strongly recommend it.” Raven doesn’t point out that we could have him arrested if needed.

  I walk over to the edge of the boat and peer down at the man that’s bobbing alongside. “Take the lift and live to kayak another day, man.”

  He seems to consider the words, then finally agrees to come aboard. I toss him a bag and instruct him to put all his stuff in it, including the beer cans, so we don’t leave a trail of litter all the way back to shore.

  It takes both of us to help the sorely out of shape and very tipsy man up onto the back platform. Raven guides him into the boat and then goes about securing his kayak on a rope while I tend to the helm and instruct the man on how to put on one of our life jackets.

  Ah, a day in the life of water rescue. Drunks, bad ideas, weekend warrior mentalities, and Mother Nature…never boring.

  Turns out the guy, AKA William, is pretty humorous in the scheme of things. He’s a silly drunk, and I catch Raven fighting back a grin as the man says, “Ahoy mateys, I needs to find me sea legs!”

  Before long, it’s obvious the man is completely taken with Raven. He’s talking about her being a “pretty boat cop” and how he’d like to meet a nice boat cop for himself. He’s ogling her with a goofy smile when he notices her legs. “Wow, those uniforms are nice. Hey, would you like a beer?”

  “No, thank you, I’m working.”

  Suddenly, he sways a little. “Whoa, is that an earthquake?”

  I snicker and respond, “No, it’s the train moving.”

  Raven grits her teeth at me. “No, William. It’s just the waves. Ignore him.”

  He grins and rocks to the side. “Maybe we can have that beer later? Can I take you out?” he asks, hopefully.

  “Sorry, William, but I don’t think my boyfriend would approve of me having a beer with another man.”

  “Do you have any boat cop friends that look like Pamela Anderson?”

  Her attempt to hold in her laugh fails when she answers him, “I do not. But it might be easier to find one if you’re sober.” I chuckle but continue my job of captaining the boat, letting Raven deal with the guy. She glances at me, raises her glasses, and locks her pretty blue eyes on me. “Can you go any slower?”

  I grin. “Technically, yes, I can.”

  “Great. And let me guess, we’re going all the way into the marina?”

  “Yeah,” I reply. I’m tempted to pull back on the throttle and make the trip a little longer just for the heck of it, but I know we’ve got other things to tend to.

  If this guy wasn’t lit, we might drop him near the shore and let him paddle his way back in, but there’s no way I’m putting this guy back in the kayak. He needs to drink some water, not paddle in it.

  We cruise through the channel, his little sit-on-top kayak bobbing along behind us in the wake of the boat. Raven starts pointing out features of the rock jetty and marina to the man to distract him from her and to end his constant stream of compliments about her hair, her hat, her uniform, her nice teeth, and her nice life jacket. I’m laughing on the inside the whole way.

  When we finally manage to off-load the guy and hand him over to one of the marina staff, I turn the boat back out toward the ocean.

  Raven shakes her head. “That was ridiculous.”

  “That was hilarious.” Finally, I can laugh out loud.

  Her jaw hardens, her brow drops, and I can just imagine how narrow her gaze is behind her sunglasses as she turns to stare at the horizon ahead.

  Throttling the boat back, I bring us to a standstill. We’re far from shore, and no one is around.

  Leaning back on the seat, I watch Raven’s reaction. I roll the name Raven around in my mind. She’s wild and hard to catch. It’s perfectly suited to her.

  The sea rocks us gently as she turns toward me. “What are we doing?”

  “Stopping for a minute?”

  “What have you got in mind?”

  She’s within a few feet of me, so I reach out and slide her glasses off, revealing her eyes.

  “Raven Carson, you pose a dilemma for me.”

  Her eyes dance. “Well, Bryce Archer. It’s only a dilemma if you let it be.”

  Cryptic speaking little she-devil.

  “Come here.”

  “Hardly.” She takes a step back.

  “Afraid of me?”

  That gets a laugh from her. “You’re not the problem. Well, maybe you are the problem.”

  Sighing, I turn her glasses over in my fingers. “I want you.”

  She gasps a little before replying, “Bryce, people want a lot of things that don’t make sense.”

  “You want me too, I know it.”

  She takes another step back, putting more distance between us. “Bryce, this is insane. Do you know how long I’ve wanted a job like this? I’m not giving it up for an affair.”

  My jaw pops as I clench the muscles together.

  Affair. The words sound so ugly and out of place on her pretty mouth.

  “I can’t stop thinking about the feeling of you beneath me.”

  That got her—a flush of pink warms her cheeks.

  My voice comes out a lot like a command when I say, “Come here.”

  Shaking her head, she groans, “Oh no. I’m not getting near you. My brain does weird things when you’re close.”

  Chuckling, I admit, “That makes me feel a slight bit better.”

  “Is your ego bruised? Not used to being turned down?”

  Perusing her with my eyes, I say, “I usually get what I want.”

  “Well, chalk this up to a new experience, because you’re not getting this again.”

  “You’re just full of fire, aren’t you?”

  “Honey, Texas women are fire.”

  “Kiss me.”

  She stutters, “W-what?”

  “We’re far from shore, and no one is looking. No one will know.”

  She’s silent for a moment, and my heart stutters about because I’m pretty sure she’s considering the idea.

  “I’ll know, and I’m not okay with that.”

  I chuckle. “Come here. I want to taste your delicious mouth.”

  She gasps again and scolds, “Bryce Archer. You’re insane. No.”

  Snaking a hand out, I grab her fingers. “My number still on your arm?”

  She looks away, but I see a tiny smile on her face.

  Rubbing my thumb over her knuckles, I turn her to look at me. “Look, no one is out here. I’m not asking you to let me bend you over this bench, although that’s a nice thought. I just want you to kiss me.”

  She locks that midnight blue stare on me. “You’re trouble.”

  “Good thought, though, huh?

  She steps to
ward me, and her gaze narrows on my lips.

  Everything in the world ceases to exist as she presses her very gorgeous mouth to mine.

  The urge to touch her all over is so strong that I have to clench my hands hard into the upholstered bench seat.

  She’s breathy and flush when she steps back. “We shouldn’t.”

  I love how flustered she is. And I know for a fact that the chemistry between us isn’t going away any time soon.

  “I won’t see you again, not like that,” she murmurs.

  “Guess a kiss will have to do, then.” I put the boat in gear and start calculating just how long I can take this torture.

  For the next hour, Raven doesn’t have a thing to say, which is fine by me. I’m not up for small talk today. Too many things on my mind. She stays busy, sweeping the horizon with the binoculars while I continue to navigate the growing swell.

  The wind is beginning to pick up, and the size of the waves is building quickly, sending sea spray into the air. Now’s when our job begins to get more intense.

  We’ll be patrolling the shoreline for anyone who might get blown off-shore in kayaks, on paddleboards, or on rafts, but we’ll also be on high-alert for smaller motorized boats and sailboats that get into trouble with the changing seas.

  There’s chatter on the radio about putting out the flags warning about hazardous swimming conditions. The familiar voice of my younger brother comes over the radio. “Tower 3, sending Evan in the water to rescue a swimmer in a rip.”

  Dispatch responds, “10-4.”

  Things are getting busy back on land. They already completed two other rip-current rescues in the last hour at other towers. Days like this can get hairy.

  It makes me a little twitchy, knowing I’m in charge of Team One and being out on the water. I take a boat shift to keep it fair, but I like being on land on days like this. Trying to distract myself, I ask, “Can you grab a bottle of water for me?”

  Raven hangs the binoculars on a clip and moves to the cooler. She sways with the boat as we roll over the waves. She’s definitely got her sea legs and has no trouble moving about in the boat. A second later, she hands the cold bottle to me.