And the big, hard erection behind his fly.
Her eyes flew to his face.
He was looking down at her. His expression held pain, amusement, heat, and exasperation all at once. Impressively.
“Sorry I’m poking you,” she said, her voice breathless.
“I was going to say the same.”
His grin registered before his words did.
“That’s a little audacious,” she told him.
“Yeah.”
“Okay, git out of here,” Ellie said, untying the boat and giving the edge a push with her shoe.
It didn’t do much but it rocked the boat slightly.
Chase and Bailey moved apart.
“Oh, and don’t let Chase drive,” Ellie said.
Bailey looked over at her. “No? Why not?”
“He can tell you.” Ellie gave Chase a smile and then waved them off. “Take your time.”
Bailey watched as the woman turned and made her way up the dock. A movement up to the right of the building caught her eye and she squinted trying to make out what it was that Sawyer Landry was chasing.
“It that an otter?” she asked Chase, pointing.
Chase followed her finger, then shook his head. “Looks like a cat to me.”
Uh-huh. That was not a cat. “It looks—”
“Do you know how to drive an airboat?” he interrupted, taking the bag with the lights and star from her and storing it under one of the seats.
“Well, yeah that’s how we get around out there.”
“Good. You’re up, Captain Bailey.”
Suddenly she found herself being lifted with two big hands on her waist into the seat at the back of the boat. He stepped back. And stood there.
She just sat for a second after he put her down, not saying anything.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just waiting.”
“For?
“Well, you touched me. So I figure the boat is about to capsize or one of us is going to start puking or something.”
He didn’t disagree. Or laugh. He just waited, too.
Finally, after a full minute had passed, he asked, “How long do you think it should take?”
“Every other time it’s been immediate.”
“So maybe we’re safe this time.”
“Maybe.”
“And maybe—” He stepped forward. “It’s about where I touch you. The other times have been when I’ve touched your hand or gone for your mouth.”
He was now very much in her personal space. But not touching her. She looked up at him.
“Interesting theory.”
He reached out and put a single finger on her right knee.
They both waited.
Nothing happened.
He grinned. “Well, woman of science, what do you say to a little experimentation?”
Yes.
This guy wanted to spend more time with her. Whether or not they’d manage to kiss remained to be seen, but she wasn’t going to turn down more time with him.
She’d never quite fit anywhere. She was a little weird in Minnesota with her fascination with the bayou ecosystem and alligators. She was a little weird in Louisiana, because she wasn’t from here. Even with Chase and her attraction to him, they couldn’t get their lips fit together.
But it was now Christmas. She wasn’t with her family for the holiday so she was having a hard time feeling like she had a place to be. Chase and the Landrys were giving her that. Chase might have made her roll her eyes the first time they’d tried all of this, but she’d been unable to stop thinking about him and now this cute, flirty, charming guy came with Christmas lights and decorations and a set of adopted-for-the-evening grandparents.
She cleared her throat. “We are going to decorate right?”
“You know there’s not really a Gator Bells Bayou Tour, right?” he asked.
She’d had her suspicions. She grinned. “No?”
“I think there might be a Grandma Got Run Over By a Gator murder mystery tour coming up,” he said with a laugh. “But there’s nothing going on tonight.”
“How long do you think it will take them to round up all the otters?” she asked.
He looked surprised for a second. But only one. Then he grinned. “You know?”
“I guessed.”
“But you’re playing along.” It wasn’t a question.
“I didn’t come down here because of the otters, Chase.”
His smile died and heat flared in his eyes. “I’m really glad to hear that.”
“So how long do you think we’ll have the cabin to ourselves?” Her heart was pounding hard in her chest. She was never forward like this. Then again, she’d never met a guy who stepped on her foot, almost broke her nose with his, and that she couldn’t stop thinking about for months.
“I plan to text them when our ‘decorating’ is complete.”
“Does that mean after you’ve had a chance to touch me everywhere but my lips and hands?” she asked.
He leaned in, bracing his hands on the seat on either side of her hips, his nose almost on hers. But not quite.
“Bailey?”
“Yeah?”
“Drive.”
“Okay.”
“Fast.”
“Yeah.”
Chapter 6
He’d been out to the cabin a few times with Mitch, another of Ellie and Leo’s grandsons. They’d fished, and partied, and fished, and hung out, and fished at the cabin. He was shocked and proud to realize that he was able to direct Bailey to it with only one wrong turn.
She pulled up at the dock like a pro and Chase jumped off. He tied the boat up and then held out a hand to help her out of the boat. She lifted a brow and handed him a box.
Right. No touching her hand.
He chuckled. It was ridiculous. Obviously there wasn’t some stupid curse at play when they touched hands or lips. She just…shook him up.
And he was starting to like it.
She was different from all of the women he’d ever been with before. He liked not knowing exactly what was going to happen when she was around. He liked that she was sharp enough to figure out that there was something going on with otters. He liked that she’d seemed enchanted by Ellie. He really fucking liked that she’d worn a dress for him.
He liked her.
So, fine. He wouldn’t touch her hand. For now.
But that was not going to last. Not for long. Maybe not much past the threshold of the cabin.
They unloaded the boxes and bags. Ellie and Leo had come up with a surprising number of Christmas decorations to send to the cabin on this fake mission. It was clearly a last-minute attempt at distracting Bailey—and maybe throwing them together out away from the rest of the family for a chunk of time. That was exactly the kind of thing the Landrys would do. Even if there weren’t rogue otters to hide.
He carried the last box into the cabin, kicking the door shut behind him.
Bailey was kneeling in the midst of the other boxes. All of them were open and she’d started pulling things out.
“Oh my God, my grandma had these.” She held up two ceramic Santa mugs. “We’d have hot chocolate in them on Christmas Eve. She made the best hot chocolate. From scratch on the stove.”