Now, Graham had done many things in his life, but he had never once pointed his vagina to the sky.
But hey. It was always good to try new things.
“Hey, Zoey. Psst, Zoey.”
“Mm-hmm?”
The sexy little bit beside him was trying desperately not to fall out of position, her face purple from holding in her laughter.
“Am I doing this right?”
Jake had the decency to turn away.
By the time they came out of happy baby pose and relaxed on their backs for a while, Graham had to admit he felt more pelvically open to the universe than he’d ever felt before. That and bizarrely sleepy, but it might have had more to do with listening to Russ hum for a solid ten minutes than anything else.
Having Zoey by his side, Jake snuggled between them, felt oddly pleasant. And yes, they’d only known each other for a few days, but when he looked over and saw her stretching out comfortably on the grass, gazing up at the mountains rising above them, Graham couldn’t help but want to spend a little more time with her.
Hooking his pinkie around hers, Graham tugged lightly to get her attention.
“Hey, Zoey. Why don’t we drive down to Seward together? If we leave now, I can drop Jake off at home and get us down to the boats in time. I promise you won’t miss your ride.”
She hesitated, then shook her head.
“Learning about everything from the tour guide is the fun part.” Zoey reached over and patted Graham’s arm. “Thank you for being sweet, but it really is okay.”
Throughout their exchange, Lana stayed quiet, but Graham felt her eyes flickering over to them more than once.
“I could puppysit for the day,” Lana offered. “You know Jake and I are super tight. If not, Killian would love an excuse to get out of today’s meeting.”
While Graham was fairly certain this was manipulation, it felt a lot like her being an actual friend at the moment. Because when faced with the idea of his Zoey on a boat with tall, dark, and fancy pants, Graham was pretty sure he would much rather spend the day with her.
“Are you sure, L? Jake gets scared when he’s alone with strangers, and he gets sick from the stress. He needs to be with you or at my place.”
“I solemnly swear I will take the best care of Jake that anyone has ever taken of anything ever. Now, are you going, or am I calling Killian?”
Well. It wasn’t like Graham had anything better to do. He’d already opened his pelvis to new experiences for the day.
Zoey really was beautiful. And with the look of hopeful excitement back in her eyes, Graham realized he would do far too much to keep it there. Finally allowing himself the luxury of carefully adjusting her glasses high on her nose, Graham gazed over at her, voice softening.
“Whale watching it is.”
* * *
When Graham agreed to go on the whale watching trip with her, Zoey’s first inclination was relief. But when he turned his head her way, playfully squeezing her pinkie finger, it occurred to her Graham might be a problem.
A sexy problem, but a problem nonetheless.
After a quick change of clothes and a phone call to Moose Springs Adventurers to switch Lana’s name to Graham’s on the reservation, Zoey grabbed her Alaska bag and hurried down to the lobby. She found Graham just inside the hotel with Lana, ignoring the lurking Diego and his brochures, Jake at his feet and a worried expression on his face. Somehow, they’d procured a leash—one of the rules of the resort—but no one was actually holding the thing except for the dog. Ears perked and leash folded neatly in his mouth, Jake turned his cute little nose back and forth between the two humans, following their conversation.
“It’s going to be fine. Stop being a worry wart.”
“L. He’s my baby.”
“You’re so dramatic.”
Graham frowned at that. “I’m a responsible pet owner.”
“Are you? Because I’m pretty sure you showed up here in a sports car, and he wasn’t wearing a seat belt.” The dog turned toward Lana.
“How did you know that? And the situation wasn’t conducive to seat belts. Jake understands the limits of reasonable expectation. Right, Jake?”
Ears perked, he turned back to Graham.
“I have eyes everywhere,” Lana reminded them. “And I would have found him a seat belt. Jake, your daddy doesn’t take care of you at all.”
“L, you literally ditched your so-called best friend sloppy drunk the first night she was here.”
“And see how nicely that turned out? You two are delightful, by the way. Much better than the last one she was dating.”
Zoey’s face heated up at the insinuation of Lana’s comment, and she was glad neither one seemed aware of her presence. To her horror, Lana kept going.
“I’ve never met someone so boring in my life. How she managed to climb in bed with him—”
Graham must have been horrified too because he shook his head as if to shake free the images.
“Okay, so I’m going to stop that line of thought. Lana. Lana.”
“Yes?”
“Please don’t forget my dog. Don’t forget his water. Don’t forget he exists. And please, for the love of everything, don’t forget he can’t see.”
“I will send you pictures on the hour to prove that we are having nothing but the most fabulous time.” Lana picked up Jake, even though it took both of her arms to Graham’s one. “Say bye, Graham. Bye-bye. We’re going to be so much chicer by the time daddy gets home.”
Graham whimpered.
Jake had the gall to look pleased.
“She’s good with breakable things,” Zoey promised him.
“Come on, handsome,” Lana cooed. “You and I are going to get a makeover.”
“Don’t listen to any advice she gives you, buddy. You aren’t an autumn. Poodles make terrible girlfriends. Make good choices!”
Zoey patted him on a muscled arm, watching Lana sashay off with Graham’s fur baby. “Don’t worry. I think she’s joking.”
“Think or know?”
“I hope? Come on. Our shuttle should be here any minute.”
Graham allowed Zoey to herd him outside where the Moose Springs Adventurers tour shuttle was supposed to pick her and Lana up. As Graham held the door for her, he returned Zoey’s murmured thanks with a nod, then his eyes flickered over her shoulder to a woman hustling down the sidewalk. She was beautiful, from nose to high-heeled toes, in a perfectly tailored suit with the managerial bearing to match.