“Where do you get these ridiculous ideas?” she exclaimed, her hands waving wildly. “Do you think being hungry and stuck on a boat in the middle of a swamp for six plus hours with no power is making me hot?”
He cocked his head like he was considering it. “I’m guessing no?” He didn’t mind her letting off a little steam. He’d probably do the same if the situation was reversed. He held up the jellybean. “What can I do to entice you to eat this jellybean?”
“Serve it to me with steak?”
He popped the jellybean in his mouth and chewed. “See, now I offered to take you to a steakhouse, but you turned that date down.” That had been his first idea back when he’d seen her at Garner’s, but he’d had to go bigger to get her attention. “If you think about it, none of this is really my fault.”
Her death glare was impressively fierce. Not enough to scare him off, but…honestly, kind of a turn-on.
“I’m thinking about kissing you soon,” he informed her. He’d thought of little else since he’d picked her up at her house. Now, stuck in mud, hangry or not, he couldn’t deny he still wanted to very much. Her lips were deliciously sensual. Luscious even. He’d bet she tasted sweet too.
“Think again,” she growled.
Clearly she wasn’t on the same dirty line of thinking as he was. He’d have to work on that. He suddenly realized the room was getting darker. “Looks like the sun’s setting.”
“No shit.”
He grinned. “So what happens on the dark boat stays on the dark boat. Nudge, wink.”
She pursed her lips. “You’re not as funny as you think you are.”
He snagged another jellybean, popped it in his mouth, and chewed. “Mmm, coconut.”
She stood. “We need to look for a flashlight.”
He dropped the jellybean bag on the coffee table and joined her in the search. He found a headlamp in a kitchen drawer. He turned it on and put the headband on.
“How’s this?” he asked, turning to where she was looking through kitchen cabinets.
She shielded her eyes. “Nice and nerdy.”
He quickly took it off and tossed it back in the drawer.
She rummaged through the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a black flashlight. “This’ll have to do.” She turned it on, playing with the light levels, high and low.
“You’d better keep it on low so the batteries don’t run out.”
She clicked it to low and set it on the coffee table, facing up. They still had some light from the sun, not much, and the flashlight lit the room almost like a candle would.
He watched as she paced from kitchen to living room over and over. Kinda reminded him of a caged animal. Like him, she was a physical person and used to a lot of activity, which made the small enclosed space difficult to tolerate. Knowing they were stuck made it even worse. He got it. He really did, which was exactly why he’d taken a long run earlier today. He was about to suggest she do some push-ups when she surprised him, suddenly throwing herself facedown on the sofa. Oh shit. Was she crying?
He rushed over and knelt next to the sofa. “Don’t cry.”
“I’m not crying,” she said in a small heartbreakingly sad voice. “I don’t cry when I get frustrated. Normally I fight, but I’m weak from lack of food.”
He rubbed her back for a moment in sympathy, and she stayed just like she was, flopped down in complete despair, her head turned away from him. He had to do something.
He pulled a jellybean from the bag. “Guess what?”
She turned her head toward him, eyes closed. “What?”
He pushed the jellybean in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. “Thanks.”
He pushed another one in. Kind of like a slot machine, he thought. She’d either perk up for the win or get even more cranky, totally wasting their only food source.
She opened her eyes. “Are you just going to feed me jellybeans all night?” she asked, sounding a little more cheerful.
He popped another one in her mouth. She chewed, swallowed, and sat up. Jellybeans for the win!
He sat next to her, offered another, and she leaned back. “I’m good, thanks,” she said. “Give it a few minutes. I’m already feeling a little better.”
“Should we cuddle now post-jellybean?”
She burst out laughing. He chuckled. He’d been hoping to cheer her up. Though he wouldn’t mind cuddling. He was getting chilly with his hair wet and only wearing a robe.
He added a shiver for good measure. “If you haven’t noticed in that warm sweater, it’s getting colder in here. Sharing body heat just makes sense.”
“It’s not chilly. It’s refreshing.” She grinned. “Man up.”
He recognized his own words coming back to him. He’d told her to woman up, but he’d also offered his body heat. “I’d rather woman on top.”
Her deep brown eyes narrowed. “Are you for real?”
He winked. “Had to get the elephant out of the room. I know we were both thinking it.”
She tried to keep a straight face but smiled again. Win.
“We could dance,” he offered.
She sighed and held up her palms. “There’s no music.”
He started to sing her favorite, “SexyBack,” when her hand covered his mouth.
She shook her head. “No, just no.”
He took her hand, kissed the palm, and held it. She didn’t pull away. “Then it seems like the obvious choice is a game.”
“What kind of game?” she asked suspiciously.
His dirty hopes soared because she was at least interested enough to ask the question. “It’s called getting to know each other.” In his experience, confidence sharing with women always led to getting naked. He was an open book, no secrets here, but Charlotte was mysterious. Even if they didn’t get naked, he was dying to know more about her. What better way to pass the time?
She held up her stop-sign hand. “No, thanks. I’m good.”
He scooted closer so he could get some of her body heat, letting his leg touch hers. She allowed it. “So you’d rather sit here in the dark with one flashlight for hours, just staring at the walls?”
“I’d rather not be here at all.”
“Here’s how it works.” He let her get the exasperated sigh out of the way before continuing. “I ask you a question and, if you get it right, you get a jellybean. If you get it wrong, you give me a kiss.”
She scooted away, leaving a cold barrier of air between them. “What kind of question?”
“Any kind you want.” Damn, he really was getting cold. If she wouldn’t share her heat, he was going to have to get the blanket off the bed downstairs. Though he’d much rather have her on him.
“How come you get to decide if my answer is right or wrong?”
He scooted close again. “You can decide about my answer on your turn.”
She reached for the jellybeans and he shifted them to his other side, out of her reach. If she did try to get them, she’d be stretching nicely across his lap.
She left them. “Why do you get to hold the jellybeans?”
“Because I made up the game.”
“I don’t want to kiss you.” Her gaze dropped to his chest, where the too small robe gaped open. She licked her lips and met his eyes, desire banked there just waiting to come out and play. “I’m furious at you,” she whispered.
He sensed a softening in his direction, which was awesome because he was getting harder. “No lie, I’m really getting cold after that shower and only wearing this tiny robe.”
She gave him a sympathetic look. “Geez, I’m sorry, and we can’t put on the heat with the engine off.”
He leaned close. “Maybe you could help me out?”
“I’ll get a blanket.” She grabbed the flashlight and left, rushing down to the lower level.
He sat in the dark and cold and considered if he had any other moves. Not much was working on Charlotte.
She returned and covered him with a pink blanket, carefully
wrapping it around his shoulders. That was kinda nice, even if it was a five-year-old-girl’s blanket.
“You want some blanket?” he offered, holding it out to her. It was big enough for two.
“I’m good.” She set the flashlight back on the coffee table and sat next to him, one leg crossed primly over the other.
They sat for a few minutes in silence. So…no kiss, no cuddle, no game. He was at a loss for how else to pass the time.
She broke the silence. “Tell me what you did before you were a stuntman. List all your previous jobs.”
“Why? Are we playing the jellybean-kiss game?”
She ignored the kiss part of the question. “You can tell a lot about a person from what jobs they take.”
“What did you do before you were a personal trainer?” he countered.
“I was in banking.”
“Braa-aa-aap. Wrong answer. No way a fiery fierce woman like you was a conservative banker. Give me a kiss.” He pointed to his cheek.
“Yes, I was, and I’d sooner slap that cheek than kiss it,” she said matter-of-factly. But she didn’t.
He loosened the blanket so his right arm had some leeway; then he cupped her head and placed a soft kiss on the tender spot just below her ear, giving her what she denied him. She went stock-still.
He slowly pulled away, watching her expression. Her lips parted, staring at him. It was a good look for her.
“Your turn,” he said.
She shook her head and blinked a few times like he’d scrambled her brain. He was not unaffected either. He arranged the blanket better to cover a growing tent under the thin fabric of the robe.
“Like I said before,” she said slowly, “what were your previous jobs?”
He ticked them off on his fingers. “Stuntman, personal trainer, and camp counselor.”
“You were a camp counselor?” she asked, sounding shocked.
“You make me sound like a total beast. I was one of the oldest in a family of young’uns running hell-bent for trouble.” He shifted to face her and the blanket slipped off half his body. He left it, feeling warmer now. “It was actually really great. An overnight camp for developmentally disabled kids and adults. I was like a rock star there. I did three summers before I started working full time at the gym.”
Her jaw dropped.
He tipped her chin up. “What? You thought I was just an empty-hearted sex-crazed hottie?”
She nodded, smiling at him.
He smiled back.
“How’d you get involved with that?” she asked. “Did you know someone with disabilities?”
“Yeah. I was assistant coach for my dad’s Little League team at the Police Athletic League. One of the kids, Teddy, had an intellectual disability. He was slow to learn, I mean really slow like he had to go to a special school. Anyway, he wasn’t much good at ball, but he fucking loved the game. I coached him one-on-one before practice. He sort of really liked me. His mom asked if I’d consider being a counselor at his summer camp. It was all ages, up to age forty, with a range of developmental disabilities.” He smiled a little, remembering how the campers flocked to him, and the other counselors had to work extra hard to hold their attention. “I was extremely popular,” he told her. “I always figured it was because I’m a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of guy. I just put it all out there. Easy to understand.”
She gifted him with a tender smile, squeezing his shoulder. “You have unsuspected depths. For that you get a jellybean.”
“Excellent.” He snagged a handful from the bag, popped one in his mouth and offered her one. She opened her mouth and he fed it to her. She chewed, her eyes smiling at him. He fed her another and then another, and her eyes looked almost adoring gazing back at him. He might’ve just discovered the secret to Charlotte—she was a multiple jellybean kind of girl.
He ate a few more. “Why’d you leave New Jersey? You said you grew up there, right?”
“Yeah. Because I was tired of being with the same circle of people I grew up with. I’m one of the few people who ever left town.”
“Wrong.”
“What do you mean wrong?”
“Last chance to correct your answer or—” he lowered his voice to a husky growl “—I’m afraid you get a kiss.”
She looked like she was considering which was worse, explaining herself or getting another kiss from him. “Where?”
He hadn’t expected that answer. He leaned in, prepared to go anywhere. He spoke near her ear. “Where do you want a kiss, darlin’?”
She pointed to her cheek. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and gave her a peck.
“You’re a cagey sort,” he said. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that earlier. That’s exactly why we’re playing this getting-to-know-you game.”
“I’m not cagey.”
“Uh-huh. Your turn.” He’d totally roped her into his game and now he was going to get answers. Or kisses. Either one would be satisfying.
Her eyes flashed. “Why did you take me on this boat when you didn’t have the slightest idea what you were doing?”
“I wanted to impress you.” He refrained from reminding her it was a map-reading error, not operator error because now her eyes were soft and full of longing. Maybe for him.
“Oh.” She looked down for a moment and then met his eyes. “Why—”
“One question per turn, and I’m pretty sure I got that one right, so I get a jellybean.” He popped one in his mouth and offered her one. She already had her mouth open to receive. Oh, he liked this better and better. That mouth, that pink tongue. He gave it to her, brushing his finger across her bottom lip. She chewed and gazed at him, heat in her eyes.
He went for it. “How much are you digging me on a scale of one to ten?”
She laughed. “You don’t have a problem with self-confidence, do you?”
“Nope.”
“Right now?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re about an eight. Before you were a one.”
He put a hand to his heart like she’d wounded him. “What made you agree to a date if I was a one?”
She grinned cheekily. “One question per turn is what I heard.”
“For real, Char. Why did you say yes?” He suddenly really needed to know. He wanted to be more than just that guy with the muscles for her.
She pressed her lips together for a moment before saying, “I admit your dance in front of my yoga class charmed me.”
“Charmed you?” He’d been going for sexy.
“Yeah, it took a lot of guts. I thought he must really be interested if he’s willing to risk looking like a fool in front of all those women.”
He huffed and the pink blanket fell off him. “I looked like a fool?”
“No, but you could’ve. I had no idea which way things were going to go. I gave you a lot of points just for trying.”
He felt slightly better. “So the dance boosted me a bit. How do I get to ten?”
“Why do you care so much where you stand? It’s not like we’re going to have a relationship. I thought this would just be a fun date. I mean, you live in LA. I live here.”
“I visit regularly.”
She gave him a skeptical look.
“I do. I work New York almost as much as LA. I always ask for those jobs since my family’s here.”
She poked him in the chest. “And what about your job? Very risky.”
“Your point is?”
“You really think you’re a catch?” Her lips twitched, and he realized she was messing with him. He tickled her and she shrieked. Damn, she was ticklish. He got in a good tickle by her ribs and then under her arms and her neck. She was laughing so hard she could barely swat at him. He stopped, letting her get her breath back. She wiped her eyes, still smiling a little. Her cheeks were flushed pink. He couldn’t resist moving in for a quick kiss on those luscious lips.
She stared for a moment and then tilted her head up for more, her eyes closing. He obliged, cradling her head
with one hand, kissing her deeply, on and on, sinking into her softness. She tasted sweet like candy and hot. So hot. Raw lust surged through him, urging him to take. He forced himself to break the kiss before he got carried away. They were both breathing hard.
He stroked her cheek with his thumb, gazing into her dark eyes. “If you gave me half a chance, I’d make the long-distance thing work.” Holy crap. He shocked himself with the big R, a relationship, but then he realized with a start it was true. She was completely irresistible and he wanted a lot more than one terrible date stuck on a boat.
Her eyes widened, looking as shocked as he felt. “What’re you saying?”
He dropped his hold on her, a little shaken by too much feeling too fast. This was only their first date. “Nothing. Back to the game.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, not even sure why they were playing this game. Shit just got real.
“I like getting to know you,” she said. “You’re sweet.”
He raised a brow. “Is that supposed to be a compliment? No guy wants to be sweet.”
“What do you want to be?”
“Sexy for one.”
“Anything else?”
He scowled because she hadn’t agreed he was sexy. “Strong, confident, successful.”
“Winning.”
He did a double take, but she just gave him a small smile. “How am I winning?” he asked. “You were about to tear my head off when we first met. And now we’re stuck in the mud—”
“Because you’re being real with me and I like the real Ty.”
He was speechless. She liked the real Ty, stuck in the mud on the worst date ever with no power and only jellybeans to eat? She actually saw the real Ty and liked him, not just his money or his looks or his body (all three had worked wonders for him in the past). He had no idea what to say.
And then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. And he had a very good idea what to do.
Chapter Six
Charlotte knew she was playing with fire kissing Ty because the man clearly knew his way around women. One minute they were kissing hot and heavy, the next she was flat on her back, Ty between her legs, kissing along her neck. Somehow he’d shed the robe while they’d been kissing. He held his weight off her, holding himself up on his forearms, only the towel covering his lower half. The heat and size of him was delicious. Her body was on board before his lips made it past her collarbone. He yanked the cardigan open, the buttons flying who knew where, yanked the soft elastic of her peasant top down, slid the bra to the side, and sucked her nipple into his mouth. Sharp pleasure shot through her, the sensation a direct line of pleasure to her sex. She was breathless. Speech was impossible.
So Revealing (Happy Endings Book Club, Book 3) Page 5
