Nothing ventured, nothinggained.
"Yeah, you are. You're some fine cut of meat." Owen barked out a startled laugh and pushed to his feet. "Whoa. Okay. Now I know I'm drunk," he said. "Get some sleep, McClish. Another early day is coming ourway."
I nodded and babbled something in response, but I couldn't stop hearing his words in my head.I'd gnaw on you.It wasn't clear what I'd gained there, but I was satisfied with theventure.
8
Between Water and Wind
n. The part of the ship's hull that is sometimes submerged and sometimes above water by the rolling of thevessel.
Owen
I can't keepthis up for much longer. Something has togive.
That was what I was telling myself as I stomped around the deck and growled at the sunny sky. The sky hadn't offended me in any notable way but I was in a mood. The kind of mood that could turn milk sour and burn holes in the rug without much effort. The kind of mood born from telling Cole I wanted a taste of him and then going to bed needy andalone.
But then it got worse when I saw him reeling in a trap, and leaning too far over the starboard side while he didit.
Please, Jesus, don't let him fall in. I don't possess the strength for his bare chesttoday.
"Keep your feet planted, McClish," I called, jerking my chin toward the starboard side buoys. The sun was high overhead, and only here, miles from the shore, did the breeze extinguish August's humidity. "If you go for a swim, you're dragging your ass out of the water thistime."
"Would you shut the fuck up?" Cole replied. "I gotit."
I tossed several more traps into the water while Cole wrestled one up. The first time he'd hoisted up a trap filled with live lobsters by himself, he'd fumbled it back into the water with an uncomfortable howl. Today, he was better. He knew what to expect this time, and he didn't flinch when reaching in to sort the sellable lobsters from the ones who deserved more time under thesea.
He looked better, too. The bruising on his face had cooled to a sickly yellow-green shade, and he seemed relaxed. That first night, when his boat was stalled in the cove, probably wasn't the standard by which to judge Cole McClish, but the hard work and hot sun were doing him good. I could tell, and I couldn't help but look every chance Igot.
After some time in Cole's company, I'd learned a few things about the curious stranger who'd drifted into my cove. He couldn't fish worth shit but I'd admit he wasn't the worst sailor. He just ignored his instincts in favor of the nav systems and sonar. It was as if he trusted the machines more than he trusted himself. We couldn't be more different in that respect. To me, the machines were unreliable. They were bound to fail, and they'd fail when I needed them the most. I didn't want to put my faith in anything I couldn't trustcompletely.
He also talked all goddamn day, and his approach to tidiness was distinctly untidy. It was a damn good thing he was hotter than the sun itself because there'd be no surviving his chaosotherwise.
He was avoiding something or someone but I didn't want to know. I wasn't asking any more personal questions. I cared but I couldn't go there again. I couldn't discover that he had a woman or a family out west, or even a home to which he was eager to return. I could only manage Cole the stranger, void of context or complications. Or cute stories about his hatred of desertclimates.
When he set another trap and dropped it off the side of the boat without hesitation, my chest surged with pride. He'd learned all that fromme.
"You didn't even cry with that one," I said as I traversed the deck. "We'll make a lobsterman out of youyet."
I clapped him on the back at the exact moment as he pivoted toward me, and that left us in an unexpected embrace. His chest was hard against mine and he was breathing heavy and I couldn't move. Wouldn't. Wouldn't foranything.
My hand continued patting his shoulder. How could I stop? How could I push him away when the only thing I truly wanted was to feel his skin undermine?
Cole's fingers were curled around my forearm as if he was bracing himself, but instead of maintaining a polite distance, he leaned into me. His shoulder was on my chest and his breath was on my neck, andI want you more than I've ever wanted anyonewas on mytongue.
Neither of us made a move to break away for a long, confusing beat that twisted with more heat and affection than I could handle without embarrassing myself right now. He smelled good, like sunscreen and sweat. I wanted to memorize that scent, and everything else about the way we fittogether.
I didn't want that tomeansomething, but it did. It meant everything tome.
Clearing my throat, I eventually drew my hand back and gazed at the water. "Need to make some deliveries up the coast," I said, still watching the waves as I stepped away from him. I wasn't ready to look at Cole, and I didn't. I returned to the controls without a backward glance because I couldn't trust myself to meet his eyes without revealing the depth of my desire for him. "Go put that catch onice."
* * *
"This is an excellent burger,"Cole said. "The last time I had a burger, it was made of mushrooms, lentils, and pumpkinseeds."
"That's a crime," I replied. "Tell me who did that to you. I'll make himpay."
Cole chuckled around another bite. "Plant-based eating is increasingly popular in my world," he said. "I'd forgotten that meat is delicious. I'm getting really spoiled here. Andfat."
