At the sound of his line going in the water, I peer over.Jaeger locks his reel and reaches for the small cooler, pulling out a can of Budweiser.He pops the top and passes it to me.
Cheap beer at five thirty in the morning?I will gladly take said beer and drink it like it is mother’s milk.The carbonation might settle my stomach.At the very least, a light buzz could dim the sexual tension and sense of doom in the air—or make it worse.Jesus, that’s all I need.
If I’m the only one with dirty thoughts, I can deal, but if Jaeger is attracted to me, too… we have a problem.
“How will I know when I’ve caught a fish?”
He shushes me and glances over like I’ve been naughty, which I have—in my mind.“You won’t catch a fish if you scare them away by talking too loud,” he whispers.
I lower my voice.“Are you going to tell me how this is done, or what?”
His mouth twitches.Without looking at me, he says, “They nibble.”
A tingle shoots down my belly and past my thighs.I squeeze my legs together.Again with the dirty fishing talk!
“It will feel like a vibration, maybe a few quick tugs.Don’t react right away.Let the fish take a nice bite, then jerk your hook.If you feel more movement, you’ve caught something.”
He pops open a can for himself and we sit in silence, me chugging my beer and waiting to be nibbled, him as still as a stone two feet away.
After a few minutes, I hold out my hand for another beer and my line vibrates.I don’t react right away, but my rod has all my attention.Taking the second beer he hands me, I wait, sipping carefully and white-knuckling my pole.
Another small jerk and rattle occurs.
With his gaze on his own line, Jaeger doesn’t seem to notice.
The next tug from the mysterious creature below the surface has my rod slipping a fraction from my fingers.I lurch the pole up and wind the reel a couple of times to take up the slack.The end jerks like crazy.I’ve caught something for sure.
Spinning the reel with quick, uncontrolled strokes, I fight to bring in the wild animal at the end of my line, my adrenaline kicking up a notch.I’m getting this fishing business now.Woman versus beast!
What exactly is down there?Are there freshwater sharks?Because I think I caught one.This fish is a wily bugger.I’m straining and not making much progress.
Jaeger scoots closer and our arms brush.I sense when he sets his pole down.“Need help?”
Before I can answer, the boat dips and my grip loosens on the pole as I correct my balance.Jaeger sinks behind me on the bench I’m straddling, his front to my back.
“What are you doing?”I ask nervously.
“Figured you wanted to know how to reel it in.”His deep voice, the light cologne he’s wearing, and the feel of his body against mine have me frozen in place.
I choke.“I think I know how that’s done.”
His hands cover mine, and I instantly release the pole, dropping my hands in my lap.He draws in the line with quick, efficient strokes, and the fish breaches the surface of the water.
It’s the size of a minnow.
What the hell?I had adolphinon the end of that line.
I scoot to Jaeger’s previous position as he makes a grab for Mr.Slimy and gently unhooks my fish’s lip.He tosses the minnow overboard, and the little guy arcs and swims away.
“Why’d you throw him back?”I worked hard for that fish, and Mr.Worm sacrificed his life.
“Catch and release.We’re not keeping them, even if you had caught one big enough to eat.”His mouth curves.
Sounds like a guy’s dating motto.“Hey, now.I don’t see a fish on the end of your hook.I guess it takes a delicate touch.”
His eyes dart to my fingers curled in my lap and a warm sensation runs down my spine.He looks me in the eye.“Feel free to exhibit your delicate touch anytime you like.”
It’s official.Jaeger’s brain is in the gutter too.
