The corner of his mouth quirked. “Would you rather me be bossy?”
“Yes,” Nova answered honestly. “It’s easier to deal with.”
He chuckled and released her. He reached up to tug the bottle of sunscreen free from her cleavage where she’d stuck it when she’d covered his back.
“I need to do my arms. I like my tats and the sun fades them too much. Then, we’ll get going and I’ll show you the best part of this place.”
He turned and walked toward the cockpit, spraying his arms liberally and rubbing in the sunscreen.
Nova couldn’t move because she was still processing everything he’d said to her. She only wished she could have seen his eyes because they would have told her what she needed to know…if Torin Gallagher was falling as hard and fast for her as she was for him.
ChapterSixteen
Torin had been right.
He’d taken Nova to a small cove on the large lake that was surrounded by trees with no other boats or even a house in sight.
They swam in the lake, sunned on the huge deck of the boat, and drank iced tea mixed with lemonade.
Swimming with Torin showed her yet another facet of his personality. His playful side.
He was a much better swimmer than her. Being a selkie, he was as at home in the water as he was in the kitchen of his restaurant. He swam circles around her, splashed her, even tugged her beneath the surface of the water when she wasn’t expecting it.
It was only after she unearthed a giant water gun from one of the storage compartments on the deck that she was able to get her revenge. She had waited until he was below deck to fill it with water and when he came back out, she let him have it.
Of course, her revenge was short-lived, but she would never forget the look on his face right before the steam of water hit his forehead.
After their afternoon of fun was done, they took turns cleaning up and dressing before he steered the boat back toward the marina. It was only four-thirty, too early for dinner, but Torin said it would take them a while to get to their destination.
He was right. It took an hour to get there. This time, it was a Spanish-style building in the middle of nowhere. Despite being out of the way and fairly early on a weekday, the parking lot was more than half full of cars.
“Please tell me this doesn’t belong to another one of your family members,” Nova said, making Torin laugh again.
“No, it doesn’t. I don’t even know the owner of this place. I do know the manager and called in a favor to get us a reservation on such short notice.”
As they got out of the car, Nova was glad she’d chosen a sundress for the evening. While no one was wearing cocktail attire, it was definitely a place where you spiffed yourself up a bit. Most of the women were wearing dresses and many of the men were dressed like Torin, in dark washed jeans and a button-down shirt. A few were even wearing slacks and dress shoes.
The interior was dimly lit and the walls were paneled in dark wood. When they entered the building, there was a small bar to the left and a stand for the maître d’. A hallway branched off on each side of the tall cherry desk.
Torin led her directly to the stand and said, “Reservation for Gallagher.”
The maître d’ looked down at the book in front of him. “Of course. Please follow me.”
He led them down the hall to their right and they passed several doorways. Nova glanced inside and saw that each room held four or five tables, spread out far enough to give the illusion of privacy and intimacy. Most of the rooms were full, but the noise was a soft hum rather than a dull roar as it usually was in a restaurant of this size.
Nova nearly tripped over her sandals and focused on walking rather than looking around.
The man stopped next to another doorway at the end of the hall. “Your private room.”
Nova’s heart picked up speed as Torin led her into a small room with a single table, set for two, inside. There was a squat flower arrangement in the center of the table, surrounded by several tealights in clear votives. A bottle of champagne was already chilling in a stand beside the table.
“The champagne is compliments of Mr. Taylor,” the maître d’ said. “Gentry will be serving you this evening.”
As though his name conjured him out of thin air, a slim young man appeared behind the maître d’.
Torin led Nova to the table and pulled out her chair. Since her legs were weak, she was grateful for the chance to sit down.
This wasn’t just a date. It was adate.
