“Is there anything that bites harder thantheydo?”
“Crocodiles. The really big ones. I’m pretty sure they have about 4000 or 5000 psi bites.” For the fifty-second time, I shrugged. “I like watching the Animal Channel and Discovery,” I said, making it sound like anapology.
Aaron gave me that soft smile that made me feel like my insides were on fire. Then he winked. “I don’t know much about crocodiles, but I know all about alligators,” he offered. “Did you know there are only two species left in theworld?”
“Thereare?”
“American alligator and the Asian alligator. More than a fifth of all of them live inFlorida.”
“We have some gators in Texas. There’s a state park by Houston where you can go and you can usually see a bunch. I went camping thereonetime.”
One corner of his mouth tilted up as he chewed. “Look at you, Rebel Without aCause.”
With anyone else, I’d probably think they were picking on me, but I could see the affection on Aaron’s face. I could feel the kindness that just came off him in waves, so I winked back at him. “I live life on the edge. I should start teaching a class on how tobebad.”
“Right? Quitting your job, coming to Florida even though you were worried….” He trailed off with a grin and a look out of the corner ofhiseye.
“I pretty much have my masters and license to practice. I’ll teach people everythingIknow.”
I didn’t miss the other quick look he shot my way. “As long as they don’t ask aboutboyfriends.”
I shoved at his shoulder before I realized what I was doing and laughed, loud, so much louder than I had so far. “I’m just waiting for the right one. I thought you were on board with mewaitingnow?”
Those deep brown eyes met mine, and he flashed those white teeth at me. “I am. What are yourushingfor?”
That was pretty much the complete opposite of what he’d been drilling into my head since he’d found out about my lack of relationships, but he was right. What was the rush? It wasn’t like any other guy I’d meet any time soon—or ever—would or could compare to this one. I could feel it. Clearing my throat, I looked down at my bowl of oatmeal again as I said, “The good thing is, now I can quit going to church trying to pick up all the divorced andwidoweddads.”
His snicker had me glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. “You’re never going to let that go,areyou?”
“Nope.” I smirked, taking in that handsome face that had me sighing on the inside. “Isthatokay?”
The spoon was on the way to his mouth when he said, “I wouldn’t expect anything else from you.” Then he winked again. “Eat your food so we can go,” he ordered right before taking another bite, his eyes on me, his cheeks showing he was smiling even as hechewed.
Why? What had I done in another lifetime todeservethis?
I did what he said and managed to get about three bites in before his words really clicked. “Where are we going?” I asked him the second I’d swallowedmyfood.
“Fishing,” he saidcasually.
I said the words slowly to make sure I’d heard him correctly. “Did you say fishing orswimming?”
That time he did slide me a sneaky look. “Fishing,” heenunciated.
“Swimming?”
Aaron finally turned to look at me with a smile on his beautifully sculpted face. “F-i-s-h-i-n-g.”
I hummed in my throat and ate two bites before I said, just low enough for him to barely hear me, “I don’t reallywantto.”
He had the nerve to wink at me again. “I figured. That’s why weshouldgo.”
“I don’t havearod.”
“There are some here you canborrow.”
Setting the plate on my lap, I started to reach for my left wrist with my right hand, “My wrist is alittlesore….”
He snorted, seeing straight throughmycrap.
