“Hey, Saylor!I didn’t know you were coming out tonight,” a pretty brunette called out as she and some guys joined us at the launch.
“Saylor, I didn’t see your name on the list.Did I miss it?”one of the guys asked with a frown.
“Hi, Rubes,” Saylor said to the girl before turning to the confused guy beside her.“I’m not part of the SCR outing this evening.”
“You’re not?”Then the girl, “Rubes,” flicked her eyes at me, and realization dawned.“Ooh,” she said with a giggle.“You’re on a date.Romantic.”
Saylor gave a long-suffering shake of her head, which did not bode well for my plans for the next couple of hours.
“It will be,” I said as I reached a hand toward Saylor.“Your carriage awaits, milady.”I deepened my voice deliberately in a caricature of a footman out of some cheesy Cinderella remake.
As she set her hand in mine, she rolled her gorgeous eyes, yet I caught the hint of a smile tipping up the corner of her generous mouth and grinned back as I steadied the raft for her.Once she was settled on one end of the bench seat, I wasted zero time scrambling in after her on the other end.Using the oar I’d thrown in, I pushed us away from the launch area and her SCR buddies.It was unfortunate the frat boys had planned some sort of mixer with their little sisters on the same night as our first date, but I was determined not to let us get sucked into their party.
I paddled us out into the middle of the wide stream, marveling at the stillness of the surface.After I’d put some distance between us and the fraternity outing, I slid the oar into the loops along the side of the raft and reached into the cooler.
Handing Saylor a beer, I said, “Confession.I’ve never floated this river before.Judging by the group of your frat buddies, you have.”
She tipped back a swig of the porter I’d bought after grilling Piper on Saylor’s favorite drink.This time of year, most people didn’t drink dark beer, but Saylor’s friend had assured me that my date preferred dark beer year-round, which only added to her attractiveness.
“Floating the Madison is almost a requirement for attending Mountain State.That and skiing, but as a football player, I doubt skiing is on the list of approved extracurricular activities.”She smirked behind the rim of the can and took another drink.
“I grew up in SoCal where surfing is almost a religion.It translates well to snowboarding, which I did as much of as I could get away with when I was in Washington.”I cracked open a beer and swigged back a long drink.I was only allowing myself two for the evening since I was driving, but that first pull settled my nerves.
Because, yeah, I had some butterflies tugging at my abs now that I was finally alone with the girl who’d been haunting my dreams for months.
Her pretty eyes widened.“You snowboard?”
“Yeah, but don’t let that slip around my teammates.”I winked.“After transferring here between seasons, I’m still trying to fit in.Don’t need to give them something extra to worry about.”
Her brows went up.“What else are they worried about?”
“Me taking Patty’s spot.Though after Dally asked me to room with him, I guess maybe they’ve moved past that.”I dragged my hand through the water.“How ’bout you?Do you snowboard?”
“Ski.”She sipped thoughtfully from her beer.“Much as he loves playing football, my brother is going to hate giving up skiing.”
“If some Southern school picks him up, that won’t be a problem.If he ends up somewhere like Mountain State…” I shrugged.“As long as he’s careful, he could sneak off to the mountain once or twice, I bet.”
She made a noncommittal sound.“Do you have siblings?”
“An older brother Hayden.He’s in the farm system for the Rays—plays second base.”
“You’re proud of him.”It wasn’t a question.
“Picked up on that, did you?”I smiled.“They drafted him when he was a freshman in college.He played his first pro season last year in triple A.This past winter he spent in a batting cage.”My smile widened.“At some point this season, he’s going to get called up to the big leagues.You watch.”
Her eyes twinkled.“You’re cute when you’re fanboying over your brother.”
“You like me cute.”I sent her my smoldering eyes as I stretched my legs and “accidentally” ran a toe down the side of her calf.The way her nipples puckered behind her bikini top at that move gave me a semi, so I did it again.
Clearing her throat, she leaned over to the cooler.“Is there anything else in here besides beer?I didn’t have a chance to grab a snack before class.”
Showing both of us a hint of mercy, I pulled my foot back and opened the cooler.“Didn’t I mention this was a dinner cruise?”With a flourish, I presented her with a choice of sub sandwiches I’d picked up from the Pickle Barrel.After Danny and his girl introduced me to the place, it had become one of my go-tos, and I hoped Saylor liked it too.
Having no idea what she might enjoy, I’d gone with a half of Taryn’s favorite beachcomber turkey sub and a half chicken salad sub since most women I knew liked those.Saylor chose Taryn’s fave, and I set the other sandwich in the cooler before grabbing my favorite: the dragon slayer, with ham, salami, and provolone.I opened a bag of chips and set them on top of the cooler between our beers, appreciating the fact that Taco’s loaner had cupholders in the lid.
For a few minutes, we ate in silence, the soft lapping of the water against the shore and the distant shouts and laughter of other rafters creating a relaxing atmosphere.When we both went for the chips at the same time and our fingers brushed, the hairs on my arms stood to attention.Saylor’s breathy, “Sorry,” told me she felt it too.
With a chivalrous gesture, I said, “You’re my guest.”
