“You can watch shark week on TV, it’s the same thing.”She ran out the room to start the shower and let the water warm up.Mac heard soft feet treading behind, then Barry was standing gloriously naked in the doorway with his forearm resting on the frame.Her brain stalled out for a moment as she stared at him.
The man was just so damn edible.She blinked herself out of her sex fog and darted under his arm to head for the kitchen and start the coffee.
Barry was hot on her trail.“It’s not the same as being on the actual boat, bringing a shark to you and tagging it or getting samples.”He really had been doing some research if he knew they did that much when before he didn’t know the first thing about what a shark biologist was.“You won’t even know I’m on the boat.”She doubted that greatly.Mac was very aware of the man.Her female students, and perhaps even a few males, would become distracted by him.“Or I can help you.”
She had plenty of hands helping her already; Barry didn’t know his way around her boat.He’d probably get in the way.Or be a distraction, and she’d get her hand bitten by accident because she was more focused on him than the shark.“Another time.How about after Miles is in jail?”
Barry gripped her shoulders and pulled her in for a quick peck.“It’s a date.Are you going to tell your team about your investigation and our partnership?”
Mac shrugged off his touch and headed into the shower.“The less they know, the better.”
“Burt obviously seems to know if he warned Jacques you were going to the coast.”Barry followed her into the shower.
Mac shook her head.“I don’t want to risk my team.”She washed quickly, avoiding eye contact.
“I get that, but forewarned is forearmed.”
Mac turned off the shower and grabbed a towel as she headed back to her room.“And it might get them more curious to try to help.It’s the old saying ‘too many cooks in the kitchen.’The less everyone knows, the better.Besides, Julie is only on her second year of research.She’s still in school.I don’t want to jeopardize her future career if Miles gets wind we’re all looking into him.”
Barry looked away thoughtfully as if he hadn’t considered that.As much as Mac wanted to take Miles down, she wasn’t going to do so at the risk of her team and their careers.“You’re right.I’m just used to working in a team.I’ve always had the philosophy that more heads are better than one.”
“But you have to remember, those are combat-trained people, and we are shark biologists.How many times have you had to correct me on proper tailing technique and other things?They’ll cause more harm than good.Ask the wrong person questions and raise alarm.”
“Fine, we won’t tell them,” he relented.“But you should still let me come with you today.”
“And how would I explain your presence?”She had no intention of bringing him, but she was curious to know how he thought they could explain him.
Mac could see the wheels turning in his head.She had to bite her lip so she didn’t laugh out loud at his perplexed expression.“A new deck hand?”he suggested, looking proud of himself for coming up with the idea.
“Do you even know how to be a deck hand?”she asked instead of outright refusing.She was eager to see if he knew anything.That still didn’t mean she’d let him come.
“No.”He looked crestfallen.“How about a potential donor?”he continued, still not willing to give up on this.
Mac had to hand it to him; he was relentless in his quest to join her today.She wondered why he was pressing so hard.“One, you don’t look like a donor.Two, they don’t come out on the boat with us.”
“How about a bodyguard then?”He shrugged as if it were a last-ditch option.
What would she need a bodyguard for, unless…?“Do you think he might come after me since I mentioned bottom trawling?”
Barry’s eyes widened, and Mac immediately realized she’d made another mistake.“Is there anything you didn’t mention to him last night?”He threw his hands up in exasperation after pulling his shirt down.
“Your involvement.”It was something, right?She hadn’t been thinking clearly last night, gotten emotional, and just blurted things out.She shouldn’t have let Miles egg her on like that, but it was too late to take it back now.
“Well, there is that at least.”
“Though he might suspect.He did see you with Annabelle last night and said you were my boyfriend.So, he knows there is a connection there.”
“But he doesn’t know me.”
“He could ask Annabelle,” she pointed out.Miles had glanced over at the couple more than a few times last night.
“And she has a fake name.I think as long as you stay away from him, he’ll leave you be,” Barry said assuredly.
“If you think so.”He was the expert.
“I do.”He nodded confidently.
“Well, if that’s the case, I don’t need a bodyguard.”Barry opened his mouth, no doubt to protest.“I have to go, and you have data to go through from her phone.I’ll check in on you when I get back.”
