Page 84 of Flirting with 40

“I have the drinks,” she says and holds up the cooler.

“You know there are worms in there too, right?”

She sputters over a cough, and I die laughing. Definitely not a country girl . . . but I love that she’s trying.

“You’re serious?”

“I’m serious,” I say with a nod. “And you’re going to bait the hook with them yourself.”

“Oh Jesus.”

I pull her into my side and press a kiss to the side of her head. “It isn’t a big deal. Then again, I’m not sure if it’ll be worth it.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ll tell you when you get there.”

We trek to our designated spot on the far side of the lake. The one Heather assigned to Blakely. Not only is it the farthest possible location from the lodge but also there are no fish there.

I’ve asked.

On my morning runs, I’ve befriended some of the local fishermen . . . and I have a plan.

“We’re almost there,” I murmur as I look at the map, mind still processing what a bitch Heather is for teasing Blakely about her fear of bears. Blakely also told me how Heather admitted to trying to make her so miserable she would quit.

I have to say that I love that there’s a lot more fire and defiance in Blakely’s resolve than before. Even better, she’s working on a plan to put Heather promptly in her place.

I hate that she won’t tell me.

I love that she wants to do this on her own.

“Hey, Slade?”

“Yeah?”

She isn’t beside me anymore, and when I look back, I find her standing a few feet off the beaten path. Her lips are parted, and her eyes keep darting down to my dick and then back up to my eyes. “You’re going to want to follow me.”

“I am, am I?” I take a step toward her, my dick already twitching to life. “I thought we were supposed to be fishing.” Another step. “Baiting the hook.” Damn it to hell, she’s sexy. “Competing for first place.”

“We’ll get to that soon enough.” She runs her tongue over her lower lip before sinking her teeth into it, her eyes letting me know exactly what’s on her mind.

Oh, I’m following, all right.

I step into the small clearing as a seductive smile tugs on those full lips of hers. “Drop the tackle box, Slade.”

Our eyes hold for the briefest of seconds as I stare at the woman who has fucking rocked my world.

Then I drop the tackle box.

“Unbutton your pants,” she demands.

I quirk an eyebrow and fight my own smile. “Bossy, bossy.”

She takes a step toward me. “You told me earlier that, if I want something, I need to go after it.”

“In so many words, yes.” There’s a slight tremble to her hands, her nerves flickering for a moment. I know this must be hard for her, but damn it if I’m not proud of her for stepping out of her comfort zone. I’m definitely not going to complain that she’s stepping out of it with me. “What is it you want?”

She gives me a devil of a grin before she takes another step forward. “You.”