Page 35 of Catch and Release

He loved the Bay at night. The way the water went nearly still, the gentle breeze making the humidity bearable, the way the stars shined bright. In the distance, he could see the main highway along Orange Beach—the brightness of the hotels and beachside bars making it easy to pick them out. The rest of the Bay was sleepy—quiet.

His phone buzzed, and he set down the bucket to check.

It was a text from Tucker. Shawn’s stomach sank.

Hey, man. Want to come over for dinner soon? We miss you.

Shawn had been a shitty friend and he knew it.

He’d been ignoring Tucker’s calls for months, and he was running out of excuses. It was hard watching his best friend so blissfully happy and in love when Shawn desperately wanted the same for himself.

Shawn texted back.

Maybe next month. Booked solid for tourist season. Tell Hanna I say hi.

He felt bad writing his friend off like that, but he and Tucker had known each other since they were in diapers. Shawn knew he’d understand. But one of these days, he’d have to actually come clean and explain why he’d been so distant lately. Guilt churned inside him, but he tried to brush it off as he put his phone away and picked the bucket back up, continuing on his way to the Greene’s place.

As he approached Willa’s house, he noticed the kitchen light was off but the light on the end of the wharf was on. He could just barely make out the outline of her figure at the end, and he headed her way quietly. He heard little splashes as he approached the edge of the wharf. It was a good sign—meant the fish were active tonight. They’d likely get some bites—maybe even catch a few big ones.

She didn’t hear him approach, her nose buried in her kindle, the light from it shining on her sea-blue eyes and freckled face. Her brows furrowed in concentration, and she was wearing loose fitting shorts and an oversized t-shirt, her hair thrown in a messy bun. It was the most casual he’d ever seen her, and it felt intimate to see her like this with the full moon above them.

He cleared his throat and she looked up, then grinned at him.

“Got the goods?”

He lifted the bucket in response and set it on the table next to her. She went to the edge of the wharf, where the LED light was beaming into the water, and grabbed two fishing rods from the holders she set them in.

“Should be a good night for fishing,” she said as she handed him one of the rods. “There’s been activity under the light all night, and I keep hearing them jump.”

Then, just as she did on the day they met, she reached into the bucket with her bare hand and pulled out a shrimp before expertly baiting it onto the hook. Its legs twitched, and she released the line before smoothly casting it into the water. Her line landed several meters beyond where the LED light shone, and she slowly began reeling.

He could watch her like this for hours. Days, probably. So at ease with a fishing rod underneath the moonlight that she looked like she was conjured out of thin air by some celestial being.

“Aren’t you going to join me?” she smirked at him over her shoulder, her hands still gripping the rod firmly.

It was then that Shawn realized he not only had yet to say a word to her, but he’d been gaping at her like an idiot since he’d put the bucket down.

And this, he realized, was why he’d been so nervous. It was like he forgot to function like a regular human around her.

She was so goddamn beautiful, and she knew her way around a fishing rod like a pro. Willa moved like life was a dance—smooth and easy, unhurried and precise. He didn’t want to tear his eyes away from her for a second, not when he could watch the way her delicate fingers reeled in her line or the way her hips swayed gently as she stood at the edge of the wharf or the way that smart mouth curved when she teased him.

And of course, he knew what that mouth tasted like now.

How could he forget the way her lips felt on his, the way his cock immediately responded to her, the way it felt for her fingers brush his mouth?

He never would. Now that he knew what it felt like to kiss her, Shawn was desperate to do it again. But she’d made it clear that wasn’t going to happen.

He was supremely fucked.

“Was just enjoying the view,” Shawn said, immediately regretting his poor attempt to flirt. “But yes, I’ll join you now. Thanks again for inviting me.”

She chuckled and shook her head at him, and his eyes lit up as he caught her gaze briefly before she turned back around.

He quickly attached bait to his rod and joined her. He cast his line out, careful to avoid the area hers was in so they wouldn’t get tangled. Then he set his fishing rod in the holder and grabbed a couple of chairs for them to sit in.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before she’d reeled her line in completely only to find that her bait had been eaten.

---