Page 28 of Rating the Book Boyfriend

Her face turns to me, and our eyes lock, my blue ones to her hazel ones, only inches apart. Flecks of green sparkle likeemeralds in her irises as the sun continues to ascend without our noticing.

“I’ve watched sunrises before but never from this perspective. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I agree,” I say, my voice low and dark, and I know in my heart I’m not talking about what’s happening in the sky.

The moment is interrupted by Darryl poking his head out the door of the cabin, and we jerk apart.

He has dark skin and keeps his hair shorn high and tight, reminiscent of his days in the U.S. Marine Corps. Darryl is always steady and calm, excellent traits for a boat captain.

“This looks like a good place, Riggs. Gonna drop the anchor.”

I’m kinda annoyed at the man right now, while at the same time, I’m grateful for his intrusion. I think I was heading into dangerous territory there for a minute.

“Thanks, Dare,” I manage to say. I’m about to ask Libby if there’s more we need to talk about, but she’s already stuffing the folders and papers back into the satchel, her excitement for the day evident in her quick movements.

“What are we fishing for?” she asks, her tone vibrating as I place her satchel inside so it doesn’t get ruined.

“Flounder and snapper should be good around here,” Darryl answers before calling Ace into the cabin with him. The big doofus dog likes to bark at the fish when they’re flopping around on the deck.

I start gathering the appropriate rods and bait and glance up at Libby. “I’ll bait your hooks for you so you don’t get dirty.”

“Screw that,” she says with a grin, waggling her fingers at me. “A little fish guts never hurt a girl.”

Wow.I’m kinda blown away right now.

If I wasn’t stuck in my current situation, I think I could really fall for this woman. But I am… so I can’t.

CHAPTER 8

Libby

“Do you know how to cast?” Riggs asks, and my mouth twists to the side.

“It’s been a really long time. I could probably use a refresher.”

His lips crook up on one side, and I wonder if he’s aware of how sexy that is. “No problem.” He holds up a rod that’s taller than he is and hands it over before turning me to face the water. “Now, hold it like this.”

Riggs steps up behind me, and though he’s not touching my body with his, I’m all too aware of his heat. He adjusts my hands and takes a couple minutes to instruct me on how to cast.

“Okay, here goes.” I pull the rod over my shoulder, grip the handle tightly, and sling forward. Or at least I try to. It doesn’t move. I give it another good yank, and Riggs lets out a yelp.

“Whoa, hold on, Libby. You got me.”

“What do you mean, I…” Realization strikes me, and my mouth falls open in horror. Dropping the rod, I duck under Riggs’s arm and circle around him as he leans over to grab the handle of the rod before it can splash into the water.

With him bent over the edge of the boat, I can clearly see the hook embedded in his backside. “Oh my god! Oh my god! I hooked your ass!”

I tug gently on the hook, and luckily, it appears as though I only hooked his shorts.

What happens next will forever be imprinted on the annals of my mind. For some reason, in my panic, I determine that it would be a fabulous idea to pull his pants down to check for damage.

I grip the waistband of his royal-blue swim trunks and tug downward until it’s resting below his buns—and if I may interject, they are a stellar set of buns—and look for any wounds.

In retrospect, when I found no injuries, I should have pulled his pants back up, but oh nooooo. Not me. I proceed to run my hands over both ass cheeks—quite thoroughly, I might add—to assure myself there are no imaginary fishhooks embedded in his buttocks.

And that’s when Darryl walks out onto the deck. “Hey, what’s all the yell—Oh.” He freezes and takes in the scene. Riggs bent over the boat. His bare ass exposed. My hands roaming all over said ass. Darryl studiously avoids my gaze and jerks a thumb back toward the cabin. “I’m just… yeah…” Then he sprints inside like a scalded dog.

“Um, Libby? Do you mind?”

---