Page 31 of Rating the Book Boyfriend

I pull off my shirt, which is now stained with squid ink from the cut bait, and stow it in my beach bag. Then I turn and catch my first look at Riggs in all his shirtless glory.

Dear god!The man should be illegal. Or at least come with some kind of advisory label.

Warning: Staring directly at a half-naked Riggs Romero could produce spontaneous orgasms, rebellious nipples, and embarrassing wet spots. Proceed with caution.

His chest and shoulders are broad and taper down to a trim waist. Thank god I have my sunglasses on because I’m openly staring at his abs. I caught glimpses of them on the plane and when he was helping me move, but the full picture in the sun is nothing short of glorious. I would drop to my knees and lick sweat from those abs, trace my tongue between each hard muscle, worship them like they deserved to be worshiped.

And don’t even get me started on his tattoos. His chest is bare of any ink, but both arms are covered with maritime tats. Waves, winding ropes, a gorgeous sunrise, the North Star.

As the boat begins to move, the azure backdrop of water and sky contrast beautifully with his darkly tanned skin, and I know behind his dark lenses, his eyes would perfectly match the lighter blue from overhead. I lift my pervy gaze to his face and find his tongue sliding along his bottom lip.

“I,” he clears his throat, “I really like your swimsuit, Libby.”

Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I believe he’s looking at my boobs.

“I like yours too,” I reply. He’s wearing royal-blue swim trunks with a white anchor print, while I’m in a sunshine-yellow bikini top and ancient denim shorts.

“Is yellow your favorite color?”

“H-how did you know that?”

“You’ve worn yellow every time I’ve seen you so far.”

And let’s add acutely observant to the list of his attributes.

“I like it because it’s a happy color,” I reply. “I feel like we’ve been talking about me a lot. Tell me about you and your family.”

“Hmm, I grew up here, as you know. I had good parents, and I love them, but I’m really closer to Nana Viv.”

“Nana Viv is your father’s mother?”

He nods, and by the way his face melts, I can tell he adores her. “She was always my confidant growing up. We’d spend hours in her kitchen or her rose garden just talking. I’d do anything in the world for her.”

“I love that. What about your sister?”

“With her being six years younger than me, we didn’t get really tight until we were both adults. Now she’s my best friend. She’s the one who got me into cover modeling. Some guy she used to date wrote a thriller novel and needed someone for the cover. Silvia volunteered me.” He flashes a self-deprecating smile. “After that, I got approached by several photographers who wanted to work with me. They thought I had the look for romance covers.”

“I agree.” The boat slows, and we begin readying our tackle for the afternoon round of fishing. “What about your job?”

Riggs’s smile fades a little. “It’s a job. Just work, you know?”

“Are you happy there?”

“I’m… fine. It’s the family business, so it’s what I’m expected to do.”

I read something unspoken between his words. “What would you do if you didn’t have family obligations? If you could choose any career.”

“This,” he says, gazing out over the deep blue of the Gulf. “I’d be out on the water every day instead of stuck behind a desk.”

His answer makes me sad. “I think that sounds like a dream. I would love to be out on a boat with my computer and simply write my books.”

Riggs pushes his sunglasses to the top of his head and fixes me with his blue gaze. “Words and water?”

I bob my head up and down and confirm, “Words and water.”

CHAPTER 9

Libby

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