Page 14 of Stranded with a SEAL

Not a chance.

“Wait up!” Taylor called out, hurrying to walk back with her. “He’s just messing with you.”

“I know,” she said, flipping her hair back as the wind blew through it again. “He flirts with everyone. I need to get going though. I’ve got work later tonight. Text me the details of the trip, and I’ll see if I can get off for the weekend.”

“It’s crazy how the rest of the world takes weekends for granted,” Taylor said.

“Yep. I love the crazy hours at the bar though. It shouldn’t be a problem; I haven’t had a weekend off in months.”

“Sunshine!” Noah called out, jogging to catch up with them. “I was just teasing you back there.”

“I know,” she said, irritated. “But I have to get going. I’ve got to work later on tonight.”

“Can I walk you to your car?” he asked as they stepped off the dock and back onto the beach.

“I’m a couple of blocks down.”

“Hell, I can walk a few blocks. Catch you guys later!” he said, waving goodbye to Mason and Taylor.

“Where’d you park?” she asked, picking her way through the sand.

“Close by, but I don’t mind walking you to your car.”

She blew out a sigh, wondering why he was so intent on going with her. They’d be spending the weekend together soon though, so she might as well clear the air between them. If she got annoyed every time he did something stupid, she might as well not go on the trip at all.

“Fine. Let’s go, cupcake,” she said dryly.

“Cupcake?” he asked with a chuckle.

“You keep calling me sunshine.”

“That I do, because of your long blonde hair. So, why’d you come up with cupcake?”

“I figured it would piss you off.”

His low laughter filled the air around them, and she turned and walked down the boardwalk toward the garage where she parked, leaving him hurrying after her.

Chapter 6

Noah stretched out his legs on the boat a week later, grinning as they bobbed up and down in the water. Bailey adjusted her skimpy yellow bikini across from him, and he resisted the urge to groan. Maybe they should’ve gone ice fishing or something instead, because he was going to need a hell of a lot of cold showers watching her all weekend.

Taylor squealed from near the stern, watching as Mason hooked live bait onto the line.

“Can’t we use something else other than worms? Yuck!”

Mason chuckled, casting his line into the water. “We could, but these work best.”

“We could use hotdogs or something,” Noah said, watching them with amusement. “Why waste good food on the fish though?”

“Because we’ll be eating the fish! If the fish eat worms, it’s kind of like we’re eating worms, too.”

Mason smirked, shaking his head. “You eat seafood all the time back in Virginia Beach, sweetheart. What do you think the fish in the ocean are eating?”

She shuddered.

“Can you pass me the sunscreen?” Bailey called out to Taylor, and her friend tossed it across the boat to her.

Bailey nabbed it from the air, and Noah chortled in approval. “Good catch.”

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