Page 40 of Say You Want Me
Well played, my friend. He knows damn well what he did. I have two choices. I can steal the Gator, as he calls it, or I can go out there and show him I’m not a wuss. I’ve never been fishing. I’ve never even contemplated wanting to do this.
There’s also no way I can back down.
“Fine.” I surrender. “Go get the boat.”
Wyatt steps forward, grips my elbows and pulls me against him. “I’ll reward you, I promise.”
I lean in, letting my lips graze against his. “I plan to make you pay.”
“I have no doubt about that.”
He lets me go and gets busy. I never realized how intensive fishing is. He’s got all kinds of gadgets and different boxes. I’m praying the Jon boat or whatever it’s called is bigger than what I’m imagining, because I don’t know where all this crap will go.
Wyatt pulls a silver flat boat over. It has two benches on the inside and two oars. I cannot believe I’m entertaining this.
At. All.
He puts the boat half in and waves me over. “Hop in. I’ll push us off.”
I start to freak out a little. Not because I can’t swim, but because I don’t have any spare clothes or a bathroom close by. Does he expect me to handle fish? My stomach rolls at the thought, but I refuse to look like a baby, so I get in the boat.
Wyatt gets us out into the water without issue. It’s clear he knows what he’s doing. Maybe I’ll be okay.
“All right,” he says, breaking the silence. “Move over on this side, and I’ll get us set up.”
“Move?” I ask.
“Yes.” He nods. “Come sit over here. I’m going to put the blankets out and move this bench so we can sit on the bottom.”
“Yeah, it’s the moving part that I’m not really all that keen on.”
If we move . . . we rock the boat. I will freak out.
“Here,” he says, holding his hand out. “Trust me.” I close my eyes and count to three. I can do this. My hand touches his, and he slowly helps me over. “See, you did just fine.”
I’m so out of my element.
“We’re doing a spa next time.”
“Whatever you say, baby.”
Wyatt arranges the bottom of the boat with blankets, creating a bed-like spot for us. He helps me back down and curls up with me. His arm is around my back, and my head rests on his chest. I close my eyes and listen to the sound of his heart. “You know we could’ve cuddled at home in bed,” I joke.
“But this is more intimate.” He kisses the top of my head.
He’s right. It is. Even with the chill in the air, I could fall asleep.
There are no sounds other than a few crickets and the faint sound of water lapping against the side of the boat. The only light is from the rising sun, and I know that if I opened my eyes to look, I would still be able to see a few stars. Normally the silence would freak me out, but it’s exactly like it should be here. The world moves around us, but right here, it’s only Wyatt and me. This is the most tranquil I’ve ever felt.
I doze off, so comfortable in his arms. The sun is finally overhead, and it wakes me. I lift my head to find him looking at me with a grin. “You feel better?” he asks.
“I feel good.”
His eyes grow serious as he stares at me. “I want to always make you feel good. You and that baby are my world, Angie. I know you’re scared. I see it, but little by little, I want to help show you that you have nothing to be afraid of.”
I’m not afraid, I’m freaking petrified. I don’t know how to be the girl he wants. I don’t fish or hunt. I don’t do dirt or animals. I’m the girl who paints her nails and shops like a pro. This isn’t me, and I don’t know how long he’ll find that cute.
“I think you underestimate how different we are.” I rest my chin on my hand.
