Page 2 of Knockin' Boats
But as large as the Lake of the Ozarks was, it was alsotoo smallfor the two of us. I couldn’t seem to avoid the guy.
Ash picked up the small bullhorn he carried to be heard over the music pumping loudly through the boat’s speaker system.
“Hey, party people, say hi to Sawyer of Swallow Hole!”
There was a ruckus of greetings, cheers, and laugher spilling from the boat.
Roger Dieter, who’d claimed the co-captain’s seat next to me, guffawed. “Oh-ho! They’ve got a nickname for y’all too!”
I glowered at Ash. “They sure do.”
Ash carried on. “Sawyer and I are old friends. And I mean, reallyold,learned to potty train together friends. But now he doesn’t like me anymore.”
“Awww,” the crowd cried.
“I know!” Ash said. “I’m deeply hurt because?—”
“Well,Ilike you!” a bosomy young redhead cried, rubbing his chest like a cat in heat. “You’ve got a good heart. I can tell!”
“Pretty sure it’s not his heart she’s after,” I grumbled under my breath.
Roger chuckled in agreement.
Ash looked down toward her,hischarming smile never faltering.
Not even when she pulled him into an X-rated kiss.
What Ash was going to say, I’d never know. No doubt something designed to taunt me. Because his mouth was otherwise occupied.
And so was his focus.
The pontoon drifted closer. I blared the horn to warn them away, and the redhead jumped away from Ash’s glistening lips.
I averted my gaze, uncomfortable with the wanton display.Ishe a tour guide or a freaking gigolo?
It wasn’t uncommon for us to get hit on in this job, and sometimes we even took someone up on their flirtations. But for fuck’s sake, we didn’t make out for an audience right there on the boat.
Ash lifted the bullhorn. “Geez, Saw, dramatic much? We’re not that close.”
“You weren’t paying attention!” I called loud enough I didn’t need a bullhorn for my voice to carry. “Stop making out with tourists and keep your eyes on the fucking water!”
For a brief second, Ash’s face tightened. Then that shit-eating grin returned once more.
He lifted the bullhorn.
“I think someone’s jealous.”
His drunken party laughed at me. The redhead still hung off his arm and would no doubt be angling for an invitation into his bed.
But I wasn’t jealous of that. I didn’t want anyone groping and hanging on me while I tried to work. And I certainly didn’t want to endanger everyone’s safety with that kind of behavior.
“It’s not a fucking joke, Ash!”
I steered away, accelerating again, leaving the DreamBoat and Ash in my wake. Unfortunately, the irritation of our exchange clung to me for the rest of the night, making a long-ass day even harder to get through.
I was so tired by the time the tour wrapped up that I nearly went straight to the Swallow’s Nest Lake Resort—where Swallow Adventures Boating Tours had moved—without dropping off the tourists at the Treehouse B&B where they were staying.
I cussed under my breath as I turned the boat away from the commercial docks, heading a little farther south and east.
