Page 61 of Priceless
“Jessica’s a doctor?”
“Aye. A surgeon. And ye’ll do as she says, or I’ll hear about it.”
Something niggled at the back of my foggy brain, but I couldn’t imagine what it was.
He scowled with worry again, so I tried to distract him by pointing behind us. “They’re not following us, are they?”
“What? The orcas?” He shook his head, but he didn’t laugh at me.
“I’d been going for a laugh.”
His brow cleared. “Auch, ye’re feelin’ yerself, then.”
“Almost. A little groggy maybe. Sorry you had to haul my butt?—”
“Dinnae say it. I am kickin’ myself again for makin’ ye come?—”
“You didn’t make me. I… I will be honest. I wanted to prove I was a badass. But I’m not one. I was just pretending?—”
He rose over me and planted his lips on mine, probably to stop my rambling, but I wasn’t complaining. It was a long kiss that left us both breathing hard and ready for whatever came next, but I remembered, vaguely, that we weren’t alone on that boat. And we weren’t young. And we certainly weren’t married.
I nudged him back a little and smiled. “You can shut me up anytime.”
He smiled too. “I’ll remember that.”
“Will you let me sit up now?”
He nodded and helped me. “Need anythin’?”
“A cold drink, if you don’t mind.”
“One for us both, then.” He chuckled and went to Jess’ fridge.
I found my bag and dug out my phone. I felt like I needed to let someone know I was all right, but then I realized the only one I would text was Jocko, and he would need a full explanation beforeI’m okaywould make any sense.
“That doesnae look like relaxation to me,” he said, frowning at my phone. He brought two dripping bottles of water and sat beside me.
“You’re right.” I stowed the phone back in my bag, accepted a water, and took a long drink. Jacob, on the other hand, put his bottle on the back of his neck. I didn’t laugh. I probably should have done the same. “No hot tub, huh?”
His eyes crinkled, even without the smile. “Nay. But we’ll go to their house all the same, if that is good with ye. We’d feel better if ye relaxed where we can check on ye.”
“We.”
“Jess and I.”
“So you’ll stay too?”
“Aye. All night…if necessary.”
I pretended not to understand his double entendre. “I don’t want to put them out?—”
“We’ll be no bother. Jess is like a sister to me. A much younger sister, obviously, but those of us who own businesses in town are a family of sorts, especially those businesses that go back generations. I watched her grow up. I’ve fished with her brothers and her da a hundred times.The Mad Mollywas my escape when I was a wild teenager. And I greeted alongside them when Jess went off to The States for medical school.”
I remembered the bet. “I’m sorry you didn’t have time to catch anything!”
“Auch, go on with ye. I caught precisely what I wanted.” He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it.
“Well, if I’m all you wanted, we didn’t need to leave the dock.”
