Page 23 of The Mistakes I've Made
The sight of him, shirtless, as he hosed down one of his boats in the marina nearly caused me to stumble into oncoming traffic. The water streaming from the hose seemed to catch the early morning light perfectly, creating a spotlight on his flawlessly chiseled abs.
“Dear God in heaven,” I mumbled as I tried not to stare.
I tried and failed miserably.
Did I mention the damn halo around him?
It was then I noticed just how close The Cozy Hotel was to Sutherland Fishing Company. We were literally next-door neighbors. I guess I noticed the proximity yesterday when walking the property, but that was before—before I met the overbearing, super hot owner who nearly caused my death a few minutes earlier with his abs.
This was going to be all sorts of awkward, wasn’t it?
All the more reason to scurry along before he noticed me staring.
Of course, he chose that moment to look up, and like a tractor beam, our eyes met. The heated intensity that had existed between us ignited once more, and I felt something stir deep inside my belly.
Look away, Lani. Look away.
I swallowed deeply and jutted my chin forward, forcing my feet to do the same. I could feel his eyes on me the entire rest of the way to the hotel.
It felt like a small victory the moment my hand touched the door handle.
I’d done it again.
I’d conquered Taylor Sutherland.
It felt like a win for all womankind.
Until I pulled out the key and couldn’t get the damn door to unlock. I jiggled the thing, twisted it ten different ways, and even briefly considered using a Harry Potter spell to spring the damn thing loose, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not get it to open.
“Need a hand?”
It didn’t take a genius to recognize the deep, masculine voice behind me.
This is why I should have checked out the inside of the hotel yesterday, instead of sticking my nose in the stupid fishing company next door. But, I’d taken one look inside that window and I’d been like a moth to a flame—unable to stop myself.
I’d told myself I was going to check out the neighborhood, a friendly walk to see what businesses were nearby. But that was a total lie. I’d made a beeline into that fishing company like a parched man looking for water in the dessert when I saw Taylor standing just inside.
And look where it’d gotten me.
Here I was, wiggling a key in a lock, with a half naked wet man behind me and all I could think about was jumping his bones.
Feeling my little win fall firmly to my feet, I let out a huff of air from my lungs as I tried to gather my composure. Turning on my heels, I found myself face-to-face with a very wet and shirtless Taylor Sutherland.
Damn, he was even sexier close up.
I wondered if I could just lean forward and lick that tiny little droplet of water before it fell down his chest…
“So, do you? Need a hand, I mean?” he asked, clearly amused with my delayed response.
“No, I’ve got everything handled. I am a professional, remember?” I answered, folding my arms across my chest.
In doing so, my skin made just the briefest contact with his, brushing across the tight planes of his stomach, which only made that wicked smile plastered across his face grow even wider.
“No? Okay. Well then, you won’t mind if I hang out while you handle everything? ’Cause I’d really love to see how a professional does it, seeing as I’m just a nobody from the sticks.”
I let out another huff of frustration, the air vacating my lungs in one fluid motion. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Really?” he said, taking a step back to lean his wide body against one of the many weathered columns that adorned the front entrance of the shabby hotel—an eyesore I planned on rectifying quickly. “Because it sounded like you were implying that I—a prominent business owner in this town—had no clue what I was doing.”
