Page 39 of Mess With Me
He shook his head. “You got me.”
“Yeah, I’m not so into that.”
“What’re you into?”
“My vibrator.” She clapped a hand over her mouth.
He smirked.
“Maybe I should sell sex toys. Or start a sex-toy company with even better vibrators.” She lifted a hand. “Made for women by a woman.”
“Been a while for you.”And let me help you with that.
“Now why do you say that?”
“You mentioned it at the diner with Cali. Plus, so far all your ideas involve sex.”
She blushed and looked off in the distance over his shoulder.
“Ally.” He waited for her to meet his eyes. “Maybe what you’re looking for isn’t out there, but in here.” He tapped his forehead. “And here.” He tapped his chest right over his heart.
Her brows scrunched together. “You mean like yoga? Spirituality?”
“Like living a life of purpose. Whatever that means to you.”
She stared at him for a long moment before slowly shaking her head. “How’d you get so wise?”
He barked out a laugh. “I ripped that off Joe. He’s been like a dad to me. Anyway, he said that when I was struggling over what to do with my life, and it brought everything into focus.”
She stared at him as if waiting for him to spout more deep stuff, so he gave her his honest opinion on her sologamy stuff.
“It’s good to take the time to work on yourself, but you don’t want to trade one extreme for another.”
She cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
He treaded carefully. “Like…dropping everything in your life for something new.” He’d choked. Dammit. He wanted to saydon’t close off the possibility of us just because you’re working on improving your life.
He tried to work up some better words, but they just wouldn’t come out. He didn’t know where he stood with her, didn’t want to back her into a corner, especially didn’t want to say something all feelings-like that she wouldn’t return, so he just sat there tongue-tied.
Her fishing line jerked and she squealed, standing up in her excitement and peering down in the water.
Never stand in a canoe!
Splash!They both took a dunk in the lake.
Fucking cold. He should’ve explained about capsizing to her. Canoes were tippy; you had to stay low and centered. They bobbed on the surface in their life jackets. Neither of them wore a swimsuit, just long-sleeved shirts, shorts, and bare feet. Luckily they’d left their valuables locked in his Jeep.
“I think we scared the fish away!” she exclaimed with a laugh.
He shook his head and quickly retrieved the paddles and his rod. Hers was nowhere to be found. Fish probably swam off with it. “Hold these,” he said, shoving the paddles and rod at her. “Gimme a moment to right it.”
He maneuvered the canoe back upright, went to Ally, got the stuff and tossed it in the canoe. “It’s got water in the bottom, but we can still make it back to shore.”
“Sorry, Eth. I’m a nature newbie.”
“It’s fine. See? This is why I made you wear a life jacket.” She’d balked at wearing it, saying she was a strong swimmer.
She splashed him playfully. He wound up for the mother of all splashes and soaked her. Not that they weren’t already soaked. He grinned because he even got some plant life in there and it looked like a seaweed wig.
