Page 82 of Hooked on a Witch
Chapter Twenty
When Shannon came out the front door after her shower, Merck almost told her to go change. How the hell did she expect him not to peel the flowy halter sundress off her before they even made it to the dock? It molded to her body, leaving little to the imagination. Of course, he already knew what lay beneath, so his brain easily filled in details of every curve.
She grinned and did a spin. Her blonde hair lay loose down her back, hitting her shoulder blades. But that wasn’t what made him lose all train of thought. The dress had almost no back, which meant no bra. The missing part of the back didn’t go all the way to her butt, but ended high enough to discreetly cover the scarred area. Still, it showed off her otherwise unblemished skin. He wanted to kiss the indentation of her spine as it traveled south. His throat tightened up, as did other parts of his body.
“Nice dress.” Shit. Could he be any more lame?
“Nice enough to rip it off?” She leaned in close, fisted the front of his shirt, and whispered, “Because right now I want to yank this off you. We’ve got an audience, though.”
She pulled away with a hooded smile. Naughty witch.
She patted a sunhat down onto the top of her head. Her delicate fingers laced through his. “Dad, Eli...they think me going out with you is a waste of time, but I’m not seeing any answers coming my way. So, let’s go.”
She led down the porch stairs. Her scent teased his nose, something floral he recognized as her shampoo mixed with the coconut essence of sunscreen. Somehow he managed to walk them to his boat and even untie it, although he barely remembered. As he navigated out of the No Wake Zone, she squeezed in next to where he stood at the wheel. He wrapped an arm around her slim body, cataloguing the curves pressed against him. She chatted about how she loved the birds and the beautiful weather and some other mundane topics. He managed a few coherent small-talk phrases, but seconds after he said something, he hoped she didn’t quiz him. He couldn’t remember a single thing that came out his mouth. All he could focus on was the feel of her pressed against him out here, on his boat, and in the world he loved. He wanted her fully his out here.
“Hang on,” he warned when they hit open water. He shifted the boat into a higher gear.
Shannon squealed and grabbed her hat to hold it on when the bow pounded against the water, throwing spray around the sides. With a wipe she removed a few drops of salty water from her face and squeezed closer to him in the sheltered area around the wheel. The brilliance of her smile punched him mid-chest.
He headed for a sandbar he knew well. The tide was low. It’d be perfect for walking, even though what he planned involved not getting off the boat for a while.
“Why’d you want me to leave your place? Is it you want to be alone for your judgment or something else?”
Damn. He hadn’t thought she’d let him get out of that one without an explanation. “What’s coming at me is going to be dangerous.”
“The gods’ judgment?”
He shook his head. “Owen Campbell is here.”
“What? How’d he find me?”
“He’s looking for you, but I don’t think he knows you’re here. He’s here to talk to me. He probably thinks he or his necromancer girlfriend can coerce me into giving up info about the Trident or recruit me to find you.”
“Why would he link the two of us?”
“I don’t think he’s linked us together. He knows a bit about my water abilities.”
“Ah. Then, you’d be a good starting place to find the Trident. I thought the same.”
“I don’t want you hurt in the crossfire of whatever he has planned. It’s safer for you to stay away.”
“If he’s down here why are we out joyriding and not preparing?”
“This may be it for us. Not bringing you out here at least once would be a big regret.” He gazed over the bow, lost in thoughts of this being his last ride on the water. He’d never again feel the salty spray on his skin, see the pelicans, or visit with the dolphins.
She took his hand and held it in silence for a while as the boat smacked its bow through choppy water. She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. “It won’t be it. It can’t be. You know, I might’ve listened if you’d been honest at your house.”
He snorted out a sarcasticyeah right.“You wouldn’t stay away. You think Owen knows more about the Trident than we do, which I don’t.”
Her cheeks flushed. “I might have a few questions for him.”
“Let’s keep you being down here to ourselves.”
She sighed deeply and rested her head against his shoulder. “Maybe we can strike a bargain about my whereabouts during this confrontation.”
“A bargain?” He slowed in the waters near the sandbar and raised the motor in the shallow water. “Want to get off and discuss this bargain?”
“Not yet.” Her eyelids grew heavy as she looked up at him, hooding her blue irises. She kissed his jaw and throat while her fingers traced the stubble on his face he’d neglected to shave.
