Page 38 of Entangled

I really should look into taking a cooking class or something once I get back home.

“Come over and I’ll make us lunch.” He gives my hair another tug, eyes lighting up as they lock with mine. “The bar is closed Monday through Wednesday so I have nothing big planned anyway.”

“Done.” I throw him a bratty smirk. “But only because you promised to feed me.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

“I’ll take it.” He flashes those dimples as we turn back toward the door. “Want to follow me over there?”

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

I lock the door behind me and get back into my car, apologizing to Franny about my driving habits of late as I start her back up. Jace starts to inch forward on the road, waiting for me to catch up and I pull out. Following him down to the main road and turning in the opposite direction from which we just came. He heads down to the road abutting the beach, taking a left on it and we drive for about ten minutes before pulling into the parking lot of a marina. I pull into the parking lot and see that it’s nothing more than a few docks jutting out into the ocean.

But still, he definitely left something out here.

I park my car next to his and push open the door to find him already waiting by the back of the parking space.

“I thought you said we were going to your place?”

“We are.” He grins and starts to walk backward toward one of the docks, lifting his brows comically. “Come on, you’ll see.”

I shake my head, fighting the twitch of my lips as he turns, leaving me to follow along after him. The dock sways with movement as I step onto it and my feet grip for a moment, finding a balance. Jace leans us all the way to the end of the dock before turning back and throwing out his arm in presentation, flashing that brilliant smile of his.

“My humble abode.”

I look to the large white boat trimmed in royal blue next to us, something of a cross between a fishing and pleasure boat. A trawler, I think it’s called. There’s a small deck wrapping around a large cabin with another level sitting above where you can climb up to steer the boat or lounge under a canopy. My lips twitch at the sight of the boat's name emblazoned in large, royal blue letters across the side, theMiss Fortune.

“You live on a boat?” I snort, answering my own question before he can. “Of course you do.”

He tilts his head at me in question.

“It fits.” I shrug in answer, giving him an ironic look. “Should’ve figured the surfer boy would live on a boat.”

He hops up on the deck and turns back to hold out a hand to me. “Happy I could live up to the stereotype.”

I smirk, grabbing his hand and stepping up. “I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”

“Well, at least we’re agreed on that.” He grins down at me and slides past, brushing our bodies against one another’s along the way and causing my breath to halt until he passes. “You want a drink or something?” He turns his head back toward me as we come to the cabin door. “You’ve definitely earned it after today.”

“Sure.” I lean against the doorframe and my eyes sweep over the interior of the boat, seeing that the entire space is covered in teakwood except for the cushions of a small sitting area beside the tiny kitchen. There’s a captain’s wheel to my right with a small coffee station set up beside it, leaving the living quarters to encompass the back of the boat. Sitting area and kitchen first, leading to what I’m guessing is a bedroom.

“How does a bartender swing this?”

He laughs at my question. “My aunt had been desperate to get rid of the thing for forever and I made her an offer when I got out of the Navy.” I watch him pull open the small fridge and eye the contents before tilting his head back toward me. “I have beer or wine. The beer I can vouch for but the wine is a hit or miss considering Tiff left it here the last time she was over.”

I cock my head playfully, voice coming out teasing despite the lingering pounding in my head. “I’ve always been one to live dangerously.”

“I knew I liked you, Delacroix.” His light, melodic laugh rings out as he grabs the bottle of white wine and turns to grab a corkscrew from a drawer. Twisting it in, he pulls the cork out, forearms flexing in a way that has me running my eyes along him appraisingly. I eye the tattoo running up his arm and the hair pulled back on top of his head as he grabs two glasses from a cabinet and pours us both a glass, attraction flaring to life inside of me.

“Here you go.” He passes me a glass and I dart my eyes back to his to find a knowing look in them.

Yeah. He totally knows I was checking him out.

“If you want you can take that up to the deck while I heat up the food.” He points to the level above us. “It’s a pretty day so I figured we could eat outside. You good with leftovers?”

“Fine by me.”

I take a sip of my wine and turn to head up to the deck, pleasantly surprised when the taste of a decent sauvignon blanc rolls over my tongue. Climbing the short staircase, I see that he has two lawn chairs set up in front of the lounge space by the other captain’s wheel and take a seat in one of them. Making myself comfortable and taking another sip of my wine before tilting my head back. I close my eyes as the sun hits my face, welcoming the warmth with a much-needed exhale of relief, letting myself really relax for the first time today.

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