Page 107 of One Unexpected Gift

“Neither is office sex.”

“Exactly.”

He dragged two kayaks out from the shed and cleaned off the spiderwebs. They took off their shoes and waded in the water a few inches before climbing in their prospective kayaks. He covered her lap with the blanket and gave her a quick kiss. He hadn’t thought this all the way through.

With Sky in one kayak and he in another, he couldn’t touch her. Couldn’t kiss her. So much for their time alone together.

“This is perfect. I can’t remember the last time I was out on the pond. With Gabby attached to my side, I didn’t get a chance to get out on the water this fall.”

If it made Sky happy, then part two of their alone time wouldn’t be a total bust. They paddled along the shore and talked about inconsequential things like the weather, tourists, their favorite foods, and movies.

Even though they’d been spending a lot of time together, most of their conversations had been around Gabriella, or sex. This was nice, the getting to know you better dating stage. He also hoped it would loosen her up into agreeing to his part three.

An hour later, they made their way back to shore and stored the kayaks. “This was perfect. Thank you for thinking of it.” Sky kissed him and gave his butt a squeeze. He liked her hands on him. Liked it a lot.

“You’re freezing.” He warmed her hands in his. “I should have told you to bring a hat and gloves.”

“I’m perfectly perfect.” She leaned into him and draped her arms around his waist. “Besides, I like it when you warm me up.”

It was now or never, putting his request out there. “So, I have an idea.”

Sky smiled and looked over his shoulder. “You want to christen the cabins, don’t you?”

Nick chuckled. “While I have absolutely no objection to that, it’s not what I was thinking about.”

“Not thinking about sex? This is new. Do tell.”

The last thing he wanted Sky to think was that he was only interested in sex. He’d made it clear when she moved her and Gabby’s belongings to his house. He’d sleep on the couch or turn one of the empty bedrooms into his space, but she’d insisted on them sharing his bed. Not that he had any qualms with it.

“It’s a long drive to Virginia.”

Her arms went lax around his waist and her chin dropped to her chest. “About fifteen hours.”

“I’d like to go with you. If you want company.”

Her head jerked upright, and her eyes widened with surprise. A pleasant surprise by the curve in her lips. “You want to come to Virginia with me?”

“I’d feel better knowing you had adult company. I can fly back on Monday morning. There are plenty of direct flights to Portland.”

“Oh.” She dropped her arms and stepped out of his embrace.

Somewhere along the way he missed a cue. Missed something.

“If you’d rather not have company, I won’t be offended.”

Sky shook her head. “I would very much love the company. Your company. Are you sure you can take the time off work?”

“I’m pretty tight with the boss, but I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt if you wanted to put in a good word for me.”

“A good word?” The fun sass was back. “I’ll see what I can do.”

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