powerboat.”
“Mwuffa ifnus?”
“What?”
Juli extracted the toothbrush. “What’s the difference?”
He stared at her. “Are you joking?”
Juli shoved the toothbrush back in her mouth and kept scrubbing. Her eyes didn’t leave his.
Alex sighed. “A sailboat has sails. It’s powered by the wind. A powerboat has a great big engine that makes it move. Better for going longer distances at higher speeds.”
Juli nodded, considering this as she gnawed the head of the toothbrush.
“Do you want some water or a sink or some toothpaste or something?” Alex asked.
Juli extracted the toothbrush again. “No. This is how I brush my teeth.”
Alex stared at her, feeling fairly certain this was the strangest woman he’d met in a long time. Strange, but maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. She made him laugh, and it had been a helluva long time since he’d done much of that. And God she was gorgeous, even with the toothbrush making her cheek balloon like a hamster’s pouch. Her eyes were that perfect, aqua blue of Caribbean water. Her hair made him want to tangle his fingers through those loopy curls again. And that body…
As though reading his thoughts, Juli grinned at him around the toothbrush.
“So where am I sleeping?” she asked.
“The master stateroom.”
“Wow. Sounds fancy. How’d I score that?”
“There are three sleeping quarters on the boat. This room—which Phyllis has dibs on—and the guest room with two bunks—which is where Cody and Jake are sleeping, since they both snore. And then the master stateroom.”
Juli grinned. “So you’re sleeping with me?”
“No.” Alex shook his head and tried to ignore the surge of lust that hit him in the gut at the thought. “Out here—no. Bad idea for a lot of reasons. I’m sleeping on the flybridge, if the weather holds. If it doesn’t, I’ll be in the salon.”
“Flybridge? Salon? Do any rooms on this boat have normal names?”
“The flybridge is the open area on the upper deck. You can drive the boat from there or from the pilothouse on the main level where Jake is right now. The salon is sort of like the living room. It’s the one right off the pilothouse.”
“Where the cockpit is?”
“Right. And bonus points for knowing your boat terminology.”
Juli grinned. “I saw that in the pamphlet for my boat tour. Only whoever designed it couldn’t fit the word on one line, so it looked like two words. Cock. Pit. Funny, don’t you think?”
Alex stared at her. Juli shrugged and stuffed the toothbrush back in her knapsack. Then she looked at him again. “So you have your own sailboat.”
“Yes,” he said cautiously.
“Expensive. Must be a real chick magnet.”
“Right. That’s pretty much why I bought it. I don’t even know how to sail.”
She grinned again, and Alex felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. Then he wondered what the hell he was tense about in the first place. It wasn’t just the pirate mission or the job loss. There was something about discussions of women and money that always made him want to bite the head off large rodents.
“You’re a funny guy,” Juli said.
“I’m here to amuse you.”
“Great! So now what?”
He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Well, are there any onboard activities or anything?”
Alex stared at her again. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but did you miss the part where we said this isn’t really your charter boat?”
She rolled her eyes. “I get that, wise guy. But don’t you guys have anything fun to do? A drinking game or a crossword puzzle or an entertaining interlude where you name all the marine life or something?”
Alex wanted to give her a stern look, but he could feel her exuberance making him smile in spite of himself. He fought it hard. “I think Cody brought Battleship—”
“Battleship! Wanna play?”
“Um—”
“The bald guy is driving the boat now, right?”
“Well yes, but—”
“So just a quick game.”
This
“Mwuffa ifnus?”
“What?”
Juli extracted the toothbrush. “What’s the difference?”
He stared at her. “Are you joking?”
Juli shoved the toothbrush back in her mouth and kept scrubbing. Her eyes didn’t leave his.
Alex sighed. “A sailboat has sails. It’s powered by the wind. A powerboat has a great big engine that makes it move. Better for going longer distances at higher speeds.”
Juli nodded, considering this as she gnawed the head of the toothbrush.
“Do you want some water or a sink or some toothpaste or something?” Alex asked.
Juli extracted the toothbrush again. “No. This is how I brush my teeth.”
Alex stared at her, feeling fairly certain this was the strangest woman he’d met in a long time. Strange, but maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. She made him laugh, and it had been a helluva long time since he’d done much of that. And God she was gorgeous, even with the toothbrush making her cheek balloon like a hamster’s pouch. Her eyes were that perfect, aqua blue of Caribbean water. Her hair made him want to tangle his fingers through those loopy curls again. And that body…
As though reading his thoughts, Juli grinned at him around the toothbrush.
“So where am I sleeping?” she asked.
“The master stateroom.”
“Wow. Sounds fancy. How’d I score that?”
“There are three sleeping quarters on the boat. This room—which Phyllis has dibs on—and the guest room with two bunks—which is where Cody and Jake are sleeping, since they both snore. And then the master stateroom.”
Juli grinned. “So you’re sleeping with me?”
“No.” Alex shook his head and tried to ignore the surge of lust that hit him in the gut at the thought. “Out here—no. Bad idea for a lot of reasons. I’m sleeping on the flybridge, if the weather holds. If it doesn’t, I’ll be in the salon.”
“Flybridge? Salon? Do any rooms on this boat have normal names?”
“The flybridge is the open area on the upper deck. You can drive the boat from there or from the pilothouse on the main level where Jake is right now. The salon is sort of like the living room. It’s the one right off the pilothouse.”
“Where the cockpit is?”
“Right. And bonus points for knowing your boat terminology.”
Juli grinned. “I saw that in the pamphlet for my boat tour. Only whoever designed it couldn’t fit the word on one line, so it looked like two words. Cock. Pit. Funny, don’t you think?”
Alex stared at her. Juli shrugged and stuffed the toothbrush back in her knapsack. Then she looked at him again. “So you have your own sailboat.”
“Yes,” he said cautiously.
“Expensive. Must be a real chick magnet.”
“Right. That’s pretty much why I bought it. I don’t even know how to sail.”
She grinned again, and Alex felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. Then he wondered what the hell he was tense about in the first place. It wasn’t just the pirate mission or the job loss. There was something about discussions of women and money that always made him want to bite the head off large rodents.
“You’re a funny guy,” Juli said.
“I’m here to amuse you.”
“Great! So now what?”
He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Well, are there any onboard activities or anything?”
Alex stared at her again. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but did you miss the part where we said this isn’t really your charter boat?”
She rolled her eyes. “I get that, wise guy. But don’t you guys have anything fun to do? A drinking game or a crossword puzzle or an entertaining interlude where you name all the marine life or something?”
Alex wanted to give her a stern look, but he could feel her exuberance making him smile in spite of himself. He fought it hard. “I think Cody brought Battleship—”
“Battleship! Wanna play?”
“Um—”
“The bald guy is driving the boat now, right?”
“Well yes, but—”
“So just a quick game.”
This
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