the corner of her eye she saw Dawg locking the lake-side doors and hanging up the “closed” sign.
“Ray will skin you alive.” She shook her head, though she couldn’t still the smile on her lips. “Summer hours are longer now, Rowdy. I still have an hour.”
“I asked Dad first.” He moved back, his expression intent, sexy.
“Better yet, Dawg can finish up for you. Come on, Kelly, sneak away with me.”
Sneak away with him? How many times had she dreamed of hearing him say those words? She would have snuck out with him, anytime, any place.
“Go on, Kelly.” Dawg lent his approval to the idea. “I’ll close up shop here and help Ray and your mom outside before I leave.”
-58-
NAUTI BUOY
As Rowdy’s first cousin, and the oldest by several months, Dawg had usually led the pranks the Nauti Boys had gotten into. The three men had been hell on wheels through their high school years.
She breathed in deeply, her hands sliding from her hips to her jeans pockets as she glanced up at Rowdy again.
“You know you want to,” he whispered with a wink. “Come on, I even spent the day airing out the boat and getting her ready.”
The Nauti Buoy was his pride and joy, not to mention his weekend home. He and his friends spent their summers on the water, normally in the houseboats they had acquired over the years. Their title, the Nauti Boys, had come as much from the names of their boats as it had their sexual practices.
“Okay.” She gripped her courage with both hands and gave him a short nod. “I haven’t had Chinese in a while.”
She hadn’t eaten out much period, preferring to stay in the house when she was home rather than forcing herself to pretend a security she didn’t feel. It terrified her, not knowing who her attacker was. If he was a friend or a stranger, someone she trusted or would have trusted.
“Good,” he said, his voice warm, approving as she moved past him, tugging at the hem of her big shirt before one of his big hands caught one of hers.
Warmth surrounded her fingers, fed into her bloodstream and sent a surge of heat spiking through her system. Adrenaline spiked the wave of warmth, fed it into her tightening nipples, her swollen clit.
“We’ll catch you on the lake later, Dawg.”
“I’ll give you a call before I head out.” Dawg nodded as they moved past him, his eyes narrowed, the brilliant blue glittering behind the spiked lashes surrounding them. They held the same teasing warmth and sensual promise that Natches’ had earlier.
-59-
Lora Leigh
“Come on.”
She followed Rowdy as he moved through the main marina office, waving to her mother as he opened the door and escorted her through it.
She wondered if she looked as confused as she felt.
Stilling her emotions and her equilibrium after waking up with him that morning had been hard enough. She had been nervous, her fingers shaking, her stomach clenching each time she thought of waking up beside him, feeling him surrounding her, his erection pressing into her rear. That had been the most disconcerting part. She should have been frightened. The psychologist had told her she would likely be frightened the first time she tried intimate relations after the near-rape. That the intimacy of allowing a man to touch her, to hold her, might be difficult to get through.
It hadn’t been. Not that Rowdy had touched her much. He had made her more aroused than frightened. And in ways, that was more frightening than the fear of his touch. Everyone had told her for months that being touched would be difficult for her, but being touched by Rowdy had been a dream come true.
“You think too much sometimes,” Rowdy announced as he collected the bags of Chinese food from the steel saddlebags mounted to the side of the motorcycle.
“I can walk and chew gum at the same time too.” She rolled her eyes at him, feeling his hand at the small of her back again.
In the past twenty-four hours he had touched her more than he had in
“Ray will skin you alive.” She shook her head, though she couldn’t still the smile on her lips. “Summer hours are longer now, Rowdy. I still have an hour.”
“I asked Dad first.” He moved back, his expression intent, sexy.
“Better yet, Dawg can finish up for you. Come on, Kelly, sneak away with me.”
Sneak away with him? How many times had she dreamed of hearing him say those words? She would have snuck out with him, anytime, any place.
“Go on, Kelly.” Dawg lent his approval to the idea. “I’ll close up shop here and help Ray and your mom outside before I leave.”
-58-
NAUTI BUOY
As Rowdy’s first cousin, and the oldest by several months, Dawg had usually led the pranks the Nauti Boys had gotten into. The three men had been hell on wheels through their high school years.
She breathed in deeply, her hands sliding from her hips to her jeans pockets as she glanced up at Rowdy again.
“You know you want to,” he whispered with a wink. “Come on, I even spent the day airing out the boat and getting her ready.”
The Nauti Buoy was his pride and joy, not to mention his weekend home. He and his friends spent their summers on the water, normally in the houseboats they had acquired over the years. Their title, the Nauti Boys, had come as much from the names of their boats as it had their sexual practices.
“Okay.” She gripped her courage with both hands and gave him a short nod. “I haven’t had Chinese in a while.”
She hadn’t eaten out much period, preferring to stay in the house when she was home rather than forcing herself to pretend a security she didn’t feel. It terrified her, not knowing who her attacker was. If he was a friend or a stranger, someone she trusted or would have trusted.
“Good,” he said, his voice warm, approving as she moved past him, tugging at the hem of her big shirt before one of his big hands caught one of hers.
Warmth surrounded her fingers, fed into her bloodstream and sent a surge of heat spiking through her system. Adrenaline spiked the wave of warmth, fed it into her tightening nipples, her swollen clit.
“We’ll catch you on the lake later, Dawg.”
“I’ll give you a call before I head out.” Dawg nodded as they moved past him, his eyes narrowed, the brilliant blue glittering behind the spiked lashes surrounding them. They held the same teasing warmth and sensual promise that Natches’ had earlier.
-59-
Lora Leigh
“Come on.”
She followed Rowdy as he moved through the main marina office, waving to her mother as he opened the door and escorted her through it.
She wondered if she looked as confused as she felt.
Stilling her emotions and her equilibrium after waking up with him that morning had been hard enough. She had been nervous, her fingers shaking, her stomach clenching each time she thought of waking up beside him, feeling him surrounding her, his erection pressing into her rear. That had been the most disconcerting part. She should have been frightened. The psychologist had told her she would likely be frightened the first time she tried intimate relations after the near-rape. That the intimacy of allowing a man to touch her, to hold her, might be difficult to get through.
It hadn’t been. Not that Rowdy had touched her much. He had made her more aroused than frightened. And in ways, that was more frightening than the fear of his touch. Everyone had told her for months that being touched would be difficult for her, but being touched by Rowdy had been a dream come true.
“You think too much sometimes,” Rowdy announced as he collected the bags of Chinese food from the steel saddlebags mounted to the side of the motorcycle.
“I can walk and chew gum at the same time too.” She rolled her eyes at him, feeling his hand at the small of her back again.
In the past twenty-four hours he had touched her more than he had in
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