Tequila Rose by Willow Winters (any book recommendations .TXT) 📗

“Look at you, Miss Southern Belle.” I hadn’t noticed Griffin standing in the cockpit. “Welcome aboard,” he says, greeting her with the charm I typically have.

Running a hand over my hair, I watch him help Magnolia down to sit across from him before eyeing me with a look that says, “What the hell, man?”

Yeah, I know. She’s got me off my game.

I don’t know what it is about her. Maybe the chase, maybe the memories of that night and the fact that the chemistry is all still there. I don’t know, but whatever it is, I need to shake it off.

Griffin’s not exactly the best when it comes to charm, so the fact that he’s one-upping me is a sign that things are bound to go wrong.

“Just to be clear, I plan on getting a little sunbathing in.” I don’t miss how Magnolia’s gaze drops to my chest, then my abs, as I prepare the boat. “If that’s all right with you,” she adds and her voice is lowered, once again her gaze refusing to meet mine.

“Me too,” Griffin says, taking his shirt off and grabbing the sunscreen.

With the two of them getting comfortable, I go through the motions and Griffin joins me, doing his part and leaving the sunscreen with Magnolia.

It’s only once we’re out, the waves lapping at the sides of the boat that Magnolia speaks up. “You weren’t kidding,” she calls out above the sounds of the ocean that surrounds us.

“What’s that?” I yell back against the wind, still manning the steering wheel. We’re not heading out far, just a bit of privacy and open air is all we want.

When she stands to make her way to me, she slips off the cover-up, tossing it on top of her clutch and hat that now sit beside the cooler in the cockpit.

“You’re pretty darn good,” she says and this time there’s no sound at all except for the sweet compliment that comes from those lips. She stands closer than she needs to, her arm brushing against mine and with a slight rock of the boat against stubborn waves, she braces herself against me, but quickly rights herself. I’m grateful for the contact, though, and the fact that she wants to be here next to me.

“Well thanks. I’m glad you came to see me in action.” I smile and try to think of something to say, something charismatic, but not a damn thing comes to me. She’s breathtaking, she’s sweet … but she already knows that. Our gaze is locked and I know she’s waiting on something else as the salty air whips by us and she leans closer to me, her fingers brushing against the wooden helm although she doesn’t try to take it over. She’s just feeling her way.

“Does everyone call you Mags?” Griffin interrupts the moment and thank God he does. I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding when she nods a yes and she and Griffin joke about something. I can’t even hear what; I’m too busy giving myself a pep talk to get my shit together.

Something about her has me tongue tied. Could be the fact that I’m hard as a rock for her and it’s a bit difficult to hide in these shorts. I think of everything and anything to rectify that situation.

Other than my lack of a brain when she’s around me, everything is easygoing. The conversation flows and I was right to think Griffin would only put Magnolia at ease.

Something’s still off, though. Every so often she looks at me from the corner of her eye and I don’t know what she’s searching for, but whatever it is, she isn’t finding it if the look on her gorgeous face is anything to go by.

“You all right?” I ask her when I catch her doing it again.

“Yeah, it’s just …”

I don’t speak up when she hesitates. I wait for her to get whatever it is off her chest. She didn’t tell me the other night whatever it was that bothered her. Might as well get it over with now that the awkwardness is gone. Well, her awkwardness. I’m obviously still working on mine.

“It looked like just from a distance, you know … like you might be having a hard morning or something?”

“What do you mean?” A deep crease settles in my forehead.

“This morning … I might have been watching you for a bit … before I got on the boat.”

A gruff chuckle leaves me. “I’m fine,” I answer with the lie, pretending like I don’t know what she’s talking about even though I know damn well she must’ve seen me when I was thinking of Gramps. I can barely get a grip on the easy stuff. Heavy shit can wait till another day.

Quick to change the subject back to something we both enjoy, I tell her, “I see why you love it here.”

“Yeah, the ocean, the sun … the town’s not too bad either.”

I join her when she laughs although I pick up on the dampened tone when she brings up the town.

“Small towns can be rough from what I’ve heard.”

“Every place has its ups and downs but I do love it here.”

“You going to live here forever?”

“Well, I haven’t thought about ‘forever’ yet. It’s hard with—” She stops speaking abruptly but her mouth stays parted, like she realized she was going to say something she doesn’t want to.

“Hard with what?”

“With what happened a few years back. I didn’t tell you … I left that morning, the morning after we met because I had a family emergency and it turned into the worst time of my life.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“No … if that’s okay with you?”

Shrugging to keep it casual I tell her, “I’m happy