When You're Mine - Layla Hagen Page 0,43
sir, are a bit dangerous to me. You make my dad laugh. And now you want to give me boat tours through the city."
"Is that a problem?" I asked.
She lowered her gaze to the water, then looked back up at me. I knew what she was thinking—what she didn't want to say out loud. This wasn't what we agreed on, but I didn't particularly care. It felt good, and I didn't want to throw it away.
She sat on the chair next to the driver seat while I steered the wheel. The city lights were beautiful, as was Ellis Island straight in front of us. The water was calm tonight.
Standing up, she held her phone for a selfie. We both smiled into it. The skyscrapers were huge behind us, with the flickering lights casting a glow in the picture. It contrasted starkly with the image in front—water surrounded us everywhere, with the lights around Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty piercing the darkness. The air smelled salty—even fishy.
“Is it more difficult steering a boat than a car?” she asked after a while.
“No, it’s easier. I’m feeling very warm for some reason.”
“I suggest you roll up those sleeves.”
“Why? Won’t make a difference.”
“Oh no. That’s entirely for my benefit. Eye candy and all that.”
I rolled each of the sleeves.
“I love those forearms. They’re my kryptonite.”
“Good to know.” After a while, as we passed by Ellis Island, I said, “This is the most relaxed I’ve been since moving to the city,” I said when we passed by Ellis Island.
“Happy to hear that. Project Z is taking a toll on you, isn’t it?”
“We didn’t need the additional workload.”
“I admire you for taking this on,” she said, surprising the hell out of me.
“Most of the people outside my family think Ian and I are insane.”
“Well, I don’t. It’s one of the things that made me rethink my resolution. Though your kissing skills played a role too.”
“I like what I’m hearing,” I said with a laugh, steering the wheel with one hand so I could half turn to look at her.
She crossed her legs, and those perfectly toned calves were driving me crazy. She slid lower on the seat, looking up at the sky.
“I’ve never learned the constellations, but it’s not like you see too many stars in New York.”
“Dad taught me a few constellations, but I don’t remember them. We used to go fishing and camp a lot when Ian and I were kids.”
“Are you younger or older than Ian?”
“Older. He used to drive me crazy when we were kids before he started hero-worshiping me and tried to copy everything I was doing. Then when I was at the end of high school, he decided to be completely different. It was hilarious.”
“And now?”
“Now he’s my best friend,” I replied.
“Seemed that way. I always wanted siblings, but Dad never got serious with a woman. He never even told me when he was dating someone. I wish he’d found someone, because he’s lonely, even with all his activities and Buddy. By the way, did you give any more thought to adopting a dog for yourself?”
I shook my head. “It really wouldn’t be fair to the animal. I wouldn’t even have time to take it out for a walk every day.”
“Hmm... but you seemed so happy with the puppy around.”
“That was all you, Mel. Trust me.”
We were close to the Statue of Liberty now, and I had to admit it was quite a sight at night.
“This is gorgeous,” she whispered. “It looks magical with all these lights around it.”
I circled it twice at a speed that was low enough for us to take in the sight but fast enough to cut through the waves.
She licked her lips, crossing and uncrossing her legs. Her short skirt had hiked up to mid-thigh, and all I wanted was to explore her body. But I planned to wait until we got home for that. I wasn’t going to have her on this damn boat.
“Eyes up, mister,” she said in a playful tone. “This is not the time to check me out.”
“Every time is the right time to check you out,” I said seriously.
She swallowed hard. I nearly let go of the steering wheel to lean over and claim her mouth.
“We don’t want any accidents, do we?” she asked.
“No, we don’t.”
I sped back toward North Cove. We were silent on the way, taking in our surroundings. The salty air was making me thirsty, but I didn’t have any water. We reached the docks