to the glossy stuff on her lips.
Which left him studying her mouth, thinking about how soft and silky her hair was.
How beautiful she was, inside and out. He could tell she cared about her team and her goals, and he could only imagine how hard it had been for her to step up after her father passed away and become a responsible adult at such a young age. He swallowed, hard, as he tucked her hair behind her ear the same way she had.
Electricity flowed from him to her, or from her to him. His fingertips lingered on the shell of her ear. “Speaking of the fish…You honestly liked it?”
She licked her lips and her voice came out slightly breathless. “I honestly did.”
“Care to admit defeat?”
“Discovering I actually like fish if it’s been seasoned and cooked right can hardly be called a defeat. It’s all win.” She reached into her pocket and withdrew a tiny slip of paper. “But you definitely earned that gold star you’ve had your eye on.”
As she lifted it, more details stood out. Sure enough, a glittery gold star caught the light coming from the control panel. They weren’t like the stickers he’d very occasionally received in elementary—he’d had trouble sitting still, his gaze forever drifting out the window. This star was about the size of a quarter and completely over-the-top, much like the woman in front of him.
If anyone had asked him earlier, he would’ve said Danae wasn’t his type. After talking to her about sailing and her father, and spending some time getting to know the real Danae, he found her drive and determination completely alluring.
“I don’t know if you want to save it, or—”
“No way. I’m wearing that bad boy with pride.” He peeled it off and almost placed it on his shirt. But he’d change his shirt.
I’ve officially lost my mind, stressing out over the longevity of a sticker. It was more than that, though. So much more.
After a moment of deliberation, he stuck it on his jacket—the one currently on Danae. He pressed it to the spot where a police officer would wear their badge. “Now I won’t lose it,” he whispered.
The smile she bestowed upon him lit him up inside like the fireworks at the big 4th of July show.
She began shucking the coat. “Right. Here, I’ll get this back to you. Mine’s in my cabin, and you’ve got to be cold.”
Josh placed his hands on her shoulders, preventing her from removing the jacket. “I’m not cold.” With Danae so close and his heart pumping like crazy, he could hardly imagine ever being cold again. “You keep it for tonight. I don’t want you to shiver on your way back to the cabin, and you can just bring it to me tomorrow morning.”
Danae rubbed the sticker, securing it to the fabric. “Okay.”
Yes, he would give her the coat anyway, because he was a gentleman, but he also wanted her to stay. If she was cold, she’d want to leave.
With land approaching, Josh gestured to the wheel. “Want to park it?”
“Since I was only ever the co-captain and mostly in charge of the sails, it’s been a while since I’ve steered. And I’ve never parked before.”
“I’ll be right here to help you. Just like with the fish.” Josh placed his hand on Danae’s lower back and maneuvered her in front of him.
Ever so slowly, she wrapped her fingers around the wheel. He helped her guide the sailboat into the marina, showing her how to accelerate and decelerate and line it up. One thing was clear: she was a natural sailor through and through.
“I need you to do me another favor,” he said, his lips close enough to her ear that he caught a whiff of vanilla perfume or shampoo or whatever women used that smelled so incredible. Something Danae definitely took to the next level.
She glanced over her shoulder at him, the lights around the dock dancing in the reflection of her glasses. “What?”
“Once you get back to your cabin, make sure you dig out another gold star, because you earned it.”
“What if I prefer pink?” One corner of her mouth twisted up, the happiness radiating from her transferring to him.
“What if I’m not surprised?”
“Oh, you think you know me already?”
“No,” he said. “But I’m figuring it out. Well enough to realize that I judged the sender of the emails a little harshly.”
“Full disclosure: I judged the non-answerer of the emails a little harshly too.”
Josh cut the engine, and other noises