Page 57 of Surprisingly Us

“Something like that.” I extend my hand to her. “You want to come aboard?”

“Yeah.” She slips off her tennis shoes, then takes my hand to step on. I can’t help but check out her ass when she bends over.

“I feel overdressed.” She eyes my naked torso as she passes into the main living area, her gaze following the ink of my tattoofrom my forearm to where it wraps over my shoulder and the left side of my chest.

Whether Lettie’s in a silk dress or a t-shirt and leggings, she always looks good. And the spandex biker shorts she’s wearing right now are no exception.

“This is boat life attire. Clothing optional.” While I like to get dressed up to go out, when I’m at home or out on the water, I’m used to being shirtless and dressed down. It’s all those shirtless summers I spent at Lake George. It’s ingrained in my blood.

“Hmm.” She glances around the space before her eyes settle back on me. “You missed a button.” Her finger waves in the direction of my jeans where the top button is undone.

I shrug. “That’s how I like it. It’s comfortable.”

“Like a woman taking off her bra after a long day?” she asks.

“Be my guest, Princess. No bras required here.”

Her eyes skate over my naked torso again. “Yeah, I’m good.”

She sets her tote bag down on the coffee table, and glances around the space.

“I thought Wanda was messing with me when she dropped me at the boat slip entrance.”

I would have joined when Wanda went to pick Lettie up from practice but I picked up Mo from the shelter today, so I was getting him settled in. It didn’t help that as soon as I opened the cat carrier door, he bolted and I’ve spent the last hour looking for him.

Lettie looks around. “Where’s Maurice?”

“He’s around here somewhere,” I say, yanking the tag off the brand-new cat bed before I casually toss it onto the couch. “He’s being shy.”

When I invited Lettie over, I hadn’t anticipated that Mo would need some time to adapt to his new surroundings. I figured he’d be as cuddly and playful as he was at the shelter, but after making one round of the main-level living room, he bolted.All the doors have been shut, so I’m certain he’s hiding inside somewhere.

“Oh my gosh. Is that a Litter Robot 4?” Lettie points to the self-cleaning litterbox Ramsey set up for Mo earlier.

“Um, yeah. I think so.”

“I’m jealous. I love Maxine, but god, I hate scooping her poop.”

“I’ll buy you one.” I’ve got unlimited funds so a two-hundred-dollar self-cleaning litterbox is nothing, but the way Lettie lights up at the suggestion has me immediately reaching for my phone to text Ramsey.

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Of course you can, Princess. And it’s already on its way.” I wave my phone to show her that it’s been ordered before setting my phone back on the counter. “Besides, when I bring Mo over, he’ll use it, too.”

Lettie laughs. “Nothing says romance like fresh cat litter.”

“Do you want a tour?” I ask.

“Sure.”

I show her around the main living and dining area, then downstairs to the state rooms, the galley, and crew quarters.

She looks around the crew quarters which is made up of three small sleeping cabins and a galley kitchen. “Does anyone stay here with you?”

“My assistant, Ramsey, does. But he’s in one of the state rooms. He has too much stuff to fit in one of these cabins.”

“Do you cook?” she asks, taking in the spotless, and mostly bare kitchen.

“I have most of my meals catered by a chef, or I go out.”

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