Page 77 of Clumsy in Love

He turned to face her. “Why, Miss Bennett,” he said with a smile, sensing and enjoying her unease. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so flustered.”

Oh, so he thought this was funny? Well, she could play his game. She threw a foot up onto the side of the boat and rubbed the excess sunscreen onto her bare leg in slow, sultry strokes. “Don’t want my legs to burn.”

His smile fell instantly, and heat filled his eyes. “Those legs will be the death of me.”

“What? These old things?” she teased.

“Fine,” he said, capping the lotion tube and dropping it onto a seat. “You win.”

“What do I win?” She stood in front of him, practically daring him to kiss her.

He took the bait and slid his arms around her waist, coming at her and kissing her slowly. Yes. She’d take this prize any day. “Lucky me,” she whispered between kisses. “I didn’t even know we were playing anything.”

“The hell you didn’t,” he grumbled.

They made out like teenagers until another boat sped by. “Get a room!” someone on board yelled as they passed.

Holly and Cole broke apart and laughed.

She peered over the side. “How many dead bodies you think are down there?”

“Between the three rivers? A lot,” he said simply. “Tons of guns and knives too, I’m sure.”

He restarted the boat, and they whipped around Ellis Island before heading up the east river to the Williamsburg Bridge. There, they flipped a U-turn and came back around the tip of Manhattan and up the mouth of the Hudson. Three hours later, they puttered into the marina. She helped him tie off, and he helped her out of the boat.

“That was awesome,” she said. “Is it lunchtime?”

“I could eat.”

They walked to a deli that boasted the best cherry pie in New York City. They sat at the counter and were served quickly.

“Why do people say ‘easy as pie’?” she asked.

He shrugged.

“I mean, have you ever made pie? It’s really an elaborate process. The crust is hard to get right and makes a big mess. Then you have to cut up all the fruit and get the consistency perfectly gooey. It’s also difficult to tell when it’s done. The crust might look browned, but is the inside cooked through?”

“You’re overthinking it. Maybe they just meaneatingpie is easy.”

“Good point,” she said, slipping the last bite into her mouth. “If that’s the case, I agree.”

Outside, they encountered a naked man. Holly’s eyes popped wide. She felt Cole’s hand on the small of her back. “Just keep walking,” he said near her ear.

Eyes still glued to the man, she turned to continue on and ran smack into a scaffolding pole. “Oof.”

“Ya okay?” he asked, biting his lip to keep from laughing.

She rubbed her head. “That’s gonna leave a mark.”

At that, he did laugh.

“That something you see every day?”

“More than I’d like,” he deadpanned.

Dusk was eminent, and lights began popping on in the tall buildings. He whistled for a taxi, which took them for a long ride to Yankee Stadium.

“You’ll have to come back in the fall, and we’ll go to the Garden for a Knicks game. Yankees are the next best thing.”

---