Page 155 of Three Pucks and a Baby

More than anything, I wanted to share my love of fishing with Theo. Although he’d grown up with access to boats, he hadn’t spent any time on them. Since the conversation had flowed so easily with my Papa while we were out on the boat, I wanted the same for me and Theo.

We had so little time with just the two of us. I couldn’t help wanting the same level of intimacy with him that I had with Vivian. She and I could spend hours on end talking about anything and everything. With our busy schedules, it was becoming harder and harder to squeeze in any alone time with Theo. I couldn’t imagine what would happen when he moved to Charleston.

I hadn’t pressed our emotional intimacy too much with him because I knew how hard he was working in therapy to overcomehis anger and abandonment issues. At first, I’d put it off because of the pressure he was under with the scouting situation. But once he’d signed with the Swarm and we were outed to our families and the world, the initial pressures of our relationship evaporated.

Now more than ever, I was determined to break through his walls. Of course, since it was Theo, I was going to need a fucking sledgehammer.

When we drove through the gates to the boat ramp, Theo threw me a glance. “CrystalLake?”

“What about it?”

“That was the name of the lake inFriday the Thirteenth.”

Seizing on a personal tidbit, I said, “I didn’t know you liked horror movies.”

Theo rolled his eyes. “That’s not the point I was making.”

“Ah, I see. You’re worried someone is going to hack us up while we’re on the boat simply because it has the same name as one in the movie?”

He scowled at me. “Maybe.”

“Considering we’re not a bunch of horny campers, I think we’ll be fine.”

Theo’s scowl turned into a smirk. “I might not be a camper, but I am horny.”

With a groan, I eased into a parking spot. “After last night, how can you possibly be horny?”

After dinner, we’d christened the Novaks’ beach house all night. Many rooms were debauched. Many orifices were debased. And many positions were used.

“What can I say? You drive me crazy,” Theo replied.

When he leaned over to kiss me, I quickly eased him back into his seat. “Sorry, dude, this isn’t the Love Boat. The only thing going down on the boat will be the fishing lines.”

“Tease,” Theo murmured with a grin.

“Come on. I promised Gray and Vivian a fish fry tonight, and daylight is burning.”

Wrinkling his nose, Theo replied, “You’re going to gut and scale a fish?”

“What’s the matter, Rich Boy? Are you afraid you’re going to get those pristine hands of yours dirty?” I teased.

“You know exactly how dirty my hands can be.”

Smacking the steering wheel, I snapped, “Can you please stop making everything about sex?”

Theo’s dark eyes popped wide. “Jesus, Bennie, calm down.”

I shook my head. “I’m serious. Today is about romance with us, the same as it is with Gray and Viv.”

“If today is about romance, then we probably should’ve chosen something other than fishing,” Theo challenged.

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

Grumbling under his breath, Theo threw open his door. I did the same sans the grumbling. After a quick trip to the trunk, I grabbed the fishing equipment. Theo hoisted the cooler out and turned. “Where to now, Captain?”

“The lady I rented the boat from said it would be in #8.”

Theo fell in step behind me as we made our way down the slip. When we reached #8, he turned to me with cocked brows. “That’s it?”

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