Page 37 of Pretty Wild

Just as I go to answer, Buddy barks. I glance down and find him sitting right beside us, watching like the voyeur dog he is. “Ummm, we have an audience.”

Marcus looks down. “I thought you’d be used to that.”

My snort is very unladylike. “Usually, yes, but not for…that.”

“That? You mean sex?” he asks, grinning widely.

I nod, my shorts starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

Suddenly, he’s setting me down on shaky legs. I’m a bit confused, since we were just talking about sex. Why isn’t he carrying me off to his cabin to have his wicked way with me?

“I have an idea,” he starts, stepping back and putting a little distance between us. “How about we each head back to our cabins, get showered, and cleaned up. When you’re done, come back and I’ll cook that fish for dinner.”

There’s so much I want to ask, but I don’t know which should come first. He doesn’t want to have sex right now? What guy wouldn’t jump at the chance for immediate no-strings sex? Like, seriously, at this very moment. Instead, he wants to shower and cook dinner first? Not to mention, he wants to cook the fish we caught that got us in the wet mess we’re in.

“I can see the wheels spinning, Ryan,” he says, reaching up and placing a strand of limp, wet hair that fell out of the hat behind my ear. “I figured you’d prefer to get cleaned up first. Not that I wouldn’t throw you over my shoulder and take you straight to my bed right now, but I assumed you wanted to wipethe raccoon eyes off your face and maybe scrub the lake water off your skin.”

My eyes widen and my hand darts up to shield my face. “I have raccoon eyes?”

He chuckles a low, gravelly noise that goes straight to my clit. “It’s cute.”

“Oh God,” I grumble. Why didn’t I think to at least check myself in the mirror before I stormed over here to give him a piece of my mind?

Buddy jumps up on Marcus’s leg, tired of being left out of the conversation. “I need to get the boat and truck taken care of and clean this fish. Unless you want to stay and help? It is part of the whole fishing adventure.”

I scrunch up my nose and make a face. “No, thanks. I draw the line on fish guts.”

“Figured,” he replies, taking another step back and putting even more distance between us. “Go get cleaned up and come back when you’re ready.”

“Okay,” I agree, realizing he’s right. I can’t hang in these wet clothes much longer, and the more I think about it, I don’t want to get all sexy with this man smelling like lake, worm, and fish. “I’ll be right back.”

He nods, grabbing a stick off the ground and throwing it for Buddy. The dog immediately takes off running to retrieve it. “So, you’ll be back in like thirty, forty minutes?”

I laugh. Hard.

“What? What woman gets ready in thirty or forty minutes?” I ask, incredulously.

Marcus shakes his head and picks up the stick Buddy drops at his feet. “How long do you need?” he asks curiously.

Without having a watch or my phone to check the time, I reply, “Two hours. Will that give you enough time to get your stuff done?”

His eyes go wide. “Two hours? It takes you two hours to get ready?”

I shrug and slowly start to head toward the path. I can feel his eyes on me as I walk, so I add a little extra swing to my hips. Glancing over my shoulder, I reply, “Two hours, buster, but it’ll be worth it.”

With a wink, I walk away feeling better than I have in I don’t know how long. There’s just something about this man that makes my blood pump. Maybe it’s the desire I saw reflecting in his hazel eyes. It’s a heady feeling knowing it’s reciprocated. Something always felt…off with Vaughn. Now, at least I know why. If only I had realized it before now, and maybe I wouldn’t have wasted three years on the asshole.

But Vaughn isn’t anywhere close now.

Tonight, it’ll be just Marcus and me and what I hope will be a very sexually gratifying three-week vacation. Sure, he might be a dud in bed, but something tells me Marcus is anything but. He knows how to use what God gave him.

I’d bet my trust fund on it.

12

MARCUS

Iglance at the time once more. I’ve been doing that a lot since I came inside to clean up. The anticipation of her arrival is killing me.

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