Page 53 of His North Star
My life jacket made our embrace bulky and awkward. I squeezed my arms between our torsos and fiddled with the buckles. My fingers shook. I unsuccessfully tried to free myself.
James pushed my hands away. “Allow me.”
While he unclipped me, his fingers brushed against my stomach. Heat rushed across my body. If he kept this up, I’d need a plunge in the water to cool off again. James’s hands lingered on my shoulders as he slid my vest off. My pulse went hyperactive.
I met his gaze, which lingered on my lips. Anyone could come across us, and it would be mortifying to see a guest tomorrow after they witnessed my make-out session. But I didn’t care.
“Thanks,” I stammered, staring at his lips.
“Maren.” He took hold of my upper arms.
His eyes were large, trusting. Begging me to drown in their hazel pools. My knees went soft.
“Yes?” My voice came out husky.
“Let’s go inside and get cleaned up?” He titled his head toward a family of five whose teenagers gawked at us from the dock.
Oh. My shoulders fell. “Yes. Let’s.”
The door of my apartment clicked closed. I turned back to James. “I’m going to take a quick shower. Would you like to shower after me?”
A wicked gleam shone in his eyes. “Why not conserve water instead?”
My heart pounded. We should have our first kiss before we jumped into such drastic activities. “While that would be good for the earth,” I said, “I’ll have to take a rain check.”
“I’ll hold you to it.” He pointed at me.
I rushed through my shower. While rinsing out my shampoo, I realized James would be in here after me. Naked. I turned the nozzle to cold and let the spray cool my rising body temperature.
When I got out, I quickly French braided my hair. My sundress swayed around my knees as I walked down the hall to where James sat on a kitchen chair, brow furrowed, looking at his phone.
“The bathroom’s free.”
He jumped, flipping his cell over on the table. “Great.”
Did he not want me to see what was on his screen? Was he hiding something? Should I try to snoop while he was in the bathroom? “Towels are in the closet inside the bathroom.”
“Thanks.”
I waited until the bathroom door shut before picking up James’s phone. My heart pounded in my throat. My conscience told me it was a bad idea to invade his privacy. I flipped his cell over anyway. Drat. It was locked. There went finding out what he was hiding. I placed his phone back exactly how he’d left it.
Pulling ingredients out of the fridge for a salad, I started chopping the vegetables. My favorite songs played on my portable speaker, and I hummed along while slicing cucumbers. A chair unexpectedly scraped against the tile floor. I jumped, causing my knife to slip, cutting into my forefinger.
James’s low chuckle rumbled behind me. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”
I swore, grabbing a towel to wrap around my hand. My heart hammered against my ribs.
He stood, concern etched on his face. “Are you okay?”
“It’s fine.” I shoved my way past him to my bathroom to get a bandage and ointment. He didn’t follow me. After cleaning and inspecting my wound, I determined I’d be okay. The cut wasn’t too deep. It was just my luck I’d do something silly like this in front of James.
I went back to the kitchen, holding up my finger. “All good.” I cleaned the mess and resumed dinner prep.
“Need help with anything?” James asked.
If Ty were here, he’d take over dinner prep.Stop comparing James to other men.“Nope. You can sit back and relax.”
“If you insist.”
