Page 16 of Sail Away
It took a fair amount of pizzazz to impress Reid, and Darcie had done it in spades.
“Stalking me?” Her sweet voice rolled through his ears and slid down his throat, coating his stomach with the most decadent flavor. Who knew sound could be so tasty?
“Not you, the boat. I saw you get off here, and with the name and all, I assumed she was yours.”
“That’s a lot of dangerous surmising for a man who likes facts and nothing but the facts.”
“I’m also a man who likes to live on the edge, so this is me being wild and out of control.” He shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the post. The last time he’d seen her had been a random meeting in New Orleans that hadn’t gone well at all.
At least, what he remembered of it. Honestly, it had been an encounter he’d prefer to forget.
She laughed. “I bought her a few months ago. When I’m not on a charter, I live on her.”
“I was surprised to see you, and even more shocked you’re running charters out of Seattle and not some exotic port. It’s not like you to be in a mundane city such as this one.”
“I wanted to be close to home for a bit.” She waggled her index finger under his nose. “And don’t you go knocking my hometown, or I’ll start picking on your Southern drawl, Mr. Texas.”
“You always loved when I got all cowboy on you and did the two-step.” He looped his fingers into his belt buckle and did a little kick with his feet.
She laughed, shaking her head.
He couldn’t help but wonder if she was lying about wanting to be close to home, or if the family had put the pressure on. While she was tight with her siblings, she struggled with being overwhelmed by anyone encroaching on her space.
Something he could relate to.
When he’d last seen her, she’d been in New Orleans with her brother, visiting an old friend.
It looked more like a pity vacation, and she’d looked like shit.
Not that he’d looked any better. He had gone to Bourbon Street with one thing in mind: to get shitfaced every night and try to forget that Darcie ever existed. He’d thought he’d been hallucinating when she rounded the corner. He’d actually poked her in the center of the chest to see if she was real.
Jag hadn’t liked that.
Her friend, Justin, liked it even less.
Reid rubbed his jaw. “The last time I saw you, I said some things I shouldn’t have.”
“I’m surprised you even remember that day.”
“A lot of it’s still fuzzy, and that is both embarrassing and sucky as well as a bit of a saving grace at times.” He let out a sarcastic chuckle. “But I owe you, your brother, and his friend a huge apology.”
“Yeah. You do,” she said. “And for more than just being a jerk in New Orleans. Your list of transgressions is long.”
“I guess I walked into that one,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “We both made mistakes in our relationship.”
“Some of us made more than others.”
“Wow. You’re just not letting go of any of it, are you?” He tossed his hands to his sides, slapping his thighs.
“Sorry. You’re the last person I expected to see. You kind of ruined my plans this week with this charter.”
“What plans? Did you have a hot date? Are you seeing someone? In a long-term, committed relationship?”
“Wow. And what if I am?”
“Are you?” he asked.
“No. But I did have plans.”
