Page 35 of No More Bad Boys
He stops in place, looking at me, and the duck catches up with him. “Ow! You little son of a—hold on, Cadence—I’m coming to get you.”
I nod silently, watching in terror as the other ducks begin to wake and stir from their resting places.
“Hurry,” I mewl. Later I will probably be ashamed of my cowardice, but at the moment, I am too afraid to care what a weenie I must look like.
Blake makes his way back to the table, kicking periodically at the miniature attacker hot on his heels.
When he reaches me, he turns around, offering his back. “Get on.”
I immediately follow his command, clambering onto his wide back and clinging to his shoulders for dear life.
They’re huge and hard. Well, he said he used to be a baseball player—he must still work out. Unless he was just born this way, which would be all kinds of unfair.
I clamp my thighs on his hips, and his large hands come around to grip them firmly.
“Hang on tight,” he says and takes off for the truck, laughing and cursing as the manic mallard gives chase and nips at his ankles.
Setting me down beside the passenger door of the pickup, Blake shields me while I climb inside.
I slide across the seat and open the driver’s side door so he can jump in when he makes it around. He dives in, bringing a whoosh of night air with him.
The slamming of his door cuts off a last long angry quack.
We both sit, breathing loudly for a moment before turning to each other and bursting into laughter.
“What did he want? Is it possible for ducks to have rabies?” I ask between giggles.
“Doubt it. He probably smelled the bread. And I’ll bet there’s a nest over there near the table somewhere. He’s just protecting his woman. Damn serious about it, too.” Blake reaches down and rubs his lower leg.
Flipping on the overhead interior light, I crane to see his legs in the shadowed cab.
“Are you okay? Did he bite you? Maybe we should go to the walk-in clinic in case he did have some disease.”
“I’m fine,” he insists. “Didn’t break the skin. I’m just going to have some strange-shaped bruises on my calves and shins.” He shakes his head. “That was the damndest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I sit back against the leather seat. “I told you, ducks hate me. Thank you for carrying me, by the way. I’m sorry I was too much of a baby to run by myself.”
“No worries.” He gives me a provoking grin. “It was kind of fun to see Miss Spock acting irrational for a change.”
“Fine. Keep laughing.” I point at his face. “But I’ll bet the next time you see a duck, you’ll make a wide path around it.”
“And I bet the next time I suggest making dinner at my place, you’ll consider it. You probably regret saying no now, don’t you?”
He pauses, studying my frozen expression. “What did you think was going to happen, Cadence? I wasn’t planning to lock all the doors and attack you, you know.”
No, but I might have attackedyou… especially if you’d kissed me the way you did a few minutes ago.
“I just… didn’t feel comfortable.”
And I don’t feel much more comfortable now. As the shock and fear of the attack fades, memories of Blake’s enticing kisses are coming back. I wasn’t nearly ready to stop—one more reason to hate ducks.
The fact that he heroically rescued me from my nemesis... well it doesn’thurthis appeal.
He starts the truck and pulls it out of the lot, still chuckling to himself—about the duck, I guess.
At least I hope he’s not laughing at me because I’m too scared to go back to a man’s apartment with him.
Trying to change the topic, I say, “So, you certainly seem to know a lot about waterfowl behavior.”
