Page 9 of Puck and Prejudice
She fought the urge to take a step back.
“How old are you?” he asked in that low lilt of his, drawing out theosound, almost kneading the word.
She never saw the point in women hiding their years. “Seven and twenty. You?”
“Thirty.”
“All the more reason to act your age.” It was impossible to keep the snap from her voice. Probably because she wasn’t sure if she should swoon or strangle him. Possibly both.
“I’m more of a grow-old-disgracefully kind of guy.”
He disappeared into the weeds, and she resisted the temptation to sneak even a single secret glance. Well, maybe one, but certainly not more than two.
In no time, his distinctive puffed jacket came flying out, landing in a heap beside her. She quickly grabbed it before it could get wet. Following suit, a navy-and-white shirt appeared, its long sleeves featuring a peculiar shiny texture. A crown and the word “Austin” were on the front, while the back declared “13” and “Taylor.” Yet she couldn’t dwell on the specifics because he emerged from between the reeds... almost naked.
Chapter Five
Lizzy’s clear blue eyes zeroed in on his torso, her gaze inscribing a secret message across his skin. Tuck ran his tongue behind his top teeth, making a conscious effort not to cover his chest. Why the sudden self-consciousness? He wasn’t a stranger to female attention—everyone from infatuated fans to chemo nurses slid into his DMs. Maybe it was because he wasn’t accustomed to feeling this out of control. Here, he had no idea how to play it cool or figure out his next play.
He was in 1812? What the fuck.
He hiked up the micro pants and rolled his shoulders to release some tension, flexing and relaxing the muscles in his chest.
Lizzy let out a sound that was a cross between stepping on a dog’s toy and letting the air out of a balloon.
Tuck glanced down to see if he’d grown a third nipple in the day’s chaos, but everything appeared as usual—dark hair whorling across his chest. “What?”
“You’re in a... a... a...” She craned her face skyward, her pulse fluttering in her throat as she flapped her arms like a hyperactive hummingbird.
He cocked a brow. He wasn’t imagining things. Lizzy mightseem as prim as a nun, but she’d just checked him out. So what if he wasn’t as shredded as when he was in peak NHL shape? His muscles had been responding to his recovery workouts.
“You’re in a state of nature,” she blurted.
That was a new one, but he could guess what she was getting at. And it was sort of cute, seeing her perform this little thrashing dance.
He didn’t have a specific type of woman he was attracted to—no particular look or interest. The moments of chemistry happened when and where there was some kind of alchemy in the blend of personality and atmosphere.
This sure as shit wasn’t a good time for any of that. And yet... here it was, that warm curiosity tapping him on the shoulder.
“What’s the nature I’m stating?” he asked, more to calm down a notch than win any comedic points.
“Do you truly require me to articulate the word? Naked.” Thunder clapped through the gathering clouds with a dramatic punctuation. “You. Are. Naked!”
Why was she acting like she’d never seen a shirtless guy? Did people here go around fully covered at all times? That couldn’t be true. What about at the beach? Or exercise?
But if she kept hyperventilating, she was going to pass out—hard to feel flattered if a woman went unconscious.
“Shhhh. Look. I’m wearing your tiny pants, okay?” He’d gotten into them—just. But breathing was going to be a challenge.
She slid him a sideways look, her gaze traveling down from his navel to his happy trail before she slapped her hands over her eyes.
The warm feeling ebbed as exasperation took hold. Christ. It wasn’t like he was out here swinging his dick in the wind. “Hang on. Can we stick to the real issue?” He fisted the flowy whitelinen shirt she’d given him. “Like the fact you got me adressto be inconspicuous? Kinda defeats the purpose.”
She went from peeking through her fingers to planting her hands on her hips—her protests ceased. The stony silence lasted a beat, broken only by a cow lowing nearby. He smothered a grin at the return of her queen-bee attitude. She might be a handful. But there was no denying she was cute as hell.
“Please be so kind as to remind me what you did while I went through considerable risk and no small embarrassment procuring that disguise?” She tapped the center of her chin with a pointer finger. “Oh, yes, I recall. You remained right there, sinking ever deeper into the mud.”
He drew himself to his full height. “That was not my—”
