Closer, the magnitude of the structure left me breathless. Against the endless sweep of sky and sea, it seemed almost unreal. White metal latticework tapering to a world of blues that blended so perfectly that the horizon was a mere whisper of a delineation between heaven and earth.
“Gorgeous place for a wedding,” I said as we approached the large yellow buoy balls marking the protected waters around the lighthouse.
“Don’t mention we got baitfish out here to Corinne,” Kai grinned, pulling a net out of a locker. “It’s a sore spot.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. It’s perfectly legal, but she would ban fishing altogether if she could.”
This was news to me. “That’s gotta make for an interesting relationship.” I hadn’t really thought about it. She’s a marine biologist. He’s a fisherman.
“Real life enemies to lovers,” he said with a chuckle.
“My favorite romance trope,” I told him with a wink.
His head cocked. “You read romance novels?”
“Why is that so surprising?” I asked, amused.
“I don’t know. I just can’t picture you drooling over those shirtless guys on the covers.”
My gaze drifted over his perfectly muscled, shirtless chest as he situated the net on the deck. “Really? You can’t imagine that?”
“Alright,” he held up his hands like I had a gun on him. “Anything I say right now is gonna dig me a bigger hole. Can we change the subject?”
It was kind of fun watching him squirm. “If you want. But I’m happy to talk about my favorite smut. I just finished one yesterday, in fact, while I was painting.”
“How’d you manage that?” he asked, brow creased. “Reading and painting at the same time?”
“Audiobooks,” I said, pointing to my ear. “That’s how I do most of my reading these days. I wish I could listen to them in the bar. Drown out the customers,” I laughed a little too hard. That really would be nice.
Kai looked at me, a playful glint in his eyes. “I learned something about you today.” He pulled me into a quick kiss, his broad hand pressing into my low back. I stared up into his hazel eyes, yellow specks glittering, and felt myself relax into his hold. Safe. That’s what I felt in his arms. He held me for a moment, letting his eyes hypnotize me. “Those baitfish aren’t going to catch themselves,” he said, releasing the security of his embrace.
He pointed toward the lighthouse. “There’s a whole school of them.” I stood on tiptoes, holding onto his shoulder for balancewhile I scanned the crystal blue water. Finally, I spotted the silver cloud under the surface. “There. Got it.”
“Good. Now we’re going to drift over them.” He hoisted the net up into his arms.
The wind inched us closer to the school of fish, and Kai stood poised, ready to pounce.
Finally, the cast net unfurled from Kai’s hands like a silver halo, glittering as it caught the sun before sinking in a perfect circle. The strength in his shoulders, his easy rhythm. Competent. Confident. Sexy as fuck.
I watched, enthralled, as the net hit the water, spreading over the hues of blue with barely a splash. Even the fish seemed to pause, captivated the way I was.
He gave the line a sharp tug and the net drew tight, writhing with flashes of silver just beneath the surface. Kai pulled with all his might, bracing as the weight dragged against him.
“Can I help?” I asked, stepping over to the edge of the boat to steady him.
Kai gave me a look that was nothing short of elated that I was jumping in. “Here, grab hold,” he said, handing me the tail of the rope.
I stepped in beside him, fingers closing around the coarse rope. The pull surprised me, heavier than expected. I used all my weight to help drag it over the side of the boat. We laughed, breathless, after we hoisted it over. Baitfish spilled across the deck in a glittering cascade, tails thrashing. My palms burned from the rope, but Kai’s wide, boyish grin was worth the sting.
“Wow, you must be good luck,” he beamed. “We got more than we need on the first cast!”
From his jubilance, I had to assume that was not the norm. “Beginner’s luck,” I said, my mouth curling to mirror his big smile, one that came from joy so pure. It wasn’t just sharing with Kai what he loved. The act itself was fun. “We’ll see if it holds.”
“What do you say we test our luck after almond croissants?”
I rubbed my palms together. “Oh god, yes please.”
