Brinton smirked. “Can I trust you not to throw me overboard?”
He smiled, blue and green pyrotechnics popping in his eyes. “Guess we’ll find out, huh?”
Not long later, Jamie piloted the small pontoon boat away from the party’s enthusiastic splashing and toward the lake’s serene depths. The last time they’d been out this far, she ended up soaking wet and sobbing.
The memory made her grip the handrail on her seat a little tighter.
Jamie slowed the boat to a stop and flipped a few controls. He meticulously checked all the illuminated screens on his navigation panel. Opening a compartment on the bow, he pulled out an anchor, then dropped it overboard. He did it all like it was second nature. She couldn’t stop staring at his hands as they moved, among other things.
When he finished, he turned to face her. “Can I fix you a drink? I grabbed water, beer, and Cokes.”
He strode toward the large cooler opposite her seat.
“Water would be great,” she said, taking the bottle from him. She was sweating through her cover-up but didn’t dareto whip it off. She’d practically be naked in her bikini. Not that he’d judge her body, but that was still…a lot. For now.
He pulled a bottle out for himself, shut the cooler, and sat down across from her.
“You know, my jaw’s still sore from kissing you last night,” he said, smiling shyly. “But I’m more than willing to go a few more rounds.”
Heat crept up her cheeks as she grinned back at him. “Tempting as that is, I told Sammi we’d be discreet.”
“Well, lucky for us, we have all night.”
“Lucky me.” She squeezed his knee, and he bit his bottom lip. She wanted to do the same, but instead leaned back into her seat. “Before we start the interview, I wanted to give you something for your birthday. That’s why I was late.”
His eyes warmed, and her heart grew a few sizes. “Bee, you didn’t have to get me anything.”
“Oh, you needed this. Trust me.” Brinton whipped out her phone from her purse and tapped a few buttons. “I’m texting it to you now.”
Jamie’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, then grinned at the screen.
“‘Good Ass R&B’…you made me a playlist? Janet Jackson, SWV and Sade…Lots and lots of Sade.” He beamed.
“‘Cherish the Day’ is my favorite song. It’s life-changing,” she offered. “Nineties R&B has all the elite hits.”
Eyes drifting to the screen, his brows lifted. “And Paramore?”
“Everybody loves Paramore. It’s a known fact.”
He laughed, hands playfully raised in defense. “I love it, Brinton. Thank you.”
Hearing him saylovemade her battered little heart flutter.
“Can I hug you?” he asked.
She nodded, transfixed by his eyes refracting the sun like turquoise glitter.
He pulled Brinton into his chest, engulfing her in his spicy-whiskey scent, which was now spiked with a sunblock chaser. She could get drunk on it.
Or do something incredibly foolish. Like lick him.
Gripping her shoulder with one hand, Jamie squeezed her hip with the other. It was so warm and familiar, especially now that she understood people in Iris hugged like it was their profession. He let her go, almost too soon for her liking, and they returned to their seats. Neither was in a rush, because they beheld each other. Eagerly awaiting the other’s next move.
“Is there anything off-limits—for the interview, I mean,” she stammered.
“Nope. Ask me whatever you want.”
She pulled her recorder from her purse, turned it on, and set it on the cushion beside her. “What fulfills you as an artist?”
