“No shit.”
“No, I mean, since she first saw you.”
“Not interested,” he said, like that was the end of the conversation.
I sighed and looked away, not wanting to press. I felt crazy for even bringing it up in the first place. I was acting like some dumb jealous teenager when really I had no interest in pursuing him at all.
We were quiet like that for a few minutes, enjoying the slight motion of the boat. Nate took a long drink from the tequila but otherwise kept his eyes glued out on the bay. I kept stealing little glances at him, wondering what was going on behind those strange, mysterious eyes of his, but I didn’t feel like being a pushy weirdo.
“Your dad do this a lot?” he said suddenly.
“Do what?”
“Get married.”
I laughed and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess he does.”
“My mom too.”
“Does that bother you?”
He snorted. “Couldn’t give less of a shit. Usually makes my life harder for about a month until she moves on to something else, though.”
“Yeah. My dad does the same thing. Wants us to be a new family, goes overboard pushing for it, then is all depressed when it doesn’t work out.”
He grinned at me. “I’d love for us to be family.”
“I’m sure that’s what you want.”
“I do. It’d make fucking you all that much sweeter.”
I made a face. “That’s a little gross.”
“Gross? The fact that it’s forbidden makes it that much fucking hotter.”
He had a point there, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. “Yeah, well, it’s forbidden for a reason.”
“Yeah. Because you’re a virgin.”
“No, because we’re related now.”
“Doesn’t matter to me. Life’s too short to get hung up on that bullshit.”
“Being related is bullshit?”
He gave me another one of those delicious smiles. I wanted to go over there and bite his bottom lip. “We’re not related, girl. You know that.”
“Tell that to society.”
“Fuck society. I put my life on the line for society all the time. Least it could do is let me fuck the pussy I want to fuck.”
Suddenly, I felt something tug at the end of my rod. “What the hell?” I said.
Nate was on his feet. “Pull up!” he shouted.
“Do what?” I replied, panicking. I felt another tug, more insistent.
“Damn it,” he said, grabbing my hands. He yanked the tip of the rod back and something suddenly began to tug at it like crazy.
“Is that a fish?” I said, incredulous.
“Hell yeah it’s a fish. You seriously never been fishing before?”
“No. My dad never let me. I always had to watch.”
“Poor you.” He laughed in my ear, the sun shining down on us. I felt his body close against mine. “Start reeling it in!”
I began to reel, the line coming in slowly. Nate pulled the tip up as I reeled, giving me slack to yank the fish in.
“That’s it,” he said. “Like that. Not too fast. Don’t want to scare it.”
“I’m sure it’s plenty scared.”
“Sure, but it’s not fighting for its life yet. Can’t let it see the knife.”
He was so close to me, his breath hot in my ear. I could smell his manly scent over the ocean brine, and it made my head a little dizzy. His arms were strong as they moved the rod, our bodies rocking in parallel. The heat and smell made me dizzy with desire, wave after wave of exciting pleasure ringing through my stomach, filling my limbs. It was stupid and insane to want him to keep being so close, but that was the truth: I wanted it.
“Here it comes!” he said, laughing wildly.
I could see some splashing maybe ten feet away from the boat.
“It’s huge,” I gasped.
“Probably a shark.”
“Shark!”
“Calm down,” he said, laughing even louder. “It’s not a shark.”
He kept yanking and I kept reeling. Suddenly, the line went taught as the fish thrashed, and then the weight was completely gone. The fish stopped fighting and disappeared under the water.
“Fuck!” Nate said. “Fucking shit! The damn line broke.”
I kept reeling it in until the end of the line appeared, sheared off.
“Oh,” I said lamely. “Did he get away?”
“Ah shit.” Nate pushed me lightly. “He got away because you’re such a terrible fisherman.”
“Fisher lady,” I corrected him. “You’re the one that’s supposed to be teaching me.”
His face was inches away from mine. I could have licked his lips if I wanted to, and I did want to, badly.