“Thanks for asking me.”
“I was being considerate, dumbass. I figured you wanted time with your bride.”
“By leaving us here to die?”
Cameron shakes his head. “God, there’s no winning with you. Bliss must love that.”
“Keep her out of it,” I growl. “In fact, now that you’ve seen we’re okay, you can carry your tail home.”
“Actually, I’m feeling faint with hunger.” He places his hand over his stomach. “Seriously dying.”
“Punch to the head could cure you of it.”
“Is your answer always violence?”
I narrow my eyes. “With you it is.”
He holds up his hand, palms facing up. “I’m just giving you a hard time.” He steps into his boat and starts up the engine. I toss him the rope. “Should I stop by tomorrow and check on you guys?”
“Only if you think getting your nuts cut off is fun,” I say cheerfully.
Cameron maneuvers the boat away from the pier. “Be sure to tell Bliss that I said bye, and I’m looking forward to having her in class.”
“That’s the only place you’ll have her,” I mutter, and then raise my voice. “Later, Cam. Much, much, later.”
I don’t head back to the house until he disappears around a bend in the sound. The door opens and Bliss comes out, wearing one of my t-shirts and that’s it.
Running an appreciative gaze down her, I wink. “Nice outfit.”
Glancing down at the shirt, she lightly tugs on it. “This old thing?” She laughs. “I always wanted to say that.”
I wrap my arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck. “Anything else you always wanted to say?”
“I’m hungry.”
For the past two days, Bliss has centered our schedule of doing things around meals. If we go anywhere, even five feet away from the house, she brings a snack. Yesterday, I wanted to clean out my truck, anything to keep my hands busy and my mind off crewing her. So what does she do? She finds some ice cream sandwiches and eats one so slowly that my dick gets all hard.
But she’s happy, so I’m happy.
“Shall we resume fishing for our dinner?”
“By the time we catch something and cook it, there won’t be anything left of me.”
“Complaining?”
“Maybe a little.” She grins. “Sorry, I’m excited about eating fish.”
I bump her with my shoulder. “I’m excited about eating fish with you.”
She bumps me back. “Maybe tomorrow we can have crab?”
“Already thinking about your next meal? Man, I must not be doing a good enough job keeping you satisfied,” I tease, keeping my face serious.
Her smile fades. “Sorry. It’s just… um, I’m… Thank you. I’m having a nice time.” She looks down, her hair falling to hide her face from me.
“Bliss, hey.” I hook my finger under her chin, but she refuses to move. “I was only teasing. You can request whatever you want, as long as it’s seafood, until either cell service starts working again, or someone magically appears with a boat to ferry us to the mainland.
“Who’s not Cameron,” I add. “But with the cleanup going on and all the trees down on Highway 74, I doubt anyone’s concerned about some rich guy and his mansion.”
“I’m happy with whatever you fix us,” she says quietly, still not looking up at me.
I let my hand fall to my side. “So you’re fine with eel, then.”
She swallows, and then nods.
“Ever have sushi?”
“No.” She shakes her head.
“Raw fish guts, rolled up in rice and seaweed,” I lie. “Sometimes, when they put in the calamari, the tentacles are still wiggling around.”
Her head snaps up, eyes huge and face turning a pale shade of green. Puke green, I believe it’s called.
“So good. You’ll love it.”
“No thank you.”
Finally. “Excuse me?”
“I said, no thank you.”
“That wasn’t so hard,” I say, pushing back the glasses that have fallen down to the tip of her cute nose. “You’re allowed to say no, baby doll.”
“I don’t like saying no when it comes to food.”
Although I know I’ll regret the answer, I ask my question anyway, “Why is that—hate being rude?”
“Because when I was homeless, I never knew when I’d eat again.” Stepping back, she turns and runs to the house, bare legs flashing. My shirt rides up her ass, and I can see the blue panties she’s wearing.
I let her go, mostly because I’ve made a complete jackass of myself. Where did you think she lived after she ran away from home, you dumb shit—The Gaylord Hotel?