Romance on the Edge 01 - Hooked

house. More rousing than soothing.
    Sonya pulled the covers up to her chin and began tossing again. It was bad enough that he was deluged with memories of the last time he’d been in this bed with her and the boat had been a rockin’. He didn’t need her rolling around giving him even more ideas.
    “Sonya,” he warned.
    “Sorry. I can’t seem to get comfortable.”
    He reached to shut off the flashlight.
    “No, don’t turn it off.”
    “It’s about to die anyway.”
    “I know, but it’s too dark in here without the light. That’s why I wanted to sleep above,” she grumbled, somehow making this situation his fault.
    “Why don’t we talk about something? Get your mind on something else.”
    “Okay.” There was a long pause. “What do you want to talk about?”
    Their relationship.
    The last time he’d brought up the subject, he’d seen the panic flare in her eyes. Wasn’t he the one who was commitment phobic? Had he actually fallen for a woman who feared commitment more than he did? “Tell me about your parents, if it isn’t too painful.”
    “It’s not really painful, more bittersweet now. Do you understand?”
    He did. Time did that with death. It was the only way the ones left behind could cope with the loss. “Yeah, I understand.”
    “Mom was one of those really beautiful women. Made-up, she knocked the breath out of you. Even on Sunday mornings, with no make-up, in her ratty pajamas, and her hair doing that bed-head thing, my dad couldn’t keep his eyes off her.”
    Garrett saw the picture perfectly, only it was Sonya lounging around on a lazy Sunday morning in thread-bare pajamas and he was the man unable to tear his eyes from her. “Sounds like they had a good relationship.”
    “Yeah, they really loved each other and us. It breaks my heart that Peter didn’t get to know them.”
    “Peter’s been blessed to have you.”
    “Thanks.” She turned on her side, facing him. “That means a lot, Garrett.”
    He stayed on his back, facing forward, not wanting to gaze into those warm, seductive brown eyes of hers in the romantic glow of the fading flashlight. He’d try something fishy for sure.
    “What about you?” she asked. “Are your parents still living?”
    Good, concentrating on his parents would keep him from thinking of her naked. “Yeah, they live in Florida.”
    “Do you have any siblings?” She asked the question as though realizing she didn’t know a lot about him.
    “I’m an only child. Dad would have liked more, but Mom had her hands full with me. Since Dad was in the Navy, always away on a mission, and raising me was left to her, she made sure there weren’t going to be more Garretts running around.”
    “That’s sad. You would probably have benefited from a sister or brother.”
    “We probably would have conspired and taken over the chain of command.” He chuckled. “No, Mom had it right.”
    “You couldn’t have been that bad.”
    He’d rather not entertain her with stories of his illicit younger years. No reason to scare her off, since there was a chance she was carrying his offspring. “Let’s say I’m solely responsible for Mom going gray before her time.” Time for a change of subject. “What’s your life like in Soldotna?”
    “Quiet. Normal. Boring.”
    “I doubt boring.” He turned his head toward her, not able to resist looking at her as the musical resonance of her voice enticed. “I doubt you could be boring even if you tried.”
    “Is that a good thing?” her voice lowered almost to a whisper.
    He was beginning to get a fishy vibe. “Everything about you is good.” He couldn’t stop from turning on his side toward her. “And lovely.” His fingers trailed down the side of her face to her parted lips.
    “You know what I said before, about nothing fishy?” He refrained—barely—from moaning his frustration. Then he felt her hand trailing down his chest. “Would you mind if we forget about that?”
    “Are you sure?” He tore his eyes from her lips and met her gaze.
    She nodded. “I need you, Garrett.”
    “How do you need me, Sonya? For just tonight? What about tomorrow?” The day after that? Would she need him then?
    “I’m trying to get through today. Can we let tonight be enough for now?”
    He wanted to press for more. Had to literally bite back the words that might scare her off. “All right, we’ll make the most of tonight.”
    She sighed into his arms and he realized that with everything she was dealing