Romance on the Edge 01 - Hooked

then? I’ve got an itch for Davida. You’re craving Sonya like a starving man craves a meal. You’re seriously smitten, dude.”
    He was seriously something. Question was, what was he going to do about it?
    “You need to keep a clear head so there is no conflict of interest,” Skip said. “I don’t have to tell you where our case against Kendrick would stand, if you’d laid a hand on him.”
    In the toilet.
    He was right. The situation with Kendrick could have gotten out of control. If Judd hadn’t been there to pull him back, Garrett didn’t know what he would have done.
    He needed to do something about Sonya.

    Once the fishing period had closed for the day, Garrett located the Double Dippin’, boarded, and found her captain in a mood that matched the foul weather that had returned. He was dressed in raingear as rain slashed him. Sheets of water fell so hard that it splashed the ocean with enough force to send water raining upward. His gear wasn’t doing much to keep him dry. The evening had darkened with the storm-filled clouds showing themselves. Any leftover light from the sun was buried deep under bruised and boiling thunderheads.
    “I’m not up for company, Garrett,” Sonya said, standing in the open doorway of the pilot house. She’d tied up to the cannery’s dock for the night, which made it easy to locate her. He knew if he’d tried to contact her via the radio, he’d be facing more than her cranky attitude.
    “This isn’t a social call.” Garrett planted a foot on the step to the pilot house. “I’d thought you’d like to know what happened with Kendrick.”
    She seemed to struggle for a moment, but when she glanced around to see if anyone was watching he knew he had permission to come aboard. The weather was angry enough to keep everyone inside somewhere warm and dry. Where he wanted to be.
    “Get in here,” she muttered.
    As invitations went, he’d had better, but the wind and wet were getting the best of him and he hurried up the stairs. She’d pulled homemade curtains—printed with puffins—over the windows, making the area seem smaller, cozier. He could see where she’d patched the broken glass with a sheet of plastic and duct tape. He pushed back his hood, pulled open the snaps to his rain jacket, and soaked in the sight of her. “How are you feeling?”
    She tightened her lips before answering. “Fine.”
    She wasn’t fine. The circles under her eyes were more pronounced, though the fire in her gaze was hot enough to warm him. She was dressed in gray sweats, wool socks, and a hoodie with a picture of a large Alaskan mosquito with the words, “Bite Me,” written across the front.
    He didn’t need anymore ideas where she was concerned and wondered for a moment if she chose clothes to dress her body or her mood. Her silky dark hair lay loose around her face and shoulders. She’d combed a section to fall over the bandage on her forehead. The length of hair failed to hide the butterfly stitches marring her cheek. Her long day of fishing had obviously been too long.
    “You staying on the boat tonight?” he asked, knowing the answer. She looked dressed for bed. Besides, he doubted she’d planned on heading to camp with the rain pelting outside.
    “Yes.”
    “Alone?” He hoped to God she wasn’t going to be alone tonight. Not only for her safety, in case Kendrick decided to cause more trouble.
    “No, Peter went for ice cream and pizza. He’ll be back soon.”
    He breathed a sigh of relief. “Comfort food?”
    She cracked a smile. “Yeah. I’d really like a serving of KFC’s mash potatoes and gravy. My mom used to get me that when I didn’t feel well.”
    He shared her smile. “It’s homemade mac’n’cheese for me. No one makes it like my mom does.”
    They stared at each other until the silence dragged and sexual tension pressed. The pilot house was too inviting, too intimate, and they were too alone.
    Where the hell was Peter?
    This was not going the way he’d wanted this visit to go. A few moments in her company, and all he could think about was how did he get her into bed? This was definitely going against the plan.
    She nervously licked her lips and then blurted out, “Kendrick? You came to tell me what happened.”
    The name snapped him back from images of her naked in his arms. He’d come here to put a stop to thoughts like that. She was interfering with his job, his sleep, his life. Right now he was supposed to be…oh hell, what was he