Chapter 10
“Note to self: always check if the shower’s occupied.”
Sloane
I scroll through the rental listings on Smuggler’s Hideaway. There isn’t much. Finding a place to rent on a small island is hard enough. But finding somewhere when you’ve been banned from most apartment complexes on the island? Nearly impossible.
And it doesn’t help that the island is a magnet for tourists. Most property owners simply leave their rentals empty during the winter rather than renting them out to locals. They can earn way more renting to tourists for four or five months than to a local year-round.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Smuggler’s Hideaway. I’ve loved the mermaid-obsessed island ever since my mom brought us here when I was twelve. The local kids immediately adopted me. They didn’t care about how many schools I’d gone to over the years. They included me.
Which is why I threw an absolute fit when Mom wanted to move on. I locked myself in the bathroom and refused to budge for an entire weekend.
Mom finally gave up. She’s more of a lover than a fighter. Most hippies are.
I push thoughts of Mom out of my mind. The last thing I need is to go for a stroll down memory lane.
Boozer sticks his snout under my hand.
“Yuck. Wet.”
He whines in response.
“We’ll go for a walk in a minute.”
He barks and leaps off the bed. He runs around in circles – his tail wagging with such vigor he nearly falls over.
“Who’s my silly dog?”
I shut my laptop and roll out of bed. I tiptoe down the hallway. I peek inside the nursery. Adele is sleeping in her crib. She’s not my responsibility today – it’s Sunday and Zane is home – but I can’t help but check on her.
I sigh as I stare at her crib. I’d love to have a child, a family. But I don’t want to be a single mom. I grew up without a dad. I won’t put my child through the same hardships I endured. Although I bet being a single mom would have been a lot easier for Mom if she didn’t flit from job to job.
Enough with the memories. Nothing good ever comes from reminding myself of the past.
I lead Boozer down the hallway and out of the house. By the time we return thirty minutes later, I’m covered in mud from head to toe.
I glare at my dog. “I told you not to chase the poodle.”
I swear, if he could shrug, he would. He’s completely unrepentant. Which became pretty obvious when he mounted the poodle and refused to get off of her until I yanked him away.
I stand on the porch and lift my hand to knock. What am I doing? I live here now. Temporarily. This isn’t a permanent situation. I’ll figure out a place to live soon enough.
My stomach sours but I ignore it. Making a happy family with Zane and his baby isn’t going to happen, no matter how much I want it to. Which I don’t, by the way. Zane is a player. Enough said.
I slowly open the door and peek inside. I don’t want Zane to see me covered in mud. I drop my shoes on the porch and enter with Boozer.
“Be quiet. The baby might be sleeping.”
He follows me to the bedroom. I notice Adele is still sleeping in her crib, and Zane’s door is closed. He’s probably catching up on sleep after the hectic night.
I strip out of my muddy clothes and set off for the bathroom. I freeze at the entrance to the hallway. Shit. I’m naked. In Zane’s house.
Towel. I need a towel. Where are the towels?
I run down the hallway – one hand over my boobs and the other over my crotch – toward the closet. I yank the door open. Yes! A towel. I grab it and rush to the bathroom.
I hurry inside, slam the door behind me, and lean against the wall. Phew. That was close. Note to self: Keep a few towels in the bedroom from now on.
In my defense, I’m not used to living with other people. I refuse to have a roommate. Not after my first roommate thought it would be fun to give my dog a hash brownie. Trust me. It wasn’t fun.
“Hello?”
Oh my pirate. How did I not notice the shower was running?
“Is someone there?”
“There’s no one here.”
Zane peeks out from behind the shower curtain. His eyes widen as his gaze rakes over my naked body.
“Don’t look!”
He jerks and stumbles backward at my shout. “Fuck,” he mutters before gripping the shower curtain. It doesn’t help. He falls into the bathtub, taking the shower curtain with him.
I rush to him. “Are you okay? Did you hit your head?”
“I’m fine,” he sputters as the water hits him in the face.
I reach across him to switch it off.
“Why are you naked?”
I look down and realize my breasts are dangling over his face. I snatch my hand back and drop to my knees next to the tub.
“I… ah…” I search the area for my towel. It’s at the door where I abandoned it when he fell.
I start to crawl toward it but then realize my ass is on display. I flatten myself on the ground.
“Are you slow crawling?”
“Are you looking?”
I glance over my shoulder. He’s now standing in the bathtub with the shower curtain wrapped around his body.
And he’s staring at my ass. His deep blue eyes are filled with such passion, they’re nearly violet.
My nipples tighten in response. I nearly moan at the feel of my hard nipples scraping against the floor.
“Stop staring!” I try to shout but my voice comes out all breathy. I clear my throat but it doesn’t help reduce the lust currently running rampant throughout my body.
“What do you expect me to do? Your perfect ass is naked in front of my face.”
Perfect ass? Did Zane say my ass is perfect? I wiggle it, but stop when I realize what I’m doing.
“I expect you to be a gentleman and turn around.” There. I managed to speak without my voice sounding husky. Go me.
“You want me to turn around so you can check out my ass?” He wiggles his eyebrows. “No problem.”
He starts to push the shower curtain down.
“Stop!”
“You’re the one who entered the bathroom when I was in the shower.”
“I didn’t know you were in the shower!”
“The sound of water running didn’t clue you in?”
“I didn’t listen at the door. I’m not a pervert.”
“Are you saying I’m a pervert?”
“No. I’m saying you should lock the door.”
“This is my house. I’m not used to locking the door.”
“Well, get used to it!”
I finally make it to the towel. I get to my knees to wrap it around me, but in my rush, I hit my head against the vanity. “Ouch!”
Zane leaps out of the bathtub and hurries to me. “Did you hurt yourself?”
He pushes my hair out of the way to examine my head. I slap his hands away. “I’m fine.”
He kneels in front of me and my gaze drops to his chest. The spattering of hair doesn’t distract from his muscular build. Wide shoulders, narrow hips, and a six-pack of abs in between. How I’d love to trace every single muscle with my tongue.
He snatches my towel from the floor and opens it. “Here,” he says as he covers me with the material.
“Thank you,” I murmur as I secure the towel.
“I promise I’ll lock the door from now on. I wasn’t thinking.”
“And I’ll make sure there’s no one in the shower before I barge inside.”
He smiles and two dimples appear on his left cheek. They only add to his sex appeal. As if he needs to be any sexier.
“We have a deal. Do you want to shake on it?”
“Nope. I’m good.” No way in hell am I letting go of this towel. With my luck, it’ll fall to the ground and it’ll appear as if I’m offering myself to Zane as a sacrifice.
I second this idea.
I ignore my inner voice. She’s always getting me in trouble.
But I’m fun.
Adele cries before I can give in to temptation. Because, let’s face it, I was going to give in. There’s a reason why I’m without a home at thirty-one, despite working since I was sixteen after all.
Zane cringes. “Duty calls.”
“I can go.”
He smiles but his dimples don’t make an appearance. “She’s my responsibility.”
I frown. Adele isn’t a responsibility. She’s a gift to be treasured.
“Let me know if you need anything.”
“I’m good.” He stands. “Enjoy your shower.”
The second he shuts the door behind him, I slump to the floor. Phew. That was too close for comfort.
I need to keep my hands off Zane Raider. He’s a player, and players don’t stick around. And I want a man who sticks. Who wants to build a family and a home with me.
Zane Raider is not that man.