Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
S avannah pushed her huge red-framed sunglasses to the top of her head as she strode across the dirt. Her white sandals were going to be gray at the end of the day, but she wasn’t going to give Theo the pleasure of seeing her even glance down.
She should have known this stupid boat dock would be a rickety wooden thing held together by wire and duct tape, hanging precariously off the banks of the bayou with nothing more than a patch of dirt and weeds to park on.
But no. She’d thought it would be like the paved parking area, well-built wooden walkway, and wide, smooth dock where the Boys of the Bayou swamp boat tours took off.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” she greeted.
She wasn’t shocked to see Zander Landry here. It seemed he and Theo were always up in each other’s business.
Though why she and her solo slumber party on the bayou had to be Theo’s business wasn’t completely clear.
Anyone could have driven her out to this cabin, she was sure.
He was absolutely going to enjoy this far too much. She knew he was expecting her to take one look at the place, turn around, and rescind her entire plan.
She was absolutely not going to do that.
And just to make it even more annoying to him when his plan went to hell, she’d worn a ridiculous outfit to this meet-up.
Oh, sure, the October weather in Louisiana was definitely warm enough for shorts. But she’d been around Autre long enough to know that you didn’t wear short shorts, and heels on an airboat. There was far too much sun and dirt, and too many uneven surfaces and creepy-crawlies for those to be practical.
And no one would wear white to go onto the bayou on purpose. On top or bottom.
Airboats on the bayou actually had a few things in common with the subway in Manhattan—you needed to watch where you stepped, there were all kinds of things that could stain your clothes, and you definitely needed to hang on if you were standing up.
No, sunburns and mosquito bites weren’t a risk underneath the city, but she was not one of those women who wore heels to walk the sidewalks or subway platforms in the city. Those were tough ladies. Tuck them in her bag and put them on later? Sure. But fashion was not more important than comfort.
Unless you were trying to annoy a big, bearded, broody bayou boy.
She could already see the wheels in Theo’s head turning. Crazy city chick. She’s gonna last five minutes.
She couldn’t wait to prove him wrong.
“So, are we going or what?” she asked. She looked at Zander. “Or are you giving me a ride, Officer Landry? That’s so nice.”
“Just on my coffee break,” Zander said, lifting his cup. “And making sure I’m not going to have to do any extra reports today. Murder takes a lot of paperwork.”
Savannah looked at Theo. “If you’ve been telling him your plan, it’s premeditated. That’s the worst kind, you know.”
“New York, I know that bayou even better than Landry does—no body, no crime,” Theo said easily.
Savannah worked on not laughing. Dammit, why did the guy have to be witty too? It was bad enough that he was wearing his uniform today.
She always got a little warmer around him. She’d seen him in blue jeans a lot and she’d seen him in athletic shorts a couple of times. He’d almost killed her one Sunday morning at Ellie’s when he’d come in wearing gray sweatpants. But there was something about his uniform that made her heart race even faster than all of those.
And the everyday uniform was nothing special. It was black boots, ugly olive green pants with dorky big pockets on the sides of both legs, a clunky black belt with a bunch of pouches and stuff strapped to it, and an olive green shirt. Today’s was short-sleeved and looked like a polo shirt that was made out of polyester with three buttons at the throat, a collar, and patches stitched on both sleeves, and the left chest. The right side also had a patch that read T. Taggart.
He also had a gold pin that was a simple metal bar pinned to his shirt, his badge, and a pair of Aviator sunglasses.
None of it should have been sexy.
But on Theo Taggart, it made her want to call him Officer Taggart. And tell him she’d been bad.
She didn’t even know if the agents of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries department were called “officer”. She thought she’d heard someone call him Lieutenant once, actually. But she hadn’t asked anyone about it. Because she shouldn’t be that interested in Theo Taggart.
She had, however, Googled the department later that night, and they did have Lieutenants.
“Well, everyone I know knows what I’m doing today, that my last known location was right here, and you were the last one to see me alive, so good luck to you,” she said.
“Circumstantial,” he replied with a lift of one big shoulder. “Not to mention that pretty much every single law enforcement official for about eighty miles owes me a favor of some kind.”
She plopped her sunglasses back down over her eyes so he wouldn’t be able to read any amusement in them. “Are you admitting that you would bribe or blackmail your way out of a conviction?”
He straightened away from his truck. She couldn’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses either, but she knew he was looking directly at her. “Any recording device you’ve got on you—though I have no idea where you’d be hiding it?—”
Savannah could feel his gaze traveling over her body even without being able to see his eyes. She fought the urge to wiggle.
“—will be getting just as wet as the rest of you, so I’m not too worried,” he finished.
Well, she didn’t know about her entire body getting wet, but there was one part of her that definitely was.
Was it exceptionally hot out here?
See, wearing these shorts was a really good idea.
She took a breath. “Well, let’s go, already. My bags are in the backseat of my car.”
Now Theo tipped his sunglasses up. “Your bags ? Plural?”
It was getting harder and harder to keep from grinning. She definitely did not need more than one bag. She could have easily used her one shoulder bag. But she wanted his guard down, thinking he knew exactly how this was going to go, thinking he knew her . So she’d brought two suitcases and the matching square hard-sided cosmetic case.
“Yes, bags.” She stuck her hip out and crossed her arms. “I suppose you just put your clothes in a garbage bag and toss it in the bed of your truck?”
He didn’t address how he packed his clothes for out-of-town trips. “Well, New York, I’m not the bellboy at the Hilton. If you’ve got baggage, you’re dealing with it yourself,” Theo told her.
She’d expected that response. Though she found his wording interesting. He was talking about luggage , right? Because no, Theo didn’t seem like the type of guy to want to deal with any kind of baggage, honestly.
If they were talking about metaphorical baggage, emotional or family or whatever, she didn’t have a lot. She was pretty straight-forward about what she wanted and why.
She studied Theo. Who was studying her right back.
Theo would probably really like that her big life goal was to live in several different places before she settled down, and even then, to travel often, and that she’d already checked a southern hotter-than-hades-holy-crap-why-does-anyone-live-here state off her list. He didn’t have to worry about her sticking around here.
She’d grown up in New York, so she’d come to Louisiana for college. Louisiana was one of the most opposite places she could think of during her senior year in high school when she was applying to college.
She was in Louisiana for a little longer because of work, but she’d really love to live in the mountains next. Or the desert. Or a west coast city. Or a wide-open rugged rural place like Wyoming or Montana. There were so many options.
“I thought this whole experiment was to show me what staying in my proposed cabins would be like. We will definitely have concierge services that will include handling luggage,” she said.
“This is a taste of what a night on the bayou is like, so you actually know what you’re talking about when you want to bring heavy construction equipment and boatloads—literally—of employees, and spoiled, rich city folk out here,” Theo told her.
“So I shouldn’t expect massage services or a facial tonight?” she asked, her gaze never wavering from his.
Oh, she knew exactly how that sounded.
She also knew that he took it exactly that way. His nostrils flared slightly, and his jaw tightened.
And heat arrowed through her stomach to between her legs at both of those things.
Judging by his cough, Zander also took it that way.
“I don’t think those services where you’re spending tonight are what you’re used to, City Girl,” Theo told her.
Did she think anything remotely resembling a massage from Theo or anything Theo would do to her face would be like anything any other man had done so far? Nope.
She nodded slowly. “I have a feeling you’re right about that.”
Theo’s jaw tightened again, and he dropped his sunglasses back over his eyes.
Zander coughed again.
She was definitely no virgin. In fact, she loved sex and she’d had some pretty great times with a few of the guys she’d dated.
But sex with Theo?
She liked to try new things and considered herself adventurous.
But she wasn’t sure she was ready for Theo Taggart.
“Get your shit and let’s get going,” Theo said, turning on his heel. “I’ll meet you on the dock.”
“Fine,” she said. “I guess I’ll just bring one bag then. But give me a minute. I need to be sure I grab the bag with my bubble bath, dirty book, and vibrator!” she called after him, her voice louder on vibrator .
Theo caught his toe on the first uneven board at the end of the dock.
And, because his back was to her, Savannah finally let herself smile with satisfaction.
She started to turn back to her car. In truth, one of her suitcases was full of only books so it would feel heavy. She didn’t need it at all, and if she was hauling the thing around, she was totally leaving it in the car.
“Do you need help with your bags?” Zander asked.
Ah, the rumor of the Southern Gentleman wasn’t totally fiction.
She shook her head as she slipped into the car and turned it on so she could raise the convertible’s roof. “I’ve got it, but thanks.”
When the top was up, she pushed the seat forward, grabbed the one suitcase she did need—which was only half-full, but did indeed carry her vibrator, bubble bath, and the spicy romance novel she was in the middle of—locked the car, and started for the dock, rolling the suitcase behind her.
“I don’t know which one of you I feel sorrier for,” Zander said, opening the driver’s door to his car as she passed him.
“Neither. He’s just dropping me off. After that, we won’t see each other again until he comes to pick me up to bring me back to town. Unless he’s late doing that.” She slid her sunglasses down her nose and looked over the tops of them. “Then him. Definitely him.”
She had just stepped up on to the walkway that would lead to the dock, but she still heard Zander chuckle and say, “Right. Okay, then. Have a great night.”
Hmm. His tone was weird. She wasn’t sure what that meant suddenly.
But she wasn’t sure she wanted to.