Chapter 4
The cold wind wrapped around Will, but it didn’t bother him. His bear kept him warmer than most humans were, and he was used to spending time outdoors in all seasons. Even so, Will was pretty sure his temperature had been cranked up a few degrees ever since he’d met Julie.
“If I make it to your boat without getting wet, it’ll be a Christmas miracle,” she said as she looked at the dinghy uncertainly. She’d borrowed Stacey’s waterproof boots, so the shallow water that swirled around her feet wasn’t soaking her socks, but she watched the bobbing boat warily.
“It’s all right.” Will reached out his hand. “I’ve got you.”
She clasped his hand, her fingers wrapping firmly around his palm as she stepped inside. Julie didn’t let go until she was seated.
Dylan was already inside with the oars at the ready, so Will gave the little boat a shove before he hopped in. “There. Easy enough.”
“If you say so!” She tucked her scarf around the collar of her jacket to keep it from flapping around her face.
“It’s only like this here and a few other places.
Most of the time, I can just pull up to a dock.
We’ll be able to do that in Provincetown, so don’t worry about that.
” Will could sense the tension in her, and he wanted to ease it.
He didn’t think about the inconvenience of getting in and out of his boat when he was in Truro because it never bothered him to just dive in the water and swim.
At least he’d talked her into coming out there and giving it a shot.
It didn’t take long to reach the trawler. Dylan, who’d grown up on the shore just as all the Brighams had, expertly pivoted the boat so that Julie was right next to the small steel ladder that went up the side of the hull.
“Just grab that bottom rung and pull yourself up. We’ll keep the boat steady,” Will encouraged.
He waited next to Julie as she nervously clamped her hand around the rung and stood, ready to catch her should anything go awry.
His bear wouldn’t mind an excuse to reach out and grab her, and in the meantime, he admired the generous curve of her backside and the fullness of her thighs.
He went up after her and gave Dylan a wave of thanks.
Julie was clinging to the gunwale, her legs shaking a bit beneath her. “That was more adventure than I was prepared for. Sorry. I’m sure it’s silly to you. I might live in a harbor city, but I’m usually on solid ground.”
“No worries. I’m sure if you got me in one of those skyscrapers that all the big corporations like to plaster their names on, I’d be a bit off-balance, too. Can I give you the tour before we take off?”
She straightened a little and experimentally let go of the gunwale. “Oh. This actually isn’t that bad.”
“It has to be pretty stable for bringing in big loads of fish on turbulent waters,” Will explained.
She tipped her head back to study the skeleton of the main operations of the boat. “That looks like a lot to figure out.”
“Once you know where all the buttons and switches are, it’s more a matter of knowing the timing and conditions. We won’t be putting the nets out today, though, so let me show you the rest of it. Let’s step into the wheelhouse.” He held the door open.
She relaxed a little more when she stepped inside and took in the wheel and electronics. “In the movies, they always show the fisherman in his big yellow jacket getting splashed by waves while he’s trying to drive the boat.”
Will laughed. “You won’t find my portrait on a box of fish sticks.
I like to be a little more comfortable than that.
I started out with a much smaller boat, of course, one where I was out in the elements a lot.
I’ve worked my way up from there, and I’ve made a lot of improvements here myself.
This boat was actually pretty bare bones when I bought it. ”
Julie stepped over to the array of controls and studied all the screens. “I guess this really is pretty modern.”
“Not modern enough that I had to bring in a systems analyst for it, but as up-to-date as possible.” It pleased him that she was interested in the details of his boat. “Let me show you what’s below deck.”
“All right.” She reached for the railing as they descended the stairs, but otherwise, she was quickly gaining her sea legs.
Will gestured to a door. “That’s the hold, where all the fish are kept until we get back to shore, but that’s not the part I really want to show you.”
“No offense, but I thought this would smell a lot more,” she said from behind him.
“Yet you came anyway?” She couldn’t see his smile.
Julie was telling him more than she realized.
Will could feel that pull between them, that magnetism that made him want to put his arm around her waist and never let go.
It was fueled by his inner animal, and he had a feeling that she probably couldn’t sense it the same way he did.
But something was still driving her to spend time with him, whether she understood it or not.
As he entered his living quarters, his bear rumbled with satisfaction at having her in his territory.
“I may not be the most adventurous, but at least I’m curious. Oh, wow.” Julie stepped in behind him, blinking as he turned on the lights.
“Surprised?”
“No offense, but yeah.” The quarters were a bit tight, with every square inch of space utilized as well as possible. That meant she had to stand right at his side as he guided her through. “TV has let me down once again. This is actually really nice.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She had just reached out to touch the smooth finish on a cabinet door. “More upgrades that you did yourself?”
“Sure. Whatever you imagined might be close to how it looked when I first bought it. I might have a tough job out on the sea, but I like to come home to a little luxury at the end of the day. I just started in one corner and worked my way out.”
“It’s so cozy.”
He liked seeing it through her eyes as she took in the kitchen and living space.
“I did all the paneling in local maple. I liked its color and decided to keep that theme going. I won’t tell you I built the cabinets myself, but I did install them.
I can’t have too much loose furniture since there’s a risk of it rolling around, so the dining table pulls out here.
” He flicked a lock with his thumb and pulled a long table top out from the edge of the counter.
“Wow.” She looked around a bit more and peeked into the bathroom, but then she turned to him in confusion. “But this is it? Where do you sleep?”
There was nothing he wanted to show her more. Will crossed the room and reached up to the top of a large cabinet. The cabinet swung easily forward and down, revealing his mattress and linens.
“A Murphy bed!” she laughed as she came to stand at the end of the bed. “That’s brilliant in this space. I never would’ve thought about that, although I’m not one for home design. Is it actually comfortable without a box spring?”
“I don’t have any problems with it. You’re welcome to try it out if you’d like.
” He knew that if she actually took him up on that offer, he’d have a hard time controlling his bear.
His breath felt electric as he stood so close to her with the bed between them.
She energized him simply with her presence.
Her eyes flicked up to his, and as she opened her mouth, he couldn’t predict what might come out. There was hesitation there, yes, but desire, too. Instead, she pointed toward the door. “I guess we’d better get going before your family starts wondering if something’s wrong with your boat.”
“Sure. After you.” He waited until she walked past him, her perfume teasing him in her wake.
Will knew his family wouldn’t probably do much besides giggle behind their hands if they noticed the trawler staying a bit too long, but she was right.
He’d invited her to go to Provincetown, and so they would.
“Do you want to drive?” he asked when they were underway.
“What? Me?” she squeaked.
“There’s no one else here,” he replied with a laugh.
“I don’t know the first thing about boats,” she countered.
“I’m not going to ask you to pull into the dock or anything. I’ve already got the throttle set. All you have to do is steer.” He stepped back from the wheel and waved her toward it.
Julie tentatively laid her hands on the old, polished wood. “How do you even know where you’re going? I’m used to driving on roads.”
“No roads here, just a navigation system.” He knew the way even without it, but he showed her how to keep the boat lined up with the GPS, putting his hand over hers as they guided the boat.
She was practically in his arms now. Julie had taken off her scarf in the warmth of the wheelhouse, and her neck was exposed above the collar of her jacket.
It would take only a small bend of his head to press a kiss there, to feel the warmth of her skin against his lips.
His bear revolted in him once again, demanding to know why he was content with just standing there instead of making a move.
But for now, it had to be enough that she was with him.
Will had seen that hesitation when he’d first asked her to come out with him this afternoon.
He might have a wild beast inside him, but she was skittish.
“Only minor adjustments are needed for a trip like this.”
“Okay. It’s not that bad,” she said after a minute. “It’s actually kind of nice just looking out at the water.”
“It’s something I’ve never been able to resist,” he murmured. “Living where we do, there’s plenty of boating in the Brigham blood. It’s stronger for some than others, but it’s always been calling me. I knew I had to make a career out of it. I’d never be happy trapped in an office somewhere.”