“Ready if you are.”
As we walk toward the first display—a school of fish swimming round and round in a circular aquarium—Payton puts his arm around me, resting his hand on my hip. Even through my jeans, the warmth of his palm radiates through the fabric and sears my skin, making me want to press closer to him. Instead, I move out of his reach, using the ruse of wanting to see the jellyfish to our right.
We do this dance at almost every aquatic feature in the place. And the more he does it, the less I want to run away. It’s so tempting to just lean in…give in to these feelings swirling my insides into goo. Much like that iridescent jellyfish I saw earlier.
So jelly. So pretty. Yet painful when stung.
That’s what I’m afraid of. Whenever I allowed myself to get attached to someone or someplace, I wound up hurt. Things never seemed to work out for me, so I kept a certain amount of separation as a protective measure. So far, it’s served me well, but Payton is the unexpected threat I never saw coming.
“Let’s take a break before we finish the rest.” He points toward a concession area. “Fancy some ice cream?”
In what world can a guy eat as much ice cream as he does and still look so ripped? “Sure, why not.”
Payton gets a chocolate milkshake, which tempts me at first. Until I see they have soft serve, which is my favorite and often hard to find.
As we sit down at a small parlor table, he leans over and takes a large bite of my ice cream. His blue eyes dance with mischief, and there’s a smear of chocolate on the corner of his mouth that I’m tempted to wipe away with my thumb.
Or my mouth… “Thief! Who bites ice cream?” I point to the teeth marks.
He laughs, then holds his shake toward me. “All’s fair in love and war.”
I don’t like the implication of his raised brow. What exactly is he implying?
To get even, I nab the shake from him and take a long drink, all the while watching the fascinating shift in his expression as he watches me before handing it back. “Fair enough for you?”
“More than fair.” Mischief sparkles in his blue eyes that mirror the ocean themes surrounding us. Then he wraps his lips around the straw, deliberately reminding me that mine were there just moments ago.
My insides combust.
I need a dousing of cold water more than the fish we’re observing. How much more of his flirtations can I take before he wears me down? And Sophie thought he was shy? I’m mentally shaking my head at that one.
“Maybe we should leave now.”
He sobers quickly. “If I promise to behave, will you let me take you to one more exhibit? I think you’ll love it the most.”
I don’t see how another exhibit could rival the one he’s been displaying, but I’m curious about what he thinks I’lllove. Is it me, or is he using that word a lot?
“Fine. But no more of this.” I wag myfinger at his face.
“Of what? I’m simply drinking my shake.”
“Sure you are, big guy.” I finish my cone on the way to the trash can and dump the wrapper and napkin.
Payton drops his cup in the receptacle, then grabs my hand and drags me along at a quick pace. I’m tall, but he’s taller and has a wider gate. Still, I manage to keep up.
“And here we are.” He sweeps his hand toward a display resembling a miniature playland made of rock-like structures. Built-in slides lead to the water pooling below. I sweep my eyes over the twenty-foot expanse and stop when I notice a ball of fur rolling around the upper level.
No, two balls of fur.
Otters.
My gaze leaps to his, and then I realize my mouth is hanging open. He laughs, but not at me. More like he’s delighted that I’m surprised—thathesurprised me.
I step closer to the glass, mesmerized. I’ve only ever seen these adorable creatures in videos. Three more join the others in their frolic. One slides down and swims over to a small platform near the glass to my left. He sticks his paws out two holes I didn’t notice before.
Payton brings his face close to my ear, flooding my senses with his woodsy scent. “He wants you to hold his paws.”
Riddled with disbelief, I look at him for confirmation. “We’re allowed to touch them?”
