Wicked Nights (Men of Discovery Island 2)

“You’re going to be a pain in my butt, aren’t you?” He opened the door for her and she breezed through. See? She could compromise.

“Probably,” she agreed. “Or, you can do things my way.”

“We did that Friday night.” He snagged his keys from the counter. “Now it’s my turn and I’m driving.”

* * *

CAL PILOTED THE Dive Boat I out of the marina. Eventually he and Piper had compromised. He drove today and they used his boat. The next time they went, they’d use hers. Piper actually hadn’t protested much, and Cal suspected the reason for that was the flawless weather. After they’d gotten going, she’d parked herself up front, soaking in the sunshine. She looked perfectly content, her sunglasses on and a slightly grubby ball cap pulled low over her forehead.

Just when he thought she might be taking a catnap, she looked over at him. “So. Dive Boat I?”

He concentrated on guiding the boat out of the marina. Discovery Island’s mayor—the only person who had run for the underpaid job last election—had tied up his hundred-foot motor yacht in such a way that the expensive boat stuck out, making access to open water challenging. Either bad parking skills or a desire to make sure everyone knew he’d bought a new boat, Cal had no idea which. “You don’t like the name?”

“It’s not a name. It’s a shortcut.”

She leaned back on her elbows, making herself at home. The narrow straps of her bikini top peeked out from the edges of her T-shirt. She was wearing yet another pair of cutoff shorts and flip-flops. She’d toed off her shoes as soon as she climbed on board and pulled her hair back in a ponytail, errant curls blowing in the breeze. The other night, her hair had been spread out on her pillow, little strands tickling his nose and his face. He didn’t want to be out here on the water with her. Nope. Where he really wanted to be was back in her bed. Or his. He’d slept with his share of beautiful women, but she was different.

She waved her list at him again. “We’ll start with Pup Alley,” she said, naming a popular dive site where sea lions and their pups were often spotted.

And not just because she was so stubborn.

“I’m driving the boat,” he pointed out mildly. “I pick where we go.”

“Right.” She pushed her glasses down and gave him a look. “I did Rose Wall earlier, so diving with the sea lions is a nice site to pair with that dive.”

The breeze picked up over the water just enough to plaster her T-shirt against her body. Today’s bikini was yellow with white daisies. And she was definitely cold.

No. Don’t go there. Friday night’s hot sex had been an aberration. Getting him out of her system. That’s what Piper had called it. And he was okay with that. She’d taken him to bed, had her way with him for one wicked night, and now it was over. It didn’t matter if parts of him were interested in a repeat.

“Do you plan on asking me for my list?” He wondered if she’d admit she’d planned on commandeering their joint project and choosing their sites for both of them.

“I can guess what’s on it. You’ve probably got three superdeep sites requiring four advance certifications and a secret life as a military ninja.” She pushed her glasses up and lay back. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

“You’re wrong,” he said promptly. “I’ve got four sites on my list.”

“Do you really think the Fiesta execs are going to be up for advanced dives?”

“Trust me. Ninja certification is not required.”

“Did you ask any of them if they were certified? Or what their comfort levels were?”

“I didn’t hear you ask them those questions,” he pointed out. “And I reviewed their logbooks.”

“My dives are easy.”

Unlike the woman sitting in front of him. Piper was the exact opposite of easy. She was prickly, argumentative, and, yeah, he liked it. She kept him on his toes. She was also a whole lot of fun, starting with the way she was ignoring him. Friday night had been amazing, and he still had his night in charge to look forward to. Cal was fairly certain the entire island had spotted the chemistry between the two of them by now. All through brunch on Saturday, his mother had dropped overt hints to bring Piper by for a family dinner. “Soon,” she’d emphasized.

Since it was his boat and he had the wheel, overruling Piper wasn’t difficult. He let her talk and then he laid in a course for Devil’s Slide anyhow. She lounged in the front of the boat, chattering away about yesterday’s sites and the joys of swimming with sea lion pups (none of which Cal found particularly convincing). Listening to her talk wasn’t a hardship. Her face lit up and she waved her hands around, as if she was conducting an invisible symphony. The logical thing to do would have been to tell her where they were really going, but he didn’t want the fight.