Patrick's Destiny by Sherryl Woods Page B

I move from bar to bar so they can’t keep up with me,” she retorted. “This is my week for Jess’s.”
    “How convenient for me,” he said with what sounded like complete sincerity. “Have you eaten?”
    “Hours ago,” she admitted, almost regretting her early-morning habit of fixing a hearty breakfast to get her through a day that too often had no more than a few stolen minutes to grab a bite of lunch.
    “Had enough coffee?”
    “As a matter of fact, yes.”
    “Feel like going out on the boat for a couple of hours?”
    “Sure,” she said at once, telling herself it was only because he seemed eager for the company. “But for the record, I don’t know anything about fishing.”
    “I know enough for both of us,” he said, tossing some money on the table and grabbing his jacket. He shrugged into it, then held hers so she could slip it on.
    He gazed into her eyes as he pulled her jacket snugly around her. “Besides, I just feel like getting out on the water. The salt air clears my head. The fish’ll be there come Monday morning.”
    “If you want to clear your head, are you sure you want me along?” Alice asked.
    “I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t want you there,” he said. “Ask Molly,” he added, raising his voice and nodding toward the woman who was blatantly eavesdropping. “I rarely do anything I don’t want to do.”
    “That’s true enough,” Molly confirmed. “Have fun, you two. And you can both thank me later.”
    Patrick stared blankly at Alice. “Thank her for what?”
    Alice knew but wished she didn’t. “Believe me,” she said fervently, “you don’t want to know.”

Chapter Six
    P atrick wasn’t used to having anyone on board when he took the boat out, but Alice made a good companion. She didn’t pester him with a lot of questions. In fact, she seemed perfectly content to sit on deck with a blanket wrapped around her and her face tilted up to the sun’s rays. The wind was whipping her hair, but once again she seemed oblivious to the tangle.
    “Your nose is getting sunburned,” he said, tapping her gently on the tip of it before dropping down into the chair beside her.
    She blinked in surprise, then yawned. “I think I dozed off.”
    “Must be my scintillating company,” he said wryly.
    She glanced around. “Not that I’m nervous or anything, but if you’re sitting over here, who’s piloting the boat?”
    “I dropped anchor a few minutes ago,” he explained.
    “Where are we?”
    “Not that far offshore, actually, just far enough away to keep from being bothered.”
    She grinned. “I gather you’ve concluded that the No Trespassing sign has lost its effectiveness.”
    He chuckled. “Given the parade coming down the dock yesterday, pretty much. From now on, if I want total peace and quiet, I’m moving out to sea.”
    “How come you invited me along, if you want total peace and quiet?”
    “Maybe I knew you’d fall asleep the second you got a good dose of sea air,” he teased, and pulled a tube of suntan lotion from his shirt pocket. He put a dab of the cream on his finger and spread it across her nose, then onto her cheeks. Her skin was so soft he lingered, reluctant to stop touching her. His gaze drifted to hers and lingered there, as well. The sudden and totally unexpected spark of desire in her eyes stunned him and sent a jolt of sexual tension racing straight through him.
    Before he could think it through, he was following his instincts, leaning forward, his mouth covering hers. She uttered a faint gasp of surprise, then moved into the kiss with an eagerness that once again caught him off guard. The kiss turned greedy and hot in a flash that almost brought him to his knees. Who would have thought that the sweet little kindergarten teacher packed a wallop like that? He was shaky when he finally had the sense to pull back.
    “Don’t stop,” she whispered, sending yet another jolt through him. She reached out and touched his cheek. “Please.