The Quietest Shop on Main (Shops on Main #3)

Chapter 14

14

S hakespeare would have a beautiful description of what exactly Skyla was feeling right now. As Dalton worked an impressive spell over her in the frigid, night air of the Pacific Ocean, Skyla was flushed and warm to the point where she almost shrugged off the coat he was wrapping her in.

Every time she took a gasping breath, she could smell his aftershave. Her hands were clenched in the front of his sweater, and she could feel the strength beneath her fists with each breath he took.

His hands, which had moved from the coat to her waist, were steady and large, spanning around to her back and holding Skyla upright even as her knees quaked from the adrenaline surge rushing through her system.

In stark contrast to the heat enveloping her was Dalton’s nose, which brushed along her cheeks, or jawline when he was kissing her neck. The tip of his nose was almost as cold as the air and felt divine as it cooled her overly heated skin.

Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined something as blissful as this. Skyla had read a thousand romances. She’d dated a few boys. But she’d never known heaven to truly come to Earth.

No matter what happened between her and her knight in shining armor, Skyla would never forget this moment.

All the worry, anxiety, and longing that had led to this point were forgotten as Dalton pulled her in even tighter, and Skyla rose up on tiptoe to get closer.

“Skyla,” he whispered in a husky tone, making her stomach quiver. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?” Their fevered exchange slowed as Dalton kissed the side of her mouth, then her cheek, then her nose. He shook his head and pulled back, a bewildered smile on his face. “I think a hurricane could have knocked us off course, and I wouldn’t have noticed,” he said through a chuckle.

“Good thing we don’t get those here,” Skyla responded, her voice slightly hoarse. “Because I wouldn’t have noticed either.”

Dalton’s smile grew. He cupped her cheek and ran a thumb along her cheekbone. When had he taken off his gloves? Skyla had been so busy enjoying his attention that she hadn’t even noticed the coat falling or his gloves and…oh dear…had she been the one to knock his hat off when she’d let her hand wander into his glorious hair?

“Oh my gosh, you have to be freezing,” Skyla said quickly. “I’m so sorry.”

Dalton stepped back, laughing quietly, and bent to start picking up the discarded items. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been warmer,” he told her.

Her heart stuttered. This was why women couldn’t resist a man. Did they practice what to say in order to make a woman swoon? Because it was totally working if that was the case.

“Here.” He held the coat at her back again. “Arms in this time.”

Skyla obeyed and the weight of the coat immediately made her feel more solidified and warm. The fact that it smelled like Dalton was a marvelous bonus, and good thing she’d had an aversion to wearing a stranger’s coat. “What about you?” she asked.

Dalton lifted one shoulder. “I don’t mind wearing a different coat.” He tugged his hat back on and shoved his gloves in his back pocket. “Give me a sec, and I’ll grab one.”

Even with the heavy coat and the feeling of weighing a hundred extra pounds, Skyla quickly began to shiver once Dalton had left. Somehow his mere presence made her feel safer and warmer.

“Okay,” he said as he leapt up the stairs from the lower deck, shoving his own arms in a coat similar to his own. “Let’s get those rods up. Rockfish don’t catch themselves, you know.”

Skyla watched with interest as Dalton began pulling equipment out of a storage box that was lashed to the side of the boat.

“Want to help?” he asked, tilting his head up to smile at Skyla.

She grinned shyly back. “Can I? I don’t know a thing about fishing.” A glance at the dark expanse of ocean brought back a little shiver of her earlier fear. It was just so…black. Anything could be out there, and they’d never know it, even with all the lights from the boat. Only a few feet of the waves were visible, and it was all so mysterious.

“That’s why I’m here,” Dalton announced. He handed her a few things and then stood, pulling her to the side of the boat. “We’re going to screw this in here in,” he said softly, his chest up against Skyla’s back. “Right. Little tighter.”

For the next five minutes, Dalton guided her hands and whispered in her ear, but all that existed was his warm breath on her skin and the bubbliness in her stomach from being so close to him.

She had the distinct feeling that this was what all the books called being twitterpated. Her brain wasn’t functioning in the least, but she was certainly enjoying the experience.

“Did you want to put on the bait?”

She blinked back to the present. “What?”

Dalton’s chuckle shook his chest, reverberating through Skyla’s back. “The hook? Do you want to bait it?” He jiggled a large hook in one hand and held up a chunk of meat with the other.

Skyla recoiled, and Dalton’s laugh grew.

“Usually, when I’m leading a tour, I tell people if they want the fish, they have to deal with the bait.” He kissed the side of her cheek, his lips cool against her skin. “But tonight, I can make an exception.”

Skyla shook her head, though she was still grimacing. “No. I…I should do it.” She turned her head back just enough to see him. “It’s all part of the experience, right?”

“Right.”

Dalton waited for Skyla to take off her gloves, then guided her trembling hands into motion. Skyla swallowed hard as he helped her push the flesh onto the hook. She couldn’t help but scrunch her nose in disgust.

Did people really do this for fun?

She cooked. She knew what raw meat was like and how to handle it, but somehow, this felt different.

“What are we catching again?” she rasped.

“Only things to catch at night like this are rockfish and lingcod,” Dalton said easily. “There.”

They dropped the line, the meat swaying through the air for a moment.

“During the winter months, rockfish is most common, though.” Dalton helped her move the line over their shoulders. “Now, we’re going to throw up and out. Ready?”

She could hear the grin on his face.

“I’d rather not get skewered,” he teased. “So make sure to lift high.”

Skyla jolted. “Skewered? Is that a thing?”

“Here we go!”

Skyla barely held back a squeal as Dalton jerked around her arm until the line and baited hook went flying into the night. Her heart pounded as they anchored the rod to a device on the edge of the boat. “Now what?”

“Now we let it sit,” he said. “I’ll set up another couple lines.” He chuckled. “You can help, if you want. After all, you’re experienced now. But then we wait.”

Skyla shuddered. “Okay,” she said weakly. Doing it again didn’t sound that great, but this was why she was here. It was a part of Dalton and especially after that kiss earlier, her desire to know more about him was only growing.

She wanted this man in her life, and she’d help bait all the hooks in the world if it meant keeping him.

She was terrified.

Or grossed out.

It could go either way.

But Dalton couldn’t help admiring her courage. Her hands shook as she took the piece of chum and shoved it onto the hook, this time without instruction or help.

He stepped to the side as Skyla carefully put the line over her shoulder. She looked at him, and Dalton raised his eyebrows, nodding for her to keep going. She was doing great.

Pinching her lips between her teeth, she threw the line, and it landed with a plop about two feet from the side of the boat.

Dalton held back his laugh, but his shoulders were shaking from the effort.

Skyla frowned, peering over the edge into the semi dark water. “Ummm…what did I do wrong?”

“Your technique needs a little help,” Dalton told her. “But really, you just need practice. Try again.” He stepped up. “Reel it up a little…uh, huh.” Reluctantly, he dropped his hands and stepped back again. “Okay. Give it another go.”

This one went a little farther, but still not where they wanted it.

Skyla groaned, letting her head drop back.

“It’s alright,” Dalton assured her. “It took Analiese ages to get this figured out.” He stepped close again, taking the opportunity to kiss the side of her head. Man…he wanted to do more than that.

Kissing Skyla had been an earth shattering experience.

If it hadn’t been clear before just how far gone he was over this woman, it was clear to him now. Dalton had dated before, but just like she felt different in his arms than any other woman, kissing her had been different as well.

Those mushy thoughts he’d been working to hide had been spinning at Nascar speeds. Nothing had ever felt so perfect, so right, so exhilarating.

It had taken every ounce of willpower he possessed to pull back, but her cheeks had been cold and the mist of the ocean had started dripping down the back of Dalton’s sweater.

Despite the heat they were creating together, it wasn’t quite enough to combat the night ocean’s temperature.

So he’d stopped and wrapped Skyla up, feigning a desire to fish. Catching a rockfish was the furthest thing from Dalton’s mind, but it was keeping him from pushing them further than was safe or appropriate.

“Try again.”

Skyla sighed and obeyed. It took five more times before they were satisfied with the distance.

“You’re a rockstar,” he murmured, giving her another kiss on the cheek. “Hang on.” He helped her set the pole in the holder and then moved down the boat. “One more.”

“Why so many?” Skyla asked.

“More bait, more chances to catch something,” Dalton explained.

She got through baiting the hook in record time, and Dalton stepped back. “I’m curious,” Skyla grunted as she threw the line, only to reel it back in when it didn’t go as far as she wanted.

“About?” Dalton asked, leaning his hip against the side railing.

“How often do you go fishing for personal fun?”

Dalton pursed his lips. “That’s a good question.” He looked up at the night sky, calculating in his head. “Not as much as I’d like,” he admitted. “Maybe a few times a year.” Tilting his head, he waited until she’d cast again. “Why?”

Skyla grinned at him when she got the line a decent distance.

“Well done.” Dalton helped her tie it off.

“I’m curious how many freezers of seafood you have,” Skyla continued once they were done. She rubbed her hands together and blew on them. “Somehow, it seems appropriate that you’d have like three freezers in your garage and each one is overloaded.”

Dalton laughed and nodded. “A good assumption.” He came closer, grabbing her gloves from her pocket and helping her put them on. “But it wouldn’t be accurate. I only have two freezers like that.”

Skyla shook her head, smiling. “You’re ridiculous.”

He shrugged and took her head, leading her back to the cabin. “You asked.”

“Do you ever get tired of it?”

Dalton paused. “No. But we do get tired of eating fish, sometimes. If I’m on the ball, I can cook it in enough ways to keep it entertaining, but nothing beats a good roast or some bacon once in a while.”

It was Skyla’s turn to laugh. “So noted.” She nudged her shoulder against his. “I’m happy to help cook some for you.”

Dalton opened the door and closed it behind them to keep out the frigid wind. “I’ll bring some by next time we have dinner together.”

“Which is pretty much every night,” Skyla teased, moving next to the heater and shaking out her legs.

“Hot chocolate?” Dalton held up a packet while he turned on the kettle.

“I’d love some. I made a thermos of hot tea and then left it at the house.”

He watched her as she slowly thawed. Geez, she was beautiful. Even with a pink nose and flushed cheeks. Her hair was matted at her temples and she had absolutely no figure to speak of in his massive coat, but a sense of pride was still swirling through his chest.

The oddest desire to puff up like a peacock was pressing at him, and Dalton had to shove it aside before he began behaving like a neanderthal.

“Thank you,” he said, still watching her.

Skyla stopped and turned to him, blinking a couple of times. “For what?”

Dalton shifted his weight, feeling foolish for the thoughts in his head. “For coming out here with me,” he began. “For being so nice to Analiese. For…” He swallowed. “For being you.”

Typically, Skyla wasn’t one to blush heavily, but something must have set her off because the flush in her cheeks grew slightly darker and he couldn’t look away.

“In that case, I suppose I should say the same back,” Skyla admitted. She smiled shyly and looked at the heater while she spoke. “In my head, I’ve been calling you my knight in shining armor since Grandpa had his stroke and…even though I wasn’t sure where our relationship was going for a while, I was so grateful just to have you by my side.”

Maybe he wasn’t the only one having mushy thoughts.

The whistle of the kettle made Dalton jump, and he gritted his teeth against the display. “Here you go,” he said, handing her the cup.

Skyla quickly took her gloves off and cradled it between her hands. “Mmm…” She moaned. “Chocolate is my favorite.”

Dalton’s smile grew. He’d have to put that information away for future reference. Just as he was about to pour his own cocoa, a bell jangled, and he raised his eyebrows. “Hey, hey! Look at that.”

“What?” Skyla frowned. “What was that noise?”

Dalton took the cup and set it aside, then retrieved her gloves. “You, my dear, have a bite.” He took her hand and pulled open the door. “We’re going to make a fisherman…fisherwoman…out of you yet.”

“Oh, goody,” Skyla said dryly.

Dalton laughed. Maybe she wasn’t going to love the freedom of the seas as much as he did, but tonight, they were together, they were being open with each other and he was sharing something he loved.

Somehow, it seemed that things could only get better from here, and he was looking forward to it immensely.