He chuckles. "Fuck. I'm bad at this. Look, I like you, and not just because you look damn good in your bra and panties. I like you because you make me laugh and smile and feel young again."
I lick my lips. "You're not that old, are you?"
He shrugs. "I'm past 30. What about you, Marley Grove?”
"I'm 24," I tell him.
"Twenty-four and a virgin." He whistles. "Damn girl. That's trouble."
"Is it?" I ask. "I thought it was an asset."
"Depends," he says. "Depends on what you're waiting for."
"I'm waiting for the right moment."
"Not the right man?"
I shrug. "I don't know if I ever expect to find that. I've lived in Alaska my entire life and my brothers aren't exactly generous when it comes to men asking me out."
"What do you mean?"
"My brothers are over-protective. They don't let guys past the asking out phase."
Maker laughs. "Well, good thing your brothers aren't here to answer for you today.”
I nod slowly. "Yeah, good thing." I smile. “Oh, and my next-door neighbor is the sheriff, so everyone is always watching over me.”
He stiffens. “Damn, I hate cops.”
“Why?” I ask, instantly regretting it. He’s a criminal — or was one. Of course he has problems with men in uniform.
“Just never seemed to get along with them. I avoid them at all costs.”
I lick my lips. “Good to know.” Turning the topic away from law enforcement, I ask, “So, you planning on taking your boat toward Riverside today?”
“You asking to see if I will take you home?” he asks with a sexy grin.
I smile back. “You caught me.”
"You want to leave now?”
"I thought you said you were leaving this afternoon?"
"I know, but now that I realize your over-protective brothers are going to be hard to win over, I figure you and I should spend the day together on the boat, out on the open sea. Have a good time. See where we are before we invite your brothers into this relationship."
Now, it's my turn to laugh. "Oh, it's a relationship now? I thought you were just asking me out, or was it you were just driving me home?"
He takes my hand. "Does it matter? Listen, Marley, I like you. You like me. We both feel it, so let's see where it can take us."
I nod. "Okay. I'll just say goodbye to everyone and pack up my things."
He nods. "Good. My boat's down at the dock. You want to leave in an hour?"
My heart flutters. I have a feeling that once I'm alone on a boat with Maker, anything could happen.
I walk away from the table knowing he's staring at my butt as I move. I shake it a little bit and he groans, "You're trouble, Marley Grove."
I don't look over my shoulder. I don't trust myself not to run into his arms, kiss him hard, drag him down to my yurt, to his boat, anywhere we can be alone.
First, I need to go thank Beam and Bellamy for inviting me here to their ceremony. When I find Bellamy in the tree house, she's with Wavy and Jemma, all of them laughing, old friends. I'm the odd man out.
"Hey," I say, "I just wanted to stop in and say thank you. I'm headed out, and thank you again for inviting me to your wedding. It was incredible, Bellamy, and I hope your honeymoon is amazing."
Bellamy wraps her arms around me. "You're leaving so soon? You can say another night if you want. Beam and I are leaving tomorrow."
"I know, but Maker's going to give me a ride back to Riverside in his boat."
"Maker is?” Jemma asks. "Why?"
"We were both headed in the same direction."
Wavy frowns. "But I thought Maker's cabin was up in the Whiskey Mountains. I thought he just bought a piece of property on the ridge opposite from where our place is?"
"Oh," I say, "I don't actually know. I just met Maker."
"Right." The three women share a look. "Are you sure you feel okay being alone with him?” Bellamy asks, resting her hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah, I feel okay," I say with a nervous laugh. "I'm a grownup. I can handle myself."
Wavy nods slowly. "I know you can, Marley. You seem like a really smart person and you know Alaska better than any of us, so I trust your ability to navigate yourself home. I just want you to be careful."
"What, you think I'll make a bad decision about Maker?"
Jemma shrugs. "He has that dangerous draw about him."
I twist my lips. "I'm not going to do anything stupid. He's giving me a ride home. That's all."
"Okay. As long as you feel good about it," Bellamy says.
I frown. "I thought he spent the last year or so wandering these mountains and working out his issues?” I ask. "I thought that's what you said about him. That he was turning over a new leaf."
"Sure," Wavy says, "but old habits die hard."
"Is that what you guys have all said to your husbands?” I ask, knowing this question is as pointed and direct as I ever get. I don't do confrontation and I don't do fights, but I know they're all married to men with shady pasts, drug lords and drug dealers.
Maker's not the only bad guy who's working on cleaning up his act on this mountain.
"Fair enough," Bellamy says. "We've all ended up with men who have overcome hurdles, so who am I to judge Maker?"
Jemma nods. "It's true, but Marley, you seem so sweet. I'd hate to see… see you hurt.”
I set my shoulders straight. "Look, I know I've never slept with a man and may come across as a sweetheart, but I have a backbone. I know how to ask for what I want and how to say no. You don't have to worry about me. I know I've been a bit protected by my big brothers my entire life, but that doesn't mean I don't know who I am. It doesn't mean I need a man to tell me what I want and how I
