Page 6 of The Sailor

Knowing he was thinking too hard about a simple date, Zach opened his door and slammed it behind him as he strode to the back of the SUV. He had risotto to make. He needed to think about that. Not about a future relationship he may or may not have with a woman he’d just met. And he had to make sure not to rush things either way. Taking Marit home to meet his family was a big deal, and not something that should happen on a first date.

Definitely not.

“You want to visit Lobster Cove? We could have dinner there. I’m sure my mom would love to meet you, and she loves my risotto.”

Zach wanted to take the words back the second they left his lips. What had he just been thinking earlier today? To be cool. To take things slow. And here he was, inviting Marit back to his family property three seconds after seeing her for the second time in his life. He was an idiot.

He was running a little late by the time he’d gotten to Rock Harbor Pub and Brewery. Marit was waiting for him outside the bar and grill with a frown on her face. The restaurant was closed for a private party. He’d blurted out the suggestion about going home with him without even thinking about what he was saying.

“Um . . .” Marit said, biting her lip in indecision.

Zach wanted to say all kinds of things to convince her. Wanted to promise that his mom was awesome, and admit that she’d already said she’d love to meet her . . . because of course he’d already told his mom about the woman he’d met this afternoon. Explain how beautiful Lobster Cove was and promise it wasn’t that far away—even if it would take twenty or so minutes to drive there.

Instead, all he could do was stare at her in awe . . . and lust.

He’d been attracted to this woman when she was wearing several layers of lobstering gear. But in jeans and a T-shirt? She was perfection. He was right, she was plenty muscular; he could see her defined biceps thanks to the short sleeves of her shirt. Her thighs and ass filled out her jeans perfectly, making his mouth water, and her tits looked like a nice handful. His handful. Which was bigger than average because of his size.

She’d also put on a bit of makeup, just a little, to highlight her long lashes and make her plump lips even more desirable. All in all, this woman hit all the right buttons for Zach, and it was taking a large amount of control on his part not to blurt out how fucking beautiful she was.

“How far away is it? I’m meeting Eliot and Jonah at five tomorrow morning.”

“About twenty minutes. Not that far.”

“Your mom’s not expecting us though, right?”

“No. But I can call her on the way and tell her we’re coming. Trust me, she won’t have an issue with us coming over. I’m the baby of the family, she always wants to see me.” Zach smiled, letting Marit know he was kidding . . . kind of.

Marit looked back in what he assumed was the direction of her apartment, then down the other end of the street. He could practically hear her thinking. About to suggest maybe they find another place to eat here in Rockville. But now that he’d offered, Zach found he really wanted to bring her to Lobster Cove. To the heart of his family.

“Mom hasn’t tried this particular risotto. I told her about it earlier today, and she mentioned coming by to get some. If we go tonight, I can save her a trip to Rockville. I know she wants to spend the day making pastries tomorrow.”

Shit. And now he was trying to influence Marit, when he’d just told himself he wasn’t going to pressure her. For a second, he was positive she was going to decline.

Then he saw the decision in her eyes a split second before she spoke, and his knees went weak with relief.

“Okay. Why not. I never do anything but work and go home. I’ll come. Should I drive?”

“Since we both have to come back to town, I’m happy to drive. That is . . . if you feel comfortable with it?”

Marit met his eyes then; she had to tilt her head back in order to do so. “Are you going to try to hurt me?”

“No.” The answer was quick and heartfelt. Zach meant it in more ways than one. He would do his best not to hurt her tonight, or any other night, in any way.

“You should know that I’m no pushover. I’ve taken many self-defense classes. With my size, I’ve had to be sure I can protect myself. I can and will do whatever it takes to disable anyone who dares to think I’m an easy mark. And I already know your knees are your weak point. I can have you on the ground in seconds if you decide to try to overpower me.”

Instead of being offended, Zach actually found himself turned on by her words. She was confident and, as promised, not afraid to tell it like it was. And knowing she could defend herself?

Yeah. He liked that.

“Good,” he said fervently. “If I do anything out of line, I give you full permission to take me to the ground. It would serve me right.”

Marit tilted her head as if trying to read his mind. To see if he was being honest or not. Then she nodded. “All right. Let’s do this. But I probably need to be home by ten.”

“That works for me, as I need to get up early myself to make the risotto for the shack, as well as help Jack get the other menu items cooking. I’m parked at my apartment, you can either wait here and I can swing by and pick you up, or you can walk with me.” Zach held his breath, hoping she’d decide to come with him. He didn’t want her to risk having second thoughts and bolting on him before he could get back to the restaurant to pick her up.

“I’ll walk with you. It’ll do me good. I do a lot of standing on the boat. I need to walk more.”

“Same,” Zach agreed. “Standing at the shack, cooking and serving customers, has been hell on my workout schedule.”