Capture

"Me?" Linc's grey eyes twinkled. "Why me? What did I do? Aren't I the great healer in all of this?"

I snorted. "You wish."

"It does make me feel better about my life's accomplishments. Think I can put that on my resume?"

"Wow, never knew your ego was as big as Jay's." I pushed past him, a smile tickling the corners of my mouth.

"All things are bigger where I'm concerned," he said in a low voice.

Ignoring him and the goosebumps popping up all over my skin, I motioned toward the kitchen. "Didn't you say you were going to cook crabs?"

"Yup." He walked past me and opened the fridge door. "Didn't you see them in the bucket?" He pulled out a blue bucket and set it on the counter. Still shirtless.

I wasn't sure what I was supposed to concentrate on. His abs, the crabs currently fighting for their lives, or the buzzing sensation of my lips as they recalled his mouth in painful detail.

"Shouldn't you put on a shirt?" I blurted. "Don't want the crab to turn into some sort of nipple clamp. It may ruin your night." I pulled a barstool out.

"Or…" Linc dropped the crab and gave me a sultry glance, licking his lips. "… it may just give our night the added spice it needs."

"We're spicy enough," I said confidently, even though my mind whirled at his implication. "You know what? I think I'm just going to go—"

"Oh, sorry." He motioned toward the hall. "I had an extra set of clothes brought in for you along with some shoes. I wasn't sure on sizes or anything, so if they don't fit then I apologize. I can't vouch for style or flair since it was the limo guy grabbing stuff for us, and shopping in Depot Bay is slightly… limited."

"That why you aren't wearing a shirt?"

"My shirt—" Linc shook his head and laughed. "—has a picture of a giant whale on it."

I joined in laughter. "What are the odds?"

"Right?" He put his hands on his hips.

My eyes zeroed in on the V of his abs.

"I'd steal yours, but I imagined sporting a seal T-shirt that was five sizes too small might get people talking, and the last thing I need is a rumor that I dress in tight women's clothing in order to get my rocks off."

Please. The T-shirt would probably go out of stock within minutes if he posted something like that. I pointed at his abs. "Pretty sure that's the last thing anyone would accuse you of."

He flexed. "Think so?"

"Right. And I'm the immature one."

"Hey, I never said immature. I said seventeen."

"I can count. And your crab—" I pointed at the counter behind him. "—is trying to make a quick getaway. I'll go freshen up while you wow me with your culinary skills."

"Shit." Lincoln reached for the crab just as it was trying to find its way off the counter and onto the floor.

Laughing, I walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Only then did I allow myself to actually process what was happening. I was alone. In a romantic setting with Lincoln Greene. And he was shirtless.

And I was…

I sighed.

… still seventeen.

Still damaged, too, at least in my mind.

And still stupid for being hopeful that he would look at me and see anything but age, and the fact that I was still struggling to get over my parents' death. Still going through the stages of grief. And still trying to figure out my place in the world among the stars, when every day I felt more and more like my own star had stopped shining.

Maybe this was the beginning of something. The talking? Maybe, he was just what I needed to finally start walking back on the path I was always meant to be on, which didn't help things. If anything, it made me more nervous. I only hoped it wasn't Lincoln who held the key, because my chances with someone like him? They were laughable.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Lincoln

"I'M IMPRESSED." DANI CLEARED THE LAST dish and loaded it into the dishwasher then grabbed a rag and started wiping down the bar area. "You can actually cook."

"One of my many talents." I tipped back the last remnants of my Corona and winced at the memory of how our dinner had started…

"You know, you can drink beer if you want to." Dani grabbed a Pepsi and pointed at the six-pack that I'd requested before I'd actually thought about it.

"Nah." I waved her off.

She rolled her eyes, grabbed a beer, and tossed it in my direction. "I'm seventeen, not a saint. It's not like I've never witnessed someone drink."

The beer was freezing. I popped the cap and took a long sip. "Does, uh, that mean you've been to lots of parties where you get completely drunk and need your sister to drive you home?"

Dani reached for her long, golden-blonde hair then pulled it back into a tight, low ponytail. "Well, back in the day, you know, when I was sixteen and still drinking milk at night and blending my food so I didn't choke…"

I rolled my eyes. "Very funny."

"Yes. I had one drunken episode that will never, and I mean NEVER be repeated." She shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

"What did you do? Get arrested?"

"Nope." She lunged for her seat and started piling food onto her plate.

"Strip then go skinny dipping?"

"No." A smile appeared as she grabbed a crab leg and wiped her hands on the paper napkin then glanced up at me from her dark lashes. "Are you done now?"