Sealed With A Kiss: Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild, page 12
Naomi sensed Donovan as he came up behind her before she saw him.
“How was your day?”
She turned and smiled at him. “Amazing.”
He looked her up and down, his gaze hot. She knew she was a mess. So was he. And it didn’t matter at all. He looked rugged and capable and competent and she wanted to grab him by his amazing biceps, pull him in, and kiss him.
“I heard you had to climb in a window to get someone’s cat,” he said, one corner of his mouth tipping up as if he was amused and impressed at the same time.
She spread her arms. “I do what I have to do. And I didn’t just get a cat.”
“No?”
Bennett overheard them talking. He chuckled. “Leave it to Naomi to walk out of a single cat rescue with four additional animals.”
Donovan was clearly surprised. “Were there other cats sheltering up there?”
“A mama raccoon and three babies,” Bennett told him. “And Naomi barely blinked.”
Naomi shook her head. “Oh, I blinked. And backed up. And almost panicked.”
“Almost?” Donovan mouth curved more fully. “Did you guys have a live trap on the boat?”
“We just put her in the cat carrier,” Naomi said.
“How did you get it in there?”
“Queen Bad Ass here just picked the thing up and shoved it in there.”
Donovan suddenly frowned. “Wait. You just picked it up?”
“Well, I threw a towel over it first.”
“But then you just picked it up?” He seemed concerned suddenly.
“I didn’t have a choice. The cat carrier wouldn’t fit through the window.”
Suddenly Donovan grabbed her hands and started turning them over and running his hand up and down her arms from her fingertips to her shoulders.
“Donovan, what are you doing?”
“It didn’t bite or scratch you, did it? They can carry rabies and canine distemper. They can be really nasty when they are cornered.”
“Stop it.” She tugged her hands from his grip. “It was too confused and hungry to be aggressive. It all happened really fast for both of us.” She held up her hands with her palms out. “Michael already checked me out. No scratches or bites. I was wearing gloves and used the towel. I’m fine.”
Donovan just stood staring at her for a long moment. Then he said, “Come with me.”
She tipped her head. “Where?”
“I need more lemonade.”
She narrowed her eyes. She didn’t really want to be yelled at. She was fine. In retrospect, she could have possibly done something different with the raccoons, but she honestly didn’t know what. She supposed she could’ve waited for Donovan and sent him back over to the house. But the animals had needed to be rescued. They’d been trapped and hungry. There had been babies. She’d done what she needed to do in the moment. She shook her head. “I’m good.”
“Just come with me.”
His jaw was tight and she could tell he was upset. Well, too bad. They were all taking some risks out here. She wasn’t special. She didn’t need to be treated with kid gloves or left in the boat when important things needed done.
“The stand with the lemonade is right there.” She pointed to the tent about thirty feet away. “I’ll wait here for you.”
Bennett had turned away to talk to someone else and Donovan leaned in close to her ear. “Come with me or I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you over there and that will definitely get everybody talking.”
Her breath caught in her chest and her eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.”
“Fucking dare me.”
She had never heard Donovan talk like that. Certainly not to her. But she wasn’t sure she had heard him talk that way to anyone. Yes, he definitely got intense at times, but he never got angry.
Studying his face, she realized he wasn’t exactly angry, though. He was…wound up. Still, she decided not to see if he was kidding about the over-the-shoulder thing.
“Fine.”
They walked together to the tent where huge vats of iced tea and lemonade and ice water were set up on long folding tables. But they didn’t stop in front of the tables.
Donovan grabbed her wrist and tugged her around to the opposite side of the tent. Out of view of the Landrys and her brother.
He turned to face her.
“Look, Donovan, you can’t be mad. I did what I had to do and I’m not sorry. I was as safe as I could be and you, of anyone, should know that sometimes we have to take some risks to get this stuff done.”
He stepped forward, took her face in his hands, and covered her mouth with his.
She sank into the kiss immediately. She wasn’t an idiot. He was worked up and there was a lot of adrenaline pumping for both of them, but Donovan was kissing her. She was going to pour all of her mixed-up emotions into this too and enjoy it for a few seconds.
He finally lifted his head. “I’m not mad.” His voice was husky as he looked into her eyes.
“You’re not?”
“I was…worried. I guess feeling protective. But I’m also—” He broke off, shaking his head as if he couldn’t figure out what words to use.
“You’re also what?”
“I just like you so fucking much.”
That took a second to sink in, but when it did, Naomi laughed. She understood exactly what he was feeling. “I worry about you and like you so fucking much too.”
“And I really just need space to do this.” He sealed his mouth over hers again.
Donovan was amazed by the intensity of emotions rolling through him.
And he wasn’t sure he could have named any of the feelings specifically.
He was just…worked up.
Naomi seemed to be too. She was arching close, her fingers digging into his upper arms, her mouth open, her tongue dueling with his as if she was trying as hard to drink him in as he was her.
“Oh, excuse me!”
They broke apart as a woman came around the edge of the tent.
“I’m really sorry to interrupt.”
It was Rachel, the reporter who had been following the Autre crew around all day.
“Hi, Rachel. You’re not. It’s fine,” Naomi managed, stepping back from Donovan and running a hand down the front of her clothes.
That was funny. Her clothes were dirty and wrinkled and it had nothing to do with what they’d just been doing.
It had everything to do with her being fucking amazing and jumping in today to save animals. Even wild animals. Without thinking for a second that it might not be safe for her.
He was rubbing off on her.
He wasn’t sure that was a good thing. But he definitely felt pride mixed in with everything else swirling through him.
She really was a goddess.
“I’ll leave you alone, though,” Rachel said, backing up. “Sorry, again.”
Rachel slipped around the corner of the tent, leaving Donovan and Naomi alone. But they were both now very aware of the fact that they weren’t completely alone and they probably shouldn’t have been doing what they’d just been doing.
No, actually they definitely shouldn’t have been doing what they’d just been doing. They needed to stop kissing. Not just because they might be seen, although that was certainly a consideration. But because the more they kissed, the harder it was to not fall for this woman.
She’d made it clear she was not looking for that. And he should have been just as adamant about that.
“I’m glad you had a good day,” he finally said.
“I really did. This is all amazing.”
“And I’m not surprised that you just jumped in and did what needed doing.”
“It’s exactly what you would’ve done.”
He nodded. “But I have more experience than you do.”
“And how did you get that experience? By doing the stuff. Donovan, I’m fine. If I had been bitten or scratched, Michael would’ve taken care of it. If I had needed more attention than that, we would have taken care of it. Sawyer and Bennett and Zeke were looking out for me.”
He drew in a breath. He knew that. The guys she was with would’ve definitely taken care of anything that would’ve happened. Maybe that was what was bothering him. He wanted to be the one there, taking care of anything that happened. He wanted to be the one she was handing the raccoon off to.
And that was ridiculous.
“You worry about me. Why can’t I worry about you?”
“Because I let people take care of me when I need them.”
Her words hit him in the gut. She not only had a good point, but she knew him. Before they’d even shared their backstories. She’d figured out that he didn’t let people fuss over him.
“Griffin gave up a lot and spent a lot of time taking care of me. I try to be self-sufficient now.”
She lifted a hand to his face and ran her palm down his cheek. “Self-sufficient and totally alone are not the same thing.”
He turned his face and pressed a kiss into the center of her palm before her hand dropped away. “I’m getting that.”
She gave him a pleased smile.
“So they said one of the high schools has running water and they’re opening it up so that volunteers can shower there,” he said. “Then there are various places around town that are letting people set up cots and air mattresses. But I’m thinking about the air mattress in the back of my truck tonight. I have a cover over the top and room for one more.”
He could tell she was tempted, but she slowly shook her head. “My brother is taking me over to the next town’s firehouse. They’re offering showers there too and they have an extra cot. I figured maybe it was better if we didn’t cuddle up in the back of your truck tonight.”
“I smell that bad, huh?”
She laughed. “No, but this group will definitely notice where the two of us sleep.”
She really was adamant about keeping every little bit of her private life private.
“Okay, but maybe we can work on the same boat tomorrow.”
She shook her head. “They need an experienced animal handler on each boat. Putting us together would mean one boat would go without.”
He groaned. “You’re an experienced animal handler now, huh?”
“Tell me I’m not.”
He still shuddered to think that she could have been bitten by a rabid raccoon, but he did love her sassiness.
They walked together around the corner of the tent and Donovan again had to resist the urge to take her hand as if they were boyfriend and girlfriend.
“Hi again.” Rachel was waiting in front of the tent.
Naomi and Donovan drew to a stop. “Hey,” Donovan said.
“I know this is probably really annoying,” Rachel said, clearly addressing Donovan. “But I was wondering if you’d be okay with me asking you about the big rescue from earlier.”
Naomi looked at him, one eyebrow up. “Big rescue?”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t that big.”
“There was a little boy on a rooftop who was holding a puppy and wouldn’t leave without his dog. There was also a power line down in front of the house, making it impossible to get a boat close,” Rachel explained. “Donovan jumped into the water, swam to the rooftop with an inflatable pineapple, got the little boy and the puppy onto the pineapple, and swam back to the boat.”
“An inflatable pineapple?” Naomi asked.
He shrugged. “One of the other families we rescued had it. Came in really handy.”
Naomi turned to face him more fully, crossing her arms. “And there were downed power lines?”
“It was a little boy and a puppy.”
“And you were mad at me about a raccoon?”
He gave her one of the I-am-really-cute-and-charming smiles he’d perfected over the years. “You really fucking like me, remember?”
“So I got the video from one of the guys on your boat,” Rachel pressed. “But how about an interview?”
“Actually, we were just—”
Naomi jumped in. “Of course he’ll do an interview about how important evacuating is and how many people are out here working hard to help keep everyone safe.” She turned to him. “Any time you have a chance to be on camera to make a case for a good cause, you should do it. You’re amazing at it.” She sighed almost as if she wished it wasn’t true.
He grinned. He knew that his attention seeking seemed to be just that, at times, but he knew that Naomi saw deeper than that. He loved how she seemed to understand him.
He looked at Rachel. “Okay, fine, I’m happy to talk for a few minutes. Do you mind if I grab a shower first?”
Naomi jumped in again. “Oh no, do it like this.”
He looked at her again. “Really?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve already told you that you’re hot all the time, but you look especially good when you’re dirty and rumpled and fresh off doing what you do best.”
He couldn’t help himself. He leaned in a little closer. “But I wasn’t just doing what I do best.”
Her eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe he just said that. “Rescues. I meant rescues, Donovan.”
“But you said best.”
She shook her head. “Go do your interview. Be charming and rugged, and amazing. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
It took everything in him not to lean over and kiss her, and as he watched her walk away, he was fairly certain that even though he hadn’t, anyone watching them knew that that was exactly what was on his mind.
7
The next morning, they were all back in the grocery store parking lot and loading up, doing inventory of their supplies, and waiting for a list of addresses to check first thing. Apparently, the boats last night had brought in an additional six families and they were feeling good about the remaining number of people still in the houses.
“Morning, everyone.” The Autre group all turned to find that Fiona had finally joined them.
She gave the members of the group hugs one by one, coming to stand in front of Donovan last.
“About time you got here,” he told her, enfolding her in a big bear hug.
She let him go, laughing. “Well, I had to plan to be gone from my animal park a little longer than I’d expected.”
“Oh yeah? What’s going on?”
“Well, a big growly city manager in Louisiana seems to think I need to report to Autre before heading back to Florida after this.”
Donovan narrowed his eyes. “Knox wants you to come to Autre?”
She nodded. “He says it’s because I shouldn’t just send this new animal back to Autre with you without coming to be sure everything is settled. But I think he’s been worried about me.”
“You’ve been talking to Knox?”
“Yeah.” And that was all she said.
“You and Knox have been talking? Regularly?”
The petite brunette lifted one shoulder. “Yeah. I mean when he calls it’s always to bitch about something. But I think it’s really just an excuse to flirt with me.”
“Knox. Autre city manager. Big guy. Doesn’t smile much. Perpetually annoyed. Calls you regularly to flirt.”
Fiona looked up at him, squinting. “Did you hit your head on something yesterday? Why are you acting slow?”
“I didn’t realize something was going on between you and Knox.”
Fiona laughed. “Where have you been?”
“So there is something going on with you?”
“We flirt. I keep him on his toes. And he likes to complain about that. Though apparently he found out from someone”—She gave Donovan a look that said she completely blamed him—“that I routinely show up to hurricane disaster sites to do animal rescues. He was concerned about that.”
“You do.”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t realize that was a secret. And Griffin actually confirmed that.”
“It’s not a secret. But who knew that Knox would be all protective and concerned and sweet.”
“Knox was sweet?” Donovan asked. “I don’t believe that for a second.”
Fiona laughed. “Well, not typical sweet. Knox sweet.”
Donovan studied the woman. He didn’t know Fiona well but what he did know was that she was spirited and incredibly independent and had her own ideas about how just about everything should go. She didn’t seem like the type that the growly city manager, who also always thought he knew exactly how everything should go, would want to take on.
Of course they lived about seven hundred miles apart. Maybe that made it easier to keep it to just flirtation and nothing more.
Donovan looked over to where Naomi was finishing up a breakfast sandwich, also supplied by the church group from last night, and coffee with her brother and Sawyer.
When he left Autre, could they keep up a long-distance relationship? He’d never expect a woman to sit around and just wait for him to drop by and visit. Still, he liked the idea of being able to just call her up and chat and flirt when he started to miss her.
He thought about that. When he started to miss her? He’d be calling her every day.
He looked at Fiona. “How often do you hear from Knox?”
“Every few days. And sometimes it’s really stupid stuff.” She didn’t seem annoyed at all, though.
“You ever call or text him first?”
“Of course. It’s really hard to annoy a guy if you never call or text him.”
Donovan shook his head. Fiona was a handful. If Knox wanted to take that on, he was a brave man.
“So anyway I came over to talk to you about this new animal.”
“The new animal you’re bringing to Autre?”
“Actually, you’re bringing this one.”
“I am?” Donovan straightened.
“Yeah, I know a guy here in Alabama. Jeff and I’ve worked on a couple rescues before. But this is a little unusual. And I need your help in particular.”
Donovan perked up. “Is it a big cat?” Everyone knew that Donovan’s true love, if he really had to pick, were big cats. Tigers and lions in particular. He’d worked with several different kinds over the years. His rescues of bobcats and lynx and even a jaguar had been some of the highlights of his career.
