6. Talon

Ican hear and feel Kelsey before I see her. I'm out on my dock in a pair of loose shorts and no shirt. This is my usual. The tide is low, which means the canal won't see enough water to put out into the bay until afternoon. Our tides change twice a day, but every other week, high tide will either be in the morning or the evening. Which means today is going to be a slower day at Captain T's. A damn good thing considering Kels and I worked from morning to night yesterday. The moment her foot hits the floating dock, I put my coffee mug down, my head tips over my shoulder, and I find the woman who has me ready to move in closer. I refrain from picking her up and carrying her back to my house to get the live show from last night.

Damn, I should have offered to switch to FaceTime. Talk about instant fucking regret. I knew myself, was well aware of the fact that if I saw all her silky-smooth skin bare in front of a camera, I'd knock every damn door down in order to have her beneath me.

"Good morning. You look like you've been up awhile," Kelsey greets, stopping too far away from me. Probably for the better. I've yet to talk to her dad, an oddity considering he's usually out here right along with me to check on the tides.

"Mornin', siren. There a reason you're standing so far away?" She's liable to put me in an early grave when I see the lack of clothing she's wearing.

"Making sure it was okay to join you." As she takes another step, I get a glimpse of her creamy thigh. Realization hits that she isn't wearing anything beneath her oversized fishing shirt. I'm sure my mom went through the inventory in the back of Captain T's, found a bunch of overflow, and gave it away to employees. Kelsey in a shirt emblazoned with a piece of my name is hot as fuck.

"Anytime you want, Kels. Though, gotta say, your dad coming out here and seeing you dressed like that. I'd bet he'd find his fishing gaff pretty damn easily." My hand slides to her lower back, and I pull her in front of me so I'm standing behind her.

"It's a good thing they're not around, then, huh?" She brings her glass to her lips. The woman never consumes caffeine, not first thing in the morning or later in the day. She prefers juice, water, or vitamin water.

"Gotta ask, there a reason you never drink anything that has caffeine in it?" I switch the subject, glad to hear we have a few minutes alone while annoyed at the same time that it's going to be even longer before I get a chance to talk to Ed Taylor.

"Kind of, kind of not. I more or less drank too much caffeine one day, and my heart started pounding, and I had some chest pain along with dizziness. Mom picked me up from school, didn't like the way I looked, and rushed me to the hospital. A couple of tests later, they admitted me. Dad came in from out of town. I had a nice little two-day visit and was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. They suggested I cut out caffeine, keep drinking to a minimum, and see a cardiologist once a year." Kelsey is looking out over the canal. There's a bird on the rocks standing on one foot and waiting for either a fish or another bird to appear. I wrap my arm around her chest, pulling her as close to me as possible.

"Glad you got it figured out and you're not doing anything to help exacerbate the issue." A part of me wants to demand she tell me every single trigger. I know working too damn much can make it to the top of the list, and everyone knows Kelsey is working two damn jobs.

"Yep, I've got big dreams, lots of goals, and I don't want to self-sabotage myself." I make a mental note to research AFib or to talk to Grandad. I'd be willing to bet he knows a thing or two about the diagnosis. Especially considering he complains all the damn time about going to this doctor and that doctor. Mainly, he gets annoyed with the cardiologist the most. He swears up and down his ticker is a-okay, yet the doctor still makes him come in every six months for an echocardiogram plus get more blood work done.

"Fuck, yeah." I kiss the top of her head, then grab my cup of coffee to finish it off before I get started working on my boat today. My personal boat needs a couple of things done maintenance wise, like checking the fuel lines, the prop, and to look at the oil level. Next month, I'll bring it into the marina and up on a lift to replace the spark plugs and do an oil change.

Kelsey does what I least expect. "You're a minx, woman."

"Not me?" She plays coy. Meanwhile, her ass is plastered to my cock, wiggling in a way he gets rock fucking hard.

"Yes, you." My hand drifts down her side, fingers ready to bunch up the fabric to see exactly what she is or isn't wearing beneath the shirt. Except we're out in the open, meaning a boater, a neighbor, or her parents could come in and interrupt us. There's no fucking way I'd let anyone else see what's mine.

"I probably should get ready to start my day." The sun has only been up for thirty minutes, yet the humidity is already thick. I can tell it's going to be another scorcher.

"You opening the store again today?" Kels shakes her head in response.

"I knew this weekend would be a doozy. Closing yesterday wasn't in the cards, though. Hopefully, today is better. I'm back at my regular job tomorrow, so I'll at least need time to get a few things ready for the work week," she says, as if working two jobs is normal. Captain T's is meant to be part time for her, but Mom has needed more help than usual. Hopefully, Kels doesn't get burnt out or worse, develop stress that will fuck with her heart.

"There shouldn't be a problem. Mom sent me a text late last night. They got everything figured out but had to drive two hours away for a few things. The fuel will be here this afternoon, and both she and Grandad can take a deep breath again. That being said, today's my day off. I'll tell Mom to call me to close if something comes up." There's no reason for Kels to work longer than necessary. Surely, my family can get their shit enough together to help our employees.

"Thanks, Talon. I'll be fine either way. What are your plans today?" She changes the subject, which means she won't think anything of it if Mom asks her.

"Work on the boat, do some fishing. The usual." I hope that by the time I return, Kelsey's parents will be back, so I can get our conversation out of the way.

"Sounds like a great way to spend a Sunday." There's a wistfulness in her tone. Next weekend, I'm going to pull some strings to where Kelsey gets hours either earlier in the morning or later in the day. I'm going to take her out on my boat, do a little fishing, and watch her prance around in one of her barely-there bikinis.

"Only one thing can top the day out on the boat, and that's any time I'm with you." Kelsey spins around. Now my cock is pressed against her front. The palms of my hands are itching to do a whole lot more. Mainly lift her up by the backs of her thighs before I tell her to pull my shorts down and feel everything I heard last night. Kelsey's soft moans, husky pleas, and wet sounds that carried through the phone.

"Talon." Her eyes close, and her cheeks flush, a tell of hers when she's turned on.

"Fuck, get your ass outta here, siren, or I'm gonna take you in the house and fuck you all day long." I step back, losing her warmth.

"Promises, promises." Her voice is full of laughter.

"That's a guarantee." I take another step back. "Do me a favor, don't wear shorts like yesterday." She's already making her way back to her place.

"Don't worry. I saved those for you," she tosses over her shoulder.

"You're a minx, woman, plain and simple." I'm half tempted to chase her down, kiss her laughter away until she's left panting. Except I know neither of us has time for that. Next time, definitely next time.