“Touch my fish again, sweetheart, and you’re gonna be in trouble.”
She opened her mouth to yell back at him, then saw a black object moving quickly along the floor toward Wolfe’s foot. When she realized what it was, she snapped back her words and shrugged. He wanted to act like a murderer without conscience? Fine. He’d be punished in own way. It was karmic.
“I’m glad you finally agree.” He gave a half-assed swat at his lower leg, but she watched the fuzzy body avoid the swish of his fingers and travel higher. Yeah. This was gonna be good. “Now stay quiet while I try and catch another one.”
“Not a word?” she asked sweetly.
“Not one.” He swiped again, but the bug reached the edge of his shorts and hovered. What if it went underneath? She nibbled at her lower lip, suddenly worried. Could a young, healthy male have a heart attack if his phobia came to life? Should she mention it even though he was being mean?
“Umm, Wolfe, I should tell you one thing.”
“You’ve done enough. I want fish for dinner tonight and I’m gonna get it.”
“Maybe instead of trying to kill fish you should try and murder something more important.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
She pointed to the spider on his bare thigh. “Like that spider.”
“Holy shit!”
It happened so fast the scene was a blur.
Wolfe hopped on one leg, swiping furiously at his shorts, and began to fall over. The boat tilted to the right, paused, and dumped the two of them over the side.
They both tumbled into the water. Gasping and trying to close her mouth, Gen felt cold liquid seep through her clothes and hit her like a shock wave. Her hair stuck to her face, and she spit frantically, afraid she’d gotten a mouthful of seaweed. The idea of being in the same realm as an alligator or sea monster made her go nuts.
“Get me out of here!” she yelled. “Don’t let me die here!”
Strong arms wrapped around her waist, holding her up. His legs scissored between hers as he kept her on the surface. “Why are you yelling like a crazy person? You know how to swim.”
Gen screeched and wrapped her arms and legs around him tight. “There are things in here! Creepy, crawly, swimmy things. Get me back in the boat now!”
His low laugh vibrated in her ear. Goose bumps broke out on her skin, and a melty sensation throbbed between her thighs. His hair-roughened leg slid back and forth, hitting a sweet spot. “There was a spider on me. A giant spider. Did you know about this?”
She shook her head hard and whimpered. “No, I swear, please get us back in the boat.”
“Okay. But no more interfering with my fishing. I’ll just grab the boat and—what the hell was that?”
“What? What?”
“I don’t know, something touched my leg. It seems to have fingers, almost like a hand.”
Gen opened her mouth and screamed.
His laughter barely processed as she began wiggling and trying to claw her way back to the boat. She finally reached the side, and felt strong hands cup her bottom, lifting her higher and higher until she fell in a tangle of limbs back to safety. Gen jumped up and began slapping at her legs, pulling off pieces of seaweed. Wolfe climbed back in, sat down on the seat, and chuckled.
“Oh man, you should have seen your face. Priceless.”
“You are an asshole! There was no hand, you liar.”
“Sorry, sweetheart, I couldn’t help it.”
“I hate fishing. This entire episode sucks. I’m wet and tired and icky.”
“It’s been a challenge, but I’m sure it’ll get better. Not much else can happen. It’s a nice day. Maybe we can go back to the dock and go for a hike.”
God spoke again.
The sun disappeared and a few raindrops fell from the sky. She blinked and looked up. Not possible. Was it?
“Is it raining?” she screeched.
Wolfe looked up. The drops began to fall faster. “Yeah, we better get back. Where’s the oar?”
“What are you talking about? They’re bolted to the thingy there, aren’t they?”
They both looked at the boat, which held empty rings and no oars. She glanced to the right and saw them floating off in the distance. Her heart began to pound. They were pretty far from the cabin and the shore. “Wolfe? What are we going to do?”
He rubbed his head like disasters commonly occurred in his world. “Huh. This could be a problem. I guess we swim.”
Her mouth fell open. “I’m not going in the water with bad things out to hurt me! I saw Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster with Lily! No way in hell!”
“Fine, then get on my back. I’ll swim and protect you.”
Thick, cold droplets began to strike her in a random, peppering pattern. She moaned in misery and stared down into the water. “I can’t do it.”
“You’re doing it.” He jumped back into the water and treaded water while he waited.
“What about our supplies?”
“I think bottles of water and fishing gear can be sacrificed for the greater good. Come on, Gen. Jump.”
“I can’t.”
She shivered, getting colder by the minute. His voice came out like a whiplash.
“I’m gonna say it for the last time. Get your ass in the water. I promise I’ll never let anything happen to you.”
She gulped. “Promise.”
His face softened, and suddenly Gen realized she’d go anywhere with him without hesitation.