"Water Patrol. Permission to come aboard."
I scrub my eyes, my back aching and my skin dewy as I startle awake.
"Water Patrol. We’re coming aboard." A loud voice booms again, followed by the sound of heavy boots thudding against the deck.
"That’s not funny, Max." Sadie stirs beside me, rolling over as my brain finally registers what the hell is happening. I sit up hastily, glancing at the woman beside me—now fully exposed from the waist up. Grabbing the comforter, I pull it up as quickly as I can and shout toward the stern of my boat.
"Stop!" I stretch upward, spotting the boat tethered to mine with a big orange light at the top. "I’m not dressed, but everything is fine."
A deep voice beckons back to me. "Son, I’m going to need to speak with you. I need to see your boating license."
The man sounds pissed off—at the very least annoyed—about this situation.Try the one being naked in broad daylight."I’ll be right there, but I need to get some clothes on. Any chance you’d mind turning around?" The cockpit is blocking the view, but if he comes any further than two-feet onto the boat, he’s going to see everything.
"Max?" he questions.
"Yeah?"
"Jesus Christ. Okay, I’m turning around." Apparently he recognizes my voice, but I still have no idea who he is.
I stand up, making my way around the edge of the boat and into the cabin quickly. Tugging a spare pair of sweats from a small drawer inside, I pull them on, grab my wallet, and climb back out to greet my wake-up call.
The man spins and… you’ve got to be fucking kidding me. It’s Thomas, Brady’s dad. The one I practically got into an argument with a few weeks ago over the fate of his child’s hockey career.He’s dressed in black pants, a green t-shirt with the water patrol logo, and boots.
"What a strange turn of events finding you here," he drawls with a smirk on his face.
"Not really." I widen my stance, reminding him that even though this is his turf, I’m not the guy that backs down from a fight. "I’ve been coming out to this dock for years."
"That so?"
Nodding, I cross my arms and grind my teeth together.
"Max, is everything oh…" Sadie’s honeyed voice rings out, and when I glance over my shoulder, I see her standing near the edge of the cockpit where the white rises to make room for the cabin door. Thankfully, she has the comforter wrapped around her.
"We’re good, Sade. Why don’t you just sit down up there while I take care of this?"
She nods, returning to her spot, but when I turn my stare back on Thomas, he has a stupid-ass smirk on his face.
"Honestly, this just keeps getting better and better." He chuckles, running a hand along his jaw. "I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but you can’t sleep out here overnight. It's private property."
My shoulders dip. I’ve never slept out here before, and I honestly didn’t intend to last night, but it just sort of happened.
"Thomas, look, man, I apologize. I didn’t realize anyone owned it. My Pap used to bring me here all the time." I step toward him. "Won’t happen again."
He stares at me like he’s contemplating what to do, but then his partner calls out to him. "We’ve got a reported BUI. We need to go, Tommy."
He nods his head and turns to leave, but stops. "Max, this is a warning. Don’t let it happen again." He moves to step from my boat back onto his and unties the ropes connecting us. "I bet Brady will play a lot in today’s scrimmage. Wouldn’t wantanyone to find out about your sleepover." With that, the asshole steers away, taking his smug expression with him.
"Sade… you can come over here now," I holler. "They’re gone."
She shimmies around the edge of the boat, carefully watching each step as she makes her way directly into my arms. Sadie pushes up onto her tiptoes and gives me a kiss.
"Morning," she whispers, smiling up at me.
"It is… How did we fall asleep?"
She laughs quietly. "Between the slow lulling waves lapping at the side of the boat, the warm body next to me, and the mind-blowing sex… I honestly don’t know."
"Okay, smart-ass. Mind-blowing? Let’s talk about that some more."