Free Depths of Salvation (Love on the Edge) by Molly E. Lee Page B

for two, then.” I managed to find my voice. “I wonder what else we have in common? Besides your family being in the marine biology field as well.”
    “You sound so hopeful.” He rested his elbows on the table after taking another shot.
    I elected to do his signature shrug. “Two months would be a long time if you were a pain in the ass.”
    “True. Anything else you hoping for?”
    I grabbed another shot and threw it back, noticing how the burn wasn’t as bad this many in. “I want to save the Falconer .”
    “And you think by getting close to me you can make that happen?”
    My cheeks flared with heat. “Maybe? Maybe I’m just intrigued by the whole mysterious Angel thing you’ve got going on.”
    He scrunched up his face. “Angel?”
    “Buffy?”
    “Are you speaking English?”
    I laughed. “Never mind.”
    “That’s it. I draw the line on shots when you’re no longer coherent.” He cracked the first genuine smile I’d seen yet. Not a smirk or a laugh, but a full-on smile that made my stomach flip.
    “I’m not drunk.”
    “You’re a terrible liar.”
    I fanned myself. “It’s abnormally hot out here tonight, isn’t it?”
    “No, that would be the rum.”
    I shook my head. “I think you’ll have to drive us back.” I dug in my bag for the keys to the jet ski and handed them over to him. His fingers lingered on mine during the pass, the rough skin eliciting those damned sparks again, only magnified because my guard—thanks to the rum—was completely down.
    He pocketed them and paid for the check—despite my protests—and led the way back toward the docks. The damn wooden planked walkway was extra hard to navigate tonight, and I tilted to the right like my axis was off.
    There is a thing as too much rum. But I’d gone all-in with the best intentions, and hey, he had opened up just a crack. Enough for me to want more.
    I stumbled over my own flip-flops, but Connell’s reaction time was much faster than mine. He caught me before I ate the dock, pulling me against his hard chest in one swift motion. I steadied myself, letting my heavy forehead rest against him for the briefest of moments. A quick inhale and a mental kick in the ass, and I was ready to behave like the grown woman I was, not the drunk college kid I felt like.
    I moved backward, glancing upward. “Sorry,” I said, totally embarrassed.
    He kept his hands on my hips. “Don’t be.”
    “Think you can manage to get us back to the ship?”
    He smiled again, and damn if it didn’t light up my insides. “I’ll take care of you.” He swept an arm beneath my knees so quickly I couldn’t blink before he cradled me to his chest and continued walking down the dock.
    “Oh, hell no. I’m not that drunk,” I said, kicking my feet.
    “No, but you are that slow. I’d like to get back to my bed before the sun rises.” He chuckled.
    I froze, the air going out of me like a popped balloon. Why the hell was I so sad about that? Was it him leaving? Had you intended on inviting him into your bed?
    Yes, yes I had. Holy hell, the stark realization of the fact hit me like a cold bucket of ice water, the sensation clearing my foggy brain.
    “If you’re going to be sick give me a warning,” he said, his eyes on my face.
    I quickly forced a smile to my face. “I’m fine.”
    He carried me to the end of the dock where we’d left the jet ski without even breaking a sweat. Once I got over how ridiculously damsled the situation was, it was incredibly nice.
    He shifted his weight, releasing my legs. I clung to his neck as I found my footing, sliding down his hard body so slow I felt every inch of him. And damn he felt as good as he looked. I sucked in another long breath, taking in his sultry sea scent, and looked up at him with hooded eyes.
    Some jagged strands of black hair hung in his eyes, and with the rum as my motivator, I pushed it back, my hand lingering on his cheek. “You could stay,” I said, but quickly added, “we have