Chapter 264
“I like noodles.”
Kasen remained quiet for a moment. Like she figured, he had no clue what she was talking about. He didn’t love the outdoors like she did. Nope, wouldn’t work between them.
He still didn’t look at her. “I caught a sixty-pound cat at last year’s state fair.”
She bolted straight up. “You did not. I read that in the local paper.” She could not believe him. “No freaking way that was you!”
“Yes, freaking way.” He lifted his arm and rubbed a hand over it. “You should’ve seen how torn up my arm was from its teeth. I had to shift to heal it.”
“Oh,” she scrunched her nose, “you stick your arm down the catfish’s throat to catch them?”
“Of course. What’s your definition of noodling? Cooking gallons of spaghetti?”
She threw a piece of roll at him. “No, of course not. We cats have finesse and speed. We don’t have to choke the damn things.”
“So you think you can catch a bigger fish than I can? Are you up for a challenge?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s always the biggest with you men. Noodling is an art form of patience, technique, and availability.”
“What’s availability got to do with it?”
She turned to face him, sitting with legs crossed. “It’s not how big or long the fish is, it’s how well you catch it. Can you get it to follow a lead, nibble on your finger thinking it’s food? Can you trick the thing into virtually catching itself? That, my friend, is noodles in its purest form.”
“That’s nice and all, but that wouldn’t win you the one hundred dollar first place prize.” She laughed and he smiled. A genuine Kasen Steel smile, no arrogance, no alpha machoism, no BS. Nothing but him and her.
Then Andi remembered what she said to herself before noodles came up. If he passed this test, she would give him a serious chance. Well, he passed with flying colors. But one more pop quiz, and if he succeeds, she’d date him. All or nothing.
With a sly smile, she leaned forward, closer to Kasen. Slowly, gliding toward him, her eyes never leaving his, letting the tension build. She ran her tongue across her bottom lip, perhaps a bit of a tease, just for fun.
She smelled his want, his desire. Was she “still off the menu”?
Her cheek brushed him in a slow rub. He swallowed hard. Then she whispered into his ear, as sexily as she could, “Noodle with me, right now.” She jumped up and ran for the narrow beach entry to the river.
“Hey,” he sprang to his feet. “Wait for me!”
Andi stopped on the sand and removed her shoes and sweater. She hiked her dress high on her thighs and headed for the water. “This looks like a good place to fish. Is it?”
Kasen slipped off his shoes and socks, both this time, not just the one, and hurried after her. “Actually, this is the best place to noodle in this area. The water is calm enough for the fish to mate and lay eggs. When the river’s low, you can see the holes they burrow into the bank.”
Andi squealed when her feet touched the water. It was cold enough to freeze your balls off. Her cat lent its heat, keeping her warm. Much better. Thank you. Kasen came up behind her. He didn’t shiver, so she assumed his wolf did the same as her cat with regulating body heat.
“Over here.” He led her to where a big tree was halfway unrooted by the river’s erosion. Moss and grass tangled in the roots, making a nice hidey-hole. The bank side for quite a distance each direction was entirely forest to the very edge of the water. She saw where other trees had fallen in from losing their root base or simply breaking.
The water wasn’t very deep, mid-thigh to Andi. She wondered if any fish were around. It was getting closer to sunset, about the right time for them to feed. A dark shadow floated by her legs.
“Kasen, there’s a fish. If it turns around, I might be able to catch it.” Ever so slowly, Andi dipped her hand into the water, only her index finger pointing down. The fish turned her direction. Again, with slow, conscious movement, Andi wiggled her finger, barely moving the water. When the fish was near enough, her cat sent fur down her finger to float in the water as she inched it forward. The goal was to make the tip look like possible food, not something foreign.
As she edged closer to where the fish circled, keeping its distance at first, it darted nearer and nearer. Soon, it followed her finger, trying to nibble on it. She led it to the perfect position, then using feline speed and accuracy, she plunged her other hand in and wrapped it around the fish.
She lifted it above her head in victory. “Woo-hoo! Score one for beauty over brute.”
“All right, all right.” Kasen held a smirk as she released the fish into the water. “I’m impressed, hot stuff. It was very ballet-like.” His fingers wriggled in the air as his arms fluttered. She laughed. He was so cute when it was really him. He looked so much younger, so much happier. She’d make a point of coming here often when he was stressed. That was if they were together. Not when.
Kasen said, “Let’s see what I can do.”
To her delight, he slipped his shirt off and draped it on the roots hanging over the side. Shit. She wiped at her mouth to make sure she wasn’t drooling. Memories of his strong abs flexing and relaxing as he pumped in and out of her made her hot. The water carried away her scent, for the most part, so she was safe from embarrassment. Until she blushed, giving herself away at thinking dirty thoughts.
“I see those flushed cheeks, my sweets. In just one minute, I’ll show you what else I can do with my hands besides noodling.”
Oh, fuck. She needed her whole body dunked in the cold water. She slithered behind the mossy root curtain, to hide her face and watch him on the other side.
Kasen bent from the waist, his entire arm under the water. His shoulders and chest rolled smoothly, like a well-oiled machine. Sex machine. She chastised herself for always going back to sex. But damn, it was so freaking good with him.
His focus was intense, like he was listening for the fish, feeling the water for its presence.
A pin pricked the back of her neck and she slapped at it, figuring it to be a mosquito. Whatever it was, it was still embedded in her neck. She pulled it out and before she could look at it, her world turned dark.