Gannon nodded, watching the way the wind blew Cam’s hair back, those mirrored sunglasses reflecting the brilliant blue of the sky. Gannon was grateful he’d thought to bring his sunglasses, because it allowed him to watch Cam without anyone noticing.

“What’s that entail?”

Gannon could tell Cam wasn’t at all interested, but unfortunately for him, he’d asked the question, which meant he was going to get an answer. Eight of them, to be exact.

Listening with a smile, Gannon waited while his team gave Cam in-depth responses to the question, enlightening him on far more than the man obviously cared to know.

“The simple answer,” Gannon said, motioning to the others when they’d finished talking.

Cam smiled in return, a flash of white against his sun-bronzed face, and a blaze of heat seared Gannon from the inside out.

“And you…?” Gannon prompted. “You and your friends own the marina?”

“We do,” Cam said with a mischievous smile, likely realizing Gannon had done some digging of his own. “My dad fronted the money when I was twenty-four. Told me that he’d sign it all over to me if I graduated college. I started a little late, but I did.” Cam’s smile widened. “The rest is history.”

“What’s your degree in?”

“Sports management.”

That definitely didn’t surprise Gannon. It seemed to fit Cam. It would’ve contributed to his business acumen and had probably proven to be beneficial since he owned his own company.

The boat continued to cruise at a steady speed as they traveled farther out from the shore. Gannon watched Cam, impressed with how he moved with such ease. “So you spend most of your time on the water?”

“In the water,” Cam corrected. “I’m not much for boats, unless one is draggin’ me behind it.”

Gannon peered out at the wide expanse of dark water surrounding them. He could picture Cam out there, expertly maneuvering behind the boat on skis or whatever people used these days.

“What about you? What do you do for fun?” Cam asked.

Glancing over at the others, Gannon realized they were in a heated conversation about a glitch they’d identified in their latest development, or more simply, they were ignoring him completely. Milly had taken to sitting farther away from them all, holding her iPad in her hands while getting a little sun.

No ears were paying any mind to their conversation.

“Work,” Gannon replied.

“Not fun, Gannon.”

Once again thankful for his sunglasses, Gannon locked his eyes with Cam’s, wondering if the other man knew just how much Gannon liked the way he said his name. Cam looked away quickly as though reading Gannon’s mind, and for the first time, he was convinced that this chemistry wasn’t only one-sided.

Smiling to himself, Gannon once again glanced down at the hat he was holding.

“Put it on,” Cam instructed.

Gannon looked up, watching Cam, holding his gaze though they were both hiding behind their sunglasses.

Fueled by the fact Cam probably didn’t think he’d do it, Gannon pulled on the cap, situating it on his head while Cam continued to watch him.

“Nice,” Cam said before looking away quickly.

His heart did an unexpected somersault, but somehow Gannon managed to keep his cool.

At least he thought he did, anyway.

The next two hours went by far faster than Gannon expected. After his initial conversation with Cam, he spent most of his time engaging his team in a more personal exchange. Asking about their families, what they did in their off time. Some of them, the few who’d been with him for a while, he knew well, others not so much.

Somehow he managed to keep the dialogue open between them as the minutes ticked by. After all, the intention of the outing was to boost morale and get to know one another. By the time they reached the shore, Gannon had chalked the day up to a success. He gave his team the rest of the day off, and they soon went their separate ways. Including Milly, who’d come up with a crappy excuse and opted to ride with one of the others back to the office.

Which left Gannon alone with Cam again, a situation that wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as he’d thought it would be. He helped Cam gather the extra life jackets and return them to a small wooden shed near the main building.

“Thanks for today,” Gannon told Cam as they neared the main doors of the marina office after they’d finished unloading everything.

“Anytime.”

Feeling bolder than he’d ever expected—perhaps a few hours outdoors wasn’t such a bad thing—Gannon decided to do something incredibly forward. Cam had already blown him off once, but Gannon had seen it more as a dare than a rejection, so he was hoping if he was persistent, Cam would eventually give in.

“Have dinner with me tonight.”

Cam’s mouth slowly curved up as he kept his eyes on the ground in front of him, walking slowly beside him. “Is that an order or a request?”

“Which do you prefer?” Gannon asked, curious as to the answer.

Cam stopped, then turned to face him, pushing his sunglasses up on his head, that penetrating blue stare lifting to meet his. “I’m not sure you can handle my response to that.”

“Try me,” Gannon said, hoping Cam could see the challenge in his eyes.

Another smile tilted the corners of Cam’s eyes as he looked at him, this smirk much more dangerous than before. Gannon held his breath when Cam pulled the hat from his head, fidgeted with it, and then put it back. When Cam’s hand brushed Gannon’s ear, the heat from his touch shot straight to his groin.

“What makes you think I’m even interested?” Cam’s smile faded, and Gannon wondered if he’d felt it, too.

“You’re still standing here,” Gannon responded without hesitation.

“You’re a customer. It’s my job.”

“You look at all your customers the way you look at me?” Gannon retorted, enjoying the easy banter. He could tell Cam was interested, but he could also sense that Cam was testing him, just as he’d thought he would.

“How’s that?” Cam asked.

“You’ve been eye fucking me for the last two hours.”

“I thought it’d been the other way around.”

Unable to help himself, Gannon took a step closer, keeping his eyes locked with Cam’s. “Is that a yes or a no to dinner?”

That obviously surprised Cam, because he didn’t have a quick retort.

“I’ll pick you up at seven,” Gannon told him when it was clear Cam wasn’t going to answer.

“I’m not big on going out,” Cam informed him, his eyes searching Gannon’s face.

“Then what’s your suggestion?”

“Your place,” Cam answered.

Gannon nodded. “Be there at seven.” Not waiting for an argument, he quickly turned on his heel.

“I don’t know where you live,” Cam called out as Gannon continued to walk off.

Without looking back, Gannon said, “Show me how much you want to have dinner with me, Cam. You can figure it out.”

With that, he made his way to his car, relishing the surge of adrenaline that coursed through his veins. It was another feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time. This one made him feel alive.

And he found that he enjoyed the fuck out of it.

Nine

“Where are you goin’ all dressed up?” Dare asked when Cam came downstairs a few minutes after five.

Cam peered down the length of his body. “I’m not dressed up.”

“Bro, you aren’t wearin’ flip-flops. For you, that’s dressed up.”

“Touché.”

Cam hadn’t expected anyone to be in the office, but he should’ve known Dare would be finishing things up after having taken a few hours of personal time. It wasn’t that they had set hours, or even days—they did the job because it was what they loved to do—but generally, that late in the evening, they weren’t hanging around inside.

“Date,” Cam rumbled when it was clear Dare was waiting for an answer.

“Holy fuck, man. With that gamer guy?”