“Complementary interests.”
She stared at the paper and he wondered why she looked so sad. Why the burst of pleasure he felt from her faded so quickly to something close to despair. His connection with her had leveled out over the past two days, and he doubted it would grow any stronger until they actually made love without protection and he marked her as his. What they had now was like a shadow reflecting the real connection he considered possible. It was there, undeniable to him, but he ached for more.
Pam put on a happy face and refolded the paper, tucking it into her back pocket. She glanced at the second sheet of paper still lying in her lap and laughed. “Oh my God, are you expecting me to write an essay or something? I’m on holidays. I’m not into reports right now.”
“Hell no, those are topics to discuss. See, most mates I know have common interests. Robyn and Keil, you should see them on the slopes. They’re both totally insane skiers when they’re not leading a group. Erik and Maggie are both classical literature buffs.”
“So you think we should have a bunch of interests in common?”
She settled into the bottom of the canoe and adjusted her lifejacket so she could lean back on the front seat and use it as a backrest. Her long legs stretched out into the center of the craft, and TJ eyed them with longing. He sighed. No. While he’d been more fortunate than usual with his clumsiness so far this week, fooling around in a canoe would not end up a pretty picture.
“TJ?”
He caught her eye and stumbled for words. “I was staring again, wasn’t I?”
She blushed lightly, then tossed her head back, her dark hair bouncing around her shoulders. “I don’t mind. But back to the question…”
“I think we could have things in common, or we could be like Tad and Missy—they often have interests that when you put them together you get something that fits. He makes things out of wood and she enjoys sewing. Together they’ve made all kinds of gifts for the pack, like baby cradles and receiving blankets, and decorative wall quilts and hangers to display them on.”
Pam nodded slowly. “They complete each other. You think we’re going to have matches like that?”
“Over the past couple days as we’ve talked I think I’ve heard a few things, but I don’t want to skew the results and use those as an example. So you pick one item, think of an answer but before you tell me what you would say, I’ll share mine.”
She grinned as she examined the paper. “This could be fun you know.”
Her mischief-maker persona was back. God, he loved it when her eyes got all sparkly and her face lit up. It made it easier to breath. Made the whole of his soul content.
He baited the hooks, added a bobber and cast out the line, passing the first rod to her before setting up his own. Fishing was a great opportunity for long conversations.
Pam ran a finger down the list before glancing at him, an innocent expression plastered to her face. Not. “Okay—what’s your favourite sport for exercise?”
Easy. “Running.” Mostly as a wolf, but that still counted.
She snorted. “Mine is baseball. Well, that one works, we can play fetch together, right?”
He flicked water at her and the boat rocked lightly as she laughed.
“Number two. Favourite thing to do to relax?”
TJ gripped the fishing rod firmly in lieu of reaching for her. “My new response would be to make love with you, but before this week I would have said make music.”
The flash of desire in her eyes was unmistakable. “Stop.”
They stared at each other. Her pulse pounded in the hollow of her throat and he ached. “What’s your answer, Pam?”
She licked her lips. “I was going to say listen to music.”
Yup, she could try to deny it, but there was more and more evidence to prove they were meant to be together.
Her fishing rod quivered and she scrambled upright, the paper falling unminded to the bottom of the canoe. He laughingly coached her through reeling in the fish. For the next two hours they floated and fished, releasing all but one of the rainbow trout while they worked their way through the entire list he’d prepared. By now the paper was wet and smelled like fish, and when the time came to turn the canoe back toward the dock Pam had nothing but content emotions streaming from her.
“You relax, I’ll get us home.” He paddled hard, eyes on the water occasionally. Most of the time his gaze caressed her body where she leaned back, arms resting easily on the gunwales as she glanced around at the nearby mountains.
“I can’t believe someone gets to live here for more than a holiday.”