‘You’re being very quiet.’ He tipped his head to the side, still staring at her. ‘Is there something wrong?’
‘I’m just a bit tired, that’s all. It’s been a busy few days.’
‘That sounds like the perfect reason to get on the boat and relax. I’ll need your help to get out in the water, but after that you can sit down and enjoy the view. I’ll try not to wear you out too much.’ He grinned after that last sentence, and a bolt of delight rushed through her.
‘I like to pull my own weight.’
Still with the grin, though it was more smirk than anything. ‘You don’t have a whole lot of weight to pull.’ He glanced at her body – at her striped blue and white sweater, and tight jeans. His eyes softened as he took her in.
The atmosphere between them felt electric, the way it had that night at the dance club. She could feel it fizzing on her skin, making the tiny hairs on her arms stand up.
‘That sounds like a compliment,’ she noted, keeping her voice light. ‘But I guess it could be an insult too.’
‘It’s all compliment.’ His voice was gravelled. ‘You should definitely take it that way.’
When they pulled into the parking lot, the wharf was busy – full of leisure sailors taking advantage of the holiday. The two of them made their way up the jetty towards Miss Maisie, the forty-footer standing tall and unaffected by yesterday’s storm.
Like the last time she was here, the boat was ready for them, no doubt polished to a shine by Ryan’s friend Stan. But unlike last time, it was just the two of them, and being without Poppy and Charlie made her feel exposed and yet excited.
Ryan climbed on board first, reaching his hand down to help her up. His fingers folded around hers, warm and strong, pulling her up easily until her feet landed on the deck. He was standing close, his body towering above hers. The breeze lifted her hair, a stray piece escaping from her ponytail, and he reached out to tuck it back behind her ear.
He dragged his finger back over her neck, leaving a trail of ice behind him. A shiver slid its way down her spine, making her inner thighs shake with need. She had never been as affected by a man before. He was strong and warm and beautiful, and he scared the hell out of her.
Love hurt. She’d learned that more than once. It had destroyed her when her mother died, and then turned around and did the same thing again when Thomas left her. It was a knife wrapped in velvet, soft to the touch yet deadly.
But this wasn’t love, it was lust. And she could deal with that, couldn’t she? She could let herself surrender to the desire, to the sensations of Ryan’s fingers. They were both adults, they were both single, and they both knew where they stood.
A fling. No more no less. A few months of fun, while she sorted out her life and Ryan waited to move away, and then they could both move on without regret. Nobody needed to know, it could stay their little secret. It could be that simple, if only she could stop herself from overanalysing it.
‘Are you ready?’ he murmured, his hand cupping her neck, his fingers brushing softly against her skin.
Was she? Yes, she really was. Ready for whatever happened next, and determined to face it head on.
‘Yes, I’m ready.’ She nodded. ‘Let’s go.’
The wind picked up out in the bay, making the sails flap against the mast as the boat sped its way through the water. Juliet was standing at the front of the boat, her hair blowing out behind her, as she held on to the rail to keep herself standing. She was staring out into the bay, her back towards Ryan, and for a moment she reminded him of the carved wooden figureheads on ancient ships.
Britannia ruling the sea.
When she turned around to look at him, her face was flushed from the breeze. Her lips were swollen and red, her eyes sparkling. Her vitality was intoxicating, a live wire he couldn’t help but want to touch. He wasn’t surprised any more by the intensity of his reaction to her, but that didn’t diminish its impact one iota. Every time he looked at her, he couldn’t help but remember their passionate kiss. The warmth of her mouth, the softness of her breasts as they pressed against him.
They’d been sailing for just under an hour, leaving Shaw Haven behind them as they made their way down the bay. And for sixty minutes he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her. It was driving him crazy not to touch her. And yet he couldn’t help but remember the promise he’d made himself that night when he’d returned to his home. Whatever happened next was up to her. He wasn’t the kind of guy to force the issue – not after seeing his father dominate his mother during his childhood. If she wanted something, she was going to have to make the first move.
‘I’m going to anchor us up over there,’ he shouted, trying to be heard above the wind. He steered the boats towards the grassy bank on the left that opened up into a small inlet. Far from any town, it was deserted save for the birds that swooped and hovered above the marshland.
Juliet nodded, clambering over the foredeck to grab the anchor while he steered them into shore. He loved the way she was a natural, anticipating his instructions before he’d even had a chance to shout them. She was an easy crewmate, at one with the water, and it was sexy as hell to watch her take control.
He brought the boat to a stop twenty feet from the land, not wanting to risk the shallow waters that might bring them aground.
‘How deep is it?’ she called out.
‘About
fourteen feet.’
Without another word she measured out the anchor line, tying a cleat knot to make it the right depth, before lowering the anchor into the water. He straightened the boat up as the anchor slowly made it’s way to the bottom, and Juliet knotted the remaining rope around the bow cleat.
‘Does that look okay?’ She frowned, pulling at the knot to make sure it was tight. ‘I did it the way you showed me, but that was a while ago.’