And now, getting to experience it with Jeremy, I feel like a little kid. For once in my life, my thoughts of being impressive and sexy and alluring are nowhere in the recesses of my mind. I don’t care what he thinks as I grab his hand and race to get to the water. I don’t care whatanyonethinks as I barrel rudely through the masses of people that are filling the boardwalk, Jeremy’s hand in mind, his laughter spilling out of him in deep thunders that only build my excitement.
And then, suddenly, I’m in the sand. Practically in the same place I looked at the ocean with my siblings. Jeremy is at my side, still chuckling lightly and adjusting his hand in mine – not taking it away, just threading our fingers together and giving it a squeeze.
“I’m excited,” I whisper, trying to catch my breath.
“You don’t say,” he responds, the sparkle in his eyes when I look to him reflecting that whatever he just witnessed from me is something he enjoyed.
“I’ve never touched the ocean before,” I say, my eyes returning to the water in the distance that’s no longer so distant.
“I’m actually kind of scared.”
“Don’t worry, sweet stuff,” he replies, bumping his hip with mine and lifting our joined hands to his mouth, kissing mine lightly. “I’ll stay with you the whole time.”
I nod without looking at him, knowing his eyes are on me. I bend over and slip out of my boots, and then I start walking at a normal pace out to the water, my feet sinking into the sand that’s starting to cool as the sun begins to set, Jeremy’s hand still linked with mine.
When we are about 10 feet away from where the waves rush onto the shore, I stop.
“It’s so big,” I whisper, in absolute awe at how there’s just ocean and ocean as far as my eyes can see.
“I feel like this is an important moment, so I shouldn’t say it, but I’m going to.That’s what she said.”
My head whips to look at Jeremy, who has a sheepish smile on his face, and I burst into laughter. Jeremy joins me, and we spend at least a minute letting our giggles subside.
“Thanks for that. Ass,” I finally say, when I can get the words out.
He shrugs. “I mean,that’s what she saidjokes are perfect for every occasion.”
“Sure they are.”
“No seriously,” he replies. “Your friend’s grandmother is in the hospital, the nurse can’t find the vein and the grandmother screams for them to just stick it in already?That’s what she said.”
I laugh again, still holding Jeremy’s hand in one but clutching my stomach with the other, dropping my shoes in the sand.
“You’re standing next to your wife at her friend’s funeral and she whispers that it’s just so hard?That’s what she said.”
“How old are you?” I ask mid-laugh.
Then I let out a shriek as cold water rushes over my toes, and I grip Jeremy’s hand even tighter. “What the fuck!” I shout through another giggle. “Why is it so cold?” I look behind me and then back at the water. “And how did we get so close to the water?”
Jeremy is smiling softly as I squeeze the life out of his hand. “You seemed scared, so I thought if I could distract you while I moved us closer to the water, it wouldn’t be so bad.”
“Well aren’t you just the cutest?” I say, leaning into him, my thoughts no longer on the big ocean in front of us and instead on the thoughtful man next to me.
He extracts his fingers from mine and wraps his arm around my shoulders, tugging me close and resting his cheek on the top of my head.
“I am pretty cute,” he says, eliciting another laugh from me, this one more subdued.
We stand there for a few minutes, just taking in the sights and smells and sounds. I should be focused on the fact that I finally touched the ocean for the first time in my life, the cool water washing against me, the feel of the sand between my toes and the handful of birds in the air, or the sounds of the boardwalk in the distance.
But all I can process is the feel of his strong arm wrapped around me, and the smell of his cologne, clean and slightly woody. I turn from the water and wrap my arms around his stomach, pressing my cheek to his chest, inhaling the salt and sea and the smell of him. Jeremy’s arms tighten around me for a moment before he tilts my head up so we are looking at each other, his eyes searching mine.
And then he dips down and presses his lips against mine, his kiss at odds with the gentle and caring way he’d been holding me in his arms. But that thought passes quickly as our mouths open against each other, tongues searching and licking, the kiss deep and wet, pulling the breath from my lungs. His hands are in my hair, holding me close to him, and then one drops and presses on my ass, pushing our bodies even closer together until we are molded together. He moans into my mouth and then pulls from me, panting slightly and resting his forehead against mine.
His eyes are searching my face, his expression cloudy, so unlike the jokester from just moments before. I don’t know what to say apart from something stupid likeare you going to keep kissing me now?orcan you put your hands back on my butt?So I hug him tightly and put my cheek back to his chest, listening to the steady but rapid thump of his heart.
“Where’s your phone?” he asks.
I scrunch my brows at the random question. “In my purse in the car I think.”
And then all I see is sand and Jeremy’s legs, because he’s lifted me up and thrown me over his shoulder, and is running into the water.
“What are you doing!?” I shriek, as I feel spray from where Jeremy’s legs are smacking through the water shooting up onto me.
“Time to cool off, sweet stuff,” he says just before he slides me forward and we both go under.
