The driveway had a couple of twists to it, but when it opened up, my jaw dropped.No wonder everyone on the island was fighting for this land.It was stunning.Even with the excavator sitting in the middle of a dirt pile and pallets of construction supplies scattered throughout, the potential of this property might as well have smacked me across the face.
And of course, it was all set against the stunning, unencumbered view of the water.The land was sloped, but I could see where they were going to level it off for their various projects.A ramshackle, single-story house with grimy plank siding and a mossy roof sat square in the middle of the place, with freshly mowed grass around it.
“You can park anywhere,” she said.
I drove a bit further until we were next to the house where it was flat again.Then I backed the truck up so when we climbed into the back we could look out at the water.
“How’s this?”
“Perfect.”
I shut off the engine, and we climbed out.
My nerves had my hands shaking as I reached into the backseat to grab the big picnic cooler bag and blankets.I’d already tossed some foam camping mats into the back so we weren’t reclining on unforgiving metal.
She dropped the tailgate before I could, and climbed up, holding out her hand for me to pass her the stuff.
“This is so great,” she said, spreading out the big black and yellow Mexican blanket.“We should listen to some music.”
I climbed into the truck bed and yanked out my phone.“What’s your jam?”
“Do you know Current Swell?”
I shook my head.
“They’re a Canadian band, but their vibe is very laid back, surf rock, indie folk, beachy, and sort of bluesy.We play a lot of their stuff at the tasting room as it kind of fits the island vibe that we’re after.”
I brought up my music app and typed the band in.Soon, we were listening to soft rock and gentle instrumentals.I could see why she liked them.
Sitting down and draping one of the other blankets over her lap.She opened the tote bag and pulled out a bottle of rosé.“I went with this one because rosé goes with everything.It’s also one of my favorites.”
“Sounds good to me.”I opened the green, canvas picnic cooler bag and started pulling out the items I’d packed.Cheeses, some sliced fruit, crackers, and various meats.I had two stemless metal beverage tumblers that I passed to her so she could fill us up.
“Wow, you really went all out,” she mused, unscrewing the cap for the wine and using her thighs to keep the tumblers secure.“Is that …” she glanced at me, her eyes heated, “is that salted caramel chocolate?”
I instantly went to the worst-case scenario.“Oh shit.Are you allergic to chocolate?”I picked it up and was prepared to throw it out of the truck, but she started laughing.
“The opposite.”Then she wrinkled her nose.“Wait, that doesn’t make sense.Well … it sort of does.I’mnotallergic to chocolate.I’m actually obsessed with it.Unapologetically.Can’t make a trip to the grocery store without two voices in my head talking to me.One voice is telling me to buy the chocolate, and the other voice is telling me to listen to the first voice and buy the chocolate.”
I made an amused noise in my throat at her joke.
“And salted caramel is my absolute favorite.”
Even though it was sort of meant to be dessert, we weren’t playing by anybody’s rules but our own.So I opened the bar and broke off a square.She opened her mouth, to my surprise.So with only a small dose of hesitation, I placed it on her tongue.
“The trick is, you let it melt on your tongue for a minute or so before you chew it,” she said, the chocolate now in her mouth.“You need to let each tastebud work its magic and capture every note.”She closed her eyes, smiled, and hummed.My cock twitched in my khaki shorts and I had to refrain from glancing down at her chest.
To be honest though, a serious thrill raced through me at these intense feelings.For a long time, I thought there was something wrong with me.Why wasn’t I attracted to women?Why didn’t I feel sexual desire toward … anyone?Did Kyla really fuck me up that much that she ruined any opportunity for me to have a normal, loving relationship?Apparently not.I just hadn’t found the right person yet.I hadn’t found the person who floated my boat or got my engine revving.
But Naomi certainly did that.
All I wanted to do right then and there was kiss her.Kiss her while her eyes were closed, and she tasted like chocolate.
Then I remembered that we weren’t playing by anybody’s rules but our own, so I did.I leaned into it and gently pressed my lips to hers.She smiled against my mouth and hummed a little more before wrapping her arms around my neck.“I’m glad you did that,” she murmured before opening her mouth to mine so we could deepen the kiss.I slid my tongue past her lips, tasting the chocolate, salt, and caramel—which was only made more delicious by her.I wasn’t sure what to do with my hands, but since she’d wrapped hers around my neck, I figured she wouldn’t mind if I cupped her jaw.
She leaned into my palm, my pinky against the pulsing vein in her neck as I tilted my head to the side a little to get a better angle.
After a moment, I pulled away, my head a little light, but my heart all kinds of happy.I opened my eyes to find her smiling at me.
