Page 38 of What I Like About You

Chapter Thirteen

The soundof laughter carried on the breeze as Dalton and Zara snuck along the beach past the area that currently contained the bonfire. His first thought when she asked to go somewhere that could be just them was his dorm. However, the only way to the dorm was to walk through the bonfire area and the party that had already started up there. He knew that if they did that they’d get sidetracked and sucked in by someone, and that was the last thing he wanted. If this stunning creature wanted to be alone with him, he was going to make that happen.

Instead, he led her to the one place he could think of that they could get to from the beach without cutting through the party—the marina. There was a part of him that knew the boathouse might not be the best place to take her, since it’d played host to a number of his random hookups over the years, but that wasn’t information he was going to volunteer. Although, there was one place down there he’d never taken a girl.

Zara gave his hand a light squeeze as they arrived at the docks. She hadn’t been down this way yet, and it sent a little thrill through him that he got to show it to her for the first time. Not that she hadn’t ever seen a marina or boats before, but this marina and these boats were special to him, and he was oddly sentimental about sharing them with her.

“This is impressive,” she said as they walked up to the Brown Eyed Girl.

“There are four catamarans in total. The original three are the Runnin’ Down a Dream, the Don’t Stop Believin’, and the Livin’ on a Prayer,” Dalton explained. “Kyle, Drea, and I ran the Runnin’ up until about six months ago when Kyle got promoted and bought Drea the Brown Eyed Girl.”

“He bought her a boat?” Zara asked with wide eyes.

“Not exactly. He’d been saving to go out on his own, but then he and Drea finally hooked up and there was all this drama, but he bought the boat and named it for her, so ipso facto, he bought her a boat.”

Zara laughed at his clunky recap of Kyle and Drea’s story, and Dalton could feel his dick swell again. He wanted more than anything to pull her in close and kiss her again. But the smile on her face told him she was enjoying their conversation, and the only thing stronger than his ache for her was his desire to see that smile.

“We run three different snorkel tours. Shipwreck Cove, Trunk Bay Beach, and Turtle Cove, which you’ll see tomorrow since it’s Drea’s favorite. Plus we do some champagne sails around the island, show off some of the big houses, and the national park. Every day there’s a “Sips at Sea” tour, which is a booze cruise where we literally just take people out on one of the cats to drink on the water. Then at least one boat is private tour, so guests can pay extra to have just their group and we’ll take them wherever.”

“What’s your favorite?”

“Toss-up between Turtle Cove and Shipwreck Cove. Not that I get in the water all that often, but I think the guests have the most fun on those, which makes my job easier.”

“I assume that’s the boathouse?” she asked, pointing at the small garage-like structure.

“Sure is,” he answered, taking her hand again and leading her over to it. “It’s basically a garage, not all that exciting inside. Both Kyle and Grayson, who is one of Drea’s uncles and the Activities Director, are pretty decent mechanics, so they do most of the work on the boats themselves in here.”

They stepped inside the empty boathouse, and Dalton flipped on the light. The floor was a U shape, with the missing middle wide enough for one of the catamarans to sit inside. A boat lift hung in the air, hovering just above the water, currently empty since all four of the vessels were in working order. Dalton guided Zara along the sidewalk-width walkway that led to a metal spiral staircase in the back of the boathouse.

“The inside here isn’t very exciting, since it’s basically a mechanic’s shop. But this…” Dalton said, leading her up the stairs. He pushed up on the little rectangular trap door and hopped up onto the rooftop porch that overlooked the marina. Leaning down, he took her hand and helped her through the opening and up onto the deck. “This is pretty spectacular.”

Zara gasped as she looked out over the marina. Even though it was dark, there was enough light from different sources around the island and a few boats out on the water to create an enchanting glow.

“This is so cool!” she exclaimed, turning to take in the rooftop space. There were a small table and chairs behind them and a couple of Adirondack chairs set up to the side. Up against the railing that looked out over the marina, however, were a large freestanding canvas hammock and a lounger that was the width of a double bed. Both pieces of furniture were great for relaxing in, and while he’d never done it with anyone, Dalton figured they’d also be pretty good to cuddle in. Picking up a small battery-operated lantern from the glass side table in between the hammock and lounger, he flicked it on, adding a little more light to the area.

“We don’t come up here very often, since we usually hang out on the beach by Drea’s cottage, but every now and again when I want to be alone, I’ll disappear up here.”

“I can see why,” she said, turning back toward the water.

Dalton walked up behind her and slid his arms around her middle, feeling her relax into him. Her beautiful body against his sent another jolt to his already hard dick. He just hoped that she took it as a compliment and not as a sign that he couldn’t control himself. Tightening his arms around her, he kissed her lightly on the cheek. He could feel her squirm a bit in his arms, although he wasn’t sure if it was because she was ticklish or out of some sort of embarrassment.

“So, lady’s choice, lounger or hammock?” he asked, signaling between the two with his hand.

“Ummm, lounger,” she answered, hunching her shoulders as if she were self-conscious about something. “I’m not sure that I trust the hammock, you know, because…” she trailed off, looking down at her body.

Dalton felt his pulse start to speed up, and not in a good way. He hated hearing her talk badly about herself or even begin to imply that she was less just because she wasn’t a certain size. A pang of guilt flooded him as he thought about how he was partially to blame for her thinking this way. That him never sticking up for her in high school or telling her how beautiful she really was had only led her to continue to think this way. He couldn't do anything about the past. But he could sure do it now.

“I hate that you think that way about yourself,” he whispered. “You’re beautiful, Zara. All of you.”

Leading her over to the lounge chair, he sat down and scooted all the way back, letting his long legs spread out into a V shape. He lightly pulled Zara down onto the chair, scooting her in close to him so her back rested against his chest. When she was finally nestled fully into his body, he scooped her long hair back, exposing her beautiful neck and shoulder. He leaned down, lightly kissing where the two met, and felt her shiver against him from the touch. Liking this reaction, he did it again and again until she let out a small giggle, causing her to rub up against his still-hard cock.

This was a feeling he could get used to. Sitting here, looking out over the water, with the girl of his dreams in his arms.

They sat in silence for a while, cuddled up against each other, looking at the stars and listening to the sounds of the marina down below. Every once in a while, a voice would carry over from the bonfire, but not enough to disturb the tranquility of the moment.

“Know what this reminds me of?” Zara asked, breaking the silence. “Remember the drive-in that we went to that summer before senior year?”

“The one that was an hour and a half from Tybee? Where we had to go to watch How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days on the big screen, rather than at home where I know you had the DVD? Yes, I very clearly remember that,” he answered, laughing.