Page 16 of The Sailor

One of Marit’s hands slipped under his T-shirt, and she dug her nails into his lower back. The other gripped one of his biceps hard as he continued to kiss her. How long they made out on the bench, she had no idea. She only felt regret when he finally stopped.

The smile he gave her was both wicked and tender at the same time.

Marit felt off balance. All this was so new. She’d never wanted to sleep with a man on a first date. But looking into Zach’s gaze, she swore she could see their future looking back at her. He was as open with his reverence and desire as he was with his words. This man had way more layers than she guessed anyone would suspect. And he was with her.

Just like that, her self-esteem rose. If he liked her, she had to be kind of special, right? He wouldn’t still be single at his age if he wasn’t picky.

“I like that smile,” Zach said, brushing a lock of hair off her forehead.

“You’re very good at kissing,” she blurted.

“It’s not me, it’s you. You inspire me,” he insisted. Then he turned serious. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For trusting me not to go too far. For letting me kiss you. For being open minded about my family. They’ll grow on you if you let them. I’m not saying they can’t be annoying, because they can. But my brothers are good people. Once you win them over, which I think you’ve already halfway done, they’ll have your back for life. No one messes with a Lobsterite . . . that’s those of us who belong to Lobster Cove. You need something and you can’t get a hold of me, you call Chad. Or Linc. Or Knox. Or Walt or Barry, who work at the auto shop. They’ll get what you need or get to you, no matter the situation.”

That was intense, but the warm feelings continued to spread through Marit. She nodded, overwhelmed. Yesterday, she’d been alone in the world, and today she felt as if she had a brand-new family. It was strange. And Marit was very aware that this was only her first date with Zach. Things could go south and she could lose everything he was dangling in front of her, but she wasn’t going to dwell on that right now. She felt too damn good.

“Shoot. Now I’ve freaked you out. Come on, let’s get you home so you can get your beauty sleep before having to get back on the water in the morning.”

Zach stood and reclaimed her hand before they began walking back toward the path.

“I . . . I’m not freaked out,” Marit told him as they walked.

He glanced at her and lifted a brow.

“Okay, maybe a little. But in a good way. Be patient with me. It’ll take me some time to get used to this. I’m used to being alone.”

“You aren’t alone anymore.”

They were four simple words, but they felt like a promise.

The trip back to Rockville seemed much faster than the one to Lobster Cove, probably because they were halfway back to town in the first place, but also because Marit was relaxed, and not stressed about meeting Zach’s family.

“I’d like to drop you off at your apartment, but if you aren’t comfortable with me knowing where you live, I’m not sure what to do. I don’t want you to walk to your place from my apartment parking lot by yourself. And before you say that you’ll be fine, I’m already sure you will be. Rockville isn’t a hub of criminal activity. But it’s not in me to let a woman walk home by herself. So I’m not sure—”

“It’s fine, Zach,” Marit said, interrupting him. “You had your tongue practically down my throat and we were completely alone. You could’ve done anything you wanted to me . . . and you didn’t. I trust you.”

He looked over at her. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. I’m not going to hurt you, Marit. You have my word.”

She swallowed hard, feeling emotional all over again. This night had been full of her emotions careening all over the place. She wasn’t sure she liked it. She liked her nice, predictable world.

No. She was lying to herself. Yes, she liked knowing what was coming and what to expect, and tonight had been out of her comfort zone . . . but nice all the same. She’d felt included, and that hadn’t happened in a very long time.

After she gave him directions, Zach soon pulled into the small parking area of the house where her apartment was located, and he met Marit on the passenger side of his Explorer. He leaned in and kissed her as if he’d done the same thing countless times before. “I’ll see you at the dock tomorrow afternoon?”

“Yeah.”

“If you aren’t too tired, you want to do dinner again? I can make us something at the shack, and we can go down to the park to eat it. Or if you want something more substantial, we can go back to my place, and I can grill steaks or salmon or something.”

“The park sounds great. But can I go home and change first? Maybe I can meet you there?”

He gave her a look, and Marit remembered what he’d just said about her walking alone. It was kind of ridiculous, because this was Rockville and she’d been walking around on her own for years. But it also felt nice that he wanted to make sure she was safe.

“If you text me when you’re ready, I’ll come here and we can walk together,” he suggested.

“Okay.” She pulled out her phone, and they quickly exchanged numbers. Even saving his contact info in her phone felt like a big step. She didn’t have a whole lot of contacts, and seeing his name made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.