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Eventually, Beau slid off me, pulling the blankets down from the bed as he moved. It took me a bit longer to resettle on the pillow. I pulled a sheet over my body, trying to recover without thinking about any lingering consequences of our behavior.
This was his room. I was a guest in his house, but that didn’t mean that he wanted me to invade his private space for an entire night. I thought about all the guys I’d been with in the past who wanted to go home as soon as we were done. Beau couldn’t do that, and he was too damn polite to kick me out.
Once I could speak again, I turned my head to look at him. He was looking at me, but I couldn’t quite read the expression on his face. Was that admiration or was he on the edge of regret?
“Thank you for that,” I muttered, suddenly feeling sheepish.
“Thank you,” he countered. Lifting a hand, he caressed my cheek, still damp with perspiration. “That was amazing.”
Smiling back at him, I silently agreed. “Do you want me to go back to my room?”
“This bed is big enough for two.” His hand clamped around my hip, pulling me closer to him.
Feeling secure, I rested my head against his chest as he held me with one arm and stroked my hair with the other. His breathing had already evened out, and I fully expected him to be fast asleep within a moment or two.
My mind wandered, though. I was exhausted after a long, fun day and an amazing experience with Beau. But I couldn’t help but think there was more to this than just two people who were attracted to one another deciding to have sex. We had a real connection on a deeper level, didn’t we? It sure as hell felt like it even before we’d had sex. But the time we’d spent together in bed was confirmation to me that this was something worth exploring.
Or it would be anyway. Thoughts of going back to the cruise ship tomorrow and eventually all the way home to Seattle made me think again. If the two of us lived in the same city, even the same state, I’d want to see where this went with Beau. But not only were Washington and Alaska different states, but there was also an entire country between us. Thanks a lot, Canada.
I closed my eyes and willed sleep to come, hoping that the next day, when I had to say goodbye to Beau, I wouldn’t embarrass myself. I could envision myself standing there on the deck, waving at him, blubbering about how I loved him. I didn’t love him, though. Not yet, but I could see the potential for such feelings developing in the future.
Beau was an amazing man. It was hard for me to understand why he wasn’t taken. With a sigh, I told myself none of that mattered. This was all just to make another memory, a memory of a man I’d met but could never love because our stars just weren’t aligned.
13
BEAU
Dim rays of light filtered through the blinds. I blinked a few times, opening my eyes, trying to orient myself. Most days, I woke up before the sun came up, ready to get out on the bay and catch a few salmon while the rest of the world winked awake, but today, I’d slept a little longer. The idea that there was a reason for that played in the back of my mind, but everything hadn’t come back to me as I stared around the room.
With a yawn, I attempted to roll over and couldn’t. That was when the memories from the night before all came flooding back to me. A lock of blonde hair cascaded over my chest, pinning me to the mattress. I could hear the soft sound of Georgia breathing, and a smile lit my face. God, she was amazing.
It wasn’t just the sex that made me think that either. We’d had so much fun together the last day and a half. From the bear situation to kissing the fish to karaoke, I’d found myself laughing more in the last thirty-six hours than I had in months, unless of course, I counted laughing at Ryan, which I didn’t. Georgia and I had a genuine connection. I hadn’t felt this joined to a person in years. Not since…
My thoughts stopped as an image of my late wife came to mind. Not since Kaylee. No one had ever made me feel as free-spirited or alive as she had until I’d met Georgia.
I couldn’t let myself think about that, especially not right now, though. Georgia had a life in Seattle. She had a job, friends, and maybe even family members who lived near her and would expect her to be home in a few days. If I didn’t get her back to the ship in time, there was no point in me even keeping her here overnight anyway. I may as well have just driven her to the airport. Visions of her trying to get her stuff back from the cruise line came to mind. It all seemed like such a mess. No, it would be best if I got her back where she belonged. This had just been an extended excursion, one that I had benefited from for certain, but it needed to end.
Somehow, I managed to slip out from under her and creep to the bathroom without disturbing her. Georgia seemed to be a pretty heavy sleeper, which was good for me because I didn’t want to wake her before I needed to. I took a shower and got dressed, finding her still asleep.
With the soft light of dawn illuminating her hair, she looked like an angel asleep in my bed. I couldn’t help but smile at her. Again, thoughts of what might have been if she were able to stay filled my mind, but it was a waste of time.
Sitting down next to her on the bed, I shook her shoulder softly. “Georgia?” I called.
She blinked a few times and then opened her eyes. Immediately, she checked to make sure she was covered, which she was. “Oh, hi, Beau.”
“Good morning. How did you sleep?”
“Great,” she replied, stifling a yawn. “You?”
“Good. We’re going to have to get on the road here in a little bit. I thought you might want to take a shower first. I can go make us some breakfast.” I brushed her hair away from her face.
Smiling sadly at me, she nodded. “Okay.”
“You can use my shower if you’d like, and I can go get your clothes and bring them in here for you so you can get dressed without having to head back to the guest room.” I’d made sure the housekeeper who stopped by every day cleaned her clothes so she’d have them back.
“Thank you.” I heard the gratitude in her tone.
“Of course.” With one more caress of her cheek, I went to get her clothes and dropped them off before heading to the kitchen to make breakfast, reminding myself all the while that this would be over soon.
