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Christ, those words! They hold a deeper meaning than whatever it is we’re talking about and she wants me to know it. I’ve been trying not to think too much about the fact that it’s just me and her in the boat, distracting myself with everything else. But now that she has just blatantly told me she wants me just as much as I want her, that is all that fills my brain.
Hours pass by and Charlotte soon falls asleep in her chair. In order to make her more comfortable, I take a little break and carry her down into one of the cabins, placing her on the soft bed so that she can sleep better.
I take a moment to watch her sleep, taking in how beautiful and at peace she looks. Suddenly, the boat rocks violently and I stumble beside the bed.
Charlotte’s eyes fly open as she looks around with panic. “What is going on?” she asks but she has to shout because the sound of crashing waves fills the air.
“Wait here,” I instruct and rush back to the sailor’s compartment. Through the windows, I see a wild storm approaching. George’s words about the possibility of a storm hitting today replays in my head. “Shit, shit, shit,” I mutter.
“What do you need me to do?” Charlotte’s voice pierces my thoughts.
“I told you to stay back,” I bellow at her. I don’t want her anywhere near where she could be harmed, but the determined stare she directs back at me tells me she won’t back down. With a sigh, I relent. “Fine,” I spit out through gritted teeth before doling out instructions to her.
Together, we try to avoid the storm by changing the direction of the boat and we succeed, until there’s a loud ripping sound that makes my stomach plummet. I check for the sound and it is just as I suspected. There’s a long rip at the seam of one of the sails, rendering our boat unable to move as fast. “No,” I yell, feeling frustrated while Charlotte shivers fearfully beside me.
Thankfully, we’re out of the storm’s way so I drop the boat's anchor, forcing it to stay in place since we can no longer move with a damaged sail. Then, I go ahead and shut everything down before turning to face a frozen Charlotte.
“Charlotte…” I call out her name like it’s the only thing that matters. Her presence is the one thing holding me together right now and I don’t hesitate to reach out for her. In order to alleviate her fear and bring her back to her senses, I take her cheeks in my hands and stare into her eyes. “Charlotte, look at me.”
Her eyes fly open and focus directly on mine. “I’m sorry, Chris, I’m sorry I panicked. I just…”
“Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay. We’re going to be okay.” I close the remaining distance between us, causing our bodies to come flush against each other.
Her breathing quickens and slowly, she closes her eyes once again.
Gently, I caress her cheek, marveling at how soft her skin is. “Everything is going to be fine,” I tell her and watch as her lips part to release a gasp. My thumb grazes those lips and I can’t help but groan at how soft and plump they are.
My reasoning evades me and I no longer care about restrictions, I want to ease her fear and I do it the only way I know how.
Lowering my head, I gently raise her chin and my lips find hers. It’s just a slight graze, but it’s the most glorious thing, especially with the tiny moan she lets out when I’ve barely even touched her. I release her chin and let that hand fall to her waist, pulling her even closer than I thought possible. I cradle her cheek in my palm and kiss her gently on the lips, a kiss that quickly becomes deeper and much steamier, leaving us breathless.
I pull away, but Charlotte grabs my shirt. “Don’t stop now, please,” she pleads and I can’t resist those eyes. My willpower is gone and I succumb to the amazing feeling that comes from being this intimate with her.
This time around, I don’t hold back. I lock lips with Charlotte once again, drinking her in like she’s the last drop of water in a scorching desert. Nothing has ever felt this way before, I realize. Kissing her in real life is far better than it feels in my dreams and imagination. I realize then that I’ll never have enough of her taste in my mouth.
I kiss her with a fervent, urgent need, harder and deeper until I’m not sure where either of us begins or ends. I bury my hand in her luscious hair and can’t help the groan that erupts from my chest.
She tastes like honey, rainbows, the sun, and everything good. She is perfect. I break for air, but I can’t stand not touching her so I bury my lips in her neck, trailing soft kisses along her collarbone, up her chin and cheeks until she’s gasping for breath.
I forget about everything, how she is my daughter’s best friend and an employee that currently works for me. I forget it all and embrace the beauty and exhilaration of this moment I never thought I’d ever get to experience.
Gently, I lower her to the floor and we lie down beside each other. My hand reaches out to graze her cheek and I can feel her warmth seeping through the heavy life jacket we both have on.
I kiss her again and her moans spur me on. When she reaches up and tugs at my hair, I explode and light on fire. My heart is beating so fast and I want to live in this moment forever.
By the time we pull apart for air, we stare into each other’s eyes and I marvel at the intensity of the desire in her gorgeous green eyes.
It’s too much… I close my eyes and take in a ragged breath to steady myself. Before I know it, I’m pulling away from her. “I can’t do this,” I whisper but she hears me anyway. I stand, my fingers buried in my hair. Images of my past relationships fill my head, images of me falling too fast only to be stabbed in the back by conniving women who planned it all along. “I’m sorry, I can’t…” I shake my head and stumble backwards.
Charlotte’s eyes water with unshed tears and I watch as she pulls herself up from the floor. Without hesitation, she flees from me and I don’t call her back.
11
CHARLOTTE
Ishut the door with a bang that I can barely hear over the loud crashing waves, and curl into bed, throwing the blanket over my body. A silly part of me hopes that he will come after me, but that hope is shattered after several minutes pass and I’m all alone in the room.
I bury my face in the fluffy pillow, willing myself not to cry and to think about anything else. But that obviously doesn’t work because the tears start to flow in no time and all I can think about is Chris' mouth on mine one minute and him rejecting me the next.
