“It’s a cruising boat. Got it for a steal from Old Dane.”
“Who used to work at Dane’s? Didn’t know you still kept up with him.”
“Yep.” His eyes lit up. “Wanna check out the inside?”
“Sure.”
Theo walked around his bag and led the way down four stairs in the center. When the soles of my sandals landed on polished wood, I was completely mesmerized. It was perfect.
A curved sofa, black leather with glossy wood grain trim, hugged the wall. Sunlight filtered in from a rectangular window above it. A brown table was in front of the sofa with a short booth in the near corner. Dirty Black even had a small kitchen behind the lounging area, equipped with a small black mini fridge, a microwave, and marble countertops. This thing had to have cost him an arm and a leg.
“Sound system is over there.” He pointed to my left. I spotted the glass case, a black music player in the cubby. “Used to have a TV, but it messed up.”
“What happened to it?”
He shrugged. “No clue. The screen just went blank while I was watching the World Cup a few weeks ago.”
“Damn. I bet that sucked.”
He walked towards me. “It was hell. It took me thirty minutes just to get back home. By the time I made it, the game was over.” He pressed his lips. “You win some, you lose some.”
“What exactly do you do on this boat?”
He looked around. “Chill and think.” He paused. “I spend a lot of quality time with myself here. Used to watch games but… well, you know.” He held his hands out, giving me one of his usual shit happens gestures.
“Is it always just… you on here?”
He blinked, confused by what I meant at first, but his expression changed when it registered. “Oh.” He scratched the scruff on his chin. “No. You’re the first woman to be on my boat—the first person really.” His forced out an uneasy laugh.
“Wow…” I was impressed. And pleased. But I couldn’t help wondering if Theo was lying just to keep me happy like all men did. Honestly, he had no reason to lie to me. He had no reason to keep me around when this was only temporary. And if he did lie, I couldn’t be upset about it. It’s not like we were going far anyway.
“Ready to get the hell out of here?” he asked as he walked in my direction, running his palm across my shoulder.
“Yeah. I’d love that.”
Theo’s head slanted downward, and for a second he watched my eyes. His gaze drifted down to my nose, going further down until he stopped at my lips. Then his mouth fully consumed mine. The kiss was sweet like candy; savory like a chocolate cupcake a girl on a diet finally had the chance to eat on cheat day. It was warm and only a little damp.
When he started to pull away, I smiled behind his lips. He focused on mine, blinking slow, reluctant to move. But in order for us to truly be spending time alone and together with no worries, he had to get the boat going.
“Fuck,” he breathed, his breath warm as it drifted down the line of my neck. “You’re gonna be the death of me, Little Knight.” His hand moved down my waist, rounding my ass and squeezing tight. I yelped as he spanked me, and because I wore nothing but a cover up over a bathing suit, I felt the sting.
It excited me even more, and when he pulled away, I wanted to drag him back in and devour him whole. We have to go, Chloe, I told myself. You can get all you want as soon as we’re at sea. Just make sure to be extra greedy. So I let him go and sat on the sofa, laughing about my internal thoughts.
It was hard not to be happy around him. With Theo, I felt like the only girl in the world. Around him, I felt like I was floating on cloud nine, wrapped in a high that didn’t go away until we were apart. But even while we were apart, I’d still think of him, and although thinking of him wasn’t as magnificent as being in his presence, I still felt a draft of that high.
It was damn near impossible to believe that, at the end of this, we could never be. I didn’t even want to think of how much damage we actually were to each other. We weren’t a normal fling. We were unusual, rare and, sadly, the unusualness—the reality—was what stood in the way of complete happiness between us.
After Theo sailed the sea with me by his side, the breeze running through my tresses, he finally came to a stop. As he did, I scoped the area. I saw nothing but water. I glanced to my left. I could barely see Bristle Wave from here. The peaks of the hotels, homes, and towers were all I could make out. Other than that, we were completely alone.
In the middle of the ocean.
Just Theo and me.
The definition of screwed up perfection.
“Theo,” I breathed after he picked up the anchor in the corner and dropped it in the water. “This is amazing.” I met in front of him as he twisted around. His large hands capped the top of my shoulders, head in an angle. His face was handsome and meek. The black scruff on his jaw and around his mouth made his lips appear so full and kissable.
“Glad you like it, Knight.” His tongue ran over his bottom lip, and once he released me, he turned for his bag in the corner. “We have all day,” he sighed, digging through it and pulling out a glass bottle of Hennessy. My eyes popped as I studied the brown liquor. He shrugged, as if he’d just read my mind. “It’s five o’ clock somewhere.”
Placing the bottle on the tabletop, Theo reached for the hem of his shirt, tugging it over his head. A toned, slender set of abs was exposed. There was proof that he kept up with himself, worked out hard every day and perfected his routine. As he tossed the shirt aside, looking me straight in the eyes, I knew the bottle of brown would be necessary. I had never been alone with Theo like this, in the middle of the ocean, secluded and away from the crazy world we lived in.
While we were out at sea, it was like being on our own private island, with booze, music, and an overabundance of ogling and making out. I didn’t mind. I’d wanted this to happen for so long. Now that I had the chance, I wasn’t going to ruin it. Quite frankly, nothing could ruin or disturb us. I checked my cellphone and had absolutely no service. I suppose that was a good thing.
Theo poured us drinks on ice, but I started with a bottle of water from the fridge. On the deck, we played a game of chess and then a game of UNO at the table. I whooped him in UNO, but he killed me in chess. Three times.
His laughter was contagious, his aura welcoming. We sat across from each other, most times gazing into each other’s eyes, wondering what the other was thinking but other times truly having a good time—laughing, touching, grinning and all.
It was nearing four in the afternoon. We had all day, but I knew sooner or later, one of us would get tired of this boat thing and want to go back for some grub or even some sleep. We indulged in snacks—cheese crackers, honey buns, and potato chips—but it wouldn’t be enough for long.
Picking up my glass of cognac, I took a small sip. The liquid burned as it slid down my throat, but I continued to drink. I felt wonderful around Theo while sober, but with the benefit of this drink, I knew I would feel incredible. I drank until my short glass was empty, and when Theo came back down the stairs, he looked right at me.
He noticed something was different. Quickly, his brown eyes moved to the empty glass in front of me, and when he realized what had happened, his smile couldn’t be prevented.
“My naughty Knight,” he said, voice deep as he walked towards me. He stepped in front of me, still without a shirt. My eyes traveled down the length of his body, stopping right on the deep lines leading to his shorts. Reaching down, he gripped my hands and brought me to a stand. I didn’t dare stop him.
With stifled breath, I watched as he observed me, his hand gliding down my back, landing right on my plump ass. “I’ve been dying to know what’s beneath this dress.” His voice was low now. With ease, his fingers curled around the bottom of my white cover-up dress.