I listen and respond accordingly, while guiltily staring out at the boats gleaming in the blue water of the marina and the white gulls swooping through the sun-filled sky—a freedom my mother will likely never experience for herself again.
I want to tell her about Nick. I want to tell her that I’ve met someone special, someone who makes me happy. But our fifteen minutes have dwindled to less than five, and, besides, I know that’s a conversation that won’t be easy for her to hear. She’ll worry for me. She’ll need to be reassured that I’m safe with this man she doesn’t know. That I’m being careful.
As we say our goodbyes, I see Nick walking toward me across the dock. He’s carrying a plastic shopping bag with the marina’s logo on it in one hand and a couple bottles of water in the other hand. By the time I end my call, he’s striding up to me with an enigmatic grin on his face.
“What’s all this?” I ask.
He passes me the water. “Provisions.”
While I stare in confusion, he reaches into the bag and pulls out a sailor’s cap. The blue and white captain’s hat is made for a child, but Nick leans in to kiss me as he places it on my head. “Are you ready to go?”
“Ready to go where?”
Instead of answering, he starts walking up one of the docks. I hurry after him, watching as he approaches the prettiest vessel in the marina—a large, two-masted, teak-trimmed white sailboat named Icarus. Nick sets his shopping bag down on the deck and motions for me to join him.
I eye him warily. “You can’t be serious. Don’t tell me you just chartered this boat for us.”
“I didn’t.” His grin is positively boyish. “I own her. She was one of the first things I bought for myself once I could afford to be stupid with money. Come on aboard, Avery. Let’s go sailing.”
Chapter 29
For the rest of the day, my world consists of billowing white sails, crystalline blue water, balmy ocean air . . . and Nick, expertly mastering them all. After motoring out of the marina into Biscayne Bay, we raised the sails and headed south. I don’t know how many hours we’ve been sailing or even where we’ll end up.
Frankly, it doesn’t much matter to me.
With the breeze in my face and the sun warm on my skin, I’m in heaven. It doesn’t hurt that I’m sharing this little piece of bliss with a gorgeous man who looks like something out of a swashbuckling dream. Nick’s dark hair is tousled and wild as he stands shirtless and barefoot in the cockpit, his tan skin turning an even richer shade of bronze in the hours since we set sail.
For what isn’t the first time, he catches me staring at him. His answering grin is relaxed and carefree, and it does strange things to my heartbeat. “Ready to take the helm for a while?”
“Sure.” I step next to him in the cockpit, eager to pitch in. Although my grandfather taught me the basics of sailing, my skills are rusty and Nick’s boat is like nothing I’ve ever handled before. “What do I need to do?”
He moves in behind me at the wheel and points forward, his arm stretched out over my shoulder. The heat of his body, the sun-kissed scent of his skin, all conspire to make me dizzy with sensory overload. And he knows his effect on me, dammit.
“Just hold her steady,” he tells me, his hot breath tickling the shell of my ear. I feel his lips brush the tender skin below my earlobe as his low voice rumbles against my back. When I shudder with kindling arousal, he compounds my body’s reaction by pressing a soft kiss to the side of my neck. “Steady now, I said. A good first mate can take any distraction in stride.”
I smile and pivot a wry look at him. “I doubt most first mates have to deal with the kind of distractions I do.”
He arches a brow. “Complaining, Ms. Ross?”
“Hardly.”
“Good.” His mouth curves in an unrepentant smile. With gentle fingers, he turns my face forward. “Now, just keep our bow aimed at that buoy over there.”
I give him a cheeky salute. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
Barefoot and agile as a cat, he hops topside to trim the sails while I hold our course. I do my best to follow his instructions, but it’s damn hard to stare at a bobbing marker in the distance when Nick’s near-naked body and effortless athleticism are on full display. He manages the sails singlehandedly and with a level of skill that leaves me more than impressed. Not to mention, hopelessly turned on.
He returns, raking his scarred hand through his wind-blown hair as he hops into the cockpit. When I step back to give him the helm, he shakes his head.
“You keep her. The wind is steady and we’re on a straight course now. You’re doing great.” He gives my ass a firm squeeze as he leans around me and steals a kiss. “Besides, it’s my turn to watch you for a while.”