LAKE CHAMPLAIN WAS A VERY BIG LAKE that stretched between New York and Vermont. Lots of little pine-covered islands dotted the water and I loved exploring these little bits of isolation. Spring had finally warmed to summer and the weather was perfect for getting out on the water. After knowing Sean for the past six months, I couldn’t deny that I liked him. He was a mystery though. Who was he? What was he really doing here? My instincts screamed run away! He was more than I could handle. But my heart beat faster every time I saw him. There was something sad in those serious blue eyes that intrigued me, made me want to dig deeper. My body reacted every time he was near. I arced towards him like iron to a magnet. I couldn’t resist his pull. I didn’t want to. But what should I do about it? I’d given this some thought and finally come up with a plan of attack. Let’s call it Plan C.
Today Sean and I were going off alone. It was the first time we would spend the day together without company. I begged him to take me out on his sailboat, Mystic, the minute I heard he had one. He’d made excuses for a month now, but I finally talked him into it. By the time I used all of my charm, he had no choice. The universe seemed to agree with my plan. His friends were out of town someplace and wouldn’t be around to chaperone. My friends didn’t dare ask to come with us. The weather was cooperating too. The sky was perfectly blue with a breeze. It was going to be hot today. I was counting on that.
The lake sparkled as we cut through the water. Domino was leaning into the breeze with her ears flapping gently. She was in Heaven. I scratched her between her shoulders, and she licked my face. Sean was focused on the view ahead of us. He seemed to be taking us into the open water. Oh, no, no, no. That would not work. We need to park.
He jumped when I came up behind him. “Sean, see that little cove? It’s so cute. Can we go check it out? Pretty please?” I batted my eyelashes for good measure.
“I thought we’d cruise a little further down the lake before we stopped anywhere.” His jaw seemed tight, tense. He forced a smile that didn’t erase the shadow of pain that lingered in his eyes.
I tried to pout, but it was hard to hold back the urge to laugh. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m sure.” He was looking straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact and gripping the wheel with white knuckles.
Fine. He could be that way. I was expecting this. I would have to play dirty to break him down. So I gave his hand a little squeeze and smiled with full firepower.
“Okay, you win, for now.”
I went to the front of the boat. He couldn’t avoid seeing me if he wanted to keep steering it. When I started peeling off my t-shirt, the boat lurched a bit. Probably it took me five full minutes to peel off my shirt and shorts. I did a lot of stretching afterwards. My bikini could not have been smaller. It was a simple suit. It was a deep purple with tiny little straps and push up cups. My breasts were doing their best to escape. There was no way he could miss them. I stretched out on a blanket and put in my earphones. The sun would shimmer off of the coconut oil I was slowly rubbing over my arms. I was wearing very dark sunglasses so I could watch him. Oh, he was definitely trying not to look. It was funny to see him struggling with the urge. What I didn’t get was why he was holding back. I could tell he liked me. He did everything he could to avoid getting close, though. I was breaking him down with relentless dedication. Today I was bringing out the big guns.
After a little while, I noticed the boat turn towards a secluded cove. I perked up. Was my plan working? I did my best to look sexy. I made sure he was looking before dragging my long hair across my shoulders. Our eyes met. His were bleak as he stared at me. I didn’t understand the expression, but smiled wickedly at the smell of victory.
After anchoring the boat, he hesitated for a minute, seemingly torn, and looked skyward. I held out my hands, and he took the first steps that would change my life forever.
Resigned, he reached out, and I tugged him to the deck. Oddly hesitant, he hovered above me while I leaned back on the blanket. His eyes searched mine. They were that shade of ocean that I wanted to drown in. He was trying to tell me something, but all I could see was infinity in those eyes. I wanted to follow him anywhere. He held my gaze, challenging me to break the connection. I couldn’t drop my eyes. I was suddenly very aware of a power in him I had only vaguely sensed before. A trickle of fear crawled between my shoulder blades. But it was far too late for second thoughts.
Sean was resting on his elbows above me. The hard muscle of his chest brushed against my breasts; his thighs pressed mine, until we were touching from head to toe. Every nerve in my body twitched, crying out for him. I wanted to run my hands over his bare shoulders, but I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed and hypnotized. The seconds dragged; the silence broken only by my heartbeat thudding in my ears. Still, he watched me, eyes on mine, as if he were trying to see into my soul.
My thoughts exploded like fireworks. Every memory, every thought I’d had about him raced through my head until I made a startling discovery—somewhere along the way, I’d fallen in love with him.
He stroked my lower lip with the pad of his thumb, those beautiful lips of his curling into the barest hint of a smile. Leaning close, he dragged his mouth over the shape of my face once, twice, and again, before whispering against my lips, “If I look into your heart, Mica, what will I find?”
Mesmerized, lost, I whispered, “You. Only you.”
His mouth came down on mine in a kiss that stopped my heart. A current passed through my lips to my toes. I vibrated with it, desperate to arch against him, needing to touch him, to sink into him, but I still couldn’t move. I lay in beautiful agony as his lips moved over mine, his tongue sweeping into my mouth, tasting, stroking, demanding a response. Tiny lights sparkled behind my eyes as a tidal wave of need crashed through me. I want more than kisses, more than this. I want everything he can give me. With a groan, he wrapped his arms around me, dragging me tightly against him, skin to skin, heart to heart. Every inch of me was pulsing with the need to move closer. My skin was too tight and too hot, raw and exposed. My heart was skipping beats, and I couldn’t quite catch my breath. The sensation turned to pain, and I moaned against his lips. He dragged his mouth away and laid his forehead against my shoulder, his breathing ragged, heart thumping. Raw power surged through him, and my instincts were screaming again, run, run! I was getting in way over my head here, but I didn’t have the will to move—didn’t want to move—I was shaking inside. He lifted his head, looking down at me, his expression somber, eyes dark with emotion. I felt naked and vulnerable. I lowered mine.
He pressed a soft kiss on each of my eyelids, murmuring, “It’s too late for that now, Mica. We’ve already crossed the line. I’ve seen what’s in your heart. There’s no reason to hide.”
I opened my eyes. The sun bathed him in a beautiful golden glow. This time when I tried to arch against him, my body obeyed. His mouth moved over my neck, nibbling, tasting my skin before slanting over my lips once more. The strange current passed through me again, a hot rush of power that curled my toes. This time, I didn’t fear it. I relished it. It was intoxicating as it sang through my veins, making me light and weightless. I wanted more. I wanted to float away in it. My fingers were digging into his back when everything went black.
“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”
My eyes popped open at once. I blinked in the sunlight, disoriented. Domino was stretched out on the blanket with me, regally surveying the shore. Sean hauled me upright with a gentle tug. I expected him to immediately step back like he usually did, but this time he didn’t. Instead, he held me at arms’ length, strong fingers entwined with mine, pressed to his heart.
“Regrets, Mica?” His eyes were unreadable in the bright light, but a tic jumped in his jaw.
“What did you do to me?”
“You’re avoiding the question.”
“So are you.”
Neither of us was willing to answer the question so we called a truce. The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur. We went
ashore on a quiet little island. I brought a picnic basket, and we sat and nibbled on the fruit and cheeses. There was a shy feeling between us now. I wanted to ask how he felt about the kiss on the boat, but I was afraid he might regret it. He asked if I had regrets. I did, but probably not the kind he was thinking about. I regretted . . . what exactly? That we didn’t go further? That I fell asleep somewhere along the way? That I didn’t tell him I loved him? That he didn’t tell me he loved me? If I was being honest, I would admit to all of the above. I should be freaked out, but I wasn’t. Deep down inside, I knew this was meant to be. No matter what happened now, I would not regret that strange intimacy I had with Sean.
The sun was getting lower across the water. We probably needed to head back, but I didn’t want this time to end. I must have looked disappointed because he came over to sit on the blanket. He pulled my back against his chest. Domino curled against his side, head resting on the top of his foot. We sat there in silence, but it was a comfortable one. He kissed the top of my head, and I felt hope for the first time in many months.
Chapter 6: Disclosure