sit in silence, just enjoying the day, eventually the lull of the waves and the gentle motion of the beast of a boat rock me to sleep.
I wake later to see the sun setting in the sky. Michael stands when he sees that I’m awake. “Hey, sleepyhead,” he whispers the words.
As I allow him to pull me to my feet, we hit a heavy wave, causing the boat to rock and me to lose my balance. Michael catches me with ease as I fall into his arms. Once I’ve regained my balance, he doesn’t let go. Instead, he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into him, my chest aligned with his. “What . . . what are we doing?”
“Well, I would like to say we’re dancing,” he replies.
“But there’s no music,” I counter.
He’s already shaking his head. “We don’t need it.”
“I can’t dance without music,” I try again. It’s my nerves talking. I should just shut up and enjoy having his arms wrapped around me.
“Damn it, woman. I just needed an excuse to have you in my arms, but if it’s music you want . . .” He begins to hum a tune I’m not familiar with, but it doesn’t dampen the moment. This is by far the most romantic thing that’s ever happened to me. During this trip, since I’ve met Michael, I’ve had more romance in my life than I have ever had before. How pathetic is that?
“Hey, you two, dinner’s ready!” Stacy yells over the railing of the upper deck.
Michael halts his humming and his movement. Leaning down, he places a soft kiss against my forehead. He says nothing more as he places his hand on the small of my back and once again leads me up the stairs.
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“Michael, this was so much fun!” Stacy says for the third time. Who would have thought that being at the helm of a boat would make such an impression on her?
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. What about you?” He glances over at me, before turning his eyes back to the road.
“It was a great day. I was worried with Lynn driving, but we made it back to land safely,” I tease. She reaches to the front of his Jeep and smacks my arm.
“Hey, we were never in any danger,” she scoffs.
Looking back at her, I grin. This causes her to stick her tongue out at me.
Michael pulls into our driveway and turns off the engine. Stacy is out of the car and walking toward the house, leaving the two of us alone. Taking off his seat belt, he turns in his seat to face me. Self-conscious with his eyes on me, I reach up and try to smooth away my windblown hair. Reaching over, he grabs my hand and brings it to his lips. The other takes over the job of smoothing my hair, tucking a few pieces behind my ear. It’s much more intimate when he does it.
“I enjoyed spending the day with you,” he tells me, those blue eyes never leaving mine.
“I had a great time, thank you for inviting us.” I remember my manners.
“It was my pleasure, thank you for coming along. It would not have been the same without you there.”
“Your eyes are . . . beautiful,” I blurt out. I cringe, knowing he’s going to hate being called beautiful. I can’t believe I let that slip. At least I spoke the truth.
Leaning his body toward me, he murmurs, “Beautiful, you say? Maybe you should get a closer look.” He leans in a little further. My body betrays me and leans forward as well.
We’re close, so close that I can feel his breath against my lips. “It’s dark. I can’t see,” I say stupidly. I know he knows that and is using it as an excuse to get closer. Gah! I’m such a dork. I don’t know how to act.
“Doesn’t matter, Paige. All that matters is that your lips connect with mine, sooner rather than later.”
“But I . . .”
“Can I kiss you, Paige?” He traces my bottom lip with his thumb. “Can I taste these soft lips? I need to know how they feel against mine.”
He doesn’t wait for me to answer before closing the distance and pressing his lips where his finger just traced. My heart jolts, and there’s a heavy rise and fall of my chest just from his touch. Michael growls and his tongue slips past my lips. His tongue dances with mine as our