arms as she sighed. “The eggs have probably gone cold.”
I lifted her onto the counter, pulling her thighs around my waist and taking her mouth in a deep, erotic kiss.
“They haven’t, but they will.”
And then I proceeded to make love to her right there in the middle of the kitchen.
***
“Wear something warm today,” I told Rose after I re-cooked breakfast and we’d both eaten our fill.
She cast me a curious glance. “Why?”
“Because I’m taking you out on my boat.”
Her mouth fell open. “Your boat?”
I nodded, enjoying her surprise as I dried the dishes and put them away. “Yes. Remember the one I told you I worked on? I own it.”
“You never told me that!”
I smirked. “I’m telling you now.”
An hour or two later, we’d collected my car from where I’d left it outside the pub the night before, having been too drunk to drive home, and arrived at the harbour. It was a cool day, the air sharp and fresh. Salty sea air would always be something that reminded me of home.
“Is the fishing industry very big here?” Rose asked as we stepped aboard The Angela.
“It’s declined a lot in recent years. Things are tough at times, but the men still manage to make a living,” I answered as I led her to a spot near the front of the boat. I caught her elbow when she almost tripped over some netting, smiling because she seemed so out of her depth. Usually with us, I was the one who felt out of my comfort zone. It was a nice change to have the tables turned.
She glanced up at me with a sheepish grin. “I’ve never been on a boat before.”
I wrapped my arm around her waist as we started to move off, some of the men calling greetings to us. “In that case, try to focus on the horizon so as not to become seasick.”
She cast me a curious look. “Does that work?”
“Aye. It’s a steady point to counteract the constant motion.”
“Ah, right, that makes sense,” she said, and snuggled close to me. I was on cloud nine having her be so openly affectionate. All those weeks I’d spent pining after her, wishing I could touch her in any small way, suddenly felt like a lifetime ago. With Rose I always felt this instant level of comfort, like she’d always been there.
I soaked up her reactions, excitement mixed with nerves as we made our way out to sea. She was fascinated by the scenery and by being on the water. I relished every tiny intake of breath or gasp of surprise. After a while, Danny, one of the crewmen, came and asked Rose if she’d like to watch as they hauled in a trap. She nodded eagerly, and we went to the other side of the boat where the men were hard at work. Acting out of instinct, I pitched in, the whole time sensing Rose’s attention on me. When we finally had the trap on board, I stood back and let the crew take over.
Rose was quiet as I led her back to the spot where we’d been enjoying the view.
“Are you all right?” I asked, bending to place a kiss on her temple.
She nodded but didn’t speak for a long moment. “I’m fine, just feeling a little like I want to drag you inside and do some more of the things we’d been doing last night.”
“And this morning,” I added, grinning like a fool.
“There’s something strangely arousing about watching you work.”
“I’m not afraid of getting my hands dirty,” I teased quietly.
She laughed and shifted in my hold to ponder me curiously. “When did you buy this boat? More to the point, how does an ex-film star Oscar winner get into industrial fishing?”
I let out a small breath and stared at the water. “I was aimless for the first few months after I came to live with Gran. She had a friend who was a skipper. He had a large crew of men working for him and could always do with the extra help. Gran volunteered me, and at first I hated it, hated the men, the smell, the hard work. I never realised how pampered I was until I actually had to do a real job. After a few months, I started to appreciate the sense of achievement I got from the work. It hardened me, but not in a bad way. It made me appreciate the value of things. How the vast majority of people in the