She threw her arms around him and he lifted her up so he could reach her mouth. She tasted like summer time and felt like a dream.
“Well, it’s been on my bucket list,” he confessed.
“What’s been on your bucket list?”
“I’ve never made love to someone on the water before,” he whispered in her ear. “Or fucked anyone. And I’d like to do both of those things tonight, if you’re up for it.”
“Always,” she said. “Tonight, you own me.”
And every night after, she admitted to herself.
********
“Fuck!”
Declan was pounding her mercilessly from behind in the small bedroom of the house boat. They had yet to leave the marina, instead choosing to christen every part of the boat with their need for one another.
“I’m gonna come,” he announced. “Inside you, Charlotte. I need to come deep inside you.”
She pressed her heels into the back of his muscled thighs and lifted her hips to meet his thrusts, “I need it too, baby. Please!”
“From behind,” he growled. “I want to look at your ass.”
He grabbed her hips and turned her over so that she was on all fours, leaning on her elbows as he continued to thrust into her very eager body.
“Yes!” she called to him. “You’re hitting me so deep!”
As he pistoned in and out he could feel the wave of pleasure traveling up his shaft.
“I’m coming,” he yelled. “Fuck, Charlotte. You’re making me come so hard!”
His scream was primal and deep as he released. Charlotte could barely take what his body was giving her. He was so large and so strong and she was still adjusting to the girth and size of him. She was constantly sore these days, but in the best possible way. And knowing she could make this man come so hard and with such intensity, made her feel more like a woman than anything else in her life ever had.
They were both panting as he slowed down. He ran his hands up her sweaty back and cupped one of her breasts, the nipple still hard.
“That was fucking amazing,” he said as he laid down beside her. “My heart is pounding. Feel it.” He took her hand and placed it on the left side of his chest. “You did that to me, Charlotte Sanders.”
She leaned over and kissed his mouth, “All I want is to make you feel good, Declan.”
He ran his hands through her hair, staring at her for a long moment.
“You make me feel good in every way,” he said. “I had no idea what we have is possible.”
She settled into the crook of him, laying her head on his chest.
“Me either,” she whispered.
********
That afternoon they were finally on their way, traveling slowly down the Intracoastal Waterway.
“So where are we going? And how did you learn to drive a boat?” Charlotte asked, leaning against Declan as he steered.
“I’ve grown up on boats,” he said. “My dad has always owned one and we spent a lot of time out on the water. Still do, when we can tolerate each other.” He smiled at her. “And where we’re going is a surprise. But it’s not far.”
Charlotte settled back on the bench seat on the stern. It was a beautiful Charleston afternoon. They waved at passing boats and water skiers. She couldn’t remember when she’d ever been happier.
“The main reason I decided to take you to this place,” Declan said from over his shoulder. “Is you’ll never see a better sunset than where we’re heading. You’ll remember it the rest of your life. And you’ll always remember you saw it with me.”
Charlotte’s heart swelled. She should have told him then, right then. That she loved him so much, that she couldn’t see herself ever feeling the way she did about him with anyone else. But she sensed it still wasn’t the right moment. It was on the tip of her tongue. He’d been able to tell her so easily, but that was the thing with Declan-everything was easy for him. But for Charlotte it was harder to articulate what she felt. She was still adjusting to the fact that this was happening at all with him. It scared her how happy she was. Being this happy made her nervous.
How could someone like Declan DeGraff ever understand that?
Nothing bad had ever happened to Declan that she knew of.
A breeze rustled through her hair as they sailed on. She was anxious to see what Declan had up his sleeve. She loved looking at the large homes they passed with their long piers and large live oaks with branches hanging over the water, Spanish moss swaying in the wind. This was the Charleston she loved so much.
“Almost there,” Declan said a little while later. “Have you heard of Capers Island?”
Charlotte shook her head, “Nope. Tell me about it.”
“Well, it’s one of the barrier islands. We’re going to explore it,” he said. “And I brought some food so we can have dinner out on the beach. And catch that sunset I was telling you about. You brought your bathing suit, right? Might want to change into it.”