by Vivian Wood
Looking at his fierce expression, I’m unsure what I’ve unleashed in him, more beast than man. But at the same time, the ripples of my inner pond are growing in size, becoming chaotic.
It feels unbelievably good to move my hips in time with each thrust. I focus on that, letting my eyes drift closed, my fingers reaching for my own nipple. Gabe groans and pushes my hand aside, slipping his hand down between us.
He brushes my clit, the sensation like a live wire. I suddenly feel electrified, moaning and clutching at his shoulders. He punctuates each thrust by stroking my clit.
“Come for me,” he whispers, his words a plea and a command at once.
I clench my eyes shut, stretching, reaching for some unknown goal. “Gabe… I…”
I reach a sudden cliff, running up one side and launching myself off. That’s what coming feels like — falling down a deep, dark crevasse, seizing up, my whole body shaking and clamping down. Feeling a million tiny jolts of sensation overwhelming my entire system, all at once.
Gabe doesn’t need to ask if I climaxed. I open my eyes and keep my hips moving, trying desperately to breathe. He hammers his cock home at a blistering pace, his movements freezes as he approaches his own peak.
“God damn,” he whispers, pumping his hips madly. “Fuck, Luna, you’re making me come…”
Then he roars, thrusting hard and raggedly a half dozen times. I feel him coming, feel his semen fill me in hot pulses. I can only turn my lips up to his once more.
Chapter Twenty-One
Luna
I float up to consciousness when the first tendrils of sunlight, gray and unsure, land on my face. Blinking myself awake, I realize that I fell asleep here in Gabe’s bed. After we had sex multiple times, I lay against his chest and drowsed.
His big body was still warm. One of his arms was wrapped around me, making me feel so safe and secure…
I remember letting my eyelids drift closed and thinking to myself that if I ever do fall in love with a man and start a family, I want to experience this level of intimacy.
There’s nothing forced between Gabe and me. Just honesty… at least, when we are in this bedroom. It is clean and sweet, passionate and tender. Sometimes dark and raunchy.
But always, always truthful to who we are.
I must have fallen asleep while I was thinking about that, because here I am, hours later.
I turn my head and take in Gabe’s sleeping face. His dark hair is an absolute wreck. His proud brow bone and surprisingly graceful nose jut out. The sunlight has reached his face too, throwing it into profile. I trace my gaze across his angular cheekbones and to his full lips.
I blush a bit, remembering just what he used those lips for only hours ago. He is as passive and peaceful in his sleep as he is aggressive and moody when he’s awake.
A silent sigh on my lips, I lift Gabe’s arm. At first he resists me even though he’s asleep.
Then he stirs, his eyes opening just a slit. I roll away and sit up, very aware of my nudity in the early morning light. Grabbing my panties and my bra, I slip them on.
“Luna,” Gabe grunts.
I turn around, feeling strange. It’s weird to be naked in front of him, though I know that just hours ago we eagerly ripped each other’s clothing off.
“Yeah?” I ask. My voice comes out squeaky and nervous.
He smirks a little and turns over on his side. The cocky bastard, he’s still completely naked and unashamed.
Why can’t I be like that?
“When we make landfall later today, I want to show you something.”
My eyebrows rise partway. “Oh yeah?”
A dimple flashes in his cheek. “Yeah.”
He doesn’t seem to be interested in sharing any more than that. Gabe just starts getting up. I gather my clothes and sneak back to my bunk.
Just in time to get by Malkia, who is just leaving our room. She narrows her eyes at me, putting her tongue in her cheek.
But thankfully she doesn’t say anything at all. Malkia just pushes past me and goes into the hallway, disappearing into the stairwell that leads up to the main deck.
I hurry to my stuff, figuring that I can shower really quickly and then get a jumpstart on my day.
Hours later, when we’ve docked, I stand on the pier. After looking at nothing but wilderness the last few weeks, laying eyes on Juneau is actually pretty shocking. It’s no New York City or even Seattle, but it is a relatively bustling little port city.
To my left, marinas stretch for half a mile, boats bobbing gently in their docks. Directly in front of me, a small area of densely packed three and four story buildings forms the downtown area. All around that are smaller developments, houses and a freeway.
“Whoa,” I say.
“I know,” Malkia says, stepping close. “The best part of Juneau is actually that the clients are going to stay on shore for a couple of days. That means that the ship’s crew is free to do whatever they want.”
She stares at me, implying that she knows something about what her brother and I have been up to. I blush as red as a rose in the summer, but I still hold my head up high.
“Great,” I say. “Are we staying on land too?”
Malkia’s lips tip upward at the corners. “Yes. I’m spending all my time at the hotel’s spa.” She gives me an odd little smile. “Catch you later, Luna.”
I exhale, looking up at Juneau. I have this eerie feeling about the city, like it is a gem with so many facets waiting just for me to discover… if only I have the right loupe through which to see them.
I look back at the boat, spotting Gabe. He’s heading my way, a lightweight duffel thrown over his shoulder.
“Come on,” he says as he passes me. “We don’t have all day. Hurry.”
Raising my eyebrows, I follow him. “Will I need to bring anything?”
He keeps walking, pointing down the street to a waiting bus. “We have to catch that bus. Come on.”
He starts jogging, forcing me to nearly sprint to keep up. We reach the bus just as it is closing its doors.
Gabe bangs on the bus and we jump on, Gabe putting a five in the cash slot up front. We sit down on the mostly empty bus.
I look out at the landscape as the bus quickly leaves the city behind in favor of a more rural area. Mountains rise just behind us, majestic in their size and breadth?”
“Where are we going?” I ask, growing impatient.
Gabe points out the window as we pass a big black wood sign that reads Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Site. I scrunch up my face. “We’re visiting a glacier?”
His lips twist with humor. “I think that not telling you is driving you crazy. Taking a little control from you, too. I’ll tell you more when we get off the bus.”
We keep driving along the coastline, until Juneau recedes completely. It’s beautiful out here. Deep blue rivers, rich black soil, vivid green of the rolling hills. All against the looming mountain, the backdrop of this adventure.
When the bus stops and we get off at the visitor’s center, Gabe hurries me off down a well-worn path to our right. Following the black dirt path up a ways is harder than it looks.
“Thank god I wore sturdy shoes,” I mutter.
Gabe looks back at me. “I promise, it will be worth it. We just have to hurry.”
I’m not even sure why he is so obsessed with time… after all, it’s still plenty light out.
Trudging over the last little hill knocks the breath out of me. I look up and feel faintly surprised; there are the beginnings of the glacier, unmistakably blue against the white snow. I narrow my eyes and frown.
Gabe grabs me by the hand and urges me on down the path. “Come. We’re close.”
The path snakes downward then suddenly disappears. I follow Gabe around the path and into an opening in the ice. The path slithers through the gap.
“A cave?” I ask, my brows raising. As we step through, I can see something glowing bright blue just up ahead. I can hear water running and dri
pping.
What exactly is this place that he’s brought me to?
Gabe flashes me a smile. “Come on.”
He tugs me along by the hand, up the narrow path and around a corner. I stop in my tracks, my eyes widening.
All around me is the most perfect blue, caused by the sun slanting through the ice. It’s an odd aqua color, a hue I’ve never quite seen before. Frozen water forms the walls of the cave, as if some magic process just pressed pause while the water was in motion.
I look at Gabe, agog. “This is incredible!”
His answering grin heats me up inside, even though we are in a cave of nothing but ice. “Yeah?”
I nod, glancing around again. “Yes. I mean… this is all just…”
I wave a hand to indicate our surroundings. “Can we walk further?”
There is just a hint of a smirk on his face. “Sure. Lead the way.”
I meander through the space while I look up. Above my head, the ceiling arches, delicate and high. “This is amazing. How did you know about this place?”
His smile fades a bit. He shrugs his shoulders a little. “I came to visit it a few years ago with Malkia. She said that it would be a good place to bring a date.”
“Well, she was right. I can see why you were in a hurry to get here, too. The sunlight through the ice is incredible. If it wasn’t so cold in here, I would stay here indefinitely.”
One corner of his mouth turns up. He reaches out and puts his big arm around me, trying to give me some of his warmth. “Here. Is this any better?”
My cheeks flush as I smile up at him. “It’s a start.”
We keep walking, his arms around me. He nods to the glacier above. “There is a picture of my parents here before I was born. My dad was holding my mom on his shoulders, my mom reaching up toward the ceiling. Just two people, grinning like idiots.”
My eyebrows rise. So far, he hasn’t really talked that much about his family.
“Where did your parents live back before you were alive?” I ask.
“Uhh… I guess they moved down to Seattle from Anchorage at some point.” He huffs out a laugh. “They were so poor when they first got married that they lived off ramen and rice and peanut butter.”
“Whoa. That’s really poor.”
He smiles, looking up at the ice all around us. “Yeah. I complain a lot about how poor we were growing up, but I think that it’s nothing like where my parents came from. My dad tells stories about growing up with six brothers and sisters, all of them sleeping in a two bedroom shack with my grandparents.” He looks down, a muscle working along his jaw. “The stories are all bleak, about having to subsist off of very, very little.”
I bite my lip. It’s important that I tread very lightly here. “I’m guessing that you’ve been trying to outrun that kind of poverty for most of your life.”
He ducks his head. “Yeah. It has really been hit or miss with the family business the last few years. Michelle turned me onto the regatta a few years back, which would be life changing for our little company. The prize money, the contract with the yacht club…” He blows out a breath and shakes his head. “It will finally put some much needed stability into the business.”
My cheeks heat. I’ve heard Gabe talk about what winning the regatta means for the family company, but I don’t think I fully appreciated it until just now.
He really, really needs to win. Much more than Dr. Montgomery needs to look at Gabe’s course map, that’s for sure.
“Did your parents ever take you on a trip anywhere when you were a kid?” Gabe asks, casting an eye over me.
I suck in a deep breath, thinking. “Does it count if our nannies took us?”
His gaze hardens. “No, not really.”
“Then no, I guess. Although we had a yacht when were young… there were a couple summers I remember spending on the water.” Catching his eye, I flush. “I mean, nothing like your family spent time together. I was so young that I can barely remember anyway.”
He’s silent for a long moment. “It just occurred to me. You were rich in money but poor in family. I was just the opposite. It’s funny to think about. We were sort of the reflection of each other, I guess.”
I shoot him a smile. “Yeah, that’s true. Just because we are from very different backgrounds doesn’t really mean anything though.”
Gabe’s brow hunches. “Well, where you come from shapes your views on a lot of things.”
I shrug. “So does living your own life. We all have a history. We all live through our own hardships. Nothing worthwhile is easy, you know?”
He gives me a skeptical squint. “What would you say has been your biggest challenge, then? Getting into medical school?”
“Hah!” I chuckle. “No. Don’t get me wrong, I worked my butt off to get where I am… but I struggle to stay there.”
He pulls me to a stop, staring down at me. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that my health hasn’t been so great over the last year. It’s getting better now, but for a long time I had trouble even attending classes some days.”
That seems to shock him. “You were depressed?”
I give my head a little shake. “No. It was a physical problem.” I wrap my arms around myself, blowing out a breath. “Can we start walking back?”
He looks up, drawing my attention to the ceiling. The quality of the light has changed, indicating the sun has started to set.
“Yeah, sure.”
I break out of his hold, not wanting to be touched for a minute. He follows me silently, but his hulking figure is not one I can forget.
We get back to the mouth of the cave in a few minutes’ time.
“Are you ready to go back?” I ask him.
He nods. “Yeah.”
I turn to go, but he tugs at my hand. Looking back at him, I swallow tightly.
“I’m not sure what sort of mine field I’m in, talking about your troubles in school and stuff. But I’m sorry if I accidentally stepped on something sensitive.”
His expression is earnest. I give him the tiniest smile.
“It’s not you,” I tell him. “You just reminded me of how much stuff is waiting for me at home, that’s all.”
Gabe steps closer. I look up into his face, putting my hand on his arm.
“You can forget for a while, if you want.” He smiles a little sadly, then brushes hair back from my face. “I can help you forget.”
Pressing up onto my tiptoes, I brush my lips across his.
“Let’s get back to Juneau,” I suggest softly. “Everything else we can figure out from there.”
He pulls away from me and takes my hand, leading me out of the cave. I can’t help but wonder about his sad little smile as we walk up the path once again.
What is that look all about?
And what do I have to do to earn the right to know?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Gabe
In the middle of the night, I wake up to a muffled thud from above. I glance down to find Luna sleeping soundly still, her face beautiful and peaceful in the darkness. It makes my heart squeeze painfully for a second before I glance away.
Looking at the ceiling, I decide to wait for a minute.
Maybe I didn’t even hear anything at all. It could have been a noise that was a part of my dreams. I sink back, closing my eyes.
Thud thud thud.
Squinting up at the ceiling again I sigh. I get out of my bed and pull on my jeans and t-shirt, trying to be as quiet as possible. Ducking out into the hallway, I pad up the stairs. When I emerge onto the main deck it is silent and dark.
I don’t know who to expect. Maybe one of the crew is staying here rather than in the hotel onshore. Maybe someone from Juneau is trying to break into the boat.
I don’t know, but someone is awake up here and moving around. I can hear them as I carefully creep toward the back of the boat. Slipping around the side of the pilothouse, I wrinkle my nose.
Smoke
. And not just any old smoke either, but pot smoke. As I come around the tip of the pilothouse, I see Malkia and Carlos hunched over. When she sees me, Malkia straightens up and drops the butt of whatever they were just smoking into the sea.
Oh, fuck no. There is absolutely no way in hell that I’m going to let my sister get away with smoking pot on my boat.
“Malkia,” I growl, my fists bunching. Carlos notices me and pales.
“Hey,” she says. Playing it cool, when it is anything but cool. I didn’t know Malkia ever smoked pot. She and Carlos are both visibly high, leaning on the yacht’s railings to keep themselves up right.
My brain instantly jumps the shark, trying to think of what else she could be hiding from me. This is the same behavior that Michelle exhibited in the weeks before she killed herself.
“Captain—" Carlos starts. I give him a look that is so fiery that he actually holds up his hands.
“Leave,” I snap. “Go downstairs and sleep it off. And don’t think for one second that you are off the hook. I’ll deal with you later.”
Malkia eyes me defiantly. She waits until Carlos is gone then eyes me. “Pot is legal here, Gabriel.”
Wrapping my arms across my chest, I arch a brow. I’m so furious with her, I don’t even know where to start.
“When did you start doing drugs, Mal?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “For the sake of all that is holy, big brother. He offered me a hit; I took it. It was a simple enough exchange. Please do not start the whole ‘pot is a gateway drug’ thing, okay? That is better left in the 80s.”
I spear her with my gaze. “I swear to god, Mal. You’re so casual about this!”
She runs her tongue over her teeth and sighs. “That is because it is not some big life ending thing, Gabe. I feel stupid just talking about it with you.” She pauses, then meets my eye. “Not everyone and everything is life and death. I am not Michelle.”
Sucking in a deep breath, I take a couple of steps back. Fury envelops me.
“You know what, Mal? Don’t you dare bring her name into this.”
