by Kate Tilney
Once the condom is on, he positions himself between us. I brace myself for him to thrust inside me, but instead, he pauses. He strokes the side of my body, cupping my breast in his hand. Groaning, he leans forward to capture the nipple in his mouth. I buckle up, already feeling the pangs of another orgasm from one touch.
He gives my other breast equal attention, while I trace the hard lines of his muscles with my fingertips. When at last I can’t take the torture he’s giving my body, I reach down and grab his long, hard cock and squeeze it. He grunts in approval.
“I need you inside of me,” I whisper into his ears.
Giving another groan, he releases my breast and slides up, lining himself at my entrance. He teases me with the tip running along my seam, still wet from him.
When at last he pushes inside of me, I cry out.
“God, you’re huge.” And hard.
He chuckles. “Careful, or you’ll build up my ego.”
“With a dick like that, you deserve an ego of equal proportion.”
After my body has grown accustomed to him, I throw a leg over his ass, urging him deeper. He hisses through his teeth, and my body comes alive knowing I’m giving him such pleasure.
We move against each other, with a few whispered words and stolen kisses. As I feel myself quicken around him, I cry out.
“Jesus, you’re tight.” With another grunt, he pushes inside me once more, finding his own pleasure.
We lie there wrapped in each other for I don’t know how long. But waves of sensation pulsate through me long after our lovemaking has stopped.
Eventually, Jonah reaches for his flannel shirt, which is hanging off the edge of the boat and drapes it over us. He pulls me closer to his chest and presses his lips to my forehead. My heart clutches at the sweetness of the gesture.
As I drift to sleep, I can’t help but think that the views aren’t the only part of Alaska I’d like to see and experience every day. I could spend every day in this man’s arms and be the happiest woman in the world.
6
JONAH
A few days later, we’re back at the pier in Anchorage. Lily and I spent just about every second of that time together. We hiked through the wilderness and mountains around the lodge. We worked on my boat. I even gave her another lesson in ax throwing until my blood pressure was too high for us to continue.
When my three days off came to an end, I asked Lily if she’d like to join me for another stint out on the water.
“Oh, I’d love nothing more,” she’d said, her hands rove up and down my chest in a lazy, lingering fashion. “But I already booked a three-day trip with a fishing excursion.”
While it had been tempting to beg her to postpone until I could go out with her, I hadn’t wanted to come off like a lovesick pup. Because that’s what I’ve become. A man in love, who doesn’t want to be away from his woman.
As we say our good-byes on the pier, I nearly say those three words. But telling a woman you love her before putting her on a boat-full of men seems like a defensive move. And my love for her isn’t a defense. No, it’s all-consuming and long-lasting. So when I tell her how I feel, I need the words to come with everything else. A proposal. A ring. She deserves all that.
Lily links her hands behind my neck and leans up on her toes to press her lips to mine. My hands move around her waist and settle at the top of her ass. Our mouths make love to each other. I don’t care that we have an audience. I want everyone to know she is my woman. Now and forever.
When we pull apart I beam down at her.
“I’ll meet you back here in three days?”
“You bet.” She gives me a light squeeze. “I’m sure I’ll have plenty of follow-up questions to ask you.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course, a journalist's job is never done.” Then her hands lower to give my ass a little pinch.
“Well, I look forward to my next interview.” I nuzzle the side of her neck. “Be careful.”
“Same to you.”
Then, we release our holds on each other. I hand her the overnight bag I carried for her. Standing still, I watch her up the gangplank. At the top, she turns to blow me a kiss. I catch it with one hand and press it to my heart. That sappy gesture earns me the brightest smile I’ve ever seen from my woman.
It also gets me a round of snickers from the guys on my crew who are watching every second.
Mark, my second in command, punches me in the shoulder, snapping me back to reality.
“Boss, I hate to say this, but you’ve got it bad.”
I shrug off the remark and his fist. “We’ve got a tour to start. Let’s load up.
Thirty minutes later, the boat is full and we’re out on the water. I’m not really in the mood to give the tour, so I send out one of my crew members while I take the helm in the control room.
While I’m there, I stare out at the water ahead and think some more about Lily and what life with her would be like. While she’s called Portland home for the past few years, she said she can do her job anywhere. I’m sure she’d still have to go out on assignments from time to time.
I don’t much care for the thought of her having to leave all the time. But that’s selfish thinking. I could never stand in the way of her job. Besides, I know she’ll always come back to me. Because even though we haven’t said the words, I know she loves me too.
I’m just starting to think about where we should set up a permanent home to raise the kids when a distress call comes in over the radio.
“This is Ships and Giggles. We’ve hit some debris and are taking on water.”
Ships and Giggles. My heart leaps into my throat. That’s the boat Lily is on right now. Hand shaky, I grab the transmitter and ask for the coordinates. I punch them into the GPS and change my direction. I also turn up the engine speed.
Mark gives me a curious look. “We’re going after it?”
“Lily is on that boat.”
He nods in understanding. “I’ll go tell the others. We’ll get the lifeboats ready.”
I don’t say anything. My sight is set on the horizon and what I have to do next. Whatever it takes, I will save Lily. And once I have her in my arms, I’m never letting go.
7
LILY
“We can’t take on much more water.”
The words from one of the crew members onboard the fishing ship sends a fresh wave of panic through me. About two hours from shore, we hit something. My first thought was an iceberg, but the captain says it was more likely trash dumped from another ship.
Whatever it was doesn’t matter. Despite every effort to clog the holes suddenly punched in the side, the water level below deck is rising with every minute. And from where I’m standing on the deck, I can see just how low we are in the water. If we sink even an inch or two more, we’ll be at sea level.
“What are we going to do?” I ask the captain.
He strokes his thick, salt and pepper beard. “In these kinds of situations, it’s usually best to try and stay aboard as long as you can.”
“There won’t be anything to stay aboard in another fifteen minutes.”
A gasp catches in my throat. “Then what? Is anyone coming?”
“I sent out a distress call. A couple of boats say they’re on their way, but . . .” The captain clears his throat. “We might need to abandon ship before they get here.”
Every part of me wants to scream. But panicking or freaking out right now won’t do anything to help the situation. It will only waste precious energy. I know that, but it doesn’t change the urge.
While the men argue about what to do next, their voices drown out as I ask myself one question: What would Jonah do?
First, he’d protect everyone on board. My eyes fly around the deck, past the men still fighting like little boys. I almost miss the stack of life jackets stacked in a pile under some seats. Going as quickly as I can, I reach for one of the preservers and pull it around my head, securing it with a buckle.
<
br /> As I pass out the rest to the remaining crew members, my brain flies through the other safety tips Jonah shared with me. I run through the list, but none of them seem like things I can do. The captain already made the distress call. The crew has already exhausted our options of plugging up the holes. And I’m pretty sure I heard one of them say the pump crapped out.
I have no idea where we are, which means I don’t know how far we are from land. Even if I did, I’m pretty sure the captain would have some pretty strong opinions about me beaching the boat.
More to keep myself busy than anything else, I pack up my small waterproof tote bag. While the few clothes I’d brought on board are down in my cabin, and likely a lost cause, I still have my phone, camera, and iPad. Though I’d be pretty bummed if I had to completely ditch these, I’m not willing to risk my life for them either.
Out of options, I direct my attention to the sea. Someone has to be coming for us. They have to. We can’t be so far from the coast that it would take much more time. The dread builds in my stomach, and my heart pounds in heavy thuds.
What if I never see Jonah again? What if I never get to tell him how I feel about him? What if we never get the future I could see so clearly in my head and my heart?
A single tear drips down my cheek. I’m raising a hand to wipe it away when I see something in the distance. Rubbing both of my eyes with the heels of my hands, I stare again and my breath catches.
“There’s a boat. Someone is coming for us!”
The crew’s arguments die as they turn to face me and the direction I’m pointing.
“Thank God!” the captain calls out as his radio cracks. He turns to it and shouts some boat lingo that doesn’t quite register. Besides, I’m too focused on the beautiful sight before me.
As soon as I’m off the boat, I’m calling Jonah and telling him everything that’s on my heart. While I would’ve rather done it in person, I know there isn’t a second to waste. Not in matters of love.
I’m gripping the railing and staring at the boat coming closer and closer when I realize I recognize it. My breath catches just as the captain nudges me.
“Miss, we have someone on the radio for you.”
My heart pounds in my ears as I take the walkie talkie. “Jonah?
There’s static, then. “Lily. Hold tight, honey. I’m coming for you.”
“I know you will. Jonah,” I take a deep breath, “I love you.”
There’s a pause and more static. “I love you, too. I’ll be right there.”
The next minutes seem to drag and fly as the whale watching boat draws closer. Three motorized rubber rafts drop into the water and inch closer to us. At the front of the crew, I see Jonah. Wearing a lifejacket of his own over one of his flannel shirts, his cap on his head. He’s never looked more in command or sexy.
And he loves me. He came for me.
When the boat is close enough, the fishing crew helps me over the railing. I feel no fear as I jump across several feet of open water and into my love’s arms.
He pulls me close, nearly squeezing the breath out of me as he peppers every inch of my face with kisses. When I’m able, I reach up to grab his chiseled jaw so I can meet his lips with my own. Our tongues collide in a passion I’ve never experienced before, but I’ll never live without again.
Everything around us disappears, but I’m vaguely aware of the rest of the fishing crew settling into our boat and the others. When at last we pull apart, Jonah gazes down into my eyes. I could live forever in the glow of loving shining from him.
“You realize, I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
I grin. “That’s good. Because I’m thinking a couple of articles for a travel magazine won’t be enough to capture all of the adventures here in Alaska. I might need to write a book.”
“And if you’re writing a book, you should probably just stay here.”
“Does forever sound long enough?”
He presses a firm kiss to my lips. “Forever is a good start.”
Epilogue
JONAH
one year later
From the back of the group, I watch Lily lead today’s tour. With a hand planted firmly over my mouth. It’s the only way she won’t see me laughing.
“To your left, we have a glacier. And just behind that, well, it’s another glacier.”
There’s a murmur of laughter from the tour group. A handful of guys in their early twenties raise their flasks and take a drink.
Beside me, Silas arches an eyebrow. “She seems to be having some vocabulary issues.”
“Just wait.”
We aren’t left waiting long. A moment later, not far away, a humpback whale surfaces, spouting air and water through its blowhole. As the crowd gasps, Lily claps her hands.
“Isn’t that a real treat. Getting to see all that whale snot.”
Again, the twenty-somethings raise their flasks in a toast. There’s also a louder ripple of laughter through the crowd. This time, I have to fake a cough to mask my chuckle. I shouldn’t laugh. But ever since she hit the third trimester, her pregnancy brain has gone into full effect. And, well, the results are pretty damn hilarious.
Not that our tour guests mind. They seem to find it charming, and word has gotten out. We’ve never been so booked. Not to mention this is the third day this week the twenty-something guys have been out here to play their drinking game.
Of course, I pulled them aside after I caught wind and told them they better not let Lily catch on to their game. Her emotions are already all over the place. I won’t stand for having her hurt over some dumb game. Though, I probably would’ve played the game in their shoes.
“Does she realize what he’s doing?” Silas asks.
“Probably on some level. But she insists she wants to keep leading the tours.”
Any time I’ve mentioned that she could scale back on work, she says we’re a partnership. And that she needs to pull her weight before going on maternity leave.
There’s no use fighting Lily on anything once she’s put her mind to something. I love that tenacious spirit of hers. I hope she passes it on to our son.
We watch the rest of the tour, and when it’s done—to thunderous applause—she takes an awkward bow and joins me. I wrap an arm around her and place my other hand on her belly. A surge of pride flows through me as I think about the life we’re making together.
“How’d it go?” she asks.
“You heard the applause.” I shoot Silas a warning look over her head. Shaking his head, he strolls away to check on his wife and baby. “I’d say you were a hit.”
“I had no idea I was so funny.”
I just give her a little squeeze.
“I’m glad I can cover these tours now.” She rubs a hand over her belly. “Once Jonah Jr. gets here, I’ll probably be out of commission for a bit.”
I narrow my eyes. “I thought we talked about the name Jonah.”
“We did. Party pooper.” She sighs. “Fortunately, there are plenty of other whale-themed names.”
“We’re not naming him Ahab.”
“What about Ishmael?”
“No way.” I’ll put my foot down over this till the end. I’m not putting our kid through a name he’ll hate his whole life.
“What about Moby?”
While that isn’t the worst, I just can’t get on board with it. “We’ll figure something out when the time comes.”
Then, before she can argue, I turn her toward me and raise her chin. As our lips meet, there aren’t any more words. There will be later in the years ahead of us. But we don’t need anymore right now.
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