by Abby Wood
After donning his rain gear, he climbed up the steps to the top deck and jumped down onto the dock. In quick order, he unwound the ropes securing the yacht in place and tossed them on board. Not trusting the slick dock, he stretched his leg across the span of the churning water to climb back on board the yacht.
“Mick! Stop!”
He turned his head, missed getting his foot on the ladder, and tumbled backward. He waved his arms in the air, searching for something to grab, but he came up empty. The water sucked him into its cold, dark abyss.
Weighed down in his clothes and rain gear, he fought to get his head above the surface. Gasping that first big lungful of air buoyed his spirits, and he swam the ten yards to where the yacht floated off on its own.
Chilled to the bone, his head pounded, his legs dragged, and it took all his strength to pull himself out of the water and heave himself onto the deck. He lay flat on his back, the rain splattering his face, and wondered if he had really heard Debbie’s voice.
“Mick!”
He rolled over onto his hands and knees and crawled closer to the railing. Pulling himself to his feet, he peered back at the dock. What the hell is she doing down here?
Debbie stood on the edge of the dock, holding her coat over her head. She used one hand to motion him back. His heart raced. Shit. He’d missed those long legs, the smile, her messy hair spread out on his pillow in the morning.
Mick limped into the covered area of the engine room, cranked the key, and gave the yacht enough gas to bring it closer to the dock. After shutting the engine off, he hurried back out on deck and picked up a coil of rope.
“Mick?” Debbie jumped up and down. “Can I talk with you? It’s important.”
He nodded. “Catch the rope and secure it to the dock.” Once he had thrown the rope to her, he walked along the rail to the opening. Waiting until she wound a figure eight around the dockside anchor with the rope, he soaked up everything about her.
Soaked to the skin, she stood on the dock with her clothes molded to her body. Those luscious breasts strained against her sweater. She chewed her bottom lip and frowned. He’d told her to leave. Why would she have come back?
She straightened and hurried over to stand beneath him. “Are you okay? I saw you go under. I was about ready to jump in and help, when I saw you climbing the ladder.” Her hand covered her heart. “God, Mick, I thought the waves had dragged you under the dock.”
“What do you want, Debbie?” He didn’t open an invitation for her to come on board. If he asked her up, he’d never be able to let her go. She wasn’t ready for a relationship. Not with him at least.
“I need to talk with you.” She swiped the rain off her face. “Can I come up? Get out of the rain?”
He nodded and held out his hand to help her up the slippery ladder. Pussy! Where is my control? I send her out of my life, and the first time she comes back looking at me with those sad blue eyes, I cave like an adolescent.
Chapter Eleven
Mick led the way down into the bedroom. Ignoring Debbie, he headed straight to the coffeemaker to pour himself a cup, in the hopes it would warm him up. After the shitty morning he’d had, he sure in the hell hadn’t needed that dip in the fucking Pacific Ocean.
“Shit, Mick. You need to get out of those clothes. You can hardly walk because you’re shaking so hard.” Debbie pulled the back of his raincoat off his shoulders.
“Coffee.” He pulled his arms free of the sleeves. “Need coffee.”
“I’ll pour you a cup. Get the rest of your clothes off, crawl into bed, and cover up.” She pushed him away from the pot. “What happened, anyway? Did you slip off the ladder?”
Mick peeled his shirt off. “No.” He worked the wet jeans and rain pants past his butt, sat down on the bed, and pulled them off his legs. “I heard you.”
“Oh shit.” She handed over a hot cup of coffee. “I’m sorry.” Debbie wrapped her arms around her waist. “I really am so sorry.”
“Turn that heater on there, will you?” He drank a sip from the mug. “Need to get warm.”
He closed his eyes and let the heat blow over his chilled body. Exhausted, he could barely talk, much less form an opinion about why Debbie would show up at the yacht.
A blanket landed over his shoulders, and he opened his eyes. She tucked the ends around him and lingered with her hand on his shoulders. His cock twitched. Half-drowned and Mickey couldn’t resist the soft touch of her hand.
“Mick?” Debbie sat down beside him. “I missed you.”
He glanced over and sighed. “I’ve missed you too, but that doesn’t change the fact that you aren’t ready to handle a relationship with an older man. No matter how much you think you are.”
Debbie’s chin dropped. “I know that.” She shook her head. “God, Mick, the last week has been the worst seven days of my life.” Slapping her leg, she scooted to face him better. “I realized that my problem wasn’t with the thought of my friends not liking you or our age difference. It wasn’t even about everyone judging our relationship. It was because of all my insecurities.” She tapped her chest and continued. “Mine.”
“I’ve never fit in with my friends. I love them to pieces, but our interests are totally different. For some strange reason, I thought once I found the love of my life, I would be accepted into the fold instead of standing outside the circle all the time when they go out on dates or bring their boyfriends along.” She snorted. “I’ve been so foolish. I learned that none of that matters. Losing you…”
“Tell me.”
“It made me miserable. Without you, I felt truly alone…like I had lost my best friend. You understand me, accept me, and love me.” Tears fell unchecked down her cheeks. “I love you, dammit, and I want you back. I want to take care of you, drive you insane, and make you laugh. Oh God, Mick, I want to laugh with you late into the night and have you hold me in your arms again.”
Mick stood up and set his empty mug in the sink. He stared at the faucet and kept his back to her. “I was your age when I fell in love—when I thought I fell in love with the perfect woman.” He shook his head and turned around. “She left me.” He paused. “It was bound to happen sooner or later, but I learned a valuable lesson.
He sat back down, gathered Debbie’s hand in his, and gazed into her eyes. “I promised myself that the next woman I fell in love with would be exactly the kind of woman I needed. The older I get, the pickier I find myself becoming. I know exactly what kind of woman I’m looking for.”
Debbie sniffed. “What kind of woman is that?”
“Young enough that she’ll trust me to take care of her. I want her to learn that together we can have everything we both dream about and she’ll never have to doubt my love. I’ve worked damn hard my whole life, and now that I have the freedom to enjoy the finer comforts, I want someone who is willing to live that life with me.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I want to cherish you, take care of you, and make sure you have everything in life that makes you feel loved and secure.”
Debbie bowed her head. He lifted her chin and kissed her lips. “I want you, Debbie Kordall. For the rest of my life, I want to love you, be loved by you.”
Sobs racked her body, and she leaned her head on Mick’s chest. He scooped her up, wet clothes and all, and held her close to his heart. “I love you, baby, and I am so sorry I didn’t let you talk to me. I almost lost you over my stupid stubbornness. Sometimes it scares me to death how much you mean to me, and I feel awful that I did the one thing I promised not to do—I let you down.”
“I love you too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head over for a kiss. “We both made mistakes, but we’re back where we belong. Together. That’s all that matters right now.”
* * *
The sun broke through the clouds, lighting up the surface of the water and warming Debbie’s skin. She stood at the bow with not a stitch of clothing on, peering into the distance. She belonged here.
“
Hey, gorgeous. What happened to your clothes?”
She spun around. Mick stepped up to the top deck wrapped in a blanket, his black and silver hair mussed up from his nap. He’d fallen right to sleep after making love to her earlier, and she hadn’t had the heart to wake him.
“Who needs clothes clear out here?” She curtsied and ran over to wrap her arms around his waist.
He captured her in his blanket and backed her up to the railing. “You didn’t sleep?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m too wound up. I can’t wait to start our life together. How perfect is it that the first place we go is Costa del Mar?”
He stroked her back in lazy circles. “Will you be okay not working at the preschool?”
“Yes.” She pulled back and gazed at him. “I had planned to go back and take the few classes that I need for my degree. This way I can get that done without adjusting around my work schedule.”
He kissed her. “Good. It never hurts to have a plan and further your education. I hope you know that I will support you in anything you want to do.”
She slipped out of his arms, stepped backward to the front of the yacht, and crooked her finger, motioning him to come with her. Smiling, she held out her hand. “I want your blanket.”
Mick didn’t take his eyes off her. She flapped the blanket in the breeze and spread it out on the deck. Lying down on top of it, she motioned for him to sit down. While he’d slept, she’d planned the perfect way to spend the afternoon out at sea.
Instead of joining her on the blanket, he turned and strolled to the other end of the boat. She sat up. Laughter threatened to burst out. He was up to something, and she loved his dirty ideas.
Returning to the bow of the boat, Mick held up a strand of thin cotton rope. “I promised to take care of you, and I fear you might roll off the yacht.” He lifted the corner of his mouth. “Assume the position, baby.”
She lay back down, raised her hands above her head, and waited. Giving complete control over to him was the easy part. The hard part came when she wanted to touch him and couldn’t.
Mick slipped her wrists inside the rope, tightened it, and stood back. “You’re my dream girl. I think I could stand back and gaze upon your body this whole trip.”
“You better not!” She pumped her hips in the air. “I need your touch, your heat, your cock.”
“I can do that.” He slipped between her legs and put his mouth on her pussy. He stroked her with his tongue, slow, long licks from anus to clit. She widened her legs and languished in the swirl of pleasure growing inside her body.
Although her hands were bound, nothing stopped her from lowering them but her desire to commit to her part in their lovemaking. She arched her back. His pinkie entered her anus. Fucking her with his tongue and finger, Mick fueled the fire burning inside her. She wanted him to take her, shove his cock deep inside her cunt.
“Mick.” Debbie wiggled her ass.
“Right here, baby.” He moved up her body and plunged into her wet pussy. “Damn, you’re wet.” He held himself above her on his arms. “Feels good.” He groaned. “Fucking great.”
“Harder, Mick, harder.” She planted her feet on the deck and tilted her pussy. His pelvic bone bumped her clit with each thrust, driving her wild. “Oh. Oh. Oh.”
“Come for me, baby.” His hips sped up. Back and forth, deeper and harder. “I want to”—he grunted—”feel you come.”
Debbie wrapped her legs around his hips, swung her bound hands up around his neck, lifted off the blanket, and plastered against him. She screamed out her orgasm. Her body squeezed him all over as spasms rocked deep inside her pussy.
“Fuck!” He lowered her to the blanket, rolled, and held her tight.
Debbie shuddered. Her pussy twitched in response to his hot squirts of cum. She and Mick matched perfectly, and she looked forward to having this kind of love for a long, long time.
Mick unbound her wrists and gave her a long, gentle kiss. “I should probably head us in the right direction, or we’ll never arrive in Costa del Mar.” He stood up and held out his hand. “Want to help drive this yacht?”
“You bet.” She jumped up.
An air-horn blast split the air. Mick stopped, and Debbie whirled around. Right beside them, not twenty feet away, a much bigger boat stood idle with an older couple standing at the railing, waving.
“Oh shit,” she whispered.
Mick pulled her to his side and waved back. “It turned out to be a beautiful day,” he yelled over to the other folks.
“Yes, it sure did,” the man yelled back. “Thanks for the show!”
His lady companion gave them a thumbs-up.
Debbie laughed and gazed up at Mick. She was too happy to worry about someone catching a glimpse of the beautiful love they shared or the fact they both stood out in the open with no clothes on. Taking Mick’s hand in hers, she bowed to the other couple.
Epilogue
“Twenty-nine.”
Mick’s groan filled the room, and Debbie snickered. “Come on, tough guy. You can do it. One more.”
“Thirty.”
He collapsed flat on the floor. His breath whooshed out. “Okay. Get off, baby. I’m done.”
Debbie climbed off her perch on Mick’s butt and flopped down on the bed. “You know, one of these days, I’ll have to start exercising with you. You totally kick ass at doing push-ups.”
A moan came from the floor. “Damn, I’m getting old.”
“Stop it! You’re not that old.” She grinned. “Only twice my age.”
“Smart-ass.” He gave her a kiss. “Thanks for sitting on me.”
“Anytime. That’s what I’m here for.” She sat back up at the sound of the clock dinging in the hallway. “Hurry, get dressed. It’s time for Mom and Dad to arrive.” She stood up and straightened her sundress. “Do I look okay?”
“You’re gorgeous, but they already know that.” He slipped his arms into the sleeves of his dress shirt. “Why are you so nervous? It’s only your parents. I should be the nervous one. They haven’t met me yet. I imagine your father will want to kill the old fart who seduced his young, innocent daughter. Never mind the news we have to break to them.”
She buttoned his shirt, but not before stealing a few belly rubs. The man had a serious six-pack going on. “You worry too much. They’re going to love you because I love you. It’s simple, really.”
“If you say so, baby.” He scoffed. “You do know where I keep the papers for my life insurance in case anything happens, right?”
She stepped past him and slapped his butt. “It’s so cute to see you worried about my parents, but trust me. You’re going to love them.” Stopping in the bedroom doorway, she glanced back. “It was really sweet of you to let them come spend the day with us. Thanks, Mick.”
“They’re family now. They’re welcome here anytime.” He tightened his tie.
The doorbell rang, and Debbie jumped. “It’s them!” She motioned for Mick to hurry. “Let’s open the door together.”
Mick snagged her back before she could open the door, kissed her, and reached for her hand. “Okay, I’m ready. Let your parents in.”
He stood behind Debbie with his hands on her shoulders, a smile on his face, and his stomach tied in knots. He probably should have skipped the push-ups and saved his strength for this meeting.
Debbie screamed and fell into her mom’s arms. Mick grinned into the smiling face peeking over Debbie’s shoulder. She had the same kind eyes as Debbie, and he instantly relaxed. It didn’t matter that she was around the same age as him. Her gaze said it all. She welcomed him into her daughter’s life and accepted their relationship.
“I’m so happy you and Dad finally came back home for a visit.” Debbie didn’t let go of her mom. “Where’s Dad?”
“He’s coming.” Evie Kordall peeled her daughter off and glanced behind herself. “He needed to stretch his legs after the long trip from the airport, but I couldn’t wait so I ran up to the door.
We didn’t even go home first. I was so anxious to see you.” She moved over to Mick. “I’m Debbie’s mom, Evie.”
“Mick Reed.” He shook her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you finally.”
“Daddy!”
Both Evie and Mick turned their heads toward the door. Debbie wrapped her arms around her father’s neck, and Mick’s jaw dropped open. That damn little minx had forgotten to tell him one very important detail about her parents.
“Mick, this is my dad, Frank Kordall.” She squeezed her dad’s arm. “Daddy, this is Mick.” Smiling up at her dad she added, “The man I married a couple of weeks ago.”
“What?” Evie squealed and rushed to hug her daughter again.
Frank Kordall, who had to be pushing eighty-five years old and was twice as old as his lovely wife, stepped over and shook Mick’s hand. “Congratulations, son. Welcome to the family.”
Mick squeezed the man’s hand and shook his head in disbelief. All this time and not once had Deb ever hinted at the age difference between her parents. This gave insight into why she had never had a second thought about the age gap between them. God, if he’d only known.
“It is so nice to meet you too, sir.” Mick held out his hand for his wife. “I’m sorry that we didn’t wait and plan a more normal wedding, but we wanted to make our relationship official.”
Frank waved off his explanation. “I’ve been in your shoes, Mick. You’ve got to get the girl while it’s hot and heavy.”
“Daddy!” Debbie groaned. “Too much information.”
“Oh, grow up, dear. Your father is right.” Evie put her arm around her husband and daughter. “Besides, I’m happy. It’s not every day I learn that my only child got married and get to meet my new son-in-law.”
“Let’s go into the living room and catch up. I’ll tell you all about Mick’s and my wedding day.” Debbie grabbed her mom’s hand and led her into the living room. “He took me down to Costa del Mar, and I fell in love with the place. Mick had this crazy idea to get married while we were there, and…”
