by Lori Power
“So we’re a couple of lucky ducks then.” She grinned. The warmth of her breath fanned his face over the couple of inches that separated them.
Whether he moved or she moved or they both did, he didn’t know, and he didn’t care because when their lips touched it was magic—tender with a large dose of instant passion.
****
Vivian’s lips parted to allow Tuck access, and he marched right in like he owned the place. Their mutual desire quickly intensified their carnal hunger for each other. Her fingers played with the lobe of his ear, while his hand caressed her hip. His other hand sought the back of her neck and pulled her close so she was locked in his embrace. He released her neck to caress her cheek.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured against her lips. Vivian’s heart drifted, lost in a tidal wave of glorious emotions. Tuck made her feel beautiful. She didn’t feel gangly or awkward around him. They fit naturally.
Tuck moved and suddenly she was under him, his weight on his elbows as he deepened the kiss. The electrifying passion soared as he nipped her lip, along her jaw, and to the very sensitive area below her ear.
Vivian sighed, tipping her head back. “That feels so good.”
Tuck lifted his head to stare deeply into her eyes, leaving her beret without his lips on her own. His eyes were darkened by desire that leapt to the surface. He was the spark that would make her burn with fiery embers.
“W…we, ah, we…should,” Tuck stammered, seeming at a loss of how to phrase his words. “I don’t normally do this. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”
Vivian’s fingers moved from his hair to his lips, shushing his words. She understood, he was concerned about stopping what they were starting. “I don’t do this either…ever, but tonight no talking. Tuck, you’re what I need, right now. You’re who I want.”
And he was perfect.
Watching the turn of emotions and pleasure cross his face, Vivian felt unaccountably in control. Wanton even as she undid the buttons of his shirt. She wanted him and she didn’t want him to doubt just how much. She slid her fingers inside his shirt to splay them along his muscular pecks, lightly tracing her fingers down his abdomen. He was sprinkled with a fine film of hair that matted over his nipples, joining to run down a line to his center hardness.
Tuck pulled her sweater over her head, then her long sleeved T-shirt, followed by a strappy camisole. When he reached her bra, he heaved a sigh. “Whew, I thought I’d never get through the layers.”
Only Tuck could pull off easy banter in the mist of passion, causing Vivian to giggle like a little girl. “Well, you did say to dress warm.”
“What was I thinking?” He bent to nibble the bared flesh above her lacy bra. “What was I thinking?”
“Stop thinking.” Vivian ran her fingers through his short, military-style hair. She arched her back, pushing her breasts closer to him, the heat in her own core making her determined and bold. A throb assaulted her lower limbs, licking its flames throughout her body. Wherever Tuck touched, she burned for more.
With a flick of his practiced hand, her breasts were freed from the confines of her bra. He ran his hands down her length, pausing to gaze at her as though he were savoring a buffet. She stared back, watching as he bent to lightly flick his tongue over her rosy buds. While his teeth nipped one erect nipple, his hand squeezed the other. Her hand cupped his, encouraging him.
“Take it in your mouth.” Her breath escaped her as she arched forward.
****
Tuck’s craving went wild for her. Never had he been with a woman who would tell him what she wanted. She threw her head back and her hands moved into his hair as her hips thrust to grind into him in the same rhythmic motion as the boat rocking gently on the waves. He wanted her now, but was enjoying the moment. As each passionate wave strung together, he wanted it to last, and didn’t want to rush their first night together.
Her eyes were luminous in the near darkness, reflecting the string of fairy lights that ran down the mast. Her hands moved from his hair, down the sides of his body, to his pants, undoing the buckle and zipper and sliding them off his narrow hips. Not to be outdone, Tuck encircled her hips and her jeans quickly followed his.
Clad only in gauzy panties and he sat back on his haunches to admire the vision. He savored the length of her spread like dinner on the patched quilt. Magnificence highlighted her fine lines. Her left knee raised slightly as her breast heaved. She stared at him as though he was her next meal and he was happy to comply. She looks rather tasty herself. Slowly removing her panties, he laid beside her. She took his manhood in her hands, running her thumb over the sensitive skin at the head, while her fingers increased and decreased pressure, running up and down its smooth length.
Tuck ran his hand over her abdomen, to the cleft between her thighs, gently nipping the sensitive skin between her legs. Her hands moved from him to cup her own breasts. She gazed at him intently, as if challenging him to continue. Her fingers skimmed her own body, sliding over her hips as she parted her legs, drawing herself open and allowing him full access.
As his tongue flicked and his fingers massaged the outside lips, her husky voice moaned his name. “Oh yes, Tuck.”
She raised her hips as he drank from her nectar. The vibrations of her shutter confirmed her heightened arousal. He nipped the inside of her thigh and continued across her abdomen, kissing and savoring ever inch until his lips embraced hers again. She tangled her hands in his hair, pulling him close. Her tongue dueled with his in the age-old combat of desire. His hand retraced the path down her body while her hand encircled his pulsating manhood.
He slipped his fingers inside her moist opening to the spongy inside pulsating with wanting. She cried out. “Ahhh.”
“Yes,” he said, submerged in the hunger her response ignited in him. The more responsive she was, the more enflamed he became. He could barely hold back as her lips moved down his body, taking his nipple between her teeth. It was his turn to pant when she took his length inside her mouth, sucking gently, swirling her tongue over the tip. “Ohmigod, Vivian. I can’t hold on.”
She glanced up and smiled like the cat with the canary, moving slowly over his abdomen until she claimed his lips.
Not to be outdone, he placed one hand behind her head and the other at the small of her back as he flipped her onto her back, running his hands down her sides. Vivian spread her hands across the blanket in welcoming. He knelt between her legs, holding her hips as he slipped into her depths.
From the first thrust it was an explosion of color and sensation unlike anything else. The water lapped against the side of the boat, rocking them. As one, they rocked in rhythm, glimmering with sweat their joint need sedated. Her passion pulsed around his shaft, drawing him home. She pulled him to her, wrapping her legs around him as they moved as one. He was building fast, losing control. He stared at her as she shattered around him, finally let go.
Tuck kissed her as she came back to reality, his mouth gentle on hers. Her gaze was like water running over moss in a small spring—clear and liquid. His own body, languid locked within hers in a fluidity of connection, was a new sensation for him. He didn’t want to think about this ever coming to an end. He just wanted to focus on the here and now.
Kissing her eyelids as they fluttered. “Welcome back.” He tenderly kissed her forehead, moving slightly so she rested in the crook of his arm. He pulled the edge of the blanket up to cover them as they lay in harmonic silence, watching the stars and enjoying the sensation of the gentle sway of the boat lulling them to sleep.
****
Tonight represented an entirely new experience. In no previous encounter had Vivian ever taken the lead as she had with Tuck. She had also never experience such an orgasm. Reveling in the wanton sensation, she delighted in the power it provided. She didn’t know what had come over her, but she had no remorse. With Mark she had been timid when they made love and she wasn’t as fulfilled as she felt right now. With Tuck everything w
as different. He was so natural and real, like she had already known him forever instead of a few days. She was herself with him. She wanted Tucker MacLean in her life, long term.
The sky changed from indigo to black as night descended over them, and the stars brightened with intensity. Vivian lay against Tuck, enjoying his warmth, and running her hands lightly over his chest. Words weren’t spoken, they weren’t necessary. This moment was beyond words.
His body shifted and he hardened against her, smiling. She turned and as his muscles tensed ever so slightly. Vivian mounted him, triumphant as he filled her. Lifting up and lowering down, she watched hunger fill his eyes. She bent to nip his neck and took his nipples in her mouth. She was in total control. When his hands cupped her breasts, she tilted her head back and gave into the pleasure he provided.
Rocking, moving, swaying, and gripping, she rode him like a stallion until his body tensed and convulsed, joining her release. “Yes.” Her breathy whisper crossed her kiss-swollen lips. This is what she wanted.
****
In early dawn, Tuck walked her back to the Inn. Holding her hand and content in her company, he watched the sky descend from darkness as the stars yawned out of sight. Though he hadn’t slept much, he wasn’t tired. Tuck could run a marathon.
He opened his mouth to tell her how much he had enjoyed their night together, and how much she had come to mean to him, but she shushed him with a finger over his lips.
“It is what it is,” Vivian said in her husky tone. “It was beautiful and I have no regrets. What about you?”
He dipped his head to kiss her lips in a gentle caress. “None,” he said, moving to hold possession of her mouth one more time, his tongue finding hers. His own voice filled with renewed desire as he paused to stare deep into her eyes. “I want to see you again.”
Her eyes were dazed with yearning. Vivian nodded before turning to walk inside the Inn. He held her hand, clasped in his own, one final second. Tuck brought their clasped hands to his lips, gently kissing the inside of her wrist.
When the door closed behind Vivian, Tuck feared he would never again be able to capture the depth of emotional connection he shared with Vivian last night. For the first time in his life he was optimistic that every night with her would be a new discovery.
Chapter Ten
Lynette, Tuck, Agnes, and Ethel all lined the hill leading to the open water as the tall ship set sail. The ship sported three beautiful masts, each with its sail fully furled. With everyone in their designated position, for those in love with the sea, the departure was a sight that never got tired. Randy took them into the harbor until they entered the open water, passing their farewell committee.
Randy checked the compass, and tapped his finger on various gadgets. He stood straight at the helm and saluted his wife as they passed. “A traditional sailor would frown, preferring wind power the whole voyage.” His strong hands wrapped around the wheel. “A smart sailor knows when to tact to the wind and when to use the motor to avoid perilous situations.”
Vivian leaned on the rail and lifted her hand in salute, gazing at Tuck from the growing distance. Her eyes widened when he laid his hand over his heart before waving goodbye. She blinked. Did I just see that or was that some trick of the sun on the water? Her own hand went to her chest.
They entered open water, and Tuck was now a speck in the distance. Randy called for his new sailors to take their positions. For the first while, a few of the team had trouble keeping their balance on deck, but by the end of the first day, they were all seasoned as they gained their sea legs. At least the real crew made the trainees feel confident. Truth be told, they were a nervous lot eager to prove their abilities. Randy and Nate had done their job well in getting everyone prepared. Vivian felt their first day was a success.
Clear skies and fair winds took the ship to the open sea so that by nightfall, even through the looking glass, land was now a memory. Sea birds no longer circled.
Vivian could read about this experience all she wanted, however, nothing would have prepared her for the complete and utter freedom the sea provided. The work was hard for someone who was not accustomed to the range of motion, but everyone continued to be encouraging. Howard seemed fascinated by navigating by the sky and stars, and who would have thought someone like Linda would enjoy rope tying. Vivian loved climbing the masts to tend to the sheets, otherwise known as the sails.
Making her way up the steep mast to the crow’s nest, suspended above the moving ocean and the wind whistling its tune as they zigged and zagged, tacking to the wind, Vivian thought she was truly flying. She could not imagine anything making her feel this exhilaration with a distinct sense of danger hovering on the edge. Sometimes the ship tilted so that one false step, she knew she would be overboard.
Nate waited by the mast as she slowly climbed down. “Oh, I think, you’ve got the bug,” he said compatibly.
“I think maybe.” Vivian agreed, nodding ascent. “I keep saying it, but it’s true. I just didn’t know what I was signing up for when I contacted you. I wanted a sense of adventure, but this is something…”
“Something else, I know. We grew up with the sea. Salt water runs in our veins, but every once and a while we see someone who come to the sea unexpectedly and you know what?” Nate spoke louder to be heard above the rising wind as they made their way to the mess for another of cook’s fabulous dinners. “They come back. And I suspect you will as well.”
“I wouldn’t mind.”
By the end of the second day, Vivian remembered Tuck’s weather forecast and was not concerned by the whistling wind or the overcast sky. “Tuck said we may get some unsettled weather,” she said, standing by Randy in the wheelhouse.
“Did he now?”
Vivian stared through the large window at the purple hued horizon, refusing to give anything away. If Tuck wanted his family to know about them, it was up to him to tell them. “Yes. I’m certainly glad I purchased this wooly sweater in town before we left.”
Randy snorted. “What’d they charge for that?”
Vivian inspected her heavy corded, beige sweater under her bright yellow slicker. She smiled. “Doesn’t matter, I’m warm and dry.”
“That’s the main thing.” He checked the ship’s instruments. “My Ma use to knit those types of sweaters for all us kids. Scandalous what they charge for them now.”
“Well, we tourists expect to pay a little more for some things.”
“As long as you feel it was worth it.”
“On a day like today…” She paused, gazing at the deck being sprayed by the salty ocean current. “For sure.”
Nate came up from below deck. “Bit of weather coming our way,” he said. “Ma says tropical storm in the gulf, but we should be able to stay out of its path. It’s headed farther out to sea so we’re gonna catch the tail as it heads away. Everyone okay with that?”
“Our mast monkey here already had the storm gist from Tuck.” Randy pointed a thumb in Vivian’s direction. “It’s okay though. She’s dressed to keep the chill from the blowing water off the bone.” He teased, gently shoving an elbow to her ribs.
“Tuck said not to be concerned, that it would breeze by us.” At Nate’s intense stare, Vivian continued with uncertainty. “He just said that this is what it is to be expected where everything is dependent on wind and weather. He reassured me the crew, being so excellent and all, would take care of us, and that you were all use to this kind of thing.”
Nate turned to his father, eyebrow raised. “Said all that did he?”
“Was he wrong to say anything?”
“Ah, no.” Randy said and shook his head, a smile on his thin lips. “Just surprises us. We didn’t know you had spent so much time with Tuck.”
Oh, shit. I said too much. Vivian started to back out of the wheelhouse.
Nate held up a hand. “Hey, now. You don’t have to leave.”
“Ah, it’s okay. I promised the ladies I’d play a game a crib with them this eveni
ng.”
****
Tuck monitored the weather on three large flat screens attached to the wall where he worked. “I don’t like the look of this, Ma.” Tuck pointed to one of the computer screens. “Look here.” He tapped the screen over a red swirl. “That tropical storm from the south has taken a sharp turn and is heading back in, and there, see the current.” He pointed to another screen where long blue lines filled the monitor. “That’s the cold air coming from the North, colliding with the warm Gulf Stream heading up to meet it.”
Tuck turned his head from the monitors to glance at his mother. She stared at the computer screen, shaking her head.
“You see here, that’s the tropical storm everyone focused on and rightly so. We had the Navigator change the course to avoid the brunt. They’d only feel the licks of the tail. All the reports said the storm would head further out to sea and peter out in the cold water.” Tuck illustrated by pointing to another spot on his digital map. “But if you check this warm Gulf Stream motion here, if the storm stays in its present course, after the hair-pin turn it took, you know what happens when warm meets the cold—they collide.”
His mother nodded. “I’ll radio the Navigator and let them know. Can you send them a picture of this?” His mother waved her hands at the mass of screens. “Tuck?”
“I’m doing it now,” he confirmed.
Tuck had a bad premonition swimming in the pit of his belly. He couldn’t shake it. The rain started about noon on the second day of the voyage. His father had sent through reports that although the wind was up, they hadn’t received the rain by that point. Tuck continued to watch the weather patterns and compared them to the log the Navigator had filed. No matter how he made adjustments and communicated back and forth to the Navigator, he just didn’t see how they were going to avoid some very rough sea. Goddamnit, I told Vivian all would be fine.
Heading back toward land at this point was not an option as that is where the majority of the activity of the storm lay, close along the coastal line. The crew was better off out to sea at this point by all estimations. However, with the gulf current changing he didn’t see where the ship could chart to avoid one or the other of the storms, and be lucky enough to avoid the inevitable collision of both. Growing up by the ocean, if there was one thing Tuck had learned about Mother Nature was that she loved a good fight and the collision of these two weather systems was going to be a doozy.
