by CF Frizzell
“Door’s shut, Retta.” She started down. “There’s lots to learn, you know, if you want to be a boating dog.” The door swung open and light flooded the narrow stairs. “Aha! Here’s Mom.”
“And here you two are,” Maggie said. “Did I hear Retta wants to be a boating dog?”
Retta cautiously maneuvered her way down and paused to receive the usual pats and praise. Then she basked in a cursory wipe-down, wiggling as Maggie ruffled paper towels across her head and torso.
“She’d take to boating like a champ, Maggie. She’s so damn smart, it’s scary.”
“That’s my best girl.” Retta curled around and licked Maggie’s chin. “Did you do your business or did you waste Ellis’s time playing bloodhound again?”
“Nope. Once we got off the wharf, she got to work.” Retta drew her paw away from Maggie’s wiping, and ventured off to explore. “She’s fine, Maggie. Thank you.”
“We’re not tracking water and dirt everywhere—especially after I just swept.”
“You what?” Maggie’s smirk dared Ellis to scold her.
“I did. Please leave your shoes right where you are.”
Ellis took them off promptly. The galley looked tidy again, first aid kit gone, dishes and pans washed, and two fresh drinks waited on the table. No one except Ellis had tended to things on the Rose in many years, but remarkably, this felt quite the opposite of invasive.
“Maggie Jordan isn’t one to sit idle, I see.”
“I hope you don’t mind. Besides, it’s the least I—”
“I don’t mind at all.” She picked up her drink and handed Maggie hers. “I’m really glad you feel at home here. And, honestly? I don’t think I’ve ever meant it more.”
“I love it when you say exactly what you’re thinking.” She placed her palm on Ellis’s cheek. “Being welcome here is all the more special to me because you mean it. I hope you’ll feel that way about a certain other home, and I mean it just as much.”
Maybe I will. Maybe sooner than later, if it means that much to you.
Maggie set a hand on her shoulder and leaned up to kiss her.
You know I’ll consider it, don’t you? You don’t need me to answer.
Instinctively, Ellis slid an arm around Maggie’s waist and drew her in. I need you closer. Body heat simmered through the thin scrub cotton between them, flared from Ellis’s chest to her thighs, and as she fit her lips to Maggie’s, she sensed combustion was imminent.
She grazed her tongue across Maggie’s, drew on her lips, and Ellis’s mind spun when Maggie indulged on hers. Maggie’s desire prompted such emotional release, Ellis lost all sense of space and time. There was only Maggie, her graceful curves and toned muscles fitted perfectly against her body, as content in their union as their lips. Enlightenment, refuge, deliverance, all merged in her mind, and in a flicker of clarity, Ellis saw Maggie as the place to be. Wherever she is?
“Ellis.” Maggie’s whisper tickled her cheek. “We need to put our drinks down.”
Ellis stepped back, took her hand, and led her to the bedroom at the bow. “In here,” she said and put both their glasses on the shelf over the bed. She flicked on a small lantern nearby, went to Maggie, filtered a hand through her disarrayed hair, and let the silky waves envelop her fingers. “A little unruly and so soft. The first time I saw you, I knew I could get lost in this.”
“And I remember the first time you took my breath away with these eyes.” She trailed a fingertip over Ellis’s eyebrow, around her ear, and linked her arms around her neck.
Ellis tugged her closer and kissed her as she drew Maggie down on top of her on the bed. Maggie fit against her so well this way, too, her slight weight just enough to press every arousal button that hadn’t been pressed in far too long. Her hair lolled down around Ellis’s face, shielding their kisses from the outside world, and Ellis reached for more.
She slid her hand beneath Maggie’s shirt, across the satiny skin to her shoulders, and squeezed slowly, deeply. Maggie offered an encouraging hum against her lips, and Ellis gathered the shirt in both hands, drew it over Maggie’s head, and tossed it aside. She rolled Maggie onto her back and ran her fingertips across a very pert nipple.
Maggie groaned and pulled at her shirt. “I want this off.”
Ellis rose to her knees, threw off her shirt, and her breath caught when Maggie’s delicate hands took possession of her breasts. Ellis cupped Maggie’s in return, buried her face between them, and kissed each one alternately.
“Mmm. Should I choose left or right?”
Maggie toyed with Ellis’s hair, clutched her head closer. “A captain with no sense of direction? Ohhh.” She writhed when Ellis nibbled her left nipple. “Oh, yes.”
Ellis massaged her right breast, tugged the nipple, teased with her tongue before nipping it, and Maggie hissed at the sensation. Her playfulness, her vocal and physical responses were delightful surprises, and Ellis reveled in the opportunity to please her. That, in itself, magnified her arousal, as if it needed help.
She pushed Maggie’s scrub pants down over her hips, and Maggie responded in kind. She yanked Ellis’s down over her ass and smoothed a palm over her left cheek.
“Oh, nice butt.”
“Show me yours.”
“Check it out yourself.”
Ellis gripped the bottom of Maggie’s pant legs and pulled them completely off, turning Maggie over in the process. “Oh, sweetness.” She hurried out of her own pants, knelt between Maggie’s legs, and flexed her hands into Maggie’s ass, made her moan into the pillow. Ellis kissed each cheek and then all the way up to the back of her neck. “I could do this for hours and hours.”
She slipped onto her side and Maggie leaned in, hair disheveled, cheeks flushed, the most beautiful invitation Ellis had ever received. Maggie kissed her deeply and ran a splayed hand the length of Ellis’s back, over her ribs to the side of her breast. Briefly, Ellis wondered if her own trembling nerves were noticeable. Their tongues collided, danced, and their kisses grew firm and hungry.
Ellis pulled Maggie’s thigh over her own, and Maggie hiked it higher, a welcome that Ellis acknowledged immediately. She squeezed her way across Maggie’s ass and reached between her legs, slid into a heated pool of readiness that made her swallow hard. She felt herself grow wetter.
Maggie broke their kiss to take a breath, and Ellis withdrew her fingers and urged Maggie to lie back. She shifted over her, lightly kissed her eyelids, nose, and mouth before lowering her head and scraping a nipple with her teeth. Maggie squirmed and gripped Ellis’s hand. Eager to move lower, Ellis licked her chest, stomach, and hip, and Maggie captured her within her legs.
Ellis kissed the inside of her thigh, nuzzled into her hair, and looked up when Maggie called her name on a sigh. Grazing a palm over Maggie’s abdomen, she absorbed the warmth all the way up to her breast. Such supple swells and lush valleys, all the more beautiful in her vulnerability, her honesty. Maggie squeezed her hand, eyes nearly closed, lips parted. A vision stolen from fantasy.
Ellis kissed her hair and slid her tongue the length of Maggie’s sex, lapped her till she quivered. An arm around Maggie’s hips, Ellis pressed deeper, sucked harder, and Maggie released Ellis’s hand to grab fistfuls of the comforter. Ellis stroked down along her side and slid two fingers inside her.
Maggie gasped, her body contorted as Ellis nursed at her clit and drove steadily in and out of her. Ellis nibbled and Maggie twitched. Thrusting deeper, Ellis tugged at her clit with her teeth, and Maggie arched hard off the bed.
“Ellis!” Maggie trembled. Her legs, locked around Ellis’s shoulders, hardened to steel. “Jesus, yes!”
Ellis pressed as far as she could reach inside, drew Maggie’s clit as deeply into her mouth as possible, and drove Maggie into a swift, blinding orgasm. Maggie’s racing heart pummeled at her fingertips, her lips and tongue, and Ellis watched as Maggie’s body shuddered, stiffened, and slowly relaxed.
She inched back, gingerly withdrew her fingers
, and rested her head on Maggie’s thigh.
“Ellis Chilton.” Maggie exhaled toward the ceiling. “You’re a force of nature.” She offered her arms and Ellis settled into them.
“And you’re magnificent.” She kissed each of Maggie’s lips. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s perfect. The captain’s not doubting herself, I hope, because I think she’s perfect, too.”
“Pleasing you means a lot to me.”
Maggie pulled her closer and kissed her hard. “You make sweet sincerity look awfully sexy on a rugged sailor. It still baffles me, why some lucky woman hasn’t snatched you up.”
Ellis chuckled. “I don’t know how lucky she’d be, Maggie. My heaping pile of baggage has stood in the way for years, and you’ve seen how that goes.”
“That’s right. You did disappear for two weeks. Hmm.” She fondled Ellis’s breast, plucked at a nipple, and Ellis shifted her hips to cope with the arousal. Maggie grinned. “I’d say we’ve pushed that baggage aside, wouldn’t you?”
With you, it feels that way, yes.
“Absolutely.”
Maggie urged Ellis onto her back. “You make me lose myself, forget myself. I’ve even forgotten the last time—God, see? Now, that’s embarrassing.”
“Tell me.”
“I’ll tell if you tell.” Maggie kissed her nose. “It’s been over a year for me, since Steph and I parted ways.” She draped a leg over Ellis’s hip and Ellis drew it higher until Maggie sat astride her. The heat and wetness on her abdomen made her blood race. Maggie leaned forward on her arms. “Your turn. Are you blushing?”
“What? No.”
“You are.” Maggie stroked her cheek. “God, you’re irresistible. So, tell me. How long?” She rubbed her nose along Ellis’s cheek, licked down her neck and whispered, “Trust me. Your artistry is phenomenal.”
“About two years. I don’t date much.”
“The limited dating pool on an island doesn’t help, I’m sure.” She sat up and combed her fingers through Ellis’s hair. The gentle touch tingled down Ellis’s neck to her shoulders, and when Maggie spoke against her lips, Ellis nearly trembled. “Oh, Captain, I consider myself very fortunate to make your acquaintance.”
Chapter Twenty
The aroma of warm cinnamon greeted Maggie as she climbed the back stairs, and she wondered when Laura had learned to bake. Retta romped into the kitchen ahead of her, and Maggie stopped, speechless at the sight of Rachel at the oven.
“Let’s see,” Rachel began, as she plated a pile of scones. “Six fifty-two on a Saturday morning. Who could that be coming home?”
“What are you doing?” Maggie wandered closer.
“We used to make these with Grandma, remember? Okay, they don’t look exactly like they used to, but—do not change the subject.”
Maggie ran both hands through her hair and closed her eyes. Ellis’s hands had done it much better, and she turned away and bit back a little smile. You came just as fast as I did, so hard, so completely. You can hold on like that every time.
Laura banged through the swinging door. “Let’s get the fruit—Oh, Maggie!” Her wide eyes scanned Maggie’s scrubs. “Oh, no! Were you in the hospital? Did something happen?” She wiped her hands nervously on her apron.
Rachel chortled. “Oh, something happened, all right.” She crossed her arms and leaned against the counter.
“Thank you both so much for stepping up. I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Late?” Rachel glanced at the clock. “Nah. We’re just putting out breakfast for twelve in six minutes, that’s all.”
“Maggie, the coffee station is all set, and I just put out the juices, the caddies of preserves and jams, and the cereal canisters. Rachel got the fruit trays ready, and I—”
Maggie gripped her shoulder. “Please breathe. Sounds like you guys have things under control. Just let me wash up and I’ll pitch in.” Rachel’s inquiring gaze followed when she turned to the sink. “You both…I love you guys. You’ve done an amazing job. Everything’s going to be fine. We just, well, we had an adventure last night.”
“Never heard it called that before.”
Maggie ignored her and dried her hands. “Retta took off at bedtime. She went all the way down to the docks and fell in.” Laura gasped and Rachel straightened off the counter. “Yeah. Such miserable weather, and the harbor was nasty. It was a fright I never want to experience again. She would have drowned if Ellis hadn’t swam out and saved her.”
“Oh, my God. The poor thing.” Laura hurried to Retta’s empty dish and filled it. Retta trotted in at the sound.
“She’s okay now?” Rachel asked.
“It took a while, but yes. She slept a lot.”
Rachel raised an eyebrow. “Where? You two on Ellis’s boat?” Maggie nodded, and opened the fridge for the fruit trays. “Ah. I guess that explains the scrubs.”
Maggie pivoted with a tray in each hand and Laura took them away. Knowing Rachel watched her every move, Maggie focused on starting muffins.
“I’d tell you that we were soaking wet, but you’d take that wrong.”
“Wrong? Tell me you two kissed and made up for lost time—all night.”
“It was just so late…”
“Of course. Too late to come home, even when breakfast prep begins at six o’clock. I get it.”
“I’m really sorry, Rach. I know you’re leaving this afternoon and I should have been here, should have let you sleep late. I-I overslept.”
Rachel pulled Maggie from the counter and hugged her. “Your hair’s a sight and the scrubs are too big and you’re glowing.” She squeezed her hard and whispered. “You didn’t sleep a wink and I’m thrilled for you.”
Maggie felt her cheeks flush. “She actually takes my breath away.”
“I’m guessing you stole hers, too.”
“Stop. My face is burning.”
“I forgive you for not calling. Sure, I could’ve done without Laura banging on my door in a panic at six a.m., but I understand.”
“You’re the best, you know.” She kissed Rachel’s cheek. “Poor Laura. She’s never had to use her key to get in. God knows what she thought.”
“And your car was here, but she got no response at the door to your suite, not even a bark from Retta. The lights were still on in your office and all of them in the common room. I think she thought you’d been abducted.”
“When Ellis called and said she’d found her, I just flew.”
“I was too buzzed to notice anything last night. Good thing for Laura I was upstairs this morning. Next time, she’ll catch on.”
“This won’t happen again, Rach. I can’t be irresponsible.”
“You know what I mean. Y’think this could become a ‘thing’ between you? Or do you dare?”
Maggie sighed and backhanded a loose wave off her forehead. If only the answer to Rachel’s question was automatic. But things weren’t that simple, not if Jill McGee arrived in three weeks with purchase papers to sign. Long-distance relationships generally sucked, so a simple summer fling did seem like the logical resolution. Since when did logic ever feel right?
What felt right was speaking from the heart, sharing in their affection for Retta, standing together in the rain, taking a mutual pride in this house…
What felt right were those powerful arms around her, the ardent kisses that left her weak and willing, the strong, magical fingers so deep inside. And she could still feel Ellis tremble, still taste her surrender. They’d claimed each other, come together, vigorously enough to bring a concerned Retta to the bedside. No, they hadn’t slept, just drifted through a dream, happily insatiable.
Maggie took a breath for composure. Just remembering their mutual orgasms started her heart racing all over again—until Rachel set a hand on her shoulder.
“Anything you want to talk about?”
Maggie forced a smile. “No, but I probably should.” She poured batter into muffin tins and slid them into the oven.
“Let’s do a late lunch downtown. My boat leaves at five thirty, so I’m spending my last day on the beach.”
“How about we head to the ferry early, like three, and hang out? You’d like Dell’s. And the steamship comes in right there, so no rushing required.”
“It’s a plan, but find a block of time to rest. If you’re going to figure out how to finish what you’ve started, you’ll need to grab some sleep.”
*****
Ellis finished screwing hinges on a three-foot-square board she’d attached to the step box. Retta needed a landing of sorts, a way on and off the Rose, and being lifted over the side each time just wasn’t practical. And it seemed likely that she and her mom would be visiting more often. Funny that you’re hoping for it.
She swung the board up and it sat on the gunwale, nicely level, and she hooked the attached chains to the box on the deck. “Goddog.” She grinned as she tested the arrangement, stepping up, then onto the little landing, and down the other side onto the pier. “Piece of cake, Retta.”
“Who’s Retta?” Tug Whitley asked.
Ellis hadn’t noticed his approach and now wished he’d leave her to her musing. “A chocolate Lab.”
“Ah. Pretty clever. You can fold that up and out of the way, huh?”
“Yeah.” Ellis walked back up, over, and down onto the deck, and unhooked the chains. When she hauled the step box aboard, the miniature landing folded flat against it. And no, you’re not invited. “I thought about buying ladders, but it was simpler to work with what I already had.”
“Cheaper, too. Pinchin’ pennies just like your old man.” Conversation with Tug was always tedious, and she definitely wasn’t in the mood to discuss money or her father. “So, I heard your saw running earlier and wondered what you were up to now. You thinking of taking on passengers? I know you scooped up that Tuck’r Inn cruise I couldn’t do.”
“You worried about competition?” She knew he was. There’s only one person I’d… She straightened abruptly and stared out at the harbor. Really? Would I?
