Body Image (Body Heat Series Book 2) (7 page)

“
I
know
you said you’re scared of the water, but I think you’ll really like this. I swear.”

“I’m actually kind of excited.” That’s a damn lie. It’s all I can do to stop my knees from knocking as I stand on the dock. “I’ve never seen the Fourth of July fireworks from the water before.”

He readies the boat for boarding. “Just remember, I’ve been professionally trained at combat swimming and rescue by the United States government. So you have nothing to worry about.”

“I feel better already,” I say. He turns to me and reaches out his hand. I try to swallow and it’s like my mouth is filled with cotton.

He senses my hesitation. “Caroline, we can just stay here and watch the fireworks from the shore. It’s not a big deal.”

I don’t want to go on the boat, but I don’t want to disappoint him, either. He’s been so excited to show me his boat; it’s all he’s talked about all week. I take his hand and step on board.

“I want to go. I trust you.” He puts a hand on the small of my back and steers me to my seat at the front of the boat. I sink into the padded leather bench seat that’s as soft as butter. I groan in spite of myself.

“It’s pretty nice, isn’t it?” I can tell he’s proud of the restored wooden boat. And he should be - it’s a beauty. Mahogany decking, cream colored leather seating, and a small American flag flapping in the breeze at the stern. It looks like something James Bond would use to zip around the shores of Monaco after he stepped out of a Monte Carlo casino in a tux. I feel underdressed in my simple summer sheath.

“The guy who restored it was an amazing craftsman. It took him almost a year, but it was worth every penny. I feel like George Clooney when I motor around the bay in this bad boy.”

“George Clooney’s got nothing on you, babe,” I say as I lean in and kiss his cheek. He takes the wheel and we pull away from the dock, slowly heading for the middle of the bay. Lots of other boats are on the water and we stake our place out among them and drop the anchor.

It’s already twilight; it won’t be long until the sun slips all the way below the horizon and darkness sets in. He pulls a bottle of sparkling wine out of the on-board fridge, along with a selection of fruit, cheese, and a charcuterie platter.

“If that’s sopressata I’m going to do something very delicious to you tonight,” I tease.

“It is, and it’s fantastic. From that specialty meat market on Marx street.” He pops the cork off the sparkling wine and pours us each a generous glass.

“This beats lukewarm beer in red Solo cups, right?” He hands me a glass.

“It’s a nice change of pace. But I wouldn’t change a thing about last weekend.”

“Me either, beautiful.” He wraps his arm around my neck and pulls me in for a kiss. This is entirely more enjoyable than I expected. I’m relieved to discover I don’t get seasick; the gentle rolling motion is relaxing as we sit side by side.

“Do you ever go fishing out here?”

“Nah. I’ve never really been one for sitting still for all that long. I think I’d drive myself nuts. Plus, I’d need someone to bait the hooks for me.”

“What do you like to do for fun?”

“Besides work?” he asks.

“Work doesn’t count as fun,” I say.

“Even if I enjoy it?”

“Yes, even if you enjoy it.”

“So, what would you do if you didn’t have to work anymore. If you woke up and had won the lottery and never needed to work again.”

“I’d probably volunteer somewhere,” he says. “Maybe get more involved with the Boys and Girls Club in the city. I spent a lot of time there when I was a kid.”

“The kids would love you,” I say, “I’m sure of it.”

“Because I’m a big kid myself most of the time?”

“Maybe. Don’t get me wrong - you are a lot of fun. I just think you’d be more than just fun to those kids. You’d be an inspiration, with how you built yourself up from nothing and made your own place in this world. It’s good for people to see an example of success when they can’t really picture it for themselves. So maybe you should cut back on work a little and head downtown once a week for a few hours. You never know - maybe you’ll cultivate so many hobbies you won’t have enough free time.”

“You make it sound like I have nothing else going on.”

“No, babe,
you
make it sound like you have nothing else going on.”

“Well, I’ve always liked being outdoors. Hiking, exploring, anything like that. And I’ve always liked animals. I’ve wanted a dog since I was a little kid.”

“And what’s stopping you now?”

“It’s too much responsibility right now. My hours can get crazy and it wouldn’t be fair to leave some poor mutt home alone for hours at a time. It would be nice to have company when I go hiking, though.”

“I’d could probably be talked in to it. If you asked really nicely,” I say, bumping his shoulder with my own. “Where do you like to go?”

“Devil’s Rock. They have great trails and there’s hardly anyone around most of the time. You want to give it a shot? You don’t strike me as terribly outdoorsy.”

“A very astute observation. As long as there’s a defined end point and I don’t have to sleep outside, I should be fine. It actually sounds kind of nice.”

“Tell me, Caroline, what does an indoorsy girl do to stay occupied?”

“When I’m not at work or the gym? I like to read.” I nibble at the cheddar on my plate.

“What kind of books?”

“Just about anything . . . Thrillers, literary fiction, cozy mysteries, memoirs. It’s the perfect way to step into someone else’s shoes for a few hours every night.”

“You’re making me feel a little lowbrow right now.”

“Don’t worry, I binge watch plenty of Netflix. And watch movies so trashy they’d make your skin crawl.”

“What kind of trashy are we talking?”

“Your standard B horror movies.” I snuggle in a little closer to his side.

“So are you expecting Jason Voorhees to jump out of the water at any moment, hockey mask and all?”

“I sure as shit hope not.” But my mind is like a runaway train most of the time, and just the idea gives me the creeps. “You said this was Silver Lake, not Crystal Lake, right?”

He snakes an arm around my neck to tickle my shoulder and I jump a foot. We both laugh.

The first fireworks of the night erupt into the sky. He quickly spreads a quilt and pillows on the leather benches so we can lay back and take it all in. I rest my head on his chest and my hair fans out over his arm.

A giant shell erupts and the boom startles me as it reverberates through my chest. He wraps his arms around me and dips his head to kiss my cheek. The physical contact feels so damn good. His skin is warm and smells of soap. I can’t stop from wriggling against him, from rubbing my legs against his as I grind against his hip. He slides a hand down my side and cups my ass, pulling me against him even tighter.

I tilt my head up and his eager and searching lips descend on mine. He winds his fingers through my hair and holds me close, mashing his lips against mine. I give as good as I get: nibbling his lips and sucking on his tongue. He slides a hand inside my dress and hefts my breasts one at a time. He traces each nipple with the pad of his finger before gently tugging on them. I moan against his lips and feel his cock twitch in his shorts. We’re so into each other we totally miss the pyrotechnic grand finale. And I don’t care one Goddamned bit.

“
D
o
you need me to call the rescue ATV at the conservation station?” Caroline is lagging a few feet behind me as we hike up the hill and she looks spent.

“Very funny.” She manages a weak laugh. “I’d be better if I’d have remembered my allergy medication.” She lumbers over to a tree stump and sits. “And bug spray. I just need to take a little bit of a breather.”

It’s been a rough hike for my not-so-fond-of nature girl. We saw a snake right out of the gate. She was too tough and stubborn to turn around so we kept trekking on. We were about one mile in when she tripped over a tree root and fell flat on her face. She hit the ground so hard I was certain something was broken, but she just had the wind knocked out of her. I insisted on going back but she wouldn’t hear of it.

Something tells me things might be different now. Her pockets are stuffed with handfuls of used tissues and her eyes are red and swollen from the pollen. The welts from the mosquito bites aren’t helping either. She looks like she’s about to burst into tears at any moment. I’m a little in love with her stubbornness, but everyone has their breaking point.

“Theoretically, how fast could we get out of here?”

“Well, we’re about four miles into the 10 mile trail.” She looks like she might cry. “There aren’t really any shortcuts back, but we can turn around now and be back in an hour.” I extend my hand. She takes it and lifts herself to her feet.

“I guess buying new hiking boots was kind of a boneheaded move,” she says. I squat down and examine her ankles and see blisters the size of quarters.

“Oh babe.” I slide the small daypack off my back and resize it for her.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re going to wear the pack, and I’ll carry you piggyback. You can’t be walking in those boots anymore.”

“Okay, Captain America. But, seriously, what are you doing?”

I turn my back to her. “Step on that log and hop up. We’ll get going in no time.”

“I’m not going to make you carry me for miles in this heat.”

“You don’t have a choice. Either hop on my back or I’ll throw you over my shoulder like I did at Body Heat.”

“Well, I’d hate to have a repeat of that,” she says as she clambers onto my back.

“See,” I say as I take off back down the trail, “isn’t this better?”

“For me, yeah. Probably not for you.”

“Actually, it’s pretty good. You’re as light as a feather and you smell good.”

“It’s my deodorant. I put on about a pound of the stuff this morning. I hate sweating.”

“I bet this isn’t what you had in mind when you imagined me between your thighs,” I tease.

“I don’t think I’ve felt less sexy in my entire life, to be honest. I lost my mojo somewhere between the epic fall and the mosquito swarms.” She rests her head on my back.

“I still think you’re a sexy minx.”

“Ha. You must be pretty hard up for feminine attention, then.” She pauses. “Have you been with a lot of women, Bayne?”

“There have been some over the years. Nobody special. Nothing that would shock you in either direction, in terms of too many or too few.”

“Does it bother you that I haven’t been with anyone else?”

“Nope. Does it bother you?” I can feel her relax.

“No, I’d rather be really intimate with one person that kind of intimate with lots of different people. But, if I’ve only been with you, how do I know for sure that we’re sexually compatible?”

I can’t hold back a laugh.

“I’d say we did alright, based on the other night. Wouldn’t you?”

“It was a lot of fun. But I’m just getting started and there’s lots of other stuff I want to try. Are you going to be game for that?

“Am I going to be game for lots of crazy fun sex with you? Yes. I can answer with 100 percent certainty on that one.” Then I have a moment of panic. “Wait. What
other stuff
do you have in mind?”

“I think I might like it if you take charge and boss me around when we’re together. Only when we’re having sex - it would probably drive me crazy if you tried to boss me around outside of the bedroom. There are other things, too. I have a whole bucket list of things we would need to tackle.”

“Like what?”

“Pretty much every fun thing two adults can do with one another. I want to suck you off and have you shoot on my face. I want to jack you off between my tits. We could do some role playing. Maybe some anal play.”

We’re in the middle of the woods and I feel myself blush. She’s so frank and open about everything. It’s refreshing, but it will take a little getting used to.

“Tell me something you’ve always wanted to try that you haven’t done with anyone else yet.”

“Ahhhhhhh . . .” I pretend I have to dig deep to come up with something. In reality, I’ve had the same fantasy for years.

“You’re not fooling me,” she says. “Spill it.”

“I think it would be hot to have sex in a public place. Just the thrill of knowing anyone can stumble upon you at any time and you could be caught.”

“I love it,” she says. “Let’s add that to the list.”

She kisses the back of my neck and wraps her arms tightly around me.

“This is very chivalrous of you. I can’t wait to tell the ladies at work.”

“I’m a real prince all right.”

“Oh!” She points ahead. “Thank God! I see the conservation station. We’re almost back.”

“Wonderful,” I say. I ease her down as we approach the car. “I’m thinking you should choose our next date, in the interest of fairness.”

She giggles. “I’d be happy to. You know, there’s an old drive in movie theater about forty minutes away.”

“I’ve heard of that place. The Starlight, right?”

“Yeah. I was there a few years ago and it was fun. You get to enjoy nature without really having to be in it. Which I find to be a big plus right about now. You could pick me up at 6?”

“Sounds like a date to me.”