Page 6 of Rum Sips and Salty Lips

“You don’t want to go out more?” Haley asks when Carina paddles back a minute later.

“No, you go. I’m fine on the boat.” Once again, she makes eye contact. This time she smiles. I’m not as opposed to her staying back since I get to be with her.

At the same time, I wish she would do more. I want to know her through the way she moves. She’s so strong and capable. But she’s hiding something, and it’s obvious to me. Everyone else appears to miss it. She’s not what I expected. It isn’t because I assumed wrong. It’s that no one sees what I’m seeing.

I can’t do anything about these feelings while we’re on a charter. But It’s a small town. I’ll run into her.

We could grab a drink at Paradise.

It’s clear Alex knows her. I don’t need him as a wingman. At least not yet. But if I’m at the bar enough…

“Can we jump off the front?” Jeannette asks, dragging my attention from Carina.

“The bow.” I run through the safety protocol in my head. The water is ten feet deep. No visible rocks. The current isn’t strong. Everyone swears they are fantastic swimmers. “Sure.”

“You should jump with us.” Jeannette lightly brushes my arm with her hand, giving me a flirtatious grin. Behind her, storms appear in Carina’s eyes.

“I would, but as captain I’m required to stay on the boat. Regulations.” It’s a lie. But it’s the best answer I’ve found for letting down a guest who wants more from me. Jeannette is pretty, but she’s not doing anything for me the way Carina is. “Nathan is more than welcome to.”

“Sure thing, Captain!” He practically leaps to the bow, where he holds Jeannette’s hand. They count to three and jump together. Haley records on a phone.

Everyone else takes their turn, except Carina. “It’s fun,” I tell her. “I’ll even jump with you.”

“What happened to regulations?” she asks. Her skin is warm as we stand side by side. As close as we can be without touching. I could shift and then know what she feels like against me.

“Sometimes the risk is worth it.” Her discerning gaze watches my expression. “But you got me there. Next time.”

I need to focus on settling in town before considering a relationship. There is something about Carina that makes me want to try. I want more than one night with her. I want to learn everything that makes her tick. Really see how far we can take this. But she’s a part of this town and now so am I. I can’t sail away if it goes wrong. I have to be sure. I’ve been sure so many times before. This time the risks are higher than they’ve ever been.

It’s late afternoon when I help her off at the dock. The sun still bright in the sky, but the radar tells me we’re about to be hit with a thunderstorm, and I see clouds forming in the distance. I hold her hand a second longer than is strictly necessary. I tell myself this is only the beginning. I won’t miss anything letting her go now. And I won’t mess this up by jumping into something at full speed like I have before.

“Thank you,” she says with a half smile I want to spread across her entire face. “It really was a beautiful day. And I owe you so much for imposing on your space.”

I didn’t mind her as much as I thought I would. “Next trip,” I answer with a wink.

She shakes her head, but her smile grows when she turns to walk down the dock.

Later that night,as I’m cleaning up the galley after dinner, I find a phone tucked between the cushions of the couch. Thebeach on the lock screen doesn’t help me identify the owner. I grab my phone to send Carina an email.

“Orion?” The sound of her voice from the boat steps startles me so much I almost drop both devices.

“Fuck,” I mutter, hopefully not too loudly. I turn to face her, so happy she was summoned by my thoughts.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to… I shouldn’t have… I’m so sorry.” She starts to step back like she’ll leave before accomplishing whatever she came here for. She’s wearing leggings and a different tank top. The faintest sheen of sweat covers her skin.

“It’s fine. I just didn’t expect you.” I hold out the phone. “This yours?”

“Yes. I can’t believe I left it behind. It got passed around so much, I didn’t even notice.” She takes it with her brows scrunched like she expects judgment out of me for the simple mistake and taps away at the notifications.

“No problem,” I say in the silence that follows. “I was about to email you.”

She holds it to her chest and looks at me, giving me her full attention the way I’ve begun to crave. The lights are dim in the boat. She was beautiful in the sun, but she is radiant in the low light of this space that means so much to me.

“Thank you. I really appreciate it. And again, you were great today.” She moves to leave. I wish she’d move to touch me. “I’ll see you around.”

“Do you want to stay for a drink?” I felt a connection with her earlier. We were flirty. I’ll be around her again. But I’m desperate to not waste this opportunity. “Or did you drive?”

She bites her lip, looking around. She doesn’t appear hesitant. Only calculating. She smiles. “I walked. A drink would be amazing.”

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