Page 34 of The Hitchhiker in Panama
“Is Jonas okay?” I whispered.
Eivind looked at his brother and sighed. He rested his chin on my shoulder. “My brother is a good captain, but anyone would have been stressed yesterday. And he worried about this mooring. It is not comfortable. Hopefully, he slept enough out here, but I doubt it.”
“Should we start making breakfast, or will that wake him up?”
“Mmm . . . I think not yet.” Eivind brought an arm around my waist, pressing our bodies closer together. We stood for a few moments, cuddling in the doorway ofEik.
Eivind was an award-winning snuggler, even standing up. On the stairs, I stood a little bit taller than him, and he could perfectly nuzzle the curve of my neck. I leaned back and tilted my head. Eivind took the invitation and pressed a soft kiss into my neck that sent butterflies fluttering in my belly.
And then he nipped my neck. I moaned. He inhaled sharply and we pressed into each other more, and his hardness pushed against me—
“Eivind, what are you—” Marcella called from below. “Oh shit! Sorry!”
Out of the corner of my eye, Jonas stirred and blinked awake.
Eivind huffed a breath of laughter and squeezed me close one more time before letting go.
“Time to make some breakfast.”
* * *
We motored through a river of chocolate milk. Our new advisor, Diego, had come on boardEikafter breakfast, and we had untied from the mooring and departed. We had several hours of motoring through Gatun Lake ahead of us before we would arrive at the second set of locks. Marcella and I played card games while Eivind drove the boat. He’d shooed Jonas down for a short nap while there was still time.
Diego was a quiet man, a contrast from the sociable Manny. He spent most of his time doing paperwork in the cockpit. After an hour or so Jonas came back up and took over again. Eivind sat down next to me, holding a book, his other arm behind me and his fingers absentmindedly stroking my shoulder.
Marcella and I had finished our game—I won—and I leaned back and tucked myself into Eivind’s side.
“Whatcha reading?” I tapped the open page of his book.
“I am trying to improve my English.” He showed me the cover—a young adult novel.
I looked up at him. “Your English is excellent.”
“Thank you.” He hugged my neck a little harder. “I feel comfortable talking, but I would like to read and write better. Have you read this one?”
I shook my head. “I enjoy young adult, but I prefer to read romance.”
“Mmm.” Eivind winked at me.
I smiled and let him go back to reading. I closed my eyes and drifted for a few minutes, listening to the hum of the engine and the sound ofEik’s wake.
I did have something I needed to do—book a hostel for the night. I grabbed my phone and pulled up some booking sites.
“Jonas, where exactly will you be dropping me off tonight?”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah, so I can book a bed.”
Jonas looked at Eivind, who listened closely. “Lila, stay here tonight. Stay as long as you want. You can save yourself some money.”
I looked at Eivind. “Are you okay with that?”
He squeezed me a bit closer. “Of course. We like you.”
“Thank you.” I kissed his cheek. “I appreciate it.”
“Besides,” he said. “You made me a promise . . .”
