Page 72 of The Second Chance in the Mediterranean
Seb started to step away, but I gripped his shirt and kept him in place.
“I didn’t even tell you the best part.”
Seb moved to the side, kissing his way down my neck and pressing us together harder. “What’s the best part?” he murmured.
“So, apparently, we can stay onThemistogether, as a team. If you want. To be with me, I mean.” I cleared my throat.
His lips twitched up. “I do want to be with you. Here onThemis.”
I licked my lips, my heart pounding in my chest. “Even if you stay on as a deckhand? I know you’ve really racked up your sea time onThemis,and you could have a better job, a bosun’s job, elsewhere. I don’t want you to resent me.”
“I won’t,” he promised. “Dom’s a great captain to work under, and I’d still be getting plenty of sailing opportunities to pad my CV.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “I’m still working on my goals. But I’m working on yours, too. A team, remember?”
“Yes, a team.” I nodded. “We are a team. Because I love you.”
Now his smile was full-blown, the corners of his eyes wrinkling. “I love you too, Marcella.”
My stomach fluttered as Seb pulled me close again, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and enjoyed a deep kiss.
When I had arrived in Tivat, so hopeful to start my new job, I never would have imagined this was possible. Here I stood, with a wonderful career, memories of exploring multiple countries, and the thing I hadn’t known I was missing—the support of a man like Seb.
The door cracked open behind me and a throat cleared. “Do I get to come in now?” Roy whispered.
Seb broke away, laughing, and I rolled my eyes. “Yes, come in, get a pastry.”
Instead of beelining for the platter, Roy wrapped me up in a hug. “I’m glad you are staying.” He let go of me and offered open arms to Seb, too. “I’m really glad you’re staying. Sounds like I’ll have a room to myself now.”
Seb tugged me toward the exit. “You got this, Roy?”
“Wait, what?” Roy’s face fell. “You don’t want a coffee? Pastry? Hey, Marcella, how long does the beef need to cook?!” The door slammed on his last word and Seb pulled me down the hall.
“Where are we going?”
He grinned wickedly at me. “Makeup sex, of course.”
Epilogue
Themiscutout along the wide-open ocean. We’d been sailing for nine days now since we’d left Gibraltar, bound for Antigua. There was nothing but blue all around: sky and sea, two halves of the whole world surrounding us.
Will and I were on the bridge deck just outside of Justin and Natasha’s room, doing some very basic yoga poses whileThemisrocked gently underneath us. I thought about the big ocean passage I’d done onEikand how exhausting it had been. This time, there were no watch obligations,Themiswas an incredibly smooth ride, and we had eight of us spread out over the ninety-meter ship. It was hard to feel stir-crazy when you had so much room, even on a small dot in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
We had fewer crew than normal, since we were sailingThemisacross an ocean. Some of the crew who were not staying on to next season were already gone. A few, like Roy, had opted to fly home for a break before flying to meet the boat in the Caribbean and begin the winter season.
“And into triangle pose,” Will intoned beside me. We slid our right hands down to the floor, but kept the left pressed against a chair we’d repurposed to help us hold our balance out on the sea. A modified triangle pose.
“And kick back,chaturanga dandasana...” I let go of the chair, planting my hand on the floor and sliding my leg back into a push-up position.Themisrolled a bit, but I was much more stable.
Will and I worked through our routine until we lay on the floor. I closed my eyes, and the boat swung one way then the other underneath me.
“Ah, my favorite pose.”
I peeked an eye open and found Seb watching me with a grin.
“It’s not your favorite pose.”
“Well, corpse pose is my favorite pose todo. But you are right: my favorite pose when you do yoga is anything where you bend over. Earmuffs, Will.”
My yoga buddy grunted. “Fuck off, Seb. Ask nicely and I’ll give you the entire room.”
