Page 29 of Heart of Stone
I took a deep breath. The pungent smell that was uniquely coastal filled my nose. “This is the kind of day where I wonder how anyone can live in a place where you can’t see the ocean? How do people who live in the middle of the country, landlocked and miles away from the coast, stand it?”
“Don’t know.”
I grabbed his arm to stop him and circled around in front of him. “You’re mad about what I said.”
“No, I love being told I’m a loser. Especially coming from you.”
I smiled up at him. “Especially coming from me? So, what I say means something?”
“Stop. You know damn well it does, Street.”
I traced my fingers over the black ink I could see underneath the stretched white shirt. “Here’s the thing?—”
He sighed. “Here comes one of those infamous Street lectures?—”
“Fuck you, and that’s right, so listen. Your dad sucked. O.K. I didn’t need to state the obvious, but it’s my lead in. The one thing he did right was work hard. He was a good fisherman, and while that was the only thing about his entire existence that should have earned him a shred of respect, it’s a fact. But you guys, you’re all so much above him on the human chain that it’s like you aren’t even the same species. Hunter, don’t let him be above you on that. Evenif he is just a crappy, ugly memory, he doesn’t deserve to be thought of as a man who worked harder than his sons.”
Hunter gazed down at me with those brown eyes that could see right into my heart. I knew my words had reached him. His throat moved as he swallowed, almost as if he was swallowing back what I’d told him. “We should get going.”
I put my hands on his chest to stop him from moving forward.
“At this pace, I won’t have any light to work on the engine.”
“Good.” I pressed my body against his. “Do you have any gas in theDurango?”
“Some,” he said almost as a question. “What do you have in mind?”
I rubbed my hip against his fly and wasn’t disappointed to feel his cock hardening against me. “I was thinking, it’s such a nice day, it would be a shame to waste. You know that quiet little place on the side of the marina where we used to go when we wanted to?—”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me along to the marina. “I fucking missed you, my wild little Street Corner Girl.”
EIGHTEEN
AMY
It was only a ten minute journey to the small indent along the coast, a section of land that was so thick with trees no cars or bikes could travel through it. It was a deserted, overgrown coastal forest. As kids, we sometimes rowed to it and went exploring. I’d gone there many times with the brothers. It had been a great place to get away from our parents.
In that short stretch of time on the water, Hunter and I hadn’t been able to keep our hands off each other. He had to drive the boat, but he still managed to take off my shirt and jeans.
As warm as the day had been, it was still too wintry to be wearing just a bra and panties. I got up and grabbed a towel from the bench at the back of the pilot house.
Hunter looked over at me with disappointment as I pulled the towel around my shoulders. “What’s the point of taking off your clothes if you’re going to cover up?”
“It’s cold. I need to be smothered by my big, hunky boat captain. Then I won’t need the towel.”
“Aye aye, mate.” He maneuvered theDurangoto a quiet section of water, out of view of any nearby roads or houses. He shut off the engine. The motor for the anchor chain rumbled beneath the deck.
He spun his captain’s chair around. “You were saying something about the beautiful day?”
“I was.”
“Well, all right then.” He grabbed my hand and led me down the stairs to the deck. “Wait there.” He walked to the stern and came back with a giant green tarp. He shook it out and lowered it onto the deck. Then he reached up and yanked the towel from my shoulders. The ocean breeze tickled my naked skin. I felt deliciously exposed standing on the middle of the boat on the wide open sea in nothing but a pair of panties and a bra.
Hunter leaned back and squinted at me. “Hmm, something’s not right.”
I looked down at my scantily clad body. “What do you mean?”
“Oh . . . I know what the problem is. You’re not naked enough.” He reached behind me, and I nuzzled my face against his chest as he unclasped my bra. He dragged it off my shoulders. His thumb flicked over my hardened nipple. Instantly, I pushed my breast harder against his fingers. He teased my nipple as he reached down and pushed my panties to the ground.
