Page 85 of My Lucky Star
“Of course not, but it’s still not mine, so don’t ask me if it’s any good. My mom comes here to read. Or to hide from dad and us, I’m not sure.” Leaving the bags by the hull stairs, I led us through the boat to the kitchen and dining area, flicking on a small light. The kitchen gave to the ocean side, extending out to a deck shielded by the neighboring yacht. Nobody would see us if we spent time on that side, even during the day.
The cupboards were bare, but I found a bottle of champagne in the fridge. “Sorry, there’s no food until Tarik comes back, but we can always start with this.”
Aria sat at the dining table, leaning her elbows against it. The full moon behind the angled windows gave her a silvery silhouette. “Sure. Although my head’s already spinning. Must be the jet lag.”
“Must be.” I poured two glasses. “My head’s been spinning since I met you, but I’ve also had non-stop jet lag, so it’s hard to say.” I kept my smile cheeky, despite everything welling inside.
“Ah, that’s a shame, isn’t it? It would have been quite romantic, otherwise. I’ve never made anyone’s head spin.”
She was joking in her usual style, but I couldn’t help the burst of emotion fighting out of me. I handed her the champagne glass and sat across the table. How could I make her see? “You make me dizzy all the time, Aria. Maybe that’s why I had to bring you here. I can’t stand sharing you with the world, with Emir and his plans... my family, the paparazzi... Can we forget about them all? Can we pretend I brought you to Istanbul just to be with me?”
I pushed my glass to the side and grabbed her hands across the table.
Her smile was tinged with pain. “Oh God, Cem. What are you doing to me?”
“What am I doing to you?”
“You’re seducing me, and it’s not fair. You’re making me feel things I can’t afford to feel.”
“Why not? We don’t have to break each other’s hearts. Not really.” I needed her to believe me, to help me believe my own words.
“Cem. We’re hiding on your boat to even be together. These are stolen moments.” She tilted her head, her eyes welling. “Don’t get me wrong, I love being with you. I can’t resist you but don’t give me false hope. I can’t handle it.”
A teardrop in the corner of her eye caught moonlight and my chest contracted. I let her take another swig of her champagne before I pulled her up to stand and held her close, moving us a couple of steps so I could reach the remote control for the sound system. I flipped through radio stations until I found a mellow song, keeping the volume so low it wouldn’t be heard from the outside. I swayed us to the music, gently leading us right under the angled window and the starry sky behind it.
“Have you noticed?” I asked.
“Noticed what?”
“That we had sex and I’m not losing interest in you. In fact, I’ve never wanted you more.”
She pulled away to look at me, her eyes comically huge. “Allah, Allah!There’s not enough evidence. Wanting more sex doesn’t prove anything.”
“What does?”
She made a small, sad sound. “I don’t know.”
“I’ll bring you the proof. You’ll see.” I bent down to taste her lips. I wouldn’t go any further, I promised myself, not until she told me what I needed to hear. That we did have a future, one that we could claim. Somewhere, beyond all the chaos surrounding us, she’d be mine.
She matched my hunger with fire, dipping her head back as her tongue met mine. I momentarily forgot my 2-second-old promise and lifted her onto the edge of the table, leaning against her. A ragged moan released from her mouth, harmonizing with my own guttural sounds. I couldn’t control myself around her, and that’s why I really shouldn’t have made any promises. My hands were getting ahead of my brain, and her shower-fresh scent, mixed with something not-so-innocent, probably releasing from both of our skins, already had me achingly hard.
She shifted against my cock and smiled. Victorious. Teasing. Losing the last of my cool, I ripped off her T-shirt. Its seam gave a tearing sound.
“Are you going to destroy all my clothes?” she asked, panting.
I shut her up with my mouth, our tongues now dancing like our feet had, too close and desperate to properly move. I didn’t want any distance between us. My mouth trailed down her neck and reached her bra. Another simple cotton piece. Before I could decide what to do with it, she unhooked it from the back and tossed it to the floor. “It’s my last one. No caveman moves, please.”
I smiled, finding the perfect peaks of her breasts, sucking and licking like she was an ice cream melting in the sun. She moaned, opening her knees wider, and I touched her. I thought I was teasing her, but it was likely the other way around.
“I want you, Cem. Now, please.”
“Aria,” I whispered, gathering what was left of my resolve. “I’m desperate for you, but I need you to say it.”
