Chapter 5
Emmett
“Delaware,” Brody lets out a sigh as he says the word. “We have to stop so I can grab a few things.” He leans against the kitchen counter, his eyes jumping between me, Miles, and Georgia. “It shouldn’t take long. Maybe the afternoon.”
“Okay,” Miles says, raking his fingers through his dark hair. “I guess I’ll go with you to grab those supplies. Emmett and Georgia can just stay here?”
Brody’s face flickers with emotion, and I expect him to argue, but he doesn’t. In fact, the last couple of days, he’s been extra acting kind of weird.
And I have a feeling it has something to do with the pretty blonde standing here in the kitchen with us. She looks effortlessly sexy in a pair of denim shorts and a plain black T-shirt. Her hair is pulled up in a ponytail, showing off her delicate jaw and luscious lips.
Which pair perfectly with her luscious ass.
But she’s Robert’s daughter.
And damn, if that isn’t a cockblock.
“So,” Brody starts, and I realize I’ve completely zoned out on this conversation. “We’re going to head out, and we’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Sounds good to me,” Georgia says, her sweet little voice hitting me right in the groin. I swear, there’s just something about her that makes me want to bend her over and make her say my name… over and over again.
And I’m totally being a perv right now.
I brush away the thought and bid the guys goodbye as they head out of the lounge. I wait until they’ve disappeared before I turn to Georgia, already knowing what I want to do with this afternoon.
“I have an idea,” I announce, as she slumps over the counter, looking borderline bored. “A really good one.”
She perks up, tilting her head at me. “And what would that be?”
“There’s a cool lighthouse just down the way. We can Uber there and climb it. No reason to stay cooped up on this yacht when they get to leave.”
She breaks into a grin. “I think that sounds like an amazing plan. I’m pretty sure our next stretch is supposed to be longer.”
“Mhmm,” I say, raking my eyes over her as she straightens up. “So go put on some tennis shoes. We’re going to have some fun.”
Her entire demeanor brightens, and she scurries off to her room. Meanwhile, I grab my own pair of Nikes to slide on with my dark wash jeans. I’m totally into exploring lighthouses and whatever else I can find.
But I think I really would like to explore Georgia’s beautiful body.
I nearly laugh at how ridiculous that thought is. I’m forty-five-years-old and have bedded plenty of women all over the world. I should not be getting caught up on Robert Blake’s daughter.
But damn, there’s something about her I can’t get enough of.
I’ll just be careful, have a little fun, and not get too close.
And that’s the mantra I repeat to myself as Georgia and I climb into an Uber fifteen minutes later. Georgia is practically bouncing up and down in her seat, and I grin to myself as the SUV makes its way to the lighthouse.
“I used to come here when I was a kid with my older brother,” I tell her, as the Uber pulls into the small lot. There are only a few cars parked there, most of them probably belonging to the staff. “We loved it.”
“This is going to be so much fun,” Georgia beams, looking over at me. “It means a lot that you’re willing to share this with me.”
Damn, well, isn’t she just the sweetest?
I slide out of the car and jog around to open Georgia’s door for her. I resist the urge to extend my hand to her, unsure if I’d be able to let it go once I took it.
“I’ve never toured a lighthouse,” she laughs, shaking her head. “I bet it seems like I just never get out, but I swear I do.”
I shrug. “Everyone has different life experiences. That’s what makes it fun when you meet people. If we were all the same, it wouldn’t be that exciting.”
“Look at you,” Georgia teases me. “You have some depth.”
“Of course, I do,” I eye her, as we make our way to the entrance.
When we step inside, there’s a tiny gift shop that Georgia is instantly fascinated by.
“We can peruse when we get back down.” I gesture for her to follow me up, letting her go in front.
She takes off at a good pace, and I catch myself staring at her ass as she climbs.
Fuck. This is a tantalizing view.
I allow myself a moment to take in the curve of her ass, and how her denim shorts accentuate it like a fucking tease. I want nothing more than to reach out and grab it.
But lo and behold, I’m a respectful gentleman.
Or I’m trying to be, anyway.
“This is so amazing,” Georgia runs her fingers along the stone walls, dragging her arm behind her as she climbs. “Thank you for suggesting this.”
“You’re welcome.”
She peers back over her shoulder at me. “What kinds of things do you write about? I mean, other than touristy stuff.”
I chuckle, loving the way she looks from this angle. “I mostly just write about the places I travel to on my own. I went through the majority of my career being sent to certain towns or cities, writing about specific things, now… I basically do whatever I want.”
“So you’re pretty much retired?” She tilts her head as we make it to the top, where the big spotlight is. She steps out onto the level flooring and spins around to face me, and I realize it’s just the two of us here.
“I guess I’m partially retired, yeah,” I admit, my eyes unable to take in the view of the ocean with Georgia right here in front of me. The ocean waves have nothing on her.
Not even close.
“Hmm,” she gives me a teasing smile, and then spins around, her eyes casting out on the view that I’ve seen many times. “Wow, this is gorgeous.”
Yeah, you are.
“It’s something,” I say, stepping up beside her. I lean against the railing, glancing down at the waves as they crash into the beach. “Did you and your dad travel much when you were younger?”
“Not really, he and my mom were always going places and leaving me with my grandparents in Staten Island.” She turns to look up at me. “I think it was harder to take me than to leave me. Once my mom passed, it got even worse.”
My chest tightens as her smile fades. “I can’t imagine not wanting to take someone like you everywhere.” I let out a chuckle to hopefully smooth over the awkward admission.
But Georgia’s eyes pull right back to the ocean, and she falls silent for a few beats. “This is really incredible.”
“Glad you like it.” I run my hands down the front of my jeans, and then check my phone.
Miles: We’re on our way back.
Shit. We need to get going.
I reach out and brush Georgia’s arm, the softness of her skin hot under my fingertips. “We need to get going. It didn’t take them very long.”
She looks up at me and nods. “I need to get started on dinner anyway. I’m trying something new tonight.”
“You say that every night,” I tease, nodding toward the staircase. “But I always like it. I think you might be the best chef Brody has ever hired.” And the hottest one, too.
She giggles and then takes off at a quick pace down the uneven stone steps. I hurry to keep up with her, and that’s when I see her left foot miss.
“Georgia!” I call out and reach for her, tugging her backward. She lets out a cry as she falls against me, and my back slams into the edge of the steps behind me.
Fuck, that’s going to hurt tomorrow.
But I shove the pain down and sit up, carefully helping Georgia up as well. I catch the warm scent of her perfume, and her body pressing into mine. But before I can react to it, I see the blood on her hand.
“Oh shit, you’re bleeding,” I grab for her wrist delicately, peering down at the gash across her palm.
“I’m fine,” Georgia tries to brush it off and rights herself, standing to her feet. “It’s not bad. I can put a Band-Aid on it, and we’ll be golden.”
“No, we need to get a first aid kit now,” I counter, reaching for hand again. “I’m so sorry this happened.” I peer down at the cut, fighting the urge to kiss all the places around it. “Come on.”
I support her by the elbow, carefully guiding her down the rest of the stairs. When we make it to the gift shop, I signal to the woman working behind the counter.
“We need a first aid kit.” I nod to the cut on her hand. “Pronto.” My voice carries across the small shop, and the older woman scrambles, digging somewhere behind the register.
“It’s really not that bad,” Georgia keeps repeating as I grab the kit and guide her to a bench outside. She sits down and I take a seat behind her and start working to clean the gash.
I grimace, dabbing away the blood and disinfecting it. “I’m so sorry I didn’t do a better job catching you.”
She leans forward and peers up at me. “I think you did the best you possibly could.” Her voice comes out softly, her dark lashes fluttering in a way that makes my heart follow.
I distract myself with the gauze, carefully wrapping up the wound on her hand. I do my best not to get lost in how delicate her hand is, her skin slightly tanned from her time in the sun on the yacht.
She’s something special, and I don’t think she even realizes it.
I finish wrapping her palm, taping it, but then can’t bring myself to let it go. I lift my eyes from the bandage to meet her eyes, and her breath catches. “I think it’ll heal nicely,” my voice comes out husky. “But if you need help in the kitchen, I’m more than happy to help you.”
Her breath catches as I lean in a little closer, my nose nearly brushing hers. “I think I can handle it, but I’ll let you know.”
My heart is pounding as my body screams for me to keep going, to press my lips to her pretty, plump pink ones.
And I almost do.
“Can I have that first aid kit back?” A voice calls out from the gift shop. “I need to put it up before we close up.”
“Right,” I clear my throat and lean away, reality crashing down hard on me. I shouldn’t let myself do this. I don’t want to fuck up the yacht trip.
Georgia ducks her head, her cheeks reddening, and I release her hand gently, gathering up the supplies and putting them back in the kit. I scoop it up and stand to my feet, taking it back to the woman.
“Thank you for this,” I say, placing it back in her arms. “I appreciate it.”
She gives me a nod and then disappears back into the gift shop. I turn back to Georgia, whose gaze is out on the water, rather than on me. It gives me the perfect view of her, and my chest tightens.
I have no idea how I’m going to resist you, Georgia Blake.