Chapter 23
LOCKE
I was whistling as I made a quick scramble with some of the leftover veggies from our stir fry.
The sun was high in the sky, and the forecast was clear for days. We’d made it to Maine in way less time than I originally thought. Instead of burning gas, I switched us to wind power since the headwinds were cooperating.
Cilla was currently in a half-sleepy post-orgasm bliss on the top deck. I put on a sunny summer playlist, piping it out to the speakers I’d made sure were all over the boat.
I couldn’t think about the wrongness of touching her. She wasn’t technically a client. It was stupid to get involved with her, but at the same time I needed to grasp onto the moment for once.
Milligan was quiet in my brain. Whether that was because of a lack of psychosis on my end, or he agreed with me I wasn’t sure.
We were miles away from the troubles of Salem and Boston.
I’d take the time where she was healing, and hope Stone was working all the right angles to find the man who wanted to kill her.
I’d checked in with Nyx that morning. There wasn’t much new from the information we’d brought to her, but I already saw she was filling in some of the gaps on the victims.
Between Nyx and Bastian, they’d find the overlaps in victimology.
Sebastian saw data in a way that made him a goddamn genius, not that I’d tell him that. If anyone could do it, I had my money on them and Stone.
For a little while, it didn’t need to be my problem.
Or hers.
I scraped the veggies and eggs into a big bowl with two forks, doctored it with a little of the chili sauce and went back out to the upper deck.
She had her bad leg stretched out doing a few of the exercises her doctor had given her. Her blond hair was disheveled, and my whisker burn was a flag on her stunning breasts.
It had taken me back at first when I got a look at just what had been hidden under the awful hospital gowns. And now I was going to explore every freaking inch of her and make sure she was satisfied beyond measure.
She rolled onto her stomach when I came up the stairs. “Hello there.”
“You fell asleep on me.”
“I can’t fathom why.” She rolled onto her hip. “Do I smell food?”
“You sure do.” I flipped off my deck shoes and climbed onto the mat with her. I handed her the bowl as I sat down.
“So where’s yours?”
I laughed. “A few orgasms and you’re a jokester.”
“So, how long are we on the water?”
“A few days. I’m taking us to the top of Maine.”
“I’ve never been.” We ate in a companionable silence for a few minutes. “I’m sure the views are killer.” She winced. “Can’t use that phrase anymore.”
I laughed and took the empty bowl from her. “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
“Except Salem,” she said quietly.
“I want you safe, Cilla.”
“I know.” She lowered herself to her side. “I can’t hide forever.”
“Wanna bet?” I rolled her back under me.
Her smile was a little strained, but she pulled me down for a soft kiss. Maybe the both of us could just live in the moment for a little bit.
The both of us seemed inclined to try. Between naps and a rather hilarious fishing lesson, we lazed the day away. We didn’t speak of Salem or the man trying to kill her.
I agreed to debone the fish we caught and we feasted on grilled salmon and asparagus as the sun set behind the craggy coastline.
The night was muggy enough that we actually fell asleep on the top deck with the water lapping at the boat and the stars our night’s entertainment.
Sometime in the predawn hours, I took her downstairs and found myself going back to sleep.
For the first time the nightmares stayed firmly in their box.
A squall hit the day before we were to reach the Bay of Fundy.
Summer was a crapshoot with the heat and the ocean doing their own dance with precipitation. I buttoned down the boat and kept us off the coast enough that we could tough it out. The area of Maine was rocky as hell and the number of lighthouses were not just for show.
I held her through the night as the boat tossed us around and she fought against the pain of her thigh as she tensed through every wave that broke against the hull. Sometime before dawn, things finally eased and her little exhausted body finally relaxed against mine.
I left her to sleep as I pulled us closer to port.
The sky was achingly blue, and the whales were performing for an early cruise. The currents made for a difficult ride into port. I needed to refuel and pick up some fresh food from the markets.
I docked and the seagulls screeched their welcome home song looking for a free handout. I went down to the bedroom that had become ours over the last few days. She was already up, and the sound of the shower invited me to go in and check on her.
But after the long night, she might need the hot water to soothe her aches.
A few minutes later she came out in her oversized towel. Her eyes were a little bruised from lack of sleep, but the pinch of pain had faded.
“Did we dock?”
“Sure did.”
“Dammit, I wanted to watch us come into port.”
I dropped a kiss on her minty frowning mouth. “Plenty of ports to see.”
“Fine.”
“If you get dressed you might be able to see a few whales though.”
“What?” She gripped my arm and hurried over to the skinny clothing cupboard. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“We’ll be here for a while. You have plenty of time to see Maine and the coast.”
She rolled her eyes, hurrying into a sundress with a bra that stole a few braincells out of my head. It was see through and one of those half cup things that made everything spill to the top.
How the hell was I supposed to concentrate with those on display?
She twirled around with her hair in one of those artfully messy clip things. She’d taken the time to put a little makeup on but didn’t bother to cover up the freckles that had come out across the bridge of her nose from so many days in the sun.
She was sun-kissed and achingly beautiful in ways I didn’t deserve.
Instead of my usual ratty shorts and T-shirt, I took care to dig out some of my nicer clothes. We were just above Maine with Nova Scotia bordering the bay.
If she was up to it, we could walk around and grab some lunch.
She’d already climbed the stairs by the time I was brushing my teeth. She was getting better by the day. I found her on the middle deck, her fingers worrying at the skirt of her dress.
“You good?”
She looked over her shoulder. “Yes.”
I scooped her up as I climbed out of the boat and hopped onto the deck. She gripped my shoulders, her dark eyes warm with the awareness that always seemed to be around us lately.
I couldn’t keep my mouth off her, but we had yet to actually have sex.
I was afraid to hurt her and there was a part of me that wanted to stay in this pins and needles state where we got each other worked up and used the tension to tease each other into insanity.
When I put her down on the dock, she slipped her arm around my back and tipped her face up to me. “When you look at me like that, I want to get back on that boat and sail away.”
“Good. That’s where I want to be anyway.”
She grinned and eased away. “But now I should at least get lobster first.”
I laughed. “I think we can make that happen.” I took her hand as we slowly walked along the port.
Fishing trawlers butted up against pleasure crafts and the bitchy seagulls were feasting on tourist castoffs. I drew her out of the heavy foot traffic. No one knew where we were, but I couldn’t help wanting to keep her close.
She dragged me into the shopping areas of Port St. John.
We had lobster rolls for lunch, and I had an armful of bags before she was done with the massive open market.
Considering most of them were the sundresses she was addicted to and the bikinis that made my dick happy, I was happy to indulge her.
A few books to add to both of our collections and a plethora of spice packets for us to use for grilling fish rounded out the day.
It had been sunny and perfect, with just enough of a breeze off the bay to keep the bugs away. We did a drop off at the boat and decided to walk around to a few of the lighthouses and enjoy the views.
“You okay to walk back or need a break?”
There was a bit of tired around her eyes, but she didn’t look strained.
“I’m good actually. Today was pretty wonderful.” She hooked her arm around mine and leaned in on me like we were a couple. Like we didn’t have a twisted past between us both. I couldn’t help lowering my mouth to hers. And when she sighed into the kiss, I held onto the rightness of the moment.
We took a ferry around New Brunswick and then we found a little restaurant with a proper seafood menu for an early dinner. By the time we were ready to get back to the boat, I could tell she’d hit her limit.
As I was paying the bill, I kept her in my line of sight. She was leaning against the railing, looking out on the bay.
“Just a second sir, my system is being slow.” The hostess frowned and started fussing with her card reader.
“Is there something wrong with my card?”
She shook her head. “It’s everyone’s card.”
I nodded. “Okay, I’ll just wait over there with my...”
The words stalled in my throat. Labeling what we were was only going to ruin the day. I craned my neck, my heart stalling when I didn’t see her at the railing. I rushed through the door.
“Sir! Wait! I have your card.”
“I’ll be right back.” I pushed through the door and out to the deck. “Priscilla?” I called out.
My stomach twisted. Where was she? I ran down to the end of the deck to where a water feature was in full display with flowers spilling from weathered barrels. “Cilla!”
“I’m right here.” She said from behind me.
I turned around and caught her against me. “Don’t leave my side.”
“I didn’t. I was at the railing.” She gripped my shoulders. “Hey, it’s okay.”
I gripped her waist, my fingers digging in a little too hard. “I couldn’t see you.”
I was just getting out of the way of a runaway stroller with a toddler driving.” She cupped the side of my face. “I wouldn’t take off. I promise.”
I kept her tight to my side as I walked us back into the restaurant. “They were having trouble with the credit card machine.”
“Do you have cash?”
I nodded. “Yeah, good idea.”
I held her hand behind my back as I went up to the hostess station. I pulled out my money clip and traded my card for cash, unable to hold a chit-chat conversation.
I was too focused on getting Cilla out of there.
Back to safety.
I glanced around the room, paranoia crashing in on me.
She gripped my hand, her short nails digging into my palm. I glanced back at her, unsure if she was reading my vibe or I’d infected her with my mood on the deck.
She was scanning the people around me.
I felt like shit. We’d had such a nice day, and I’d ruined it by dragging reality into it.
I pulled her back outside and down the stairs to the share ride station.
There was no reason for the man after her to find us.
None at all.
But the ride back to the port was a quiet one. Cilla stared out the window, worrying the simple silver stackable rings she’d picked up today at the market.
Unsure how to bridge the gap when I couldn’t relax, the silence became strained. I paid and got out, holding my hand out for her. She took it, but her gaze kept darting around.
I pulled her in close. “I’m sorry, Cilla.”
She finally focused on me. “It’s not your fault.”
“I wanted to have a day where you didn’t have to think about this asshole.”
“And you did.”
“Until I didn’t.”
She wrapped her arms around me. “It was bound to happen. Let’s just get back to the boat.” She drew away from me, and I caught her hand.
“If we get out of the port now, we can see the sun set on the way back to Maine.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Her smile was forced, but between the both of us, the lie was just what we needed.