25. Roxie
Four months later
I tugged on one of Henry’s long-sleeve shirts, rolled up the cuffs, and did up a couple of buttons. Wearing his shirts had become my thing, and by the delightful looks from Henry when he saw me in them, he loved it too. I
I tugged the collar to my nose and inhaled his lovely scent. His manly aroma was one of my favorite things about him. Actually, there were about a thousand wonderful things about Henry that I loved, and every day we were together, I discovered a new one.
I slapped some sunscreen on my face, tugged on my hat, and then climbed the narrow steps to the top deck.
The shift in the boat’s movements had been what woke me, and now I knew why. While I’d been having a morning nap, Henry had guided us into a secluded cove. Sheer limestone cliffs that were synonymous with many of the Greek Islands we’d visited so far rose up from the crystal-clear azure water, and golden sand formed a crescent-shaped beach at the end of the cove.
Not a single boat or person shared the little slice of Eden with us.
Henry was at the front of the yacht, his back to me, and he had his hand up, shielding the morning sun from his eyes. I stepped onto the teak-lined deck and made my way toward him.
He turned to me and eyed me up and down with a lovely grin. “Hello, sleepyhead.”
I slapped his arm. “The rocking makes me sleepy.”
“Last night’s rocking or the boat’s rocking?” He wriggled his eyebrows.
I smirked but chose to ignore his comment. “This is so beautiful. How’d you find this place?”
“Just lucky.”
Shielding my eyes from the glare, I pointed toward the shore. “Hey, what’s that?”
“Looks like an old shipwreck. Thought we’d go in for a closer look.”
Henry had already dropped the sails and was running the boat under a slow motor. For six glorious days, we’d been sailing The Lazy Seahorse around the Greek Islands, and I’d tried to learn as much as possible about sailing. I liked to think I was getting pretty good at it.
I scanned the beach again; other than the large, rusted shipwreck, the beach was deserted. A cheeky idea came to mind, and when Henry went to the back of The Lazy Seahorse to drop the anchor, I slipped my bikini bottoms off and untied the strap at the back of my bikini top.
A deep rumble confirmed the anchor was released, and a huge splash announced its plunge into the water.
“Hey, Henry...” I flashed a cheeky smile.
“Yeah.” He turned, and when a grin lit up his face, I knew he’d sensed I was about to do something naughty. “What?”
I whipped off his shirt and flung my bikini top aside. “Last one in has to make lunch.”
“Oh, you little...” He raced toward me, clutching the rolled-up mainsail as he went.
I turned and squealed as I jumped off the boat completely naked. The warm water hugged me in its embrace for a brief moment before I swam for the shimmering surface.
Henry was leaning over the yacht’s railing. “You’re a cheater.”
“And you’re too slow, old man.”
His jaw dropped. “Right.” He began peeling out of his clothes. “Last one to the shore has to be on top.”
“Oh shit.” Giggling, I rolled onto my stomach. I’d barely made two strokes when he splashed into the water. I had no hope of beating him; Henry was a much stronger swimmer than me. But I still tried. When he came up beside me, I launched onto his shoulders, pushing him below the surface, and he tugged me down with him.
I imagined I was a mermaid, naked and free. And with the sun’s rays piercing the water, Henry looked like a mythical god...strong and free. His rippling muscles flexed and bulged as he breast-stroked beneath the water. I truly felt like I’d fallen into heaven.
And life was only going to get better.
We’d seen each other every single weekend since I’d arrived on his doorstep four months ago. Henry now had his house up for rent and was winding down his practice. Soon, he’d move into my home, and he’d made arrangements to start working three days a week in a practice on the Gold Coast. Not that he needed the money, but he wasn’t ready to retire yet.
This holiday had been Henry’s idea. Six cities in Europe in six weeks, and we were still in our first week.
We popped above the surface, giggling like silly teenagers. And that’s what I felt like. I may have missed acting like a teenager after that disaster at sixteen, but I was definitely making up for it now. And I had a hell of a lot of catching up to do.
We swam to shore, and Henry made a point of keeping at least one length in front. I didn’t mind, though; I liked being on top. He waited knee-deep at the shoreline with his hand outstretched for me.
“Wow, it’s huge!”
“Thank you.” He grinned and used his eyes to direct my attention to his groin.
I chuckled and admired his manhood. Henry’s cock could jump to attention in the blink of an eye. Everything seemed to turn him on: the slightest touch, a glimpse of my cleavage, a morning hug. He had more libido than all the men I’d ever slept with put together. I made a show of admiring his body, then pointed up the beach. “I was talking about the wreck.”
“Oh. Yeah, it’s much bigger than I thought too.”
The boat was at least one hundred feet in length. It lay on its side and was positioned parallel to the shore.
Completely naked, we strolled hand in hand toward the shipwreck. We’d done many nudie swims since we began our sailing holiday a week ago, but this was the first time we’d gone ashore without clothes.
I loved the prickle of the sun on my flesh but was fully aware of my need to cover up soon. We reached the wreck, which was set well back from the shoreline. “I can’t imagine how it got in this position.”
“Must’ve been a huge storm or swell to push it that far up the beach.”
The rusted wreck had once been some kind of cargo ship, and its name had long ago been obliterated by nature. I couldn’t help but wonder if the crew had survived. “How long do you think it’s been here?”
“No idea,” Henry said. “Probably a few decades, though, based on its decay.”
As we circumnavigated the wreck and then strolled back to the water’s edge, I tried to embed the whole experience in my memory. Every day of our holiday so far had been so incredible; I’d wondered why I’d never traveled before.
But, I knew why.
All my adult life I’d blamed not having the right partner. That was a pathetic excuse. There were plenty of people who traveled alone. The real answer was that I wasn’t strong enough.
I was determined to change that.
Henry was helping me, too. He encouraged me to be proud of who I was.
I’d met some of his friends, and they were all lovely. None of them were as pretentious as the ones I’d met on New Year’s Eve, and I still hadn’t forgiven myself for all my stupid thoughts that night. I was ready to embrace who I was: a childless woman in the prime of her life, with money to burn and a handsome man at my side.
I was ready to enjoy life.
With that thought, I slapped Henry’s firm buttocks and dashed for the water.
“You little....”
His feet crunched on the coarse sand behind me, and I squealed as I dodged left and right, trying to get away. The sand made my escape impossible and within a couple of thumping heartbeats, he wrapped his arms around me, and we tumbled into the knee-deep water.
“You’re cheeky today.”
“Hmmm.” I wove my fingers through his wet hair, pulled him toward mine, and kissed him. Our kiss lasted an eternity, and yet it still wasn’t long enough. My body ached for his hands to touch me. My pussy ached to be touched too.
When our lips parted, he pulled back to grin at me, and I’d learned to read that charming expression. Henry was growing hard, and I didn’t need to look or touch his cock to know that.
His wet hair curled across his forehead, and his gorgeous eyes dazzled in the morning sun. I crawled on top of him. “Ooh, you are big.”
“You do that to me.”
I leaned forward and kissed him again, and as our tongues explored, I glided my pussy up and down his growing rod. The sun warmed my skin, the small waves cooled me down, and everything else about this moment was special.
I felt so free...so alive.
I’d had sex many times in my life, but in the last three months, I’d learned about making love. It was so very different. Making love meant that I lost my mind and my body to my man. While lust pounded through my veins, love had me forgetting to think. Forgetting to breathe. I was an empty space, and yet I was filled to the brim with tingly sensations that allowed my soul to shimmer.
Sometimes, we were greedy for sex, and we’d practically claw each other to a shuddering climax.
Sometimes, our sex was excruciatingly slow, where we drew out each other’s pleasure, touching, tasting, exploring, and learning about each other’s wants and desires.
Henry asked a lot of questions, cataloging my pleasure points. I, in turn, asked him too. I wanted to know every single thing about my man.
My initial dubious thoughts about his age were long ago extinguished. Henry’s age made him patient and wise. It also made him treat every day like it was his last. Life was short, and Henry made every moment count.
The sheltered position of the beach meant there were no waves, just a gentle ebb and flow as the wind moved the water. Our lovemaking became like that, gentle, back and forward, where I felt every slide of his glorious shaft inside me.
I liked being on top; it was the best vantage point to watch his impassioned slide into carnal bliss. When I lowered myself onto him again, his lips parted, and his eyes opened; yet I didn’t think he was seeing. Henry was completely lost in the moment, too, and it was amazing to know I did that to him.
I leaned forward and kissed him; it wasn’t tender or sweet. This kiss was all hot tongue and heavy breathing. And sucking. I liked to suck his tongue and lips, and when he groaned and thrust his cock, I knew he liked it too.
Sitting up, I glanced at Henry and knew he was riding on an erotic wave that was much bigger than the ones that tumbled into us. His eyes flickered open and closed, and the sun caught the intense blue in his lovely irises, making them shimmer like sapphires.
His hands were on my breasts, doing that thing where he alternated between massaging them and playing with my nipples. I’d already learned that Henry had very sensitive nipples, and every once in a while, I’d run my fingernail over the very tip, and he’d wince and buck beneath me.
I lowered myself onto him, pushing his cock so deep inside me it touched that part of me that begged to be pounded. With my hands on his pecs, I did it again, rising up to the head of his crown, and then I curled my back and lowered down, swallowing him right up inside me.
My rhythm grew faster, no longer pausing at the top of his cock. Instead, I glided up and down, feeling every inch of his rock-hard rod inside me. Henry’s hands moved from my breasts to my thighs. When his fingers dug deep, and he sucked the air through his teeth, I knew he was close.
“Oh god,” Henry muttered. “Yes.”
His fingers tightened even more on my hips, and his eyes opened. Our gaze locked together. It was a moment in time that I knew would forever embellish my memory. It was the moment that confirmed that Henry loved me as much as I loved him.
We were meant to be together. Soul mates. Forever and amen.
We were the happiest couple on the planet.
His eyes snapped shut, and I rode him until a deep growl burst from his throat, and his cock pulsed inside me. I cried out, too, releasing an orgasm that was more intense than each one before it.
I collapsed onto his chest. As the warm ocean lapped at our bodies, Henry trailed his hands up and down my back. I’d be sunburnt by now, but I didn’t care; Henry would look after me later. The pain would all be worth it.
“I love you, Roxie,” he whispered in my ear.
I pulled back and looked into his stunning eyes. “I love you too, Henry Addison.”
Henry and I lay there for a while, wrapped up in each other’s arms. The warm sun and the gentle waves provided a perfect cocoon for our love. Eventually, we swam back to the yacht, feeling rejuvenated and more connected than ever.
As we swam, I marveled at how far we had come in such a short amount of time. From the unexpected reunion in Sydney to this dream-like vacation in Greece, our journey had been nothing short of extraordinary.
Back on the boat, we toweled off and settled on the deck, enjoying the serene beauty around us. The cove remained our private paradise, and it felt like the entire world had disappeared, leaving just the two of us in our little bubble of happiness.
Henry prepared a light lunch of fresh fruit and cheese, and we shared a simple but delicious meal on the deck. As we ate, we talked about our plans for the future, both immediate and long-term. It was exhilarating to dream together, to envision a life filled with adventure, love, and endless possibilities.
After lunch, we decided to explore the island a bit more. We put on our clothes, packed a small bag with essentials, and took the dinghy to shore. The island was even more beautiful up close, with lush vegetation and hidden paths waiting to be discovered.
Hand in hand, we wandered through the island, discovering hidden coves, climbing to vantage points for breathtaking views, and simply enjoying each other’s company. Every moment felt like a treasure and every laugh was a precious gem.
As the sun began to set, painting the sky with shades of pink and orange, we returned to the yacht. We sat on the deck, watching the sun dip below the horizon, casting a golden glow on the water.
“Today was perfect,” I said, leaning against Henry.
“It was,” he agreed, kissing the top of my head. “Every day with you is perfect.”
We stayed on the deck long after the sun had set, talking, laughing, and making love under the stars. It felt like a scene from a fairy tale, but it was our reality, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
As we lay in each other’s arms, the gentle rocking of the boat lulling us to sleep, I knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, we would face them together. Our love was strong and unbreakable, and I was ready to embrace whatever the future held, as long as Henry was by my side.