Chapter 18 Under Our Lights #4
"That's disgusting," I said.
"We've had sex. You'll survive shared water."
"Strong medical argument."
She hooked two fingers through my belt loop and pulled me toward the path. "I need one more line check. Then I'm done making sure rich people know how knots work."
"Your father is rich people."
"My father knows knots. Barely."
James heard her as we passed. "I heard that."
"Good," Luna called.
At the dock, she checked the last registered boat, put her palm against my cheek, and kissed me with a proud little smile still on her lips.
"One more clinic," she said.
"One more."
"We're going to crush it."
"Obviously."
She slapped my ass and sent me back toward the party while she finished the lines.
Lucy ended the last pool game with a whistle and handed it to Sam.
"You're in charge of not letting anybody invent another contest," she said.
Sam looked at the whistle. "This is too much power."
"Sally has veto authority."
"Never mind. I have none."
Lucy laughed, then crossed the wet deck toward me. Her public smile faded with every step. By the time she reached me, she was simply tired and beautiful, brown ponytail slipping loose and blue tank damp with pool spray.
"One song," she said.
"What do you need?"
"No cue. No show. I want your lap and both arms."
I sat on the wide pool step. Lucy turned and settled between my thighs with her back against my chest, then pulled my arms around her middle herself. Her body was hot from moving. Her head found my shoulder.
Vina saw us from the bar. The next song came in softer without her announcing why.
Lucy exhaled. Every muscle under my hands let go a little at a time.
"Better?" I asked.
"Don't make me perform a review."
I kissed the sweat near her temple. "Wouldn't dream of it, Ace."
Her fingers laced through mine over her stomach. We stayed there while the party moved in front of us. Nobody asked her to lead. Nobody cheered. Lucy chose the moment, and I kept it quiet for her.
Halfway through the song, she turned in my arms. Her knees bracketed one of my thighs. She touched my face, looked at me for a beat, then kissed me.
Slow first. Then deeper.
Her tongue brushed mine. My palm settled at the small of her back and held her against me while her fingers curled at my neck. She kissed until her breathing changed, then pressed her forehead to mine.
"I like being the one who gets to stop," she said.
"Then stop with me whenever you want."
She smiled. No stage lights in it. "That's going in the rotation."
When the song ended, Lucy kissed my jaw and stood. She went to help Sam without putting the whistle back around her neck.
Bristol watched the handoff from the guest-care station. She finished speaking with a cabin guest, checked the last line on her card, then gave the first-aid kit and folder to Grace.
"You have the final departures?" Bristol asked.
Grace nodded. "Jeremy and I have them. Go."
Bristol went.
She crossed the deck in a straight line. Past the bar. Past Dad and James at the grill. Past a cluster of Delta women who noticed exactly where she was headed. Her dark hair had come loose from its tie. Her expression stayed composed until she reached me.
"Off duty?" I asked.
"For ninety seconds."
"Use them."
Her hand slid behind my neck. She pulled my mouth to hers and kissed me in the center of Brewster Bay.
Bristol's kisses always felt decided. Her lips parted.
Her tongue met mine with slow pressure while her other hand spread over my stomach beneath my shirt.
I drew her in by the waist, then let my palm settle on her ass.
She made one soft sound and pressed closer instead of looking around to see who'd caught it.
When she finally eased back, she kept her mouth close to mine.
"I wanted that here," she said.
"I know, Bris."
"Good."
She kissed me once more, sweeter and shorter, then rested her head against my shoulder for the few seconds she had left.
Poppy appeared at my other side with her clipboard under one arm and fed me a bite of something from a paper plate.
"You're welcome," she said.
"What was that?"
"Food. Your mother threatened me."
Bristol lifted her head. "She threatened all of us."
"That's how you know you're family," Poppy said.
She kissed my mouth to steal back half the bite, laughed when I tried to hold her there, and escaped toward the dock with Bristol beside her.
Vina turned the music up for one last fast song.
Kit pulled Bella into the edge of the dancing crowd.
Luna came off the dock long enough to take Tina's hands and spin her once, which made James laugh so hard he had to hold the bar.
Jessa climbed onto the lowest pool step and led a chorus nobody knew all the words to.
Sam and Sally danced badly between stacks of clean towels.
Jeremy stopped pretending he wasn't dancing when Grace grabbed his shirt.
I stood in the middle of it with Vina's gloss still on my mouth, Lucy's sweat cooling on my forearms, Bristol's warmth against my palm, and Poppy's stolen bite making me laugh.
Kit came back to me before the song ended. Luna caught my other hand. Poppy pressed in against my back, Vina shouted something filthy from the bar, Lucy leaned her shoulder into mine as she passed, and Bristol's fingers traced my wrist on her way toward Grace.
Nobody waited for a turn.
The first registered captain called for his group. Poppy lifted her clipboard. Luna headed for the dock. Vina lowered the music one step.
The party had worked.
Now we had to bring everybody home.
The last registered pontoon backed away with Poppy's final headcount complete and Luna's hand raised from the dock.
Midnight slipped past with the pontoon's wake, carrying us into Saturday, August 1.
Brewster Bay traded music for closing latches.
Kit and Bella capped bottles and cleared the outdoor bar while Vina worked through the shutdown list between them. The cash drawer clicked open for a second count, then shut. Vina recorded the number, turned the key, and passed the locked drawer to Bella with both hands.
Kit already knew which tubs held the clean pour spouts and which cabinet took the unopened mixers.
She passed each thing to Vina without asking where it went.
Bella started to reach for the drawer once, saw Vina checking the count again, and let her finish.
The three of them worked shoulder to shoulder, Kit wiping down the bottles while Vina's lips moved silently through the numbers and Bella watched only long enough to know she didn't need to.
"Right to the penny," Bella said.
Vina tapped the checklist. "Still have the sink and lights. Music last."
"I know."
Bella squeezed the back of her neck and carried the drawer toward the lodge.