Page 48 of Rescuing Mia
“You’re…”
“Yes?” I’m eager to hear her thoughts.
“Amazing. Exactly what I—need right now.”
There’s a hitch in her breath and that weird pause before need. Yet again, I get the intense feeling something is disturbing Mia.
“I’ll take amazing.” I pull her closer, aligning our bodies like a lock and key.
This feels all kinds of right.
With a step that follows the gentle rocking of the ship, we sway, our bodies moving with the pulse of the ocean. Her slender form is a perfect complement to mine, her softness against my strength, her grace following my lead.
As we dance, it’s as if the universe conspires to heighten the intimacy—the wind whispers through her hair, the stars twinkle in approval, and the sea itself plays a symphony for two.
Her hands, delicate yet assured, come to rest on my shoulders, and the heat of her touch scorches my skin.
Our movements are unhurried, a slow dance that matches the lazy trail of a shooting star streaking across the sky. Each step is a silent conversation, and each turn is a chance to get closer.
We’ve just met, and I feel as if I’ve known her forever. I want her to trust me and divulge whatever it is that’s bothering her.
Only… she has no reason to trust me—a stranger.
Despite that, the walls she’s built do begin to soften, her guarded heart opening just a fraction to let me in.
As we dance, sexual tension builds between us. It’s a delicious anticipation that promises more.
More connection.
More depth.
More us.
We’re an inevitability.
The first tenuous threads of affection weave around us. It’s new and fragile yet feels as ancient as the stars above—eternal and destined.
She rests her head on my shoulder, her breath tickling my neck. We rotate slowly on the spot. I close my eyes, savoring the feel of her in my arms, the way her hair smells of ocean and jasmine, the way her heartbeat echoes my own.
“I never want this to end.” Mia sighs, her words muffled against my shirt. “I wish we could stay like this forever, just you and me and the stars.”
I tighten my arms around her, my lips brushing the top of her head. “We have tonight,” I whisper, my voice a promise. “And tomorrow. And every night after that, for as long as you’ll have me.”
“If only that were true.” She lifts her head, her eyes shining with unshed tears, her smile tremulous.
She speaks of our end before we’ve begun, cementing my belief she’s running from something.
Not that I’ll ask. I need time to earn her trust and get her to open up to me.
Meanwhile, I make a silent pledge: As long as our paths intersect, no matter what happens, I’ll stand beside her, protecting her.
A small voice in the back of my mind whispers not to entangle myself with another so soon after leaving the restrictions of the Navy behind.
I ignore those thoughts, focusing instead on the warmth of her body and the softness of her skin.
For now, in this perfect moment, there is only us—two souls united under the endless expanse of a star-studded sky.
We fall silent, the only sound the gentle lapping of the waves against the hull and the distant hum of conversation from the other passengers at the bar a deck below us.