Page 39 of Journey to Cheshire Bay
I slowly lowered myself back against the softness of the cloud.
Holden climbed onto the bed and resumed kissing up my naval, over the fast pace of my heart, and settled into the crook of my neck. He lowered himself between my legs, fumbling as he found the sweet spot and pushed himself inside. Pulling back, he gazed into my eyes and was about to speak, but I drew him close and sealed his lips with mine as we joined into one unit. Together, we moved in a perfect rhythm, our tongues dancing in the sweet taste of sex as our bodies bashed together in a frenzied motion. In and out. Pumping and grinding. Breathing and gasping. I wrapped my legs around his waist, locking together at the ankles, and gripped him tighter with each thrust, pulling my ass higher.
“Oh, Jesus.” He grunted and groaned, and with a fast rush to the finish, he let out a deep guttural growl. “Oh, good Lord.”
I took his full weight for a breath until he collected himself, and rolled beside me, kissing my shoulder.
“That was…” His breath was furious, and there was a change in the lightness of his eyes. However, it was the tenderness in his voice that wrapped around my soul and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you.”
“Thankyou.” I pressed my back against his hard chest.
Holden wrapped his arm around me, putting more kisses onto my shoulder and the side of my neck. “That was amazing. You are amazing.”
“Told you.” I giggled a little.
I loved having his arms wrapped around me, that feeling of having been totally exposed and vulnerable, and yet, somehow protected, needed, and the best part – wanted. Tomorrow was going to hurt a whole lot.
To use one of Holden’s big words, there was something ethereal about waking up in his embrace. Although sleep had claimed me for less time than he had, I’d never felt more rested. After another shower, we left the hotel room hand in hand before nine and headed to the ferry terminal.
Holden drove our rental into the long lineup awaiting boarding. “Ever been on a ferry before?”
“Pretty much every single thing I’ve done on this trip has been a first.”
From a last-minute plane trip, to making a new friend, the road trip, the treehouse, the hotel, and to giving him a piece of my heart with my secrets I’d never given another soul – they were all firsts.
“It’s awesome – a unique way to see Vancouver. You’ll love it.”
A dull headache formed as a sinking feeling gurgled in my stomach. Holden had missed the meaning of my statement. Did he really feel the same as I did? Or was last night just a way for his itch to be scratched? Maybe he wasn’t as wholesome as I’d thought.
Turning away, I counted the cars ahead of us, sitting in a silence I wasn’t sure how to address. Holden was head bopping to a song only he could hear, while his hands tapped against the steering wheel. Birds circled high above in the clear blue skies, and vehicle by vehicle, it was our turn to drive onto the darkened cave of the giant boat. It was like staring at a cruise ship, huge and magnificent.
“You’re awfully quiet.”
“Just trying to memorize it all.” But it was a lie, and I swallowed down a lump in the back of my throat; the kind that grows just before a heartbreaking cry.
In less than two hours, we’d be parting ways, and I wasn’t sure how to prepare for it.
He smiled, but it lacked the zest and calmness it usually sported. “We’ll be able to walk around. Truly check it out, although it’s not that exciting. We’ll have roughly ninety minutes to explore, or just sit, veg, and enjoy our time together.”
Ninety final minutes. One hundred and twenty until we separated at the airport, so he could go home to his grandparents and Amber’s friend would fly me away to Cheshire Bay.
My heart plummeted and a numbness that was hard to ignore washed over me and threatened to pull me under.
He drove the car onto the boat, and once the vehicle was in position, he killed the engine and we were free to roam, along with the other passengers who were flooding the holding deck.
Following the crowd, we quietly ascended a set of metal stairs and strolled the outer deck, heading toward the bow of the ship.
Despite the sudden melancholy in my soul, my jaw dropped at the incredible view and it coloured my greying mood. “Wow.”
Pale blue-grey ocean with flecks of white diamonds glittered out as far as the eye could see, and puffy, snow-white clouds dotted the horizon. The morning sun was magnificently bright, so I shielded my eyes as we wandered the deck.
Unsure if I should hold his hand and prolong the incoming hurt, or if I should just start wrapping my heart in bandages, I twisted away, pulling deep into my jacket as I zipped it close. My hair blew across my eyes from the crisp, salty air as I tried to avoid the man eclipsing the sunshine.
“It’s really gorgeous. Breathtaking really.”
“I agree.” But he wasn’t looking at the ocean, or the flock of circling birds, or the lush green islands, he was staring straight at me. Tenderly, he brushed a tendril of wavy hair off my face. Under his breath, he whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear. “You’re the one I should be with.”
“Stop, please. You’ll just make things worse.” My voice lowered as the heat singed, and I was thankful for the cool breeze to help tame it as I turned away to stop him from seeing the sadness creeping into my everything. “You and I know both know what happens when we get across this stretch of water.”