Always Love Me: A Standalone Second Chance Romance

by Derrick, Zoey

  Dribbler looks me square in the eye. “You know we can get someone else up here. I can take her back to Seattle.” The implication of his statement is there. Dribbler is a man who likes to get to the point.

  I take a long drag and slowly blow it out. The prospect is tempting, to say the least, but I’m also a man of my commitments. “I appreciate that, but…” I shrug.

  “Just throwing it out there,” he says absently as he goes back to work.

  I stand, taking one final drag off my smoke before tossing it. “I’ll be up in the wheelhouse.”

  “Right-oh,” Jessie titters.

  I shake my head and turn toward the bulkhead door. Then I hear something and turn to see the truck that dropped Rebel off pulling up. Diem is back. I change paths and head for the ladder to meet him on the shore. He climbs out of the truck, grabbing a bag as he goes. I hop onto the pallets and I’m stepping down as he closes the door. “Hey man,” I say as we approach each other.

  “Hey.” He hands me the bag.

  It’s heavier than I expected, and I peak into it. “Did you find everything she was looking for?” I ask him.

  “I think so. If not, have her call. I’ll grab it for her and bring it by.”

  I nod. “You sure you’re alright with hanging for a couple days?” I ask him.

  “Ah, of course. It’s kind of a vacation for me,” he chortles.

  “Don’t get many of those, I take it?”

  “Oh no, I get plenty of those, but it will be nice to know she’s safe. It’s a little easier to relax.”

  “Why so protective?” I can’t stop the question.

  “She hasn’t told you?” He raises an eyebrow at me.

  I slowly shake my head. “No,” I say with hesitation.

  He nods. “You should probably ask her, but she’s made a few enemies along the way to the top.” He sighs, “But it’s been quiet for a few years. I just have a hard time letting her out of my sight.” I’m curious about what he means by enemies, but I let it go and decide I’ll ask Rebel about it. “I think the only reason I can relax is that this is probably the last place on earth someone would find her.” He chuckles.

  “Unless her problems stem from her father.”

  Diem looks at me, his face relatively expressionless as he says, “No, not from here. Though, I heard a few people talking last night. Sounds like she rattled a few nerves showing up here this weekend.”

  I nod. “That she did. But it’s not the threatening type of nerves, just the hatred type. They need someone to blame for their loved ones. Her father isn’t here, so by default, they blame her.”

  He shakes his head in disgust. “After all she does for them?”

  “Yup, pretty fucked up, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it is. But it’s human nature.”

  I shrug. “That it is. Thanks for bringing this stuff.”

  “Where is she?” he asks.

  The smile on my face spreads. “She’s sleeping.”

  “Good, she needs it,” he chuckles. “You guys planning on going anywhere tonight or for dinner or anything?”

  “I don’t think so; we had our groceries delivered today. You’re welcome to join us.”

  He looks at the boat, and I swear he turns green. “No thanks.” He swallows.

  I laugh, “Not a fan of boats?”

  “Boats don’t bother me, it’s the water, the motion.”

  I titter, “It’s not bad at the dock.” Just as I say that, the boat pitches slightly. Diem pales. “Or not. I guess I’m so used to it, I don’t notice.”

  “Probably. But have her holler if you decide to go somewhere, on land.” He swallows again.

  “Will do.”

  We shake hands, and he turns to leave. He’s halfway between me and the truck when he turns around. “Xavier?” he asks.

  “Yeah?”

  “Be careful with her,” he warns. Though, there’s no malice in his tone, simply a reminder that while she’s a very strong, highly independent woman, she has a heart, too.

  “I plan on it,” I tell him. He nods and walks the rest of the way to the truck and climbs in. He waves as he starts it. I wave back, and he takes off.

  I climb up the pallets and call, “Dribs?”

  “Yeah, oh.” He comes over, climbing up quickly and taking the bag from me. Normally, I just toss shit, but I can’t toss the bag.

  I hop back onto the boat and down the ladder. “Thanks,” I tell him, taking the bag from him. “What are you making for dinner?” I ask before I go into the house.

  “Steaks.”

  “Nice.” I turn and enter the portal to the wet room and climb the stairs into the galley to put Rebel’s things away before returning to the wheelhouse.

  Chapter 25

  Rebel

  I stretch.

  It’s dark.

  I’m alone.

  My eyes roam around the room and catch the light coming from the bathroom.

  I tap my watch and see that it’s just before four in the afternoon.

  I yawn.

  I slept for a couple hours. Odd, I never nap.

  I woke earlier, so I knew he’d left me to sleep, but I wasn’t ready to get up just yet and I rolled over and went back to sleep.

  I climb out of the bed and use the restroom. I turn the light on so I can see better in the bedroom to find the light switch and my clothes.

  Once I’m dressed, I open the door and decide to go up instead of down. If Dirk’s not in the wheelhouse, I’ll be able to see the deck.

  I’m climbing the stairs when I hear, “Dribs and Jess are working on some minor repairs.” There’s a pause, and I can tell Dirk’s on the phone. “No, it’s nothing major, just busy work shit. Though, they found a leak in the hydro-line below the deck boards when they pulled them up. They’re fixing it now, and we need to get some fluid and parts,” he says as I crest the top of the stairs. He’s facing away from me, a smoke in one hand and his fingers on the other, pinching the bridge of his nose.

  He looks tense.

  “No, we’ll still be leaving sometime Tuesday. I’ve got a fueling appointment for tomorrow afternoon. We may have to wait for the hydro fluid to get delivered before we can take off. Though, I’m not in much of a hurry.” Whoever he’s talking to says something. “Yeah, not sure I want her to leave.” I freeze, not wanting him to catch me standing here. He didn’t see me come up, but I don’t want him to stop talking. “She talked to someone after she got here. I got the impression he was trying to convince her, too.” I smile. Dawson was definitely doing that. “Ha,” he throws his head back and turns toward the window, away from me. “That’s too cruel. She’d kill me.” I cross my arms over my chest. From the conversation, I’m gathering whoever it is on the other end of the line is trying to convince him to take off with me on board. I shake my head, but I’m smiling stupidly. Truth be told, I’d be pissed, but then he’d probably sex me up and I’d get over it. “Hey, there’s still hope,” he chortles.

  I reach into the kangaroo pocket of my new hoodie and pull my smokes out. It isn’t until I flick my lighter that he turns around hard and fast, pinning me with his gaze. His eyes hood and shimmer with desire as he takes me in. I pull a deep drag on my smoke and move to lean against the counter.

  “I think I’m busted,” he laughs into the phone. “Yup, standing in the wheelhouse.” I put my smoke in my mouth, narrow my eyes and cross my arms over my chest, glaring at him. “Yup, she’s gonna kick my ass.” He smirks. “Yeah, alright, I’ll keep you posted.” He hangs up.

  “Who was that?” I ask.

  “Randy.”

  I roll my eyes. “Going to take off in the middle of the night, are you?”

  He throws his head back laughing. Then he looks at me and shrugs, “It’s a thought.”

  “Whose thought? Yours or Randy’s?”

  He snickers, “Randy. But I thought about it.”

  I close the distance between us and playfully smack his arm. “You would, would
n’t you?” I narrow my eyes in question.

  “Yeah, beautiful girl, I would if it means I get to spend more time with you.”

  “I don’t think me being pissed off and ignoring you for eight to ten days would be exactly what you had in mind,” I tell him with a scowl.

  “Well, then I would just have to make you forgive me.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

  “Fiend,” I tease him.

  He laughs, stubs out his smoke, and I take a drag from mine and ash in his ashtray while looking down at the guys on the deck. They’re lying on their stomachs looking at a bunch of pipe and hoses laid below deck. I point toward them. “How’s it going?” I ask, attempting to change to subject of my imminent kidnapping.

  “Good, they need to get some parts before they’ll be able to finish it. But I think they’re going to go tomorrow, at this rate at least. They’ve got some maintenance stuff to do in the engine room before they go.” He looks at his watch. “Dribbler is gonna grill up some steaks for dinner.”

  “Oh, nice.”

  “And Diem dropped your stuff off. I put it away and left the rest of the stuff in the galley.”

  “Oh, thank you,” I smile at him.

  “I invited him on board for dinner…” I scrunch up my nose. “That was his reaction,” he laughs. “Said if we decide on something on land to call him.”

  “Sounds like Diem.” I grin as I finish off my smoke. Dirk spreads his legs for me, and I climb up into his chair, leaning back against him.

  “Did you sleep okay?”

  “Great, until I realized you weren’t there anymore,” I sigh.

  “Sorry, I needed to take care of some things. I didn’t want to get up, but I figured you could use some sleep.”

  “I didn’t realize how tired I was,” I tell him. “I’m usually in constant motion,” I confess.

  “I figured as much. You didn’t sleep much last night,” he says in such a way that I think he’s scolding me.

  “Old habit. I don’t sleep with people,” I remind him.

  “Then I’m looking forward to breaking that little habit of yours.” He wraps his arms around me.

  I’m distracted by movement on the deck when Dribbler starts walking toward the house. A moment or so after he disappears, “Dirk,” he hollers up.

  “Be right there,” Dirk hollers back.

  I move to get up, but he holds me against him. “Don’t go far,” he whispers.

  I shake my head. “I don’t plan to.”

  “Good.” He kisses my neck just below my ear before I climb down, freeing him.

  He leaves the wheelhouse, and I follow after him for his room. I find my phone and laptop bag before climbing back into the wheelhouse with it. I climb up into the chair on the port side of the house. I put my feet on the console and open my laptop. I connect it to my phone and wait, very impatiently, for my email to load.

  I watch Dirk with the guys out on the deck.

  It makes me smile when I see him lying on his stomach, helping them with whatever it is they’re working on. I know he’s more than capable of fixing anything and everything on the boat, with the exception of the heavy stuff, like propellers—you can’t fix those at sea. He wouldn’t be in the captain’s chair if he couldn’t. Which is why I feel a bit guilty he’s entertaining me versus helping them fix the boat. Though, neither Dribbler nor Jessie seem to be put off at the idea of Dirk doing nothing but entertaining me. Then again, Dirk is Captain, and I’m assuming these guys fix this shit all the time without him.

  My email finally loads. The most important stuff gets forwarded to my phone, but everything else sits in a bunch of different accounts, depending on where it’s coming from.

  I realize it’s really quiet in the wheelhouse so I find a playlist on my phone and start it up. Breaking the silence, I get lost in my chain of emails, several different spreadsheets, and handling a few invoices.

  It’s dark outside before Dirk comes back into the wheelhouse. “Sorry,” he tells me as he leans against the console in front of me.

  I look up at him. “What for?” I ask, looking over my glasses.

  “Taking so long.”

  I look at my watch, it’s nearly 8:00. “Holy shit,” I chortle, “I didn’t even realize.”

  He shakes his head. He taps the side of my frames gently. “I like these,” he says with a sweet smile on his face.

  I flush, embarrassed, and pull them off. “My eyes get tired.”

  “They look good on you.” He smiles as I fold them up and reach for my case.

  “Thanks,” I say sheepishly putting them away.

  “Are you done?” He taps my laptop.

  “I’m never done,” I snicker, “but I can put it away.”

  He smirks, “Dribbler is gonna fire up the grill. We have some grilling steaks. How would you like yours?”

  “Mid-rare would be great.” I cock my head. “Can I help with something?”

  “Nope,” he smiles, “they’re cleaning up now.”

  “Did they get done what they needed to?” I ask, curious.

  “For now. They need parts for what’s left to finish. They’ll go in the morning and get them.” His voice is soft, tender almost.

  “What’s wrong?” I narrow my eyes.

  “Nothing,” he sobers a bit, his eyes growing distant. “I like the idea of you sitting here working.”

  I put my feet down and set my laptop on the console before grabbing his hand and pulling him toward me. I spread my legs, and he slides between them. “I get pretty engrossed,” I say softly.

  “I could tell. I don’t know how many times I looked up here and you never looked down at me.”

  “I looked all the time.” I blush.

  “Oh really?”

  “Mmhmm,” I hum.

  “Like what you see?” he teases.

  “Dribbler’s hot,” I counter.

  “He has a small dick,” Dirk scoffs back.

  I lean back, looking up at him. “And just how do you know that?”

  “I don’t,” he laughs. “But most men have small dicks compared to me, sweetheart.”

  I can’t argue with that one and I can’t hide the blush that spreads across my cheeks. He knows he’s got me right where he wants me when he presses into me. I can feel just how hard he is and I shiver with need.

  “That’s what I thought.” He winks at me.

  “You have grease on your cheek,” I giggle.

  He reaches for his cheek to wipe it away. I shake my head. “Other one,” I tell him. “It’s kinda sexy,” I tease. He wipes it off and he looks at his fingers, then he puts them to my nose and wipes it off. “Hey, ass,” I scoff.

  “Now you have grease on your face,” he laughs.

  “Asshole.”

  He laughs as he reaches into his back pocket and produces a towel. He gently cleans off my nose then kisses it. “All better.”

  “Good,” I smirk.

  Movement on the deck catches my attention, and I see Dribbler and Jessie firing up the grill on the deck. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?” I ask again.

  “Can you cook?” He raises an eyebrow at me.

  I snort. “No, I can’t.”

  “Then what, pray tell, would you help with?”

  I shrug. “I feel like I’m just taking up space.”

  “I like you taking up space. Especially in my wheelhouse, and even more so in my bed.”

  I shiver.

  He leans down, lifting my chin with his finger, and he slants his lips over mine. I moan at their soft, warm comfort and put my arms around his neck, holding him to me as my head starts to swim. Desire fills me and makes my pussy clench. I can still feel him inside me, even though he’s not. It causes my breathing to hitch.

  His hands cup my cheeks, then move down my neck to my shoulders, pulling me toward him.

  I whimper into the kiss, and he deepens it. Sliding his tongue along mine until I can’t breathe anymore. I know, without a doubt, I will never g
et enough of this man. And I have a feeling there isn’t a man or woman alive who could hold a candle to the way he makes me feel.

  I whimper again as the reality, my reality, comes crashing on me.

  Xavier Tyler has wholly, completely, and irrevocably destroyed me.

  I knew, after our encounter in January, I was forever changed.

  I know now that no amount of time spent with him will sate him from my system.

  No matter how much time we spend together.

  No matter how many times we fuck like all consuming animals.

  It. Will. Never. Be. Enough.

  Chapter 26

  Dirk

  Something changes and shifts in her while our tongues dance and move as one.

  Something is happening to her, within her.

  Something I can’t quite put my finger on right away.

  She whimpers, pulling me closer, pulling me down to her. Then her hands are gone from my neck only to make their way to my jeans. With quick fingers, she has my pants undone, and she’s pulling apart the button fly. Then her fingers grip the waistband and tug down my jeans. I smirk, breaking our kiss.

  “Off, now,” she mewls. Her breathing is short, shallow, and desperation rolls off her in waves.

  I help her, pushing them down.

  I blindly find the other light switch on the wall and kill all the wheelhouse lights. I don’t need my crew watching this, but I refuse to leave where we are. I don’t want to break this moment. Everything is shifting and changing between us in a way I never thought I would feel.

  Her frantic fingers work to unbutton her jeans before she lifts her hips, sliding them down and off with her shoes. Her sex is bare, exposed and glistening. I stroke my cock.

  She leans back, offering her beautiful pussy to me.

  I take the hint. I line up.

  “Faster, hurry,” she whines.

  I oblige her request and slip the head of my dick inside her.

  She cries out.

  I groan.

  I slam inside her.

  She explodes.

  Her cunt clamps down, swallowing me up.