Enlightened Hearts: Mastered Hearts Series Book Two

by Nicole, Angela

  The marina is only a ten-minute walk from my place, but I leave a little early so I’m not late.

  Scanning the marina, I notice that to the east are where the large yachts are located. The sign says that those slips are number 51-77. I turn to the other side and see slips 1-50 are in the other direction.

  I hike up the bag over my shoulder and push my sunglasses up my nose. Walking past several commercial-looking boats, I finally see Daniel. He is four slips away, hosing off the boat.

  The second I see him, my breath catches. He’s not dressed up or anything. No, Daniel Cooper is not wearing a shirt. His baseball hat is on backwards, and he is wearing lime green board shorts that show off his tan. Did I mention his abs and his arms? I should’ve brought an extra pair of undies with me. Ugh, it’s going to be difficult keeping my hands to myself.

  “Nicole, you found it,” Daniel says with that damn smile.

  Keep. It. Together. Nicole.

  I can sense her before I see her. Looking up the dock, she is about four slips away. When I see her, my dick instantly reacts, and that is not a good thing in these shorts. I quickly make an adjustment before acknowledging Nicole.

  She looks deep in thought, so I call out to her. When she hears me, she waves and makes her way down the dock.

  Nicole is gorgeous. She's wearing cut off shorts and a tank top. I’ve never seen her hair curly before, and it’s sexy as hell.

  I hop off the boat to greet her.

  “Hi, Daniel,” she says, but she doesn’t look me in the eyes.

  She looks embarrassed, then I remember that I’m not wearing my shirt. Hmm, I think she likes it though.

  “Let me help you onto the boat.” I get on, grabbing her bags from her. I extend my hand to help her. The minute her hand is in mine, I pull her to me and she lands against my chest. I’d wouldn’t be lying if I said that I may have used a little extra force to pull her close.

  “Sorry, I must’ve slipped on the edge,” she says, and I don’t correct her.

  She clears her throat as I notice she’s still looking at my chest. I grab my long-sleeved fishing shirt and throw it on. “I have a shirt for you too.” I hand it to Nicole, and she looks at it funny.

  “It’s a special shirt. We wear these while we're out because they protect us as if we have sunblock on,” I explain.

  Nicole nods her head as she slips the shirt on. Shaking my head, I can’t believe I gave her a long-sleeved shirt. It’s a shame she has to cover up. She has a gorgeous body and should show it off.

  “Why are you shaking your head? Did I do something wrong?” she asks.

  “No, Nicole. You’ve done everything right. I was just thinking that it’s a shame to cover up that nice tank top you're wearing.”

  Shit. That was a little forward of me, but Nicole giggles. Like a nervous giggle.

  “Sorry, I’m just a little nervous around you for some reason,” I say, and it must catch her off guard.

  Nicole looks up at me. “I make you nervous?”

  Now it’s my turn to laugh. “Yeah, you do. It’s a good thing.”

  She stares down at her feet as if embarrassed, and that just won’t do. Taking a chance, I place her face in my hands and tilt her so she is looking up at me. She swallows hard.

  “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since Friday night. Even when I had Lucy yesterday, my thoughts would always drift to you and the way you kissed me. I have to tell you, Nicole, it only made me want you more.”

  Her eyes close for a few seconds, and then she responds to my admission.

  How does this man have so much control over my body already? Reaching up, I grab his head and pull his lips to mine. When I do, he moans into my mouth.

  Daniel runs his tongue across my bottom lip, and my knees almost give out. Needing to feel more of him, I run my hands up his shirt, and he moves his down to the small of my back.

  This kiss is turning into more; I can feel it, and by it, I mean his erection. Daniel pulls me so close that I have to remind myself that we are in public and I can’t just grind myself against him.

  Suddenly, a horn blows, and it scares the crap out of me. Jumping back, my hand immediately goes to my mouth.

  Daniel’s eyes are smiling. “Shit. That was just a yacht coming into the marina. Are you OK?”

  “Well, my heart is racing, but to be honest, I’m not sure if it’s from that kiss or the yacht.”

  We both laugh as he guides me around the boat.

  “We can put your bags here under the bench seat. There’s enough room for you to sit next to me if you want, or you can sit in the back of the boat.”

  I want to be as close to that man as I can get.

  “I’ll sit here with you if it’s OK.”

  “It’s perfect,” he says with that smile. That damn smile that makes my panties wet.

  “I have sunblock if you need it.”

  “I’m good. I put some on before I left my place, and the bottle is in my bag in case I need more.”

  “OK, the drinks are in the cooler over there, and I brought some stuff for lunch once we get out a little ways. When we find a nice area where you want to stop, we can eat before we fish.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I say as I scan the boat for the life vests. I’m a bit scared, but I’m not going to let Daniel know that.

  Thankfully, he goes over the safety features of the boat without me asking. I grab a bottle of water from the cooler and sit down on the bench seat next to him.

  His boat is gorgeous. Of course he named it after his daughter, The Lucy Ann.

  Lucy, my student. Damn it, I can’t think about that right now, or I won’t enjoy my day. This could very well be my one and only date with Daniel, so I’m going to make the most of it.

  “We will be off in just a minute, I’m letting the boat warm up since it hasn’t been out all week.”

  A few minutes later, and we start to head out.

  “This is a no wake area in the marina. Boats must keep it under a certain speed so as not to hurt the marine life or bounce other boats around.”

  I nod, not taking my eyes off the front of the boat. So far, so good.

  Moving out into the Gulf of Mexico, Daniel leans down and tells me to hang on. Oh sweet Jesus, he is so sexy driving his boat.

  Just as I’m caught up in staring at him, he accelerates quickly, and I almost slide off the seat. Daniel quickly grabs my arm and chuckles. “Sorry, I tried to warn you.”

  When he touches me, it is electric. I can feel him all the way through my body.

  Daniel turns back to the wheel. I have the perfect view of his butt. I start to imagine what it would feel like to have my hands on it as he moves in and out of me.

  Before I know it, Daniel slows the boat down. I look up and see that we are off the coast of my favorite place, Caladesi Island.

  “How did you know this is my favorite place in the area?” I ask.

  Daniel looks as surprised as I am. “I brought you here because it’s my favorite place too.”

  I don’t know why I’m surprised that Nicole loves Caladesi Island too. It’s so pristine, quiet, and not to mention romantic.

  We are a little offshore, so I drop my anchor and walk to the back of the boat, where I keep the cooler and table.

  “Are you hungry, Nicole?”

  She stands and makes her way over to me. “I could eat something.”

  I think to myself, so could I, and it would be you.

  Nicole sits down at the table. I pull some things from the cooler and place them in front of her. “I have some cheese and crackers, fruit and a cold tortellini salad.”

  “Wow, that sounds great.”

  Settling in next to her, I plate enough food for the both of us too share.

  I hand Nicole a fork and tell her to dig in.

  “Did you enjoy the ride out?” I ask, trying to gauge her feelings about the boat.

  She gives me a big smile. “I loved it. Seeing the dolphins was so co
ol. I was a little nervous when I saw the fins. Thank God they weren’t sharks, because I would’ve freaked out,” she says, and her eyes get huge.

  “Lucy would love to see a shark. She’s so into prehistoric animals. She talks about megalodons every time we are out on the boat. We have to hunt for sharks teeth too.”

  When I mention Lucy’s name, I see Nicole’s lighthearted demeanor change. Fuck.

  Reaching over, I place my hand over hers and she looks up at me. “We aren’t doing anything wrong.”

  She shakes her head. “Yet, Daniel. We aren’t doing anything wrong yet. I’m trying damn hard to keep my hands to myself, but I’m finding it almost impossible.”

  Her admission has me moving my mouth to hers before both of us can stop it. I didn’t plan to do it, but just the thought of her wanting to touch me made me lose all control.

  Daniel moves to me so quickly, I barely have enough time to brace myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love it when he kisses me. I just wasn’t prepared.

  As soon as I start to respond to him, he pulls me onto his lap. Of course, I go willingly.

  Straddling his lap, I can feel every inch of him. God, he is hard as a rock, and from what I can tell, well, let’s just say Daniel is hung like a horse.

  I don’t know why I feel so bold, but I start to grind myself against his cock, and it hits me in just the right spot. This is the friction I need. I moan into his mouth as he pulls me close to his chest.

  His mouth moves to my ear. “I want you so much, Nicole. If you keep doing that, I’m going to come right here.”

  As soon as he says it, my own orgasm slams into me. I bury my face into his neck as I let go.

  When my body starts to come down, Daniel stops moving against me. Suddenly, I’m mortified.

  “Oh God, I can’t believe I just dry humped you,” I say as I jump off his lap.

  Daniel laughs but grabs my hand and pulls me back to him. “I wouldn’t call that dry humping, babe. I could feel your wetness through both of our clothes.”

  If I could crawl under a rock right now, I would. Jumping off the boat is out of the question because I’m afraid of things that bite and sting.

  Daniel grabs my face and looks down at me. “Please don’t be embarrassed. Helping you find pleasure makes me happy, Nicole. All I want to do is make you happy.” He leans down and kisses my forehead.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me,” I say as I lay my head against his chest. He is so much taller than I am, and his chest is broad and firm. I could stay like this forever. There it is. That’s the problem. I’m falling hard and fast for Daniel.

  We stand in the boat, hugging for a few minutes, while several boats go past us. The Lucy Ann starts to rock a little. This is the first time I’ve really felt it move. I have to say I don’t like it.

  It’s not like we're going to tip over, but it makes me feel sick to my stomach.

  I pull away from Daniel just a bit.

  “Everything OK, Nicole?”

  I lie. “Yep, I’m fine.”

  Keep your mouth shut and your food in your stomach, I tell myself.

  “OK, I think this is a good spot to throw our lines in,” he says. At least that’s what I think he says. I’m trying to concentrate on not getting sick. I mean, how embarrassing would that be? First date, and I puke all over his boat?

  “OK,” I manage to squeak out.

  Daniel opens what he calls the bait tank. He explains that this is where he keeps the live bait that we are going to use to catch bigger fish.

  “Let’s get you set up. Do you want me to bait your hook for you, or do you want to do it?” he says as he holds a squirming fish in his hands.

  Just as he asks me, two more boats go by and ours starts to roll again. I’ve heard if you focus on the horizon; it helps you avoid seasickness.

  “Nicole?”

  Oh fuck, I can’t hold it in anymore. I push Daniel out of the way and run to the side of the boat. I barely make it as I lose my lunch. To say that I vomit all the way from my toes would be an understatement.

  Maybe Daniel didn’t notice.

  “Oh shit. Nicole, are you OK?” Daniel asks as he races to my side.

  I do my best to turn my head away so he can’t see me like this. Putting my hand out so he doesn’t come any closer, I say, “I’m OK. I just need a drink of water.”

  While I’m hanging my head over the side of the boat in shame, I hear Daniel fumbling around in the cooler. I hope he hurries. I need to get this funk out of my mouth.

  “Here, Nicole. I always bring ginger ale in case someone gets sick. Take some small sips. It should help.”

  Still not wanting him to see my face, I simply thank him and hold my hand out to the side. “Thank you,” I say, not wanting to open my mouth too much.

  “You should’ve told me you weren’t feeling well. I wouldn’t have stopped the boat.”

  “I was OK until those boats went by.”

  “Nicole, come lay down next to me, and I’ll get us to shore quickly.”

  Daniel takes off his shirt and folds it into a pillow and places it on the seat for me.

  Looking over at him, he has his hand stretched out to me. I know I’m sick, but I can’t help but appreciate the view.

  Moving gingerly, I place my hand in his and let him guide me so I can lay down.

  “I’m so sorry I ruined our day,” I say as I curl up next to Daniel.

  He runs his hand through my hair, and it soothes me. “You didn’t ruin anything. I’m the one who should’ve insisted that you take some medicine before we went out.”

  “Drink another sip of the ginger ale. I don’t want you to get dehydrated from the heat and sickness.”

  “OK,” I say as I take a small sip.

  Daniel starts the boat up. I’m counting down the minutes until I can get onto dry land.

  Jesus, I feel bad. I’ve been seasick before and it’s no joke.

  I look down at Nicole, who has her eyes closed. I need to make this up to her somehow.

  Thank God we are not far from the marina. It should only take fifteen minutes or so to get back to the dock. It’ll feel like a lifetime to Nicole.

  I don’t want to wake her up, but I need to feel her. I lean over and rub her arm lightly.

  She moves a little. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

  My first instinct is to tell her that I’ll always take care of her if she lets me, but I rein it in. Way too much, way too fast.

  “We are almost there. Are you feeling any better?”

  “As long as my eyes are closed, I feel great,” she says with a hint of sarcasm.

  The next few minutes are uneventful. I start to slow the boat down as we enter the no wake zone.

  “I’ll have you off the boat soon, but just lay still until I tie us up.”

  She nods her head just enough for me to know she heard me.

  Pulling into my slip, I grab the cleat to tie off and throw the boat bumpers off the side.

  “OK, Nicole. We are all set. I want you to try and eat some of these crackers before you get up. It’ll settle your stomach.”

  I hand her some crackers.

  “Thank you,” she says. I can only nod because I feel like a jackass.

  Nicole slowly sits up, and I slide in next to her for support.

  “OK?” I ask.

  “I’m OK.”

  “Alright, let’s get you off here. Stand up slowly.”

  Nicole takes my hand as I try to gauge how she truly feels.

  Leading her off the boat and onto the deck, she stumbles a little.

  “I guess I better get my land legs back,” she says with a laugh.

  “No, you don’t.”

  I put one arm behind her back and the other behind her knees and lift her into my arms.

  She gasps, but she doesn’t fight me.

  “I’m not letting you drive home. I will take you, and then when you are feeling better, I will bring you back to get it,” I
tell her.

  “I walked here. I only live a few blocks away, down the street from Emily and Mac.”

  “Well, you aren’t walking home. So you can either recuperate at your place or mine. It doesn’t matter to me, but I’m going to take care of you until you feel better.”

  She looks so small in my arms, yet she feels so right.

  Looking up at me, she says, “I think I’ll like that.”

  Getting Nicole to her place took some doing. I tried to drive slowly enough so I didn’t make her sick again.

  As we pull into her parking spot, I ask for her house keys. She digs into her bag and hands them to me.

  “Daniel, what are you doing?”

  “I want you to stay put while I unlock the door. I’ll come back and help you in.”

  “You don’t have to do that…”

  I hush her up with a kiss to her lips.

  She pulls away quickly and wipes her mouth.

  “Daniel, I just got sick. What are you doing kissing me?”

  “That doesn’t matter to me. I just want to take care of you. Do you want me to do that?”

  “Yes,” she says before kissing me back. It’s not a sexy kiss, but rather a kiss of gratitude.

  “Alright, I’ll wait for you here.”

  Kissing her forehead, I jog over to her front door. I unlock the door and leave it open a bit. Nicole can see the front door from where she is, so I’m not concerned with someone getting in.

  Jogging back, I open the car door and help her out.

  “I think I can walk to my place from here.”

  “You don’t want me to carry you?” I ask.

  She smiles at me. “Oh, I love being carried, but I think I’m OK. I don’t want you to think that I’m some damsel in distress.”

  Taking her hand in mine. “What if I like being the hero to your damsel?”

  “I’m sure there will be plenty more opportunities for me to embarrass myself by needing your help.”

  As we walk slowly toward her door, I decide to put it out there. “So, does that mean you want to see me again?”

  I know I should say no, but if he is willing to go out again after I puked in front of him, well, I guess I can give it a chance.