by Logan Chance
We walk across the weathered-wooden dock and I help her onto the boat, watching her ass in the tiny white shorts she’s wearing. “You named your boat ‘The Prince is Right’?”
I laugh. “Sure did. Just like The Price is Right, but mine is ...I’m right.”
She smiles, laughing as she does. “Oh, I get it, Mr. Ego.” She steps further onboard. “It’s actually kind of clever.”
I waggle my eyebrows at her.
“But, completely wrong,” she teases.
The captain steps closer, and I shake his hand, and then Clementine and I head down below to change into our bathing suits.
“You don’t play around,” she marvels as I lead her to a room to change.
“Nope,” I say with a grin.
The cabin is a haven with comfortable furniture, russet-tined fabrics, and elegant cherrywood joinery. The lower deck features a sauna and separate Turkish bath.
Once she’s settled, I slip on a pair of black board shorts and head back out onto the sole of the boat. The deck crew gets to work on setting sail for the small cay off the coast of St. Thomas. It’s closer to St. John, a neighboring Virgin Island, and in about thirty minutes sail time we should be close enough.
The cay is so remote there’s no way my hundred-foot custom Ketch sailing yacht can dock there. So, I plan a little excursion, keeping my boat anchored a little ways away while we kayak the rest of the distance.
The clear blue water, sunny sky, and soft-summery breeze relaxes me. It’s enough to make me wish we never had to go home.
Clementine steps out of the cabin, looking sexier than hell in a jet-black bikini with a teal sarong wrapped around her trim waist. Black sunglasses hide her eyes from me.
“Wow, I feel like I’m Rose on the Titanic.” She leans against the taffrail of the sailboat.
“Yeah, only difference is this boat is not going to sink,” I say with confidence, stepping closer as the captain sails us through the aquamarine waters to the cay.
I can barely see the tip of greenery of the miniscule island, and smile.
“That’s Henley Cay,” I say, pointing to the small spot of land covered with trees encased by a sandy beach. “We’re going to kayak there. Have you ever kayaked?”
“Only once, when I was a little girl. But, I’m sure I can handle it.”
“I’m sure you can, too.” Without thought, I wrap my arm around her waist and lean in to kiss her.
She doesn’t pull away. I press my lips against her soft ones, and enjoy the moment with her. I keep waiting for her to push me away, but she never does.
I deepen the kiss, running my fingers through her breeze-blown hair, wanting more than anything to taste every bit of her. This is one thing I think I might love about Clementine—her hair. Silky, soft strands of dark auburn temptation.
I break the kiss the moment the word love enters my brain. No, not love. I like her hair more than I’ve ever liked another woman’s hair. I chuckle, stepping back. That’s it. I just like her hair a lot.
“What’s wrong?” Clementine asks. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I rub at my bottom lip. “I...uhh. Nothing.”
She turns to look back at the cay. “It’s so beautiful here. I wish I could live here forever.”
I want to tell her that being married to me means she can live here every day of every year. I want to tell her that I want to live here with her, but I don’t. Instead, I glance at the captain as he lowers the anchor.
“We’re here, Mr. Prince,” the captain says.
“Ready?” I hold my hand out, waiting for Clementine to place her tiny hand in mine.
The moment she does, we disembark and head off to where the kayaks are lined in a row and wait for the deck crew to lower our kayak into the water.
They help Clementine into the front of the kayak, and then I climb down and grab the oar. We push away from the boat, and together we paddle toward the tiny island.
“It’s just so beautiful.”
I move the bag of supplies we brought on the kayak, and continue paddling to get us closer to Henley Cay. “I love it here.”
Clementine peeks over her shoulder at me. “What are we going to do once we get over there?”
I smile. “You’ll see.” I have big plans for my soon-to-be bride.
We drift into the sandy beach of the cay, and I help her from the kayak. The island is empty, not too many tourists to compete for space with today. That makes me happy because I hate sharing.
“This is amazing,” Clementine says, pushing her toes into the sand.
“Follow me.”
We walk to a little inlet on the opposite side of the island where a sandy beach awaits us. The estuary water is bluer than the light blue sky, and more inviting than anything I’ve ever seen. Except, Clementine.
I set the bag down, unzipping the top. “Want to go snorkeling?”
Clementine steps closer, peering into the bag. “Yes, the water looks so good.”
We spend the next few minutes getting everything ready for snorkeling, and I glance to the water. “There could be sharks in the water,” I warn Clementine.
Her brow furrows. “Like shark sharks?”
“They’re more afraid of you.”
She parks a hand on her hip. “That is one thing I do not believe.”
I laugh. “Ok, maybe they’re not afraid, per se, but they won’t bother you if you don’t bother them.”
We wade out until Clementine stands knee deep in the water, the snorkel mask sitting on top of her head. “Are you sure?” she asks.
“If you haven’t learned by now,” I step closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist, “you can always trust me.”
TWELVE
Clementine
* * *
THE SHARKS SWIMMING and lurking in the depths below are not near as dangerous as the man standing before me. If anything will bite, it’s him.
Trust.
How can you trust someone if you’ve never done anything trustworthy for you to trust them with? I haven’t been completely honest. And the most recent lie I’ve told is I don’t have feelings for Gabriel. With every smile, every wink, I fall harder and harder. And I don’t know what to do about it.
Do I run? Do I trust him?
What if he takes my heart and feeds it to the sharks?
I can’t lie to myself that sex with Gabriel wasn’t one of the most life-changing things in all my years here on this earth. My emotions are like a kaleidoscope of varying feelings filtering in through the sunlight. I know one thing for certain—I want to keep having sex with him again and again.
I mean, this vacation has been great at getting me to stop thinking about Bishop Blackstone and all his threats. Being alone with Gabriel, having him touch me, makes all the fear and anger I feel toward Bishop disappear in an instant.
And so, I leap with both feet. “I trust you,” I tell Gabriel, lowering the snorkel mask over my eyes.
I’m ready to swim with the sharks. I follow Gabriel out deeper into the ocean. And then we both keep to the surface, floating as we watch all the marine life beneath us.
It’s like something right out of Finding Nemo. If Tennyson were older, I would love to bring him.
Bright colored fish swim next to even brighter coral and rocks deep underneath.
A stingray shoots below me, and yeah, I’m not so sure about that. I pop my head out of the water, removing the mask.
“Fun, right?” Gabriel says from behind me.
“I saw a stingray and got a little scared.”
He grins, and licks the water from his lips. “I told you I’d always protect you. Nothing’s going to hurt you out here.”
I believe him and I smile. “Ok.”
“Here, follow me and we can see some sharks.”
Again, that little voice in the back of my head speaks up, but I tamper it down, trusting Gabriel completely. I reposition my mask and follow behind him.
We don’t ven
ture too far out, but there’s a drop off, where the ocean floor gives way to a darker depth below. And there they are—sharks—swimming further away from us, in the blue water.
Adrenaline rushes through my veins. I feel very safe from the distance away we are, but Gabriel smiles at me and swims closer to the danger.
I don’t know what kind of sharks these are, but it doesn’t matter to me. A shark’s a shark in my eyes.
Gabriel flaps his fins to bring him closer to the predators. This man is crazy. He looks like Aquaman, and it’s almost inspiring, making me wonder if I should follow him into the deep blue.
I don’t.
Instead, I’m frozen here underwater, floating on the surface watching him. I can’t take my eyes off the beauty unfolding before me. The fact he’s risking his life by swimming with these vampires of the ocean frightens me.
After a few more minutes, Gabriel returns back to the shallow waters near the cay where I am.
“That was crazy,” I tell him. “I can’t believe how close you were.”
“Those are nurse sharks. They’re probably one of the friendliest breeds of sharks around.”
I narrow my eyes. “I have never heard of a nice shark before.”
“They’re harmless.” Gabriel raises a brow. “Want to give it a try?”
“Swim over there?”
“Come on, we’ll only swim for a few minutes.”
I decide to put my trust in Gabriel and nod. “Ok.” I put my mask back over my face and follow Gabriel into the deep end.
And what happens next is magic. The nurse sharks swim below us while we float near the top of the ocean. My eyes widen when a nearly ten-foot shark swims by.
Gabriel pops his head up, removing his mask, so I remove mine. “Did you see that one?” he asks.
“Yes, it’s amazing.”
“Let’s head back to shore.”
I put my mask back on and follow Gabriel back to the sandy beach. As soon as we’re on the beach, I flip off my mask and smile. “I can’t believe I just swam with sharks.”
Gabriel grabs two white towels from the bag and hands one to me. “Better than sex, huh?” He rubs his rock-hard chest with the towel and I lick my lips.
“Yeah,” I say, no longer remembering the question.
He steps closer. “Better than sex with me?”
I shake my head. “No,” I whisper.
“Good answer,” he says, spreading his towel on the beach. “Come here.”
I move toward him, my body already overcome with need. The look in his hooded eyes scares me more than the sharks.
I drop to my knees between his thighs.
Gabriel reaches his hand out, running his fingers through my hair. “You humble me.”
His lips caress mine as he kisses me, and I cling to him, trying my best to never let go. Because I will have to let go at some point.
I break the kiss, dropping my forehead to his. “You spoil me.”
I turn and settle between his legs, leaning back against his chest, staring out as the waves of the ocean lightly crash onto the shore.
“Why do you think my grandfather chose you?” Gabriel asks, running his fingers through my hair.
I think I know the answer to his question, but I don’t know how to tell him the truth. What if he hates me? I know his grandfather picked me for the mere fact of my connection with Bishop Blackstone. It has to be. “I don’t know,” I tell him, feeling horrible for keeping the truth from him.
My heart wars with my head, wondering if I should just tell him everything.
“I always worked so hard for my grandfather. I didn’t realize all this time that he hated me.”
“No, I don’t think he hated you. I just think he had a plan we can’t see right now.” My mind races, trying to figure out Joseph Prince’s masterplan. I mean, there has to be something going on.
Has to be something sinister at play here. Unless the man was just a creepy old bastard with nothing better to do.
“No, he must have hated me. I mean, who does this?”
My heart aches for Gabriel, not really sure what to say to him. “I’m sure he had a good reason, even if we can’t see it.”
“See, that’s just it.” Gabriel turns me around to face him. “What reason could he possibly have to force this? You have a son.”
And then, it all comes together. The whole reason Joseph Prince chose me. The man who I had always hated was trying to make amends.
In his own twisted way, he was trying to pay penance for his sins.
THIRTEEN
Gabriel
* * *
THIS IS what a fantasy looks like. I couldn’t have conjured this up, if I tried. The way the sun glistens off her golden skin, wet hair, and a dusting of freckles across her cheeks. I can’t turn away from her.
“Everything ok?” I ask a lost in thought Clementine.
She places both hands on my face, cupping my cheeks. “You’re a really good man.” And then she kisses me.
And now, I’m lost in all things holy. I lay her down, worshipping her with everything I have.
This is what it looks like when two people decide to give their hearts to one another. I touch her skin—breasts, stomach, hips, thighs—as she moans my name.
“I need to be inside you,” I tell her, admitting all my truths.
“I need you, too,” she says back, and my lips find hers once again.
I spread her legs and settle between them. “I need to lick your pussy first.”
She leans her head back, mouth open as she presses her nails into my shoulders. And then I move down her body, leaving kisses all along the way. I kiss down her legs, behind her knees, and slide down the scrap of material that’s her bikini bottoms. And when she’s completely bare for me, I swipe my tongue through her wetness. Starved, I grip her ass with both hands and dive in, making sure to spend extra attention on her clit as I suck it between my lips. I nibble gently, eliciting moans from her that make my cock ache.
“I love the way you’re so wet for me,” I tell her and then lower my head once again to taste her sweetness.
Her fingers grip my hair, pulling me closer to her body as she thrusts her hips against my face. It’s too good to stop.
I keep eating her, plunging a finger deep inside her. She moans even louder now, and I’m so fucking turned on. It’s like a tribal ceremony, and her pussy is the altar.
She keeps riding my face, yanking on my hair and screaming out my name and my heart drums in my chest. She’s close. I can feel it.
I lap at her wetness, enjoying her pussy like my life depends on it. I keep going, long after her body begins to shake. I speed up, my tongue operating completely of its own volition.
“Gabriel,” she cries out.
My hard dick needs to be buried deep in her pussy in the worst way. I don’t know how much longer I can hold back.
Her orgasm subsides, and I move up her body, playing with her tits before I kiss her full lips, letting her taste herself on me.
“You’re such a good girl coming all over my face for me.”
“That was so amazing. I’ve never…” her words end, but she doesn’t need to finish her sentence for me. I know what she means. It’s like we’re connected, and I can read her every thought.
I can make her feel even better. Even better than last night.
I remove my board shorts, and she watches my hand as I wrap it around my steel cock, pumping it in my fist. She licks her lips, always so hungry for it.
So I give it to her. As she lays flat on her back, I move so she can lick the drop of precum on the tip of my dick.
She swipes her tongue around the top, and I nearly lose my load. “Fuck, baby.”
I place my hand on her head, letting my fingers run through her silky strands, debating for longer than I’d like to admit, whether I want her to suck on my cock. I decide I need to be inside her way more.
I lay back down with her, moving to my back, and letting her str
addle me. I remove her bikini top, letting her round tits free so I can squeeze and fondle her breasts, running her nipple between my thumb and index finger. She’s got the greatest set of tits I’ve ever seen. I have to taste them too.
I sit up a bit and suck her pebbled nipple into my mouth.
She grinds her hips against me. “Gabriel, ahh, so good.”
“Wait until my cock is buried deep inside you.” I want to get dirty with her, let her know who’s in charge. I want her to ride me so badly.
She moves her body, positioning her pussy right over my dick, and she eases down onto it.
“You’re so fucking tight.” It’s almost painful how hard I am right now.
She doesn’t move until I’m fully seated inside her. Then she rocks, and I groan.
“That’s right, baby. Ride my cock.”
I thrust, gripping her hips, moving her against me, controlling her body. “You like my big dick, don’t you?”
She closes her eyes, leaning her head back. “Yes.”
I keep rocking up into her, letting her feel every inch of me. “You like that I can make you come, don’t you?”
“Yes. Please make me.”
She moves her body on mine, riding my dick like she was born to do it. Fuck, she feels so good.
When I can barely hang on anymore, I move her from on top of me, and put her on her hands and knees. “I know what you need, Clementine. You need my thick cock buried inside you from behind.”
And that’s what I do. My hands move from her ass, over her back, and up to her shoulders, and I slam my cock back inside her, groaning as I do.
She lets out a cry of ecstasy.
“You like the way my cock fills you?”
She moans out her answer, and I lift her up, connecting her lips with my hungry mouth. I can’t get enough.
“You feel too good to be true.” This has to be a dream.
The sun beats down on us, watching our dirty deeds as I claim this woman here on this tropical oasis. I can’t fuck her hard enough. I can’t hold on any longer.
“Fuck, Clementine. What are you doing to me, baby?” I groan, wanting more and more of her. I will never have my fill of this gorgeous woman.