by Lauren Wood
“Merle come on, come back to me.”
I hadn’t gone anywhere so his words didn’t make much sense to me. It was like he was a long ways away and that was after he was right next to me, kissing and touching me. Now he was so far away again. None of it made any sense.
As his voice got louder, I finally opened my eyes and it was all a dream. I was spitting up water and I was on my side, still in my wetsuit without Charlie touching me in all of the right ways.
“What happened?” I knew that something wasn’t right.
“Your oxygen got cut off and I couldn’t get you to answer me. I had to go down there and get you Merle. What the hell happened?”
I shrugged because I really didn’t know what happened and when I tried to think about it, all I came up with was the erotic fantasy that the lack of oxygen had made me think of. It was still at the forefront of my mind and he was so close to me that I pulled him down for a kiss. I wanted to stay in the fantasy and it seemed to be even more real when it came down to it because it felt just as good as it had before.
It was Charlie that stopped the kiss the second time around and I was bummed out that he did. I wanted more, but he told me that I had to get myself together. I was together. I was together enough that all I wanted was to live out the fantasy. I was too out of it to feel embarrassed.
“You kiss really well. You don’t want to do that again?”
Charlie made a growling sound. “You know… I know what I should do, what Bill told me to do, but I can’t. I want it to be perfect the first time.”
I just kind of nodded my head because in reality I had no idea what he was talking about. He looked at me like I should know, but I really did have no idea. “Bill?”
He waved me off and told me to start getting out of my wet clothes. I had been so wrapped up in the moment that I hadn’t even realized that I was wet and shivering. I was freezing all of a sudden at his mention of it and the last thing I wanted to do was take off the little bit of clothing that I had left on. But he urged me to keep going and I did as he suggested. I didn’t want to get hypothermia, but I wasn’t thinking very clearly at all. I noticed that he was starting to take his clothes off as well and I blanched at the hard muscles in front of me.
“What…what are you doing?”
“You need skin to skin. It will warm you up a lot faster. You’re almost blue and you’re shivering really badly.”
I was, but the idea of his body on mine was a lot to take in. He looked so good and when I was in only a wet bra and panties, he helped unlatch the back of it and pulled it off before he pulled me in for a big bear hug. It wasn’t like the fantasy that had played in my head moments before, but I can’t say that it was all that terrible either.
I started to get instantly warm and I wanted to pull away because I was getting instantly turned on just as much. Being this close to him and feeling his hot skin on mine was all that it took for me to decide that I wanted Charlie and I didn’t care if he was my boss or not. I tried to pull him down for a kiss, but he chuckled and told me that it wasn’t the time for it.
“I thought you wanted to warm me up?”
“I do Merle. I want to do much more than that, but this isn’t the right time.”
I made a sound of disgust because I didn’t want to hear that. I wanted the man more than I could say and I didn’t like him playing hard to get. He wanted me, I knew he did, but now he was taking the higher road and I didn’t like the idea of that one bit.
Chapter 16
Charlie
She was driving me insane and the look that I was given for telling her no was one that almost made me take her properly. I knew that she was just in a bad accident and she was deprived of oxygen. What kind of man would I be if I took advantage of that?
It was hard not to take advantage of it, I mean really hard, but I knew that I wanted her in a different way. It wasn’t going to be enough for it to be done suddenly on a boat in the middle of the ocean if that meant she was going to regret it the next day. I wanted her to have no regrets when it came to me. I was looking for the long term.
I took her to the store and got her a few things that I hoped would help her feel better. She was still cold and I got her home so that she could take a hot shower and change. If I hadn’t known how I felt about the woman before, it was impossible to deny it once I realized that she was out in the water.
I forgot all about my fear of water and what could happen to me and I didn’t even think about it when I jumped in after her. That told me all that I wanted to know and it was hard to ignore the need I had to keep her safe. I knew that she wasn’t delicate, but I wanted to hold her against me and make sure that nothing bad ever happened to her.
“Are you okay in there?”
I didn’t hear anything and I knocked again on the bathroom door. The water was still running and it had been for quite some time and I didn’t like not hearing from her or worrying in general.
“If you don’t say something I am going to come in Merle.”
It was meant to be a threat to get her moving, but she didn’t say anything and I was then sure that she had passed out and was drowning in the tub of water. I didn’t like being so stressed. It was a new feeling for me and I finally tried the knob to find that it was unlocked.
I was prepared for the worst and I knew that it was going to be a scene on the other side of the door. I was so sure of it; it took me a minute to realize that it wasn’t the case at all.
She was looking at me smiling like I was coming in for a drink.
“Hey Charlie.”
“Didn’t you hear me knocking?”
She nodded that she did. “Yeah and you said you would come in, so you did.”
My eyes were taking her all in because she was naked and barely covered by bubbles in the tub. She had an inviting grin on her face that was hard to ignore and the way the water sloshed when she moved had me holding my breath. Her legs were on the edge of the tub, sticking out and showing me a long expanse of slim thigh that was going to drive me mad.
“So you wanted me to walk in on you?”
She smiled at me in the cutest way and nodded her head that she did. “I wanted more than that earlier, but you weren’t listening.”
I sighed and asked her if she needed anything. She was going to make me crazy and here I was trying to do the right thing. For the first time in my life, I didn’t just want to take her and slam inside of her, even though it was all I could think about. The one time that I was trying to do right, I was being pushed into doing something bad. It was hard to figure out what I was supposed to say or what kind of a mood she was in. The woman was damn confusing.
“Yeah, can you wash my back? My arm is killing me and I can’t reach. It hurts to pull my arms back that far.”
“When I got down there, your arm was wrapped up in the hoses. It is probably going to hurt a bit and might bruise. I was really worried about you Merle. I have never had anyone get hurt on my boat and I don’t want it to happen now. Not with you.”
She waved me off and turned her back to me when I got closer. As I stood over her, I was able to see her ample breasts from above that weren’t quite being covered by the water. It was a hell of a sight and I was trying my best to ignore it.
I did as she asked, washing her back with a bath poof that she had brought in with her. The body wash smelled sweet like some sort of flower and the aroma filled my nostrils and turned me on to no end. It was hard to not look at what was on display and when she looked up, I was staring and she had a knowing look in her eyes.
“I guess you are not as much of a gentleman as you like to think that you are.”
I started to disagree, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her tits and I knew that she was right. I was trying my damn best to keep it together, but if she was going to let her breasts out like that, how was I supposed to do anything else but look? I wanted more, so much more, but I was still trying to make it special and wait.
When I was done helping her, I got out of there as fast as I could. She giggled at me as I left and I knew it was because she knew what it was that I wanted her. Merle liked making me nervous and it was hard to deny that she was doing a damn good job of it. A really damn good job. Too good.
Chapter 17
Merle
The man was starting to make me think that maybe I had been wrong when I thought that he wanted me. He had kissed me and I was sure that he wanted me as much as I wanted him, but after he left the bathroom and I was still basically untouched, I wasn’t too sure anymore. It was a shame because there was part of me that wanted him to take the hint and take me already.
I had done everything that I could to entice him, but he must have had the patience of a saint because I was untouched as he left.
He hollered through the door about going out for dinner and I told him that I would be out soon. I wanted to find a reason to call him back into the bathroom, but being shot down so thoroughly was going to do it for me. My face was red with the idea of it. How many times had I been turned down in such a way? It wasn’t that many, I was sure of it and it certainly wasn’t done when I was naked in a bubble bath.
When I got out, I tried not to act sour but I was. My body was in overdrive and all he would have had to do was touch me a little bit and I would have been able to feel better. I wasn’t too happy about the fact that he hadn’t given me what I needed and I wanted to tell him about himself. I was actually angry a little bit.
I went into the room he was letting me use and I got dressed. I almost just threw on something hot and sexy, but that avenue hadn’t worked for me, so instead I just threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater. There was no reason for me to dress up if the man that I wanted wasn’t going to pay attention to me. He had saved me from the cold water and given me a job. It should have been enough, but it wasn’t. I wanted more from Charlie.
Charlie was waiting in the living room when I was done and he still had that dark, haunting look in his eyes that had started it all. It had made me think that he wanted the same thing that I did, but now I wasn’t sure what it meant.
“You look good Merle. I can’t even tell that you were lifeless a couple of hours ago.”
I didn’t like the image that his words gave me and I just kind of sighed to him. He was not going to let that go. I was ready to move on and think about other things. He was still stuck on earlier.
“It’s not like it hasn’t happened before. I feel fine now. Thanks for being there though. I think if that would have happened with Kevin, I would have been a goner.”
Saying that made me really think about what I had just said. If I hadn’t have ran into Charlie and gotten hitched up with him, would I even be here now? Kevin would have been drunk no doubt or at least in a stupor and I had a feeling that he wouldn’t have caught something like that. My oxygen had been cut off with him, as well as the hot water. What if I would have been too far from the surface to get there in time?
I didn’t like the thought of that or how dangerous the job was. I knew that it was of course, I had done diving before, but never like this. Maybe I was brushing it off like it was nothing because I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to think about how close I had been to death and that was why my first reaction was of the sexual nature. I had been so happy to be alive that I wanted to feel alive as well. I had wanted to just take the moment and do something crazy.
“I don’t like to think about that. I know that Kevin is a bit of a mess, but I think you are right. If something like that happens on one of his rigs, there might not be anyone there to help you. I’m just glad I could get to you in time. That was a scary few moments before I got to you and got you out of the water. You had swallowed some down and…”
I could tell that he was bothered by it and instead of trying to jump his bones or be mad at him for turning me down, I felt bad for the way I had acted. He was a strong man, that much was clear, but he was rattled and I hated that I had scared him so much.
“Thank you for saving me Charlie. I know that it could have been really bad.”
He agreed and stared through the windshield at the road in front of us.
“So where are we going?”
I was desperate to talk about something else, anything else but what had happened earlier. I didn’t want to think about it and the best way to forget about it happening was to not talk about it or think about it again.
“Molly’s. She has a store and a little restaurant that has some home style cooking. It’s really not too bad.”
“I know her a little bit. She was the one that gave me a ride from Hikma. She was very nice and told me about all of the history here in Nome.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Molly. She loves it here and wants to share it with everyone so that they will love it here as well. Molly is a good cook too.”
I smiled to him and I was glad that we were talking about something else. It would be nice to see the woman again. I remembered something about her telling me about her restaurant, but I hadn’t been paying much attention then, I was too wrapped up in the view. This place had a way of drawing me in.
Chapter 18
Charlie
I found out that Molly and Merle had met before and when we got to the restaurant, Molly hugged the young woman like she had known her all of her life.
“So how do you like it here so far?”
“I really like it Molly. You were right. It is the perfect place to get my mind off of everything.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear that. I asked Kevin if he had seen you and he told me that you quit. I was worried that I wouldn’t get to see you before you left.”
“No, I’m still here. I decided to go with another rig when I worked a day with him. Great guy…”
She waved Merle off and smiled at her. “Honey we all know Kevin, so it isn’t hard to figure out why you don’t want to work with him. He is drunk more than he is sober. I see you are with Charlie. He is one of my favorite people.”
Merle looked over at me and had that devastating smile on her face. “Yeah he kind of grows on you.”
I was afraid that she was going to bring up the accident and I didn’t want to talk about it or have to hear how I had saved her. I had just done what anyone would do and I didn’t like the attention.
“Yes he does. If I were a little younger or so inclined, I think I would have pursued him when I first got here. But that was a long time ago when I was younger and didn’t know a good thing when it was right in front of me.”
I sighed and felt my cheeks getting red. She wasn’t much older than me at all, but Molly was an old soul and she had a way of making me feel embarrassed and young. She had no qualms about telling me that I was adorable. I was a man in my thirties. I didn’t want to hear such a thing. It wasn’t good for my image.
“You should have.”
Molly’s eyes went up and her lips moved to say something and then she stopped. “I should have, you’re right. It looks like I might be too late now.”
Merle told her that she wasn’t. “He isn’t into me like that Molly, you still have time. We just work together.”
I wanted to correct her because I still felt like she needed to be claimed, but I didn’t. I watched her walk to a table that was close to a few men that I knew from the rigs and I felt my hackles going up. I hadn’t taken the offer that she had presented, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t want her. It didn’t mean that I didn’t like her like that. She had that part wrong, all wrong. I wanted her badly, but in the right time and in the right way.
Molly gave me a look like I better snap her up and I agreed whole heartedly, but Merle was acting a little different after she called me into her bath. She was dangling herself in front of me and I hadn’t taken the bait. Wanted to, desperately so, but it wasn’t the right time. She was still so fragile and I had just pulled her limp body out of the water a couple of hours ago. Too soon. I hadn’t even gotten the images out of my head yet.<
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Going to the seat and getting in on the other side of her, I could tell that the men sitting beside us in the other booth had noticed her and were paying attention. She was hot and new and it didn’t matter what she wore or how her hair was done. At the moment it was in a knot, loose and a bit of a mess, but she had never looked prettier. I liked her fresh, scrubbed face and I could still smell the fragrance of her shampoo in my nose. Merle didn’t have to do anything to be beautiful and I didn’t like the way that they were starting to look at her with interest.
“Do you want to get something to go?”
“No, I like it here. Besides I don’t want to seem rude to Molly. It would be nice to catch up with her a bit. I don’t know a lot of people here.”
“Of course.”
I was lost at what to say and instead of trying to convince her; I just looked at the menu and tried to ignore the attention from the other table. I wasn’t the only one that noticed it. Molly came by and sat blocking their way and I liked to think that she was doing it to help me out. I wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but I liked to think that it was.
When she left we were back to talking about some of the sights in Nome and what there was to do. Merle was still a little distant, but I was going to make sure that next time an opportunity was afforded me; I was going to take it. Doing the right thing was not getting me what I wanted at all.
Chapter 19
Merle
I got up to go to the bathroom. Charlie and I were about to leave and I wanted to wash my hands before we left. We had talked about a few places that were nice to go this time of year and now we were on our way to one of them. It was supposed to be a nice sight, one that only the locals knew about and it sounded like a good place to go. I was trying to keep my mind off of everything that was going on between us. The last thing I wanted to do was go to a secluded place with him when I wasn’t going to be able to get the attention that I wanted.