Love Letters Volume 2: Duty to Please

by Emily Cale, Ginny Glass, Christina Thacher, Maggie Wells

  When she put her lips up against the head, he thought he might explode on the spot. Her tongue swirled over his sensitive flesh, flicking over his slit in an erratic pattern that kept him constantly guessing. When he thought he couldn’t take the sensation any longer without grabbing her head and forcing her to take him deeper, she sucked him in, wrapping her lips around his erection and running them down his length until he could feel the back of her throat.

  “Good Lord, Ciara.” He threw his head back and moaned his approval.

  Ciara alternated between providing just enough pressure to keep him on his toes and nearly pushing him over the edge. Each time he thought he might be ready to come, she backed off. Most women he’d been with rushed through oral sex, thinking of it as merely a chore to finish before they were allowed to experience the main attraction. Never had a woman paid so much attention to him or exhibited such skill. If he weren’t so damn happy, he’d be jealous of the guys she’d been practicing on.

  Bringing her hand in on the action, she increased her pace. Within seconds, Evan was panting. “Baby, I’m close.” He meant to give her time to pull away in case she didn’t want to swallow, but she seemed to take it as a challenge to get him off even faster. “Fuck.” The single word was all he could manage to get out before his body tensed up. The rippling effect of his orgasm ran through his body with such force he thought he might lose his footing.

  She kept her mouth wrapped around his cock, swallowing every drop of come and absorbing every spasm. When he was finally spent, she pulled her lips off him with a pop and looked up, a smile plastered across her face.

  “How was that for a reward?”

  He reached a hand out and helped her up from the sand. “I’m going to have to spend the rest of the night earning it. I know exactly how I want to start.”

  He leaned in close and kissed her, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away. “I like the sound of that.”

  Before he could respond, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in close.

  “Oh shit.” He’d known something felt different, but he’d thought it had something to do with the mind-blowing orgasm he’d just had. A light reflected off the tin roof of the hut they were next to. Too bright to be the moon.

  “That’s not really the kind of thing a girl likes to hear in this situation.”

  “There’s a light.” She ripped herself away from him and righted her dress. Following her lead, he pulled up his pants and boxers. Even though his instincts told him to turn away from the water, he kept his eyes out at sea. Something about the situation didn’t feel right. He just couldn’t put his finger on it. Not yet, at least. He didn’t leave stones unturned and there was no way he was going to simply shake it off and walk away.

  “Is it a boat?” She’d taken a few steps back and toward the building. He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it tight to reassure her. Unless it turned out to be law enforcement, the worst consequence of the night would be the embarrassment.

  “It shouldn’t be.” Boaters never headed over this far. At least the smart ones. The area was too close to rocky cliffs and tended to be trouble. It wasn’t great for sports either. The Coast Guard patrolled it occasionally, looking for anything out of the ordinary, but aside from overly confident teenagers borrowing their parents’ boats, they never found anything. Even if that were the situation, this boat was far too close to shore. There was no dock nearby and nowhere safe to drop anchor. Only an idiot would be hanging out on his boat here.

  Even more, tonight all the excitement was at the other end of the bay. Over here was nothing but darkness and quiet. Exactly the reason he’d decided to head out this way in the first place. “This isn’t right. I have to check it out.”

  “I thought you weren’t on duty tonight.”

  “I’m not.” He could call it in. It wouldn’t take long for a patrol ship to get over and check on things. By then they could be back at his place, wrapped up between the sheets. “Give me a minute.”

  He stepped away and called in to the office. As he described the situation, he kept one eye on the boat. “That’s the best you can do?” he asked when the operator on the other end explained it would be at least thirty minutes before anyone could be there.

  “The festival is keeping us busy. Lots of drunk boaters out there.”

  “Thanks.” Evan hung up the phone and turned back to Ciara. “Stay here. I’m going to go check it out.” If someone was in trouble, it might be too late once the rescue boat got there.

  “Don’t leave.” She clung to his arm. “It might be dangerous.” It’d been a long time since anyone worried about him. Sure, his parents got themselves worked up from time to time, but they mostly left him to deal with his life on his own. He swept her into his arms and kissed her.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be right back. You’ll be able to see me the whole time.” He kicked off his sandals and stripped off his shirt. Wading out, he squinted in the moonlight, trying to get a handle on the situation. Unless they were the world’s stupidest criminals, they’d have turned off their lights to avoid detection. If they were that dense, he’d have the upper hand in the situation. More than likely, they were a couple of teenagers who ran off with daddy’s boat and ended up lost and wasted.

  As he got closer, he could see that it was a cabin cruiser. The first thought that ran through his head was that a group of partiers had gotten drunk and gone off course. There was no noise though. No laughter or music. The cool water rushed against his knees as he continued out. His gut twisted tighter into a knot the closer he got. Soon, only the tips of his toes could touch the sandy ground and he started swimming. Only a few more feet to the back of the boat.

  Evan grabbed on to the swim platform and pulled himself up. “Hello? Anyone here?” He sat on the stern, waiting and listening. Nothing. It’d be stupid to be swimming in the dark. Besides, the waters around here were never particularly warm. Even when the sun was shining down with the full force of the July heat, they were never more than bearable. He’d already started shivering from the few seconds he’d been out. Scanning the surface, the only person he could see was Ciara, waiting back at the shoreline.

  Standing, he called out again. Still no response. Keeping his back against the rails, he made his way around the deck. No signs of life. It was as though the boat had driven itself out there and then simply stopped. Taking a deep breath, he centered himself. He’d been trained for all sorts of situations, but he was always out with other people, his fellow Coasties ready to back him up. He stepped up to the door to the cabin. He rapped a couple times on the door and waited for a response. “Coast Guard. I’m checking to see if everyone is okay. Please identify yourself.”

  When nothing happened, he turned the handle and pushed open the door. Taking in the situation, he snapped into action. A woman was lying in the middle of the floor, eyes closed, and body positioned awkwardly. He crossed to her and knelt by her side.

  “Are you okay?” He shook her shoulders, trying to wake her. No response. Damn. Glancing around, he looked for anyone else who might be there. He couldn’t handle the situation alone for long unless backup was coming. Standing, he ran toward the bathroom. The minute he opened the door, a man came tumbling out, nearly knocking Evan over. “Whoa.” He grabbed the man’s body and lowered him to the ground. He was in way over his head. One person he could handle on his own, but two was over the top. Glancing around, he looked for anywhere else someone might be hiding. Not a lot of places on a small boat like this, but he felt the need to check anyway.

  He ran back up to the deck and grabbed the radio. Now that he had more information, he’d be able to hurry up a rescue mission.

  “What’s going on?” Ciara climbed up the ladder and stepped up onto the deck.

  “Ciara? What are you doing here?” It’d been stupid enough for him to come out here, the last thing he needed was to be worried about her too.

  “I couldn’t stand there just waiting to find
out what was going on.”

  Damn. He’d nearly forgotten her insane desire to fix everything. Apparently those summers working as a lifeguard at the local pool weren’t easily forgotten. At least her swimming skills were still top-notch. Otherwise he’d be rescuing her too. “There are two people unconscious in the cabin. I’m going to call for help. Do you know first aid?”

  “Yes.” She was halfway to the door when she answered. He hated the fact that she’d swum out to the boat in the dark, but was thankful to have assistance.

  “Ciara?”

  She stopped and stared back at him.

  “You’re shaking.”

  She shrugged. “So are you.”

  *

  Ciara scanned the room quickly, trying to make sense of the scene in front of her. Two unconscious adults on the floor. Her mind immediately began racing through the possible ways this could have happened. Not important. She pushed aside anything other than the actions she needed to take. Kneeling next to the woman, she leaned in and shook her.

  “Come on. Please respond.” She knew it wouldn’t get her anything, but she had to try. She placed a hand beneath the woman’s chin and tilted it back. Leaning in, she listened carefully. “Don’t make me do CPR.” She doubted she’d even be able to remember all the steps. She kept up her certification, but that was it. Outside the classroom she’d never actually had to do any of the things they taught in training.

  There it was, though. The thready rasps of the woman’s breaths were barely audible, but they were there. She even moved her hand in front of the woman’s mouth to be sure. “Thank God.” She wanted to hug the woman, but restrained herself. Okay, next.

  “What did God do?” Evan asked as he entered the cabin.

  She sat up straight. “She’s breathing.”

  “What about him?”

  “I haven’t checked yet.” Before she could move, Evan crossed the small space and started assessing the man’s situation.

  “He’s not.”

  Damn. The weight that had been lifted from her shoulders a minute ago quickly returned.

  “No heartbeat either. I’m going to start CPR.” The way he said the words, he might as well have been telling her he was going to put on a pot of coffee. No fear, no frantic remembering of the steps involved.

  He moved quickly and with the skill of someone who’d done this before. Not in class with one of those plastic dummies, but on an actual person and under emergency circumstances. She could hardly believe this was the Evan she’d known all those years ago. The same guy who could barely look at a scratch on her leg. She would’ve classified him as one of the least responsible people she knew, and yet here he was taking charge of a situation she could barely process.

  “…twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty.” He moved up and tilted the man’s head back. After two breaths, he started on compressions again.

  “What can I do?” She felt helpless. The world seemed to be moving in slow motion and fast forward at the same time. She needed to do something—anything—to keep from falling apart.

  “Come kneel by his head. Can you give the rescue breaths when I tell you?”

  That sounded easy enough. Or at least he made it look that way. She didn’t bother to respond, just moved to where he’d motioned. Evan pounded away on the man’s chest, showing no signs of exhaustion.

  “Now.”

  She tilted the man’s head back, pinched his nose and did the best she could to get the two breaths in.

  “Perfect.” Evan’s words were barely audible over the thumping of her own heart. In class, it felt so easy and natural. The dummy’s chest had risen and fallen exactly as described in the video. Doing it to a real person felt different. It worked the same way, but she felt out of breath and dizzy.

  Evan didn’t even make it through another round of compressions before they heard footsteps above. “Down here,” he shouted, his voice cracking at the end.

  A second later, four men pounded down the stairs and immediately took charge of the situation. Evan gave them a few details, but then they were both shooed up onto the deck. Ciara was thankful for the fresh air, even if she was freezing. Evan disappeared for a second, then came back with a blanket for her.

  “You’ll freeze.” He wrapped it around her shoulders and helped her pull it closed in front. He put on a second one and stood close to her, wrapping his arms around her body.

  The comfort nearly broke her. In all the years she’d spent working at the pool, no one had ever needed more than a bandage. She’d been excellent at handing them out too. This wasn’t kids scraping their knees, though. She could barely manage to put all the information together in the right order. She wanted to cry, but found that even when she tried, the tears wouldn’t come.

  Figures. She’d been useless this whole month. Only job she was suited for was standing around waiting. Waiting for Evan to tell her what to do, waiting for help to arrive, and waiting for her dad to die. All this time she’d been convinced that all the planning she did, the trainings she went through, and the time she put into research would eventually pay off. That when life threw curve balls her way, she’d have a road map ready to plan out a detour.

  And then there was Evan. She’d have bet money in high school that he’d barely be able to heat up a TV dinner by this point in life. Instead, he was taking charge and saving people without even breaking a sweat. He’d certainly changed a lot. She could sense it when she first spotted him that evening. There was something about the way he carried himself that jumped at her and screamed that he might actually have grown into the exact kind of man she’d intended to end up with.

  The deck filled with people as a second boat arrived, and the men who’d boarded earlier carried the two people off on stretchers. She waited quietly, almost afraid to look. Both the man and the woman had oxygen masks on and seemed to be breathing on their own. She looked to Evan for acknowledgment and saw the grin on his face.

  “Good work,” one of the other men said to him. “Hop on and we’ll give you a lift back to shore. Since you’re off-duty, you can skip the paperwork until Monday. We’ll still need your full report, though.”

  “Of course.”

  She followed him onto one of the boats and snuggled into him on the short trip back to the dock.

  When they’d managed to get back on dry land, she waited, hoping he’d have the words to describe the situation. She certainly couldn’t think of any at this point.

  “Great night.”

  “Are they going to be okay?” She couldn’t help but keep returning to the situation. More than anything, she wanted him to pull her in close and promise her things were going to be all right.

  “They’re both breathing and have a heart rate, so that’s a good sign. I’ll have to wait to find out exactly what happened though. My best guess is some sort of food poisoning. Lots of seafood left out for extended periods of time around the festival.” He looked down at the ground. “Not exactly how I pictured a date between us going.”

  “Was this a date?”

  “I didn’t mean—” He stopped, pressed a hand to his temple and shook his head. “It didn’t start out that way, but it felt like it might be going that way. Though, this last part was a little unscheduled.”

  “You were good.”

  “I didn’t even get to repay you for that amazing blow job.”

  She laughed. The minute she did, she wondered if it was even appropriate. To be so happy after so much had happened seemed unnatural. “I meant here. While I was freaking out and trying to remember how to check for air, you had everything under complete control.” And yet, she was happy. It was a realization that took her far too long. Uprooting her life, moving home, taking over responsibilities she never intended to do were all things she’d felt were destroying her life. Somehow, she was actually happy though.

  “I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit. You were amazing.” He moved closer and wrapped his hands around her. “You swam out here t
o help me and then did a great job dealing with things.”

  “You were better.”

  “It’s my job. I’ve spent a bunch of time training and getting real-world experience. My first medical crisis, I just stood there, staring at everyone. It gets easier.”

  “My dad has Alzheimer’s.” The words spilled out of her without any warning. She waited for the regret to sink in. Instead, she was relieved. It was nice to have someone to share the news with. Someone who actually might care and not just look at her like she was a china doll about to be destroyed.

  “I’m really sorry to hear that.”

  “That’s why I moved home. Someone has to take care of him and make sure he doesn’t wander off and end up naked on Main Street.” That’d already happened. Twice. Now she was determine to make it all work.

  “Well, from what I’ve seen today, you’re going to do a great job. He’s lucky to have you for a daughter.”

  She couldn’t believe how kind he was being. So far she felt like she’d screwed up everything. There’d been more than one mishap, and some days she was tempted to lock her bedroom door and forget about the whole situation.

  “If you need help, you can always call me. I can’t promise I’ll be very good at it, but I’m pretty handy when I need to be.” Evan held her close. Through the blanket, she could feel his hand making gentle circles over her back.

  “Thanks.”

  “Now, I think we should head back to my place. We can get out of these wet clothes and talk some more. Plus, I think I owe you a little more fun time.”

  *

  For it being only a quarter mile from the bay, it sure did take a long time to get back to his house. If this was going to be a regular thing, he was going to need to buy a place closer to the water. Maybe even a houseboat.