Carly is with us the whole time, laughing and joking too. She seems like she is a happy, bubbly person, but I also detect sadness behind eyes so similar to Craig’s it’s scary. I find myself wondering what their dad was like, because so far, I’ve found the whole Silver clan to be so down to earth and welcoming. I’m sure they both had a great upbringing, enjoying great family days out and a loving home life.
Watching Craig with his sister just makes me fall for him that much more. Yeah, I think I can finally admit to myself that I, Amber Grace Merchant, have fallen hopelessly in love with Craig Silver. How is that even possible after only a matter of weeks? I know you hear about love at first sight all the time in magazines, but I never believed it was possible. Until now.
By mid-day, we are all getting hungry so decide to stop for something to eat at the Snack Shack. Taking our feasts of traditional savoury pastries and bottles of water, we grab a seat on the picnic benches outside.
We’re listening to Carly try to recite a joke that she heard in one of her lectures recently. She really needs to stick with academia; stand-up comedy absolutely isn’t her thing. I’m looking at her, trying not to laugh at her cute attempts, when something big and furry lands on the table in front of me. Startled, I yelp and nearly fall off my seat as I scoot backwards.
Regaining my composure, I look at the table to find a brown and beige monkey staring at me. I sit frozen for a minute, scared to move in case it attacks me. When it just sits there looking at me, I tentatively reach a hand out and pat its coarse yet soft coat. It doesn’t startle or run away, so I continue to run my fingers through its fur. When I stop, it moves in closer, so I resume stroking duties, laughing at the cuteness.
I hear laughter from across the table and look up to find Carly and Craig in hysterics over my apparent new found love interest.
“Getting jealous over here,” Craig says before slapping his hand over his mouth, his body jerking with his laughter.
Carly whips her phone out of her jeans pocket and takes a couple of photos of me and my new boy toy. “Craig, go and sit next to Amber. I want a photo of the two of you. This will be perfect.”
As Craig goes to sit down next to me, the monkey looks over at him and sneers; a proper teeth bearing, hissing, get away from me sneer. Craig recoils a few spaces, and the monkey’s sneer drops as he goes back to enjoying my attention. A few moments later, when Craig attempts to step forward again, the monkey repeats his snarling. He is obviously one possessive mammal. Craig tries a few more times and eventually gives up, sloping back to his seat. I don’t fail to notice the death glare he sends in the little monkey’s direction, and I’m sure that was a look of triumph I saw on Chuck’s face. Yeah, I nicknamed the monkey Chuck.
A family sits at a nearby table with their lunch and almost as quickly as he arrived, Chuck disappears, snatching half my pasty as he goes off to flirt with someone else.
A low rumble from across the table grabs my attention, and I look over to see Craig murmuring something under his breath. “Oh honey, are you jealous of an itty bitty monkey?” I reach over and pat his hand before Carly and I both burst into hysterics.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
An hour or so after our little encounter with Chuck, we decide we have seen enough of the animals and head down to the sea front. I once again become stupidly excited seeing as I haven’t been to a British beach since I was about eleven.
Carly disappears somewhere shortly after we arrived without real explanation as to where she’s going. It has nothing to do with the hushed, heated discussion she had with Craig when they thought I wasn’t looking, I’m sure. I can’t say I am sorry though. As sweet and kind as she is, I am looking forward to a bit of alone time with my man. My man. Wow, it still seems strange. I really cannot believe we’ve moved on from a chance encounter in a nightclub to here and now, and so quickly. I want to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.
“Are you alright, Pingu? You have a strange look on your face.” We are walking along the seafront towards the pier. It is a beautiful late May afternoon, and the sun is shining and glittering off the ripples cascading across the water. Gentle waves ebb and flow along the shoreline where children sit with their families building fortresses, and other unrecognisable structures, out of damp sand.
I stop walking and move around to stand in front of Craig, reaching my arms around his waist and snuggling into his chest. I take a deep breath in, inhaling his now familiar earthy scent mixed with the fresh smells of the sea air. “I’m perfect. This is perfect. Thank you.”
“You are perfect. I’m glad you recognise that.” He smiles as he looks down into my eyes and wraps his own arms around me. He places a kiss on my forehead, leaving his lips attached to my skin. Why did I spend so many years wasting my life on a man that basically thought he owned me but had no interest in really being with me? I have missed out on so many days like this.
Becki was right with what she said. I’m starting to see that everything does happen for a reason. Maybe I was meant to stay with David until now so that I could be right here, right now, with Craig. He really is my Silver Lining. He gives me hope and optimism for a brighter future, despite whatever issues he has going on at the moment.
We spend the next few hours strolling around town, looking in shops, chatting about anything and everything, and just enjoying being together. When my stomach suddenly growls rather loudly, letting me – and probably everyone else in Paignton – know that it’s time to eat, we grab some Fish and Chips and sit on the pier eating them. Craig wanted to take me into some fancy restaurant, but relented when I started ranting about not being able to come to the seaside and eat fish and chips out of the paper. “It’s a British tradition,” I argued.
With our stomachs full, we kick our shoes off and take a stroll along the sand. The beach is quieter now, the falling early evening temperatures driving families back to their hotels or wherever it is they came from.
“You’re a bit of a snob, do you know that?” I say to Craig as we walk along an almost deserted area of the beach. I’m walking backward, facing him and laughing.
“Oh yeah?” Craig quirks an eyebrow. “How’s that?”
“Only snobs would be snobbish about eating fish and chips and candy floss when they come to the seaside. These are staple Seaside requirements, Mr Silver, along with making sandcastles and… this...” I flick my foot in the shallow water and splash him.
“Oh, you’re in for it now,” he growls, staring into my eyes.
Shit, this isn’t good. He has a devilish look in his eyes that makes me want to jump on him and flee at the same time. I gulp when he flinches and as quickly as I can, turn on my heels and run away from him, squealing in laughter, running as fast as I can through the soft sand.
I’m laughing and trying to catch my breath while evading Craig’s attempts to catch me. When I hit a large ditch in the sand, I stumble, giving Craig the perfect opportunity to lunge forward and grab me around the waist. The momentum from his attack causes me to lose my balance and we both crash down onto the sand.
Turning over quickly onto my back so I can swipe the sand away from my face, I look up to see Craig leaning over me. He is breathing heavy, his chest rising and falling sharply with each laboured inhale and exhale. We are both laughing uncontrollably, trying to catch our breath. My heart skips a beat looking up at him. He looks so young and carefree; a stark contrast to his usual cool, calm and controlled demeanour.
Our eyes lock onto each other and the laughter immediately ceases. We simply remain frozen in time, lost in each other’s gaze. I vaguely hear music in the distance, the song being carried along by the gentle sea breeze. The words from “What About Now” by Daughtry filter into my emotion filled haze.
“Craig, I...” I’m cut off by a pair of soft, warm lips pressing down on mine. He doesn’t try and deepen the kiss, just remains hovering over me with our lips locked.
Brightness sneaks in through my closed eye lids and the cool s
ea breeze tickles my moistened lips. I slowly open my eyes to see Craig has pulled back but is still leaning over me, smiling. A sudden sense of desperation washes over me, desperation to let Craig know exactly how I feel about him. I want to bear my soul to him and hand him my heart all packaged up in a cute little box. I just hope he doesn’t shove it away in the back of a drawer somewhere to forget about, or worse still, just discard it.
I reach my hand up and stroke along his jaw, his light stubble gently tickling my palm. “Craig, I...” My declaration is interrupted by the sound of Craig’s phone ringing from inside his jeans pocket.
“Sorry, I better get that,” he says apologetically and kisses my forehead quickly before jumping to his feet to retrieve the phone. “Yeah,” he snaps into the receiver before absentmindedly taking a few steps away to have his conversation.
I pull myself into a sitting position with my knees tucked into my chest and hug them tightly with my chin resting on top. I can’t believe I nearly bared my soul to him like that. We all know Craig isn’t the falling in love kind. I’m not even sure where he sees this thing between us going. It would be stupid declaring my love to him if all I am to him is a brief distraction. No, I need to keep these feelings to myself.
Staring out towards the calming deep blue waters of the sea, I’m struck by a lone figure off on the horizon. A small boat glides effortlessly through the water, heading towards an unknown adventure. It looks serene yet sad out there, bobbing on the waves at Mother Nature’s mercy, surrounded by a shroud of muted golds, pinks and lilacs from the twilight sky. Yet it’s alone; a solitary figure trying to fight its way through the rough and the smooth of unpredictable waters. A bit like me.
“Hey, what’s with the faraway look?” A soft voice with warm breath caresses my left ear, while a warm body presses against my back and strong arms snake around my waist.
“Just watching that boat out there. It looks so peaceful,” I say, keeping my eyes on the boat.
We sit in silence watching that little boat for a few minutes, and I can’t help but wonder where it’s going. Will it get to where it had hoped it was heading to, or will something happen to alter its course?
Eventually, Craig tightens his hold around me and turns his face into my ear again. “Are you ready to go back now? That was Carly on the phone. She’s bored and wants to head back.”
And just like that, my moment of tranquillity and the spell that little boat cast has been broken. Time to face my choppy waters, I guess.
With a resigned sigh, I nod my head and shift to let Craig know I’m ready to get up. He jumps up first then reaches a hand down to pull me up. We lock gazes for a moment, his eyes, dark now in the fading light, searching mine, looking for something. Or maybe they are trying to tell me something. I just can’t tell.
Without a word, he takes my hand in his and entwines our fingers in a firm grip. We grab our shoes and start walking back toward where he parked the car.
***
I’m quiet in the car on the way back to the house, using the time to stare out the window and try and formulate my conflicting thoughts and emotions. I feel so silly for the melancholy that has washed over me. Yes, I nearly told him I love him, but I didn’t. I need to lock that declaration away in the ‘feel but never reveal’ cabinet and enjoy the rest of the weekend.
As we pull into the long driveway, Carly is jabbering on about something or other. She’s been talking the whole drive back, but I’ve been so caught up in my own thoughts I didn’t really take much notice. I could occasionally feel Craig’s gaze burning into me, but I ignored it and continued staring out at the world going by.
Craig pulls the car to a stop on the gravel in front of the house and switches off the engine but doesn’t make a move to get out. Instead, he watches Carly out of the rear view mirror as she gets out. I put a hand out to open my door, but Craig reaches over and puts a hand on my thigh to stop me.
“Are you okay?” he asks quietly, turning in his seat to face me. Am I okay? Yes. No. Oh, I don’t know. Yes, because I’m in love with you. No, because I can’t tell you and risk you rejecting me.
I manage a weak smile and reach over to cup his face. “I’m fine, just tired I guess. Today has been amazing. Thank You.”
He searches my eyes for a moment, his brows furrowing, piercing me with his intense green orbs that suck me in and swallow me whole. I sit there in some sort of hypnotised state when Craig smiles and places a soft kiss on my forehead. Coming back to my senses, I close my eyes and shake my head. How is it that even amidst my own self-doubts and monumental confusion, he has such a profound effect on me?
My car door opens and Craig reaches a hand in to help me out. He grabs my bag from the floor and we walk up to the house.
“What do you want to do tonight?” Craig asks as we enter the hallway and he shuts the door behind us.
“I think I’d like to take a shower and then go to bed. All that sea air and walking around has totally wiped me out.” And as if to emphasise the point, I can’t hold back the yawn that sneaks up on me.
“I hope you’re not too shattered, Pingu. I have a few more activities I’d like you to try out before you flake out on me.”
“Oh, and what would those be?” I sigh as Craig wraps his arms around my waist and rests his hands on my butt cheeks with a gentle squeeze.
“Why don’t you go and have your shower and you’ll soon find out,” Craig whispers into my ear before tracing the edge with his tongue. Shivers reverberate down my spine, and I have to grab hold of his forearms to stop myself from stumbling over.
“Go,” he orders seductively and steps back. As I turn to walk up the stairs, he swats my behind and chuckles when I look back at him over my shoulder scowling.
The warm water feels soothing, running over my body and washing away the sand and grit from the beach. I love this shower. It really does feel like I’m standing in fresh pouring rain. If I close my eyes, I can almost imagine I’m standing in a tropical rainforest somewhere far, far away, listening to birds singing and squawking, frogs croaking, monkeys chattering-
I’m rather rudely pulled back from my relaxing meditation when I’m tugged back onto a hard slab of heated, male muscle.
“You didn’t think I was going to leave you to shower on your own did you?” Craig pulls my damp hair to one side and tilts my head to give him access to my neck. “You know, Pingu,” he whispers between sucks on my sensitive flesh, “I have some great memories of this place, but none of them compare to seeing you in here, utterly beautiful in all your naked glory. You look like an Amazonian beauty standing here, your head tipped back, eyes closed, the water flowing over you. That image is going to stay with me all day, every day, and haunt my dreams every night.”
Craig slowly begins a sensual caress of my tight, tense muscles, moving slowly downwards. His hands skim over the top curve of my buttocks, and he smoothes his palms over my hips and around to lay flat on my tummy. His touch is sending shock waves reverberating through my body, leaving me breathless, trembling and aching for more.
“You have such beautifully soft, smooth skin, Pingu. I can’t keep my hands off you.”
A hard leg appears between mine and gently kicks one out to the side. Craig continues tracing small circles across my abdomen, occasionally dropping lower to skim over the tender flesh of my pubis. He never quite reaches where I want him, no need him, to touch me.
“Craig… please,” I whimper as I close my eyes and drop my head back onto his shoulder. He is so good at this, building me up, increasing the tension so that when I let go, it’s so unbelievably amazing.
“What’s the matter, Pingu?” His warm breath flutters over my ear before I feel his tongue skimming the outer edge of my ear. “Did you need something?”
“You.” Craig’s hand drops lower and begins to gently tease the sensitive flesh between my thighs.
“Oh, but you already have me, baby. I’m right here.” His voice has dropped, and I feel the strong,
accelerated beat of his heart thumping against my back.
I’m a bundle of nervous exhilaration as Craig’s hips slide his erection along the crease of my buttocks and forward to my now throbbing sex. His fingers continue to tease my hyper sensitive clit. I’m breathing heavily, fighting to drag a deep breath into my screaming lungs, and my body is strung so tight that I’m trembling all over. One more stroke, one more lick, one more rub, and I think I’ll explode.
“Craig…” I cry out as my body tenses, and I suck in a deep breath as I prepare to fall into oblivion. But he pulls away. No, oh God, no! Why did he stop? I open my mouth to protest and demand he finish me off when I find myself being spun around to face him, and his lips capture my cries of outrage.
His lips and tongue are demanding, forcing me to allow him entrance so he can entangle his tongue with mine. I’m left stunned, blinking my bewilderment at the handsome face staring straight at me.
Craig reaches around the side of me to grab my bottle of body wash and washcloth and begins to gently rub it across my skin, sensually worshiping and cherishing me all over. After every last inch of my skin has been scrubbed, he grabs the shampoo and massages some into my hair and scalp. When he’s done, he pulls me back under the flow of the water to wash away all the suds while he quickly washes himself and then joins me under the steaming torrent.
I’m still reeling from his abandoned climax chase when Craig switches off the water and gets out of the shower. He hands me a towel that I wrap around myself while he wraps one around his waist, our eyes locked on each other the entire time. I’m sure mine are asking why he stopped in there, why he has left me a quivering wreck, wanting and needing so much more from him. His are swimming with raw passion, so dark and mesmerising.
Silently, Craig runs another towel through my hair before entwining our fingers and backing me out into the bedroom.
“Do you trust me, Amber?”
Silver Lining Page 20