by Leddy Harper
The rest of the week went by much of the same. Gabi was showing some improvement, but it didn’t often last very long before she was back to being down again. It frustrated me more than anything because I didn’t want to get my hopes up when she was acting fine. I knew it wouldn’t last long, and it didn’t. She’d go right back to being depressed—crying about the baby, crying about her mom, crying about anything and everything. I wanted to make it go away. I wanted nothing more than to make it all stop. But I couldn’t. And I think that was what frustrated me the most.
Work was fine, though. I sent Eden off with files and she worked alone on them, barely coming to me about any of it. I did tell her about her needing to take lunch breaks. She’s a real wise ass. The next day, she had lunch in her office—while she worked. I had to clarify that a break meant no working. That was Thursday. On Friday, she sat in my office while she ate. Sounds like a break, but I wouldn’t have considered it one since she spent the time talking about work. I didn’t complain because it meant I got to spend time with her.
There had been no more running into her at the pier. That part made me a little upset, even though I told her we shouldn’t both be there at the same time. I’d walk there every evening, but would only spend a few minutes before turning around and heading back. After the first night there with her, it wasn’t the same. I knew it was stupid of me to be searching her out, but that was what she made me—fucking stupid.
Saturday rolled around and my boy, Eddy, had been planning a day out on his boat. He had just gotten it and wanted to take it out. He invited me and Gabi, and she was looking forward to it until the morning of. She said she wasn’t in the mood to be out on the water, so I didn’t push it. I offered to stay back with her, but she wanted to be alone. Call me a dick, call me insensitive, but I didn’t argue. I couldn’t sit in that condo and watch her cry any longer, so I put on my board shorts and headed to the marina.
Just before we had everything loaded, I heard someone behind me say, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I spun around and nearly fell on my ass. I couldn’t believe it. In the middle of the marina, loading up a boat with my buddies, and there was Eden.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I didn’t mean for it to come out that way, but damn, every time I turned around, there she was. No matter what I did, where I went, or who I was with, there she was.
“Ummm, Eddy invited me out on his boat.”
“Eddy? How do you know Eddy?”
And just then, the man of the hour came walking down the dock. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and pressed his lips to her cheek. Her eyes never left mine and her face fell. Mine probably did, too. I wasn’t expecting that. I’m sure she didn’t, either.
“There you are. I was worried you’d stand me up,” Eddy said as he took her bag from her.
“Oh, sorry, I was just running late. I didn’t hold you up, did I?” She seemed nervous as she tried to pay him attention, but her eyes stayed on me. Her smile seemed strained and her movements were jumpy.
“No. I wouldn’t have left without you, anyway.” He kissed her cheek again, that time with a big-ass smile plastered on his face, and jumped on the boat.
I pulled her aside to talk without the chance of being overheard.
“How do you know Eddy?” I asked, trying not to sound pissed. But I was, and I didn’t know why.
“We’ve been out on a few dates. How do you know him?”
“He’s one of my best friends. I can’t fucking believe this. You’re dating my best friend.”
“Not dating. Have gone on dates. There’s a difference.”
I scratched my scruff, not knowing anything else to do with my hands. I knew the kind of guy Eddy was, and I knew the kind of dates he took women out on. Just thinking about him with Eden set me off. I wanted to tell her to leave and never speak to him again, but what right did I have? None.
“I’m sorry, should I not be here? You were here first; maybe I should just leave. He’s your friend. I don’t want to cause you any inner turmoil over being on a boat with me.” She was pissed. I had heard that tone before and knew it should not have been taken lightly.
I grabbed her arm just as she began to walk away. “Stop. Don’t be ridiculous. You’re dating my friend, so what. I’m a likable guy; I have lots of friends. If I asked you to not date any of them, you’d never date here,” I joked. I hoped she got that.
She smirked and rolled her eyes. Yeah, she got it. “Okay, whatever. So, is this going to be awkward? Am I going to have to be on a boat in the middle of the water and keep my cover-up on so you don’t get a stiffy?”
She was baiting me, but she didn’t know whom she was playing with. “No, you can take it off. I might get a half-chub, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I know it’ll be hard to do, but just don’t check out my cock and you’ll be fine.” With that, I walked back to the boat and hopped on, leaving Eddy to help his date out.
We rode out for a while, going in and out of no-wake zones. It was nice because it allowed Eden and me to talk some. We had some beers during the ride out and it seemed to mellow us both out some.
“So, tell me about her,” she said out of nowhere.
It completely caught me off guard. I didn’t want to talk about Gabi with Eden.
She must’ve picked up on the hesitation because she started talking again. “Why don’t you want to talk about her? I think it would be a good idea. It would put us in the friend zone and then we won’t have to worry about this awkward thing anymore.”
“You think so? You think if I talk to you about Gabi I won’t want to kiss you anymore? You think if you hear about her you won’t think about that night on the pier? Don’t tell me you don’t. I know you do. This awkward thing between us isn’t going to just fucking disappear because I tell you about her.” My tone was short and clipped. I didn’t know why I was suddenly being an asshole, but I was. And I couldn’t stop once I got going.
“What would it hurt?” She paused and looked right at me. “So, her name is Gabi. That’s a pretty name. Is it short for something?”
I didn’t want to answer her. I didn’t want to be having that conversation, but she wouldn’t let up on it. “Yeah, Gabriella.”
“Very pretty. Is she Spanish?”
“Her father was from Peru.”
“Does she speak Spanish?”
I grew more and more impatient with each question. I didn’t know why she cared what ethnicity Gabi was or what language she spoke. I didn’t understand how talking about that would make me stop thinking about what she looked like naked. I was pretty sure I could’ve introduced them and I still would have thought about fucking her brains out.
“Come on, Dane. It won’t kill you to talk about her.”
“No. She doesn’t speak Spanish. Her dad died when she was younger.”
“That’s sad. Does she remember him?”
I shook my head, not understanding why she kept pushing the topic. “No.”
“I couldn’t imagine. Does she have any siblings?”
Just then, Eddy had made his way out of a no-wake zone and opened the boat up. We were pushed back in our seats as the engines roared to life and the breeze knocked us both back. It didn’t stop me from responding.
“What the fuck does it matter, Eden?” I yelled over the wind that was hitting our faces.
“It just does!”
Her red hair was whipping around her face and all I wanted to do was reach out and touch it. I wanted to grab ahold of it and pull her mouth to mine to shut her up. I didn’t want to be asked any more questions. Gabi’s story wasn’t mine to tell. It certainly wasn’t mine to tell to the woman I fantasized about fucking.
“I need to know she’s real. I need to be reminded that she’s a real person, with real feelings. Without that, I don’t have a reason to not kiss you. I won’t have a real reason to not act on these impulses. And I need that, Dane. I need that more than anything right now. So please, tell me about he
r!”
Her words drove straight into me. They exploded inside of me and headed straight to my cock. I knew what she was doing, but hearing her admit how she felt and what she thought about made me go mad. I wasn’t sure if even the force of God would’ve been able to keep me in my seat. I wanted to go to her. I wanted to fist my hands in her hair and bring her mouth to mine. I wanted to kiss her and never stop.
Instead, I got up and went to the back with my empty beer can. I left her sitting right where she was without even a glance back. She wanted me to talk about Gabi in order to keep a safe distance from me. It didn’t matter who the fuck I talked about, nothing would help me that way. The only thing I had hoped would work was distance, but I didn’t seem to get that. She was everywhere. All the time. Either in person or in my head. I was fucked no matter what.
“How do you know Eden?” Eddy asked as I made my way to him at the helm.
“She works for me,” I answered in a casual tone, which was the complete opposite of the way I felt. I was boiling. I felt crazy as adrenaline rushed through me. My hands felt shaky and my heart pounded inside of my chest. I most certainly wasn’t feeling casual. I hoped he hadn’t noticed.
“That’s cool. She never told me where she worked.”
I didn’t want to hear that. All that translated to me was that they didn’t talk, they only fucked. And the thought of him fucking Eden only pissed me off further. I didn’t want to think about her fucking anyone but me. But that wasn’t fair since I wasn’t available to fuck to her. Damn, I was screwed. I wanted to punch my best friend in the face for doing what he always did, which had never bothered me before. But since it wasn’t some random whore, it was Eden, it had gotten to me. That wasn’t entirely fair to him or anyone else involved.
The boat slowed as we ran up to the shore of a secluded beach. Most of the small island was covered in mangroves, but there was one spot on the south side that had a short, sandy beach. We had discovered it years ago and it quickly became our boating place.
We let out the anchor and the guys started hauling the coolers to the shore. I watched as Eden sat in her seat where I had left her, staring off at the beach. It wasn’t too far away, but she’d have to wade in the water to get there. I could tell by her stiff posture that she was uncomfortable.
“Why would you go out on a boat if you can’t swim?”
I must’ve scared her because she jumped at my words. “He said we were going to a beach. I guess I didn’t think too much about it until now.” She was scared; I could tell in her shaky voice.
I wanted to make it better. I wanted to make her feel safe.
“Come on, take your clothes off. I’ll help you get there.”
She looked at me with wide eyes. “I’ll just wait for Eddy.”
“No. He’s already up there. He’s not coming back. Let’s go. It’ll be fine, I promise.”
Eden stood up but walked away from me. She covered her face and practically raced to the back of the boat. I followed her, making sure she was okay. By time I was standing behind her, she was shaking uncontrollably.
“Hey, it’s fine. It’s pretty shallow. I’m sure you can reach just fine.”
She shook her hands beside her and finally looked back at me. “Okay,” she agreed and I couldn’t help but smile.
I waited as she took her top off, followed by her shorts. I had to adjust myself because just one look at her in a bathing suit gave me a hard-on. She was so beautiful and ungodly sexy, and I finally got to see the full tattoo on her arm. They were colorful flowers, but I had seen those before. What I had never seen was the tree branch that extended across her upper back that led to those flowers. It was an amazing piece, really. I had quite a bit of art on my body and had seen a lot on others. But I had never seen something that amazing.
On her entire right side was a tree. The trunk was twisted and dead, but as the dead limbs stopped just under her right armpit, the left side had live branches that flowed just under one shoulder blade, across the other, and ended in the most beautiful explosion of colorful flowers that made up her half sleeve. I wanted to touch every inch of it, and then follow its path with my tongue. I wanted to run my fingers over it as I had her bent over. I wanted to see the transformation from grey to color as I thrust in and out of her with her fiery red hair entangled in my hand.
I had to stop staring at her, otherwise I would’ve blown a load in my shorts just thinking of all the ways I wanted to explore her ink.
She finally turned around and stopped dead in her tracks. I watched as her eyes traveled over my chest. I had seen women do that before when they’d see me shirtless, but never had it had that effect on me. Never had I wanted someone to look at me as much as I wanted her to. I watched her large chest heave up and down as she took me in. It seemed I was having the same effect on her.
I quickly jumped over the side before either one of us could do or say something we’d end up regretting later. The water wasn’t too high, but I knew she would probably freak out. So I waited for her to throw her legs over the side and then came up close to the boat. There was no other way for me to help her in other than holding on to her legs to help ease her over.
Her legs were smooth on my palms as I ran them from her calves to her thighs.
“Come on, I’ve got you,” I called out to her.
“Just give me a minute.”
Fuck that. If I gave her a minute, it would have turned in to an hour. And I didn’t have the patience to stand there, touching her legs for that long. Blue balls are not a myth. They are real. And there is no pain like them. If she made me wait any longer, I’d have to jerk off right there in the water to survive. I gripped her thighs tightly and pulled her in.
She squealed as she slid down my body and into the water. I knew she could’ve reached the ground just fine and still kept her head above the surface, but once she was in my arms and clinging to my body, there was no way in hell I was putting her down until I absolutely had to.
“This feels like déjà vu,” she breathlessly said.
“Why? Because I’m holding you in the water?”
“No, because I can feel your erection.”
“I’m getting the feeling you want me to do something I shouldn’t.”
She bit her lip and stared at my mouth as I stood still behind the boat. I didn’t want any of the guys to see us out there. They would have too many questions if they did. And I was pretty sure Eddy wouldn’t have been too pleased.
“Have you fucked Eddy?” I couldn’t help it. The question flew right out of my mouth.
Her eyes flicked up to mine and they grew wide. Those deep, hunter green eyes were going to be the death of me. Along with her heavy tits and full lips. And her hips. And her thighs. I was pretty sure between all of that, I’d die a happy man.
“Don’t want to answer?”
“Have you fucked Gabi?” she asked instantly.
“That’s different. You said you aren’t dating Eddy.”
“If I said yes would it make you not want me?”
“No, it would make me want to kick his teeth in.”
“No, I haven’t.”
I felt relieved, but I wasn’t entirely sure why. It wasn’t my place to feel relieved that she hadn’t had sex with the guy she was dating, but I did.
“Were you serious about what you said earlier? About thinking about me?” I asked.
“Yes. And I was also serious when I said I hate cheaters.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I was literally speechless. I wanted to say so much, but I knew none of it was appropriate. I had never even thought about cheating on Gabi before I met Eden. Not once. I had never even met a girl I could honestly say I looked twice at. Sure, there were tits I had taken a second look at, or an ass or two, but never a girl. And certainly never one I had jerked off to while picturing. So I knew I couldn’t say anything back to her.
I started to walk back around the boat but stopped when she started talking again.
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“And this whole thing has started making me hate myself. She’s a real person, Dane. No matter what there is between us, you’re with her. And she has feelings that will get hurt and a heart that will get broken. It’s not fair to her. None of this is. Not our flirting, or our innuendos, or the thoughts inside of our heads. None of it is. And I fucking hate myself for it. Because it takes two to tango. It’s not just you hurting her. It’s me, too. And if what you said the other day about her being in a bad place is true, then that makes us the worst fucking people on the planet.”
Her words were like a cold bucket of ice dumped right in my lap. She was right. What we were doing was wrong. Not that I hadn’t already realized it, but hearing her say it out loud made it all the more real.
I nodded and walked us up a little bit more before putting her down. We walked the rest of the way to the shore in silence. The silence was killing me. I didn’t want it to be like that between us, but I didn’t know any other way for it to be. I didn’t trust myself to talk around her. I didn’t even know how to act around her, and that was new for me. I never had a problem talking around people. I was always the life of the party. But I felt inside like the party had ended and everyone had gone home.
We all ended up playing around on the beach and drinking beer. A couple of guys I knew had also come on the trip with us so at least I wasn’t alone with just Eddy and Eden. I was thankful for that the few times I caught Eddy sitting on the shore with Eden between his legs. I tried to not let it get to me, but it did. I tried to stay occupied with the guys in the water, but my mind was back on the beach with her. Not once was it where it should’ve been. It was always on her.
After a few hours, I found myself at the cooler alone with Eden. We hadn’t spoken to one another since I helped her off the boat. The three guys were in the water talking, probably about how small their dicks were, which was why I wasn’t included in the conversation.
“This is awkward,” I commented as we both reached in for another can.