Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Four days… For long days until our next trip. Four excruciatingly endless days without Cass.

I could still feel his kiss on my lips. I think I memorized the taste of his mouth.

I wasn’t na?ve enough to think we were dating just because we’d kissed. I also wasn’t na?ve enough to think he didn’t want to do it again, no matter what he told me about it being a mistake. How could the best thing that’s ever happened to me be a mistake? Cass’s kiss turned my stomach upside down, stopped my heart from beating, and stopped my lungs from breathing. It was the most life-altering thing that had ever happened to me.

A mistake? No, more like faultless perfection.

And he was the na?ve one if he didn’t think I would pull out all the stops to make it happen again.

In the past, whenever I thought of Cass, I would picture him standing on the deck of his boat, with the wind ruffling his hair, dressed in shorts and a Harlowe Charter polo, looking carefree and charismatic, like the poster boy of summer. Cass was hard-working and honest to a fault, but also fun-loving, freethinking, and a dreamer. He had kind, intelligent eyes, and his laugh could wash away all your cares. But now, whenever I thought of him, my lips tingled. I could taste his mouth. His carefree smile was gone, replaced with an intense scowl, the same one he wore when he dragged me from the hot tub. Instead of kind eyes, he looked at me with heat, scorching heat that burned me alive.

That’s the Cass that I saw now when I closed my eyes.

Had I pushed him too far that night?

I’d never seen him react that way to me—or anyone—before. He’d looked capable of murder. I could admit to myself that I’d gone too far, that I was in over my head, letting those men lure me into the tub. With their wandering hands and lascivious looks, it was clear they only wanted one thing from me, the one thing I wouldn’t give anyone, except maybe Cass.

It had to be him. The way he rescued me from that situation that could have turned dangerous in a heartbeat solidified my trust in him and my need for him. If anyone could keep me safe, it was Cass.

He looked out for me, went out of his way to make me smile, made sure I always had what I needed, and what I wanted. Cass had spoiled me rotten from the day he met me, and he was still doing it. I laughed with him, felt happiest with him, and felt safe with him. But also, he made me so curious about men. He made my dick hard. His kiss made my mouth water for another. Yes, it definitely had to be Cassidy Hart who popped my cherry.

He would be gentle with me. He would guide me and show me what to do. Cass would teach me how to return his affection so that I could please him, and I would feel confident and bold while doing it. This was the summer I would shed my childhood and become a man.

And that began with keeping my promise to my dad, to Cass, and myself. Walking into the campus bookstore at Waltham University felt surreal. How many times had I driven past the school and wondered what it would be like to attend college? In the fall, I was finally going to find out. I passed rows of school supplies—highlighters, pens, pencils, folders, and notebooks—and a huge display of backpacks in every style and color hanging from hooks on the wall. It took a while to find all the textbooks on my list, and my mouth dropped wide open when the clerk rang me up, and I saw the total.

Six hundred and fifty-seven dollars? WTF?

Screw it, what’s a couple more bucks? “Could you add that Waltham University hoodie?” I asked the clerk .

“Sure thing.” He smiled, folding the hoodie and sliding it into my bag.

He was cute, no doubt, but not for me. Why did I always feel so terrified around guys my age? Maybe because I’d been bullied by them so often growing up? I never felt insecure with Cass. And even though Sam went out of his way to make me feel like a pest, I didn’t feel insecure with him, either. He'd always been kind to me. The rivalry was something new, and I had a feeling it had something to do with me spending so much time with Cass. It was ludicrous to think he might be jealous of me, but was he?

Maybe I just had to try harder and be nicer to him until he realized I wasn’t a threat to his friendship with Cass.

The sun warmed my face, and I breathed in a deep breath of fresh, salty air as I strode down the dock to the Harlowe Two with my bag slung over my shoulder. Cass was on deck, uncoiling a hose.

Butterflies danced in my stomach, making me feel jittery. I loved this new feeling I got whenever I looked at him or even thought of him. This rush of blood that went straight to my head and made me feel dizzy. The way my heart would beat faster. I was beginning to sweat, and it wasn’t from the heat.

Usually, he would hug me, maybe kiss my cheek, but not today. Today, Cass kept his distance.

“Hey, little skipper. Ready to set sail?”

“Where’s Sam?”

“Supply run. He’ll be back shortly. We’re still waiting for our guests to arrive.” He looked up from the hose, shooting me a hesitant look. “It’s just me and you this time.”

“Sam isn’t joining us?”

“He booked two one-day charters on the Harlowe One for deep-sea fishing. He’s on his own this weekend.”

Could I get any luckier? I had Cass all to myself for the entire week.

“We’re just making a run to the Bahamas. It’s a five-day jaunt. I'll need you to step up and help more, but I know that won’t be a problem.”

His praise made me feel warm all over. “I won’t let you down, Cass.”

“Go stow your bag below deck. We’ve got to hose down the deck and the lounge chairs, and then we need to change the sheets on the beds.”

Hiding my blush, I hurried down the stairs and dumped my bag on my bed. Maybe I could use Sam’s bunk now that he wasn’t coming with us. Then I could be across from Cass, at eye level with him as we both fell asleep.

Don’t think about falling asleep in his arms last time. You won’t get that lucky again.

The island of Exuma didn’t feel real, with its aquamarine waters, sparkling like precious gems, and pink-and-white sand beaches so pristine, it was as if they'd never been touched by mankind.

“There’re three hundred and sixty-five islands and cays that make up the Exumas. Most are too tiny to even anchor at, but it’s one of the most beautiful spots in the Caribbean.”

I lived for Cass’s tidbits of information about the islands and the oceans. He knew how thirsty I was for knowledge and spoiled me with facts and anecdotes.

“What are they known for?”

“Besides their exotic beauty? Swimming with pigs,” he laughed.

“Swimming with pigs? You can’t be serious.”

“I am. The island is full of wild pigs, and they swim in the water. You can swim right up to them and touch them.”

Our guests, Manu and Scott, stood at the railing and waved at a passing yacht.

“They’re an interesting couple.” I wasn’t jealous at all…much .

Scott, an older and wealthy businessman, was married to the younger, flirtatious and vivacious Manu. This trip was to celebrate their first anniversary. They loved to tell the story—like three times already—of how they met in Peru when Scott was on a business trip. He’d rented a villa, and Manu worked for the resort as a personal concierge. When I asked what that meant, Manu laughed and said, ‘ Basically, whatever Scott wants, I give it to him .’

Apparently, Scott wanted everything from Manu. I didn’t think they were much different from me and Cass. They had a big gap in their ages, just like we did, and if they could make it work, couldn’t we? Scott didn’t seem embarrassed to show off his much younger husband. In fact, he reveled in it.

“They certainly are,” Cass laughed. “They’re going ashore to one of the resorts tonight to party. You and I are not,” he stated pointedly, giving me ‘ the look .’ Cass may not be my father or even my stepfather, but he sure nailed that look to perfection. It was the same look my dad sometimes gave me.

He was also adept at ignoring my pout. “Will we have any fun on this trip?”

“That depends. Do you consider swimming with pigs fun?”

“You bet!”

Cass chuckled. “Tomorrow we’ll check out the island of Eleuthera and The Queen's Bath. ”

“What’s that? A bathhouse?” I asked excitedly. A boy could hope.

Cass choked. “Nicky! You’ve got to be kidding me. Really? It's an area full of natural tide pools where you can find all sorts of cool ocean life.”

“Oh, that sounds fun, too.” Not as fun as seeing Cass naked, but…

“Go down and tell our guests that we have to wait for customs officials to clear us before we can depart and raise the yellow quarantine flag.”

Ugh! Clearing customs was my least favorite part of sailing. Climbing down from the flybridge to the lower deck, I made my way to Manu and Scott.

“Cass asked that you remain aboard until we’ve cleared customs. They’ll board the boat and check our documents, and then we can proceed to Exuma. Are you ready to swim with the pigs?”

“I am so ready, Chico.” Manu got excited about everything, kind of like me.

I loved his exotic South American accent. Nothing exotic ever happened in Cooper’s Cove. Heading to the stern, I raised our ensign, the American flag, and the yellow quarantine flag, to the top of the mast. It was difficult in the stiff wind, and my skin burned from the coarse rope. I returned to the flybridge and showed Cass my hands.

“Damn, come with me.”

I followed him below deck to our tiny bathroom. One person could barely fit in it, let alone two, and I was very aware of his proximity and his warm breath on my neck. Cass opened a bottle of some sort of lotion and squeezed a dollop into his palm. He grasped my sore hands, using his thumbs to rub the lotion into my skin. His touch felt sensual. His calloused skin was so different from my smooth, soft hands. Cass had hands that belonged to a man—hands that I wanted all over my body.

I couldn’t help it; my dick began filling with blood, and I squirmed, which only drew attention to what was happening between my legs. I couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss. We were standing close enough that it could so easily happen again—if I just raised my head and looked into his eyes, leaned in a little further.

But I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t afraid of kissing Cass again; I was afraid of pushing him further away.

“You’ve got to be more careful, Nicky. I hate when you hurt yourself,” he murmured.

My heart was beating painfully hard, and it was so loud he must hear it. My mouth felt dry, and it was hard to swallow. He continued to caress my hands, his fingers sliding gently over my skin, and I felt it in every part of my body. At least, I imagined I could.

“You have to take better care of yourself. I have so many fun things planned for us this week, but you can’t do them if you’re injured.” Cass placed a kiss on the palm of my hand, over my rope burn. The brush of his lips tickled, shooting sparks up my arm. “I would give you the whole world if I could, Nicky.”

Then he looked into my eyes and leaned in close, and my heart stopped beating.

He's gonna kiss me! Oh, my God, he’s gonna kiss me!

But Cass moved past my mouth, pressing his lips to my temple instead. It was sweet and poignant… and totally disappointing.

I don’t want the world, I screamed inside my head. I just want you.