“Double negatives always fascinate me,” he murmured and dipped his head.
She let out a sound-a gasp? A moan?
She couldn’t be sure until he stopped a breath away from the kiss he promised. His smile widened, those tiny crinkles in the corners of his eyes appearing as he slid one of his hands around her waist. He pulled her close.
His mouth brushed hers; a touch so light she wondered if she’d imagined it. In that moment, every cell in her body surged to life. The feel of his warm skin beneath her fingertips left her longing for more as his lips drank her in.
Until now, kisses like this had been relegated to the books she read, the movies she watched. The kind of kiss that ignited a woman’s blood and had her craving more from the man in her arms. His mouth was as perfect on hers as it was when he spoke to her; filled with humor and laughter and quiet intensity that demanded a response. There wasn’t a part of her that wasn’t filled with thoughts of David Stewart.
“Squawk! Nice flat back!”
Bonnie pulled back before the laugh erupted. Her shoulders trembled as she struggled to hold it in, but it wasn’t any use. She could sense the frustration in David, and even as she wanted to spring it loose, she wasn’t sure the entertainment wasn’t more satisfying.
“Go away, bird,” David growled.
“Kiss, kiss, kiss.” Duchess flapped into the cabin, her talons clicking on the table as she perched and twisted her head one way and then the other. “Berries for pretty girl.” She clicked her beak.
Bonnie swore she saw the bird grin.
——————–
“Squawk. land ho. Reach for the sky!”
A flap of feathers and the now-familiar sound of sharp talons clacking onto the rail-ing beside him announced Duchess’s arrival in the wheelhouse. They’d spent most of the day on the water, making steady progress to-ward home.
“What’s up, bird?”
Duchess belted a familiar tune about blue skies shining. The perfectly pitched melody had David’s lips twitching. It hadn’t taken long for the bird to grow on him. Despite David’s pleas to fly away, the parrot had yet to find other suitable accommodations and appeared to be sticking with them for the foreseeable future. So there David sat in the captain’s chair, arm draped over the steering wheel, with a fitness-obsessed bird as his copilot.
Duchess pranced, searching for her spot. David counted his blessings she didn’t perch on the steering wheel.
“Okay to come up?”
David glanced over his shoulder. Bonnie was halfway up the ladder. She had her hair loose today, those long waves catching against the wind.
His resolve to keep his distance after that kiss they’d shared in the galley wavered.
“Sure.”
“I brought you coffee.” She waggled the travel mug in one hand as she climbed up. “A peace offering.”
“A what?” He accepted the metal container eagerly and shifted his empty mug out of the way. “What for?”
“A peace offering. Things have been weird between us ever since…” Now she cringed as she stepped up behind Duchess and stroked the bird’s back. “You know. Ever since we k-i-s-s-e-d.”
Duchess squawked and did a little dance on the railing. “Ten more reps, baby!”
“Careful. I bet she can spell, too,” David warned a pink-cheeked Bonnie.
“Wouldn’t surprise me. She’s a clever bird.”
“Clever bird. Very clever bird,” Duchess agreed with a violent bob of her head.
“Are we really going to continue with the small bird talk rather than address the…ru-tabaga?” Bonnie sighed.
“Ruta…oh.” She was using a code word to prevent Duchess from trilling a new song about kissing. “No. We can talk about the… rutabaga.” That sounded believable. “Sorry. You’re right. Things have been weird and it’s my fault.” Feeling more secure about Blue Blood’s engine performance, he kicked up their speed a bit. “I shouldn’t have ki-er, rutabagaed you the other day.”
“If I remember correctly, I didn’t back away or tell you not to.”
“Still, it wasn’t right. You’re dealing with a lot. The non wedding wedding. Your father. And you’re still grieving the loss of your grandmother. I shouldn’t have-”
“Shouldn’t have shown me what a real kiss feels like? I didn’t complain the last time we kissed, and I’m definitely not complaining now. You are the one who keeps saying that we shouldn’t…and it’s weird because you seemed really into it the last time.” She sat on the padded bench and kicked up her feet. Leaning back on her hands, she lifted her face to the sun. “I’m sorry if you regret what happened, but I certainly don’t. If anything, you made me realize exactly what was missing in my relationship with Marcus. You’re a very good kisser, David.”
He felt the flush rising up his neck. “I’m not entirely sure how to respond to that. What exactly was missing with Marcus? I mean, he is a prince. Shouldn’t he be like…. the perfect man?” He shifted enough in his chair to look at her. Bad move. The instant his eyes landed on her, the more he realized he didn’t want to talk about kissing anymore.
She shrugged slightly. “Passion. Interest. Emotion. I’ve had a lot of time to think the past few days and I’ve come to the conclusion that not marrying him was the smartest thing I have ever done. I mean, who wants to live without passion?”
“Who indeed,” David choked out.
“Therefore, I probably owe you my thanks. For opening my eyes and showing me exactly what I want out of life.”
“And what’s that?” he dared to ask.
She met his gaze. “Why don’t you stop the boat and I’ll show you?”
“Stop the boat?” He did a quick scan of their surroundings. Once again he’d been keeping land in sight, but the skies were as clear as the ocean was calm. One of the better days he’d seen in a while.
Bonnie walked over to him, a sly smile on her full lips. She brushed her fingers over the back of his hand. “Stop the boat, David.” she said.
Entranced, he eased up on the throttle. By the time the boat stopped, Bonnie was stepping down the ladder. He looked at Duchess, who was looking at him as if he was a fool for taking too long. Making sure the boat was secure, he followed Bonnie down to the deck and found her tugging her T-shirt over her head. The bright green-and-turquoise swimsuit she was wearing glimmered against the sun and all but transformed her into a sailor’s dream.