Someone You Love by Kristen Granata
Bryce
“Whose boat is this?”
“It’s mine.”
With wide eyes, Charly tilts her head. “You have a boat?”
I shove my hand into my back pocket. “Technically, it’s my father’s boat. We used to go out on the water together, just the two of us, when I was younger. As a teen, I lost interest, and after he died, I didn’t have the heart to take it out without him.”
Charly’s hand smooths down my back. “It’s been sitting here all this time?”
“I had it in storage, but once I started helping you with your bucket list, I figured now would be the perfect time to get it back in the water.”
“Are you sure?” She moves to stand in front of me, craning her neck to look into my eyes. “I don’t want you to do something you’re not comfortable with just because of me.”
Just because. As if she’s not worth the effort.
I take my hand out of my pocket, and cup her face. “I’d do anything just because of you, Charly.”
Her cheeks tinge with a pretty pink. “You say the most romantic things.”
“I’m speaking the truth.” I lean down, and capture her lips. “And you make it easy to say those things.”
She smiles against my mouth. “Come on. Show me your boat, Captain.”
I quirk a brow. “I can get used to that.”
She tosses a wink over her shoulder as she strides ahead of me on the dock. The salty breeze catches her cream dress, blowing the long material behind her. She brushes back the wisps of hair that frame her face, the rest of it gathered into a loose bun at her nape. Her emerald eyes gaze out across the water, always filled with a mixture of curiosity and wonderment. And then they flick to me, narrowing with the swell of her cheeks.
Her happiness is blinding. Contagious. It calls out to me like a siren, luring me in, forcing logic from me, convincing me that everything will be okay, even though I’m not sure it will be.
My stomach tightens into a fist, my chest tightening. My heart thrashes like a wild animal in a cage.
And I know what my body is trying to tell me.
I’m falling for this woman.
How could I not? Loving Charly is effortless. It’s involuntary, like blinking, or breathing. To know her is to love her.
I only wish I could be someone she loves.
After reading her new bucket list this afternoon, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized that I’ve been deluding myself. I’ll never be able to keep someone as vibrant as Charly. Not for long. It works right now because we’re so new. She’s on a mini-break from reality on this vacation. But back in her everyday life, she’d come to resent me for the things I can’t do with her. It’s why Ariel left. It’s why I lost most of my friends. It’s why I barely see the friends I have. Why would Charly be any different? My past experiences serve as a constant reminder that people don’t stick around. I can’t let my guard down enough to open myself up to the possibility of getting hurt.
And this will hurt.
“Come on, Cap’!” Charly waves me over. “What are you waiting for?”
For you to break my heart.
I push my demons away, just for a little longer. I’m going to enjoy every last second I have with Charly until my time is up.
I show her around, loving the way she oohs and ahhs over every little thing.
Inside the stateroom, she snatches a picture frame off the dresser. “Oh, my God. Is this you?”
Peering down at the picture, I smile. “In all my toothy glory.”
“You were adorable. Are these your parents?”
I nod. “I was eight or nine when this was taken. They took me fishing for the first time, and I caught this giant fish. But when I reeled it in, I didn’t realize it was still alive. I freaked out when it flapped around, and I let go of the pole.”
Charly’s hand clamps over her mouth as she stifles a laugh. “What happened?”
“I lost the fish and the pole.”
She tosses her head back and lets out her laugh. “You poor thing.”
“My dad didn’t get mad though. I don’t think I ever saw him get mad about anything.” My voice lowers. “He was so calm and collected.”
Charly’s hand clasps mine. “You look a lot like him.”
“I wish you could’ve met him.” I trace her jaw with my fingertips. “And my mom would’ve loved you.”
“What was she like?”
“She was always happy. Always smiling. Always had music playing, and she’d hum her own tune if the music wasn’t on.” A faint smile pulls on the corner of my mouth. “They were true soulmates. They were good people on their own, but together, they were a force. They loved each other so much. I’m actually glad they died together. I wouldn’t have been able to bear to see one without the other.”
Charly tilts her head and rests it against my shoulder. “I’m sorry you lost them.”
“Me too.” I set the frame back on top of the dresser. “Do you remember what your parents were like together, before your dad left?”
“Not really. I remember clips of them, laughing during a movie, or opening presents on Christmas morning. Looking back, I wonder how much of that time was tainted by my father’s addiction, or if my mom’s smiles were genuine.” She shrugs. “I can’t remember much of him, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
“You remember the important things, and that’s what matters. Think of it like this: He was there while he was able to be, during all your big first moments, and he left before he could hurt you with his addiction. Your life could’ve been a lot different had he stayed.”
She blinks up at me. “That’s a really good point. I never looked at it that way before.”
I press my lips to her forehead. “You feel like he didn’t love you enough to stay, but maybe he loved you too much to stay. Maybe him leaving was the best way he knew how to protect you, and spare you from his problems.”
She buries her face in my chest. “I just wish I knew where he was right now, if he’s okay—if he’s even alive. I lost my mother, but maybe there’s a chance I could get my father back.”
My palm slides up to the back of her neck, my thumb stroking her soft skin. “You can try to find him, you know.”
She nods, sniffling against my shirt. “Maybe one day.”
We hold each other in the quiet of the room, the slight rock of the boat making us sway, until Charly pulls back, and wipes the moisture under her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin our night by crying like this.”
“Don’t ever be sorry for sharing your emotions. Not with me, and not with anyone.” I clasp her hand. “Come on, let’s go eat. I have a surprise for you in the galley that’ll cheer you up.”
Her eyebrows lift. “You cooked?”
“I didn’t cook this meal. I ordered it.” I tug her hand, and lead her down to the kitchen.
Charly gasps when she spots the white box sitting on top of the counter. “Pizza?”
“Not just any pizza.” I tap the red block letters on the lid. “I found this place in town that has their water shipped in from Brooklyn, so it’s technically New York pizza.”
“I have been dying for a slice of real pizza.” She squeals, and tears open the box, inhaling the cheesy scent.
I chuckle. “New Yorkers are such pizza snobs.”
She sticks out her tongue. “Some things are just better in New York.”
My stomach tenses at that. “Do you miss it?”
“I miss Jenny. I miss the familiar faces at the diner.” She leans back against the counter, contemplating before she finishes. “But when I think about going back, I feel sad. I truly love it here. It’s so much more peaceful.”
“Do you think you’d miss it more if your mother were still there?”
“Definitely. With her being gone, there’s an emptiness. Everything looks the same, but it doesn’t feel the same. That probably doesn’t make any sense.”
I pull her close to me, wrapping my arms around her. “It does make sense. Home isn’t a location. It’s made by the people you love. When they’re gone, it’s just a place like any other.”
She tilts her head back just enough to look into my eyes. “That must be why I feel so at home here. With you and Beatrice.”
My heart climbs into my throat, ready to jump ship and seek refuge in her hands. “It feels better with you here. Like you belong.” My hands shake as I smooth them down her arms, unable to keep the words from tumbling out of my mouth as I gaze into her eyes. “I was numb for so long, just going through the motions. I knew exactly what each day would bring, and I liked it that way. It was predictable. But then you walked into my life, and the numbness went away. You shocked me back to life. You give me a reason to want to get out of bed, something to look forward to.” I brush my nose against hers. “I feel alive when I’m with you.”
Her breath hitches, and she grips onto my shirt. “I feel it too, Bryce.”
Does she?
My heart urges me to say more, to tell her everything and bare my soul, but my mind stops my mouth from opening. Instead, I express myself the only way I can. I dip my head, and crash my lips against hers. I kiss her with everything I have, and hope she understands.
Her mouth opens for me, our tongues tangling around one another. My hand slips through the slit in her dress, skimming around the back of her thigh until I’m cupping her plump ass. Her fingers disappear under the hem of my shirt, roaming over my skin. She drags her nails down my stomach until she reaches the waistband of my jeans.
“I need everything off.”
My dick hardens at her command, and I obey. I tear my shirt over my head while she yanks my pants to my ankles. Before I can kick off my shoes, she sinks to her knees, and takes me into her mouth, fast and hungry, without warning.
“Oh, fuck, Charly.” I lean against the edge of the counter with one hand, gripping the back of her head with the other. “Your mouth feels so good.”
I gaze down at her on her knees in that ivory dress, her bright-green eyes darkening as they lock with mine. She moans as sucks me in deep, and drags me out with a pop. Her tongue swirls around my swollen head, taking me in short, teasing pulses. And when I can’t take another second of the maddening rhythm, she pushes me all the way to the back of her throat.
Pleasure explodes like a firework, sending sparks shooting throughout my body, white hot heat flashing behind my eyes like a bolt of lightning illuminating a midnight sky. “I’m gonna come, baby.” I pull back, but she splays her palms on my ass and holds me where she wants me.
I let out a primal groan, and wave after wave ripples over me as I pump my release. Charly strokes me, soft and slow with her tongue, and I watch the way her throat bobs as she swallows. My vision blurs, and my chest heaves like I ran a marathon.
I help her up off her knees, and she drops her dress and panties to the floor. My hands tug her bun until wild golden waves cascade down her back.
“You are fucking stunning.” I lean forward and capture one of her pert pink nipples between my teeth, giving it a gentle bite. “I’ll never get used to seeing you like this.”
I kiss a trail down her stomach, and glide my tongue between her thighs, lapping up her sweet wetness. She lifts her leg, and props her foot on the island as she rolls her hips against my mouth, taking what she wants from me. My dick throbs all over again at the sight of her spread for me.
I bring her to the brink of ecstasy, but she pulls away just before she comes apart. “I need you inside me, Bryce. I need to feel you.”
As I roll on a condom from my discarded pants, Charly turns around and bends over the island, spreading her legs, pressing her chest against the countertop.
I scrub a hand over my jaw. “Jesus. You trying to kill me?”
She shoots me a devilish grin over her shoulder as she arches her back. “Maybe.”
I grip onto her ass as I plunge inside her, and we both let out relieved groans. My hands roam over her body, squeezing her breasts, caressing her throat, rubbing her clit, unable to stop touching her everywhere and anywhere I can reach.
Every part of me needs to feel every part of her.
She moans again as I grasp her hair, pulling her head back so I can ravage her mouth. She pushes her ass back, meeting me thrust for thrust, the sound of our skin slapping together setting a faster pace.
And then she comes, loud and uninhibited, panting into my open mouth as her core clenches around me, our bodies melding into one until she’s lucid and sated.
Charly catches her breath, and turns around to face me. “Let’s sail away, and never come back. I could spend forever like this.”
She won’t want forever with you, my conscience whispers.
I look into her eyes, and cup her face. “I wish we could.”