“Who is driving the boat if you’re here with me and we’re clearly moving?”
Sail laughed. “Autopilot.”
“As in a drone is guiding us?”
He loved how adorable she was. He shook his head, smiling at her. “The navigational system will keep the boat on the course I set. Obviously, I’m right here if something goes wrong.”
“Oh,” she said looking over his shoulder. Sail had a fairly good idea she watched the helm move back and forth on its own.
“I would never allow anything to happen to you, Galvin. Ever.”
“I know. I’m just nervous.” She reached up and touched the seasickness patch he’d placed there earlier. The last thing he wanted was for her to get sick and then never want to come out with him again. He needed this to be a positive, happy, and romantic experience for her.
“Want to try something with me?” he asked.
“Depends. Will it involve me getting wet?”
He laughed. “Not unless you want it to.” Sail winked, hoping to send the right message.
She tilted her head and blushed. “What do you have in mind?”
“Come with me to the helm. I’ll show you how to steer.”
Her eyes widened. “Steer? Me?”
“Yeah. Why not? I’ll be right there with you. It’s not as hard as you think. And you might even like it.”
She bit her lower lip and glanced out at the open water. This was the place he loved but he imagined what it might look like for someone who wasn’t as familiar with the ocean as he was. The waves seemed vast and unknowable, temperamental and always shifting, and never the same size.
But then she looked back at Sail, and he saw something shift in her eyes. The fear was gone, replaced with determination.
“All right,” she said, her voice steadier now. “Let’s do it.”
Sail kissed her hard, smiling against her mouth. It was a small step, but one she’d take with him. He took her hand and led her to the helm. The wheel loomed before them, large and imposing, and her grip on his hand tightened.
Sail guided her to the helm and placed her hands on the metal. “Feel it,” he said as he stood behind her. “Let the helm tell you what it’s doing. Right now, the navigation is guiding us.”
“It feels so strong.”
“It’s easy, believe me.”
“Let up a little,” he said as he rubbed her knuckles. They were white again, her hold a bit too tight.
“Like this?”
Sail turned off the navigation and moved the helm under her hands. “Good,” he murmured, standing close behind her. His arms came around her, his hands covering hers. “You’re not fighting it. Just guiding.”
Her back was warm against his chest, and he breathed her in. Between her perfume and the sea salt air, he was in heaven and seriously considered turning the navigation back on and seeing if Galvin wanted her sea legs—his now perverted version of themile high club—and something he’d never done with anyone before.
Galvin shifted, making the growing issue in his shorts a slightly bigger problem. “Stop moving,” he warned. “Or I’m going to fuck you right here and make you keep us on course.”
“Sail,” her voice barely made it over the sound of the ocean.
“What we’re going to do first,” he said as he pointed. “Do you see that opening? Where it looks like nothing exists?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s where we’re headed. Keep her pointed there. I’ll adjust the sails if needed.”