Page 15 of Lover from the Waves

Ector couldn’t pry his eyes from her.I think I have found what I am looking for right here.

“Thank you, Breckett.” Kathryn turned her smile toward Ector, and it widened just a little more. “Are we ready to go?”

Ector dipped into a slight bow and offered her his hand, palm up. “At your command, Kathryn.”

She stepped closer and placed her hand in his without hesitation. Her skin was warm, and though her fingertips were calloused, her touch was gentle. That warmth spread up Ector’s arm to blossom in his chest. She leaned lightly on his hand as she climbed into the waiting boat.

Kathryn withdrew her hand and reached for her backpack’s straps again. The boat wobbled beneath her, and Ector nearly darted forward, convinced she was about to tip over the side. But she rode the motion confidently and swung her pack off, placing it beside the stowed supplies.

Breckett made a soft sound—more a hum than a grunt—and Ector turned his head to find the man staring at him.

Breckett’s eyes were intent and thoughtful, and one corner of his mouth was upturned in a slight smirk. “You two behave yourselves.”

“Breckett!” scolded Kathryn, her cheeks flushing.

Though he chuckled, Breckett still toyed with his beard absently, a sure sign of his remaining concern. “You’re adults. What you two do out there isn’t any of my business.”

“You’re right. It isn’t.” Kathryn glanced at Ector, and the light in her eyes was suddenly brighter; it lit a fire deep inside him.

Ector’s anticipation increased to a level he’d previously thought impossible, and he couldn’t stop his tentacles from writhing over the surface of the dock.

Kathryn opened her mouth as though to speak only to hesitate and draw in a soft breath before any words emerged. “Would you like to join me in the boat, Ector? Or, um, would you prefer to swim? Whatever is most comfortable for you. I don’t want to for—”

“I would very much like to join you in the boat,” he said as warmth spread through his chest. “May as well give these old bones as much rest as I can before we get to the difficult parts, right?”

She chuckled and sat on the bench near the aft of the boat. Her eyes raked over his body, and their light intensified. “For what it’s worth, you don’t look so old from here.”

Ector’s hearts quickened, and an instinctual color change threatened to sweep across his skin. He held it back only because of Breckett, who reminded them of his presence by clearing his throat.

Kathryn twisted to face Breckett. “Give Maddy my love. I’ll keep an eye out for something to bring back for her.”

Breckett nodded. “Just bring yourself back, safe and sound. Both of you.”

“We will,” Ector promised. He extended his fore tentacles, curling them over the side of the boat, and hauled himself into the vessel. It dipped and swayed under his weight. He’d traveled in boats many times since he’d come to The Watch, but that motion had never quite felt natural to him. He was far more comfortable beinginthe water than beingonit.

Ector shifted and contorted his tentacles to seat himself on the secondary bench, facing Kathryn, as Breckett untied the mooring rope. Ector met Kathryn’s gaze. “Here’s to a new adventure.”

She smiled. “A grand, new adventure.”

For a few moments, Kathryn studied the boat’s rigging, and her eyes sparkled with a new light—as though something that had been missing up until that moment had been returned to her. She nodded to herself and set to work, tugging ropes to partially hoist the sail before adjusting the boom to catch the wind. The boat lurched forward.

Kathryn let out a nervous little laugh and dropped a hand to the tiller, swinging it aside to turn the ship away from the dock—avoiding a collision by the length of a finger.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Breckett asked, brows low.

“I guess we’ll see, right?”

She continued the turn as the boat picked up a bit of speed, clearing the other vessels moored along the dock before altering her course to follow the dock toward its end.

Breckett’s boots thudded as he walked, keeping pace with the vessel. “Kathryn…”

Kathryn laughed, raised her arm, and waved. “Too late now, Breck! Goodbye!”

At the mercy of the wind, the boom shuddered. Ector’s hearts froze for an instant. He shot forward quickly and caught the boom in his hand before it could swing into Kathryn’s face.

Kathryn’s breath hitched as the boom stopped mere centimeters from her face. Cringing, she lifted her eyes to Ector’s. “Oops.”

They stared at each other, and for that brief moment, everything was laid bare; they were just two people who hoped they knew what they were doing. They were two people desperate for some change, for a taste of something they had lost along the way—or perhaps it was for a taste of something they’d never truly had.

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