Page 70 of Steel Beauty

Charleston stands at the bow, barefoot, her silhouette glowing softly in the moonlight. A weekend like this—her beside me every morning, hair tangled on the pillow, her hand drifting lazily over my chest—and I’m already forgetting what it feels like to be alone.

I step behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist as the breeze tousles her hair. She leans into me, her body fitting against mine. “It’s just us out here.”

She tilts her head slightly, her smile soft but teasing. “Think you can survive an entire weekend alone with me, Captain Swoony?”

My lips brush against her ear. “Survive? Charleston, I willthrive.”

She glances back at me, her eyes sparking with mischief. “Big words. You sure you’re not overestimating yourself?”

I slide my hands along her waist. “Oh, I’ve got stamina. The real question is do you?”

She leans back into me. “Puh-lease. You’ll be the one tapping out by Sunday.”

I pull her a little closer. “Challenge accepted.”

She laughs softly, the sound as tranquil as the waves lapping against the hull.

“Give me a minute. I’ll be right back.”

I head below deck to grab a couple of blankets and a few pillows. When I return, she’s still at the bow, her hair catching the moonlight.

I spread the blankets and pillows across the sun pad, making it cozy. “Come here, favorite.”

She turns, a small smile playing on her lips, and walks over with that easy, unhurried grace. When she reaches me, I settle onto my back and pat the spot beside me. “Perfect spot for you.”

She sinks onto the sun pad with a smooth, effortless motion. “Do you always go to this much trouble to impress?”

I tug the blanket over both of us as she settles in beside me. “Only when it’s worth it.”

She stretches out, nestling closer, resting her head on my chest. Her breath is warm against my neck, and the steady rhythm of her breathing syncs with the gentle sway of the boat. The night air carries a cool edge, and I tuck the blanket around her shoulders. The soft hum of music drifts through the speakers, blending with the distant whisper of waves against the yacht.

Her hand rests lightly on my chest, her fingers tracing idle patterns over the fabric of my sweater. “Do you do this often?”

I glance down at her, brushing a stray strand of hair from her cheek. “Not like this.”

“Not likethis? You’re telling me this isn’t your signature move––bringing a girl out to the middle of nowhere, charming her with the moon and stars?”

Oh, if she only knew. “Hardly. My past dates were for show because that’s the way the women liked it. Dinners, events, places where people could see us out on the town together. None of them cared about the quiet like this—or being with me with no one else around to see us.”

Her fingers rest on my chest. “So, I’m the first woman who’s ever wanted this––being with you without onlookers?”

“You’re the first, Charleston. And that makes you different. Youseeme, and you care about the parts no one else has ever bothered to notice.”

“Every part of you is worth noticing.”

The words between us are heavy, and for a moment, neither of us speaks. She goes quiet, letting the stillness wrap around us, her gaze drifting upward to the sky.

I follow her line of sight, the stars scattered across the night like fragments of a story waiting to be told. “See that cluster there?” I point toward the horizon. “That’s Orion’s Belt—three stars perfectly aligned.”

Charleston shifts, her head settling more comfortably on my shoulder for a better view.

“My grandfather used to show me the constellations when I was a kid. He’d tell me how the old Polynesian navigators used the stars to cross the ocean. No GPS, no maps—only the night sky.”

“You know all the constellations?”

I grin, tracing another shape in the sky. “A lot of them.”

“You’re really intelligent, you know that?”

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