Page 48 of Until Kendal
I pressed my head to his chest for a moment. “And I love you. I never thought it possible to not live in fear. I was positive my father would one day fulfill his vow and kill me. I kept my head down, but now, life is unbelievably good, because of you.”
He held me and didn’t do anything other than make me completely happy. Then I lifted my chin, went on my tiptoes, and kissed him.
And once again, it was like he had my soul. My dress hit the ground, and my lips curved higher. I trusted him with my mind, body, and my overwhelming heart.
ChapterForty-Two
Joel
Her kiss burned through me, and with her hands in my short hair, her vulnerability drove me wild. I ran my hands up and down the soft bare skin of her back, and I grew even more ready. I burned, but I unclasped her bra, and she held me tighter, like she needed me.
Between our steamy kisses, my gaze was hazy with love. The ocean behind her was hardly noticeable when she let her bra join her dress then unzipped my pants.
Here, we were exposed, but I tugged down my pants, put on a condom, moved her panties, and found her core ready. Inside her was heaven itself. She rode me, pressing her hand against the windowpane as I held her up. Her eyes rolled backward, and we found our release together.
My heart ached to hold her tighter, but I pulled myself together and helped her back into her bra and dress. Neither of us said a word as we returned to the yacht, but I led her right to our private room, away from the crew. I gathered up the clothes she'd worn earlier.
I knocked and offered them to her. She accepted and cleaned up as she whispered, “Thank you, my love.”
My heart soared. Love made everything better, and she trusted me. I almost said my thoughts, but I held my tongue. All that matter was that she loved me back. She came out naked, and my skin buzzed. I was hers, forever.
ChapterForty-Three
Kendal
I packed my underwear and dress in a bag and left the clothes in a cabinet in the bathroom. The yacht’s bathroom was much smaller than even my old one in my tiny apartment, but it was tidy, efficient, and clean.
When I stepped out, completely naked, Joel’s eyes widened, and inside, my butterflies dissipated. He loved me, and I loved him. So now it was time to be free.
“So pour the wine," I said.
He did, but his gaze never left me. “You’re ready for more?”
I joined him. “We can take our time here.”
He handed me the glass and unbuttoned his shirt, but he waved for me to follow him. He opened a side door to the front. “Or we stay all night.”
“I can’t leave my mom that long.” I walked in and saw the bunk was set with white sheets and yellow roses. "There is a bedroom?”
He pointed to the other rooms and above us. “Multiple. My family is big.”
I passed him, sipped my wine, then slipped into the bed. “This one was yours?”
He dropped his pants and underwear and followed me, clearly ready for round two. “Yes. I camped here a few weeks a few years back.”
The ship was big enough for at least twenty people to be comfortable. I glanced out the port window. “Where were you going?”
He sipped my wine then put it down on the table beside him. “Pedar thought it would be fun to sail across the Panama Canal when he first bought it, yet it’s never happened. We made it to Italy, but the Panama Canal is now their personal dream to see together.”
“Sounds nice.” His life was a fairy tale. I curled closer to him. “I’d never gone anywhere until you took me to New York.”
He took my hand and kissed it. “Was there ever a movie you saw where you wanted to go?”
I wasn’t anxious or nervous with him, but my eyebrows furrowed—this wasn’t how I'd expected right now to proceed. “Movie?”
He shrugged. “Or any place on your dream vacation?”
I met the gleam in his eyes. I assumed he wanted to surprise me, but I said as I pressed against his chest, “As a kid, I always wanted to go to Disneyworld.”
