“You guys have been married for fifty-seven years?” Drea asked.
“We’ve been married for fifty-four, but we’ve been together since I was fifteen, got married shortly after my eighteenth birthday,” Mrs. Prage answered proudly.
“Well, that is certainly impressive. So, where can we take you lovebirds today?” Kyle asked.
“We’re just in this for a nice, calm, peaceful day out on the water. Maybe some snorkeling, definitely some sun,” Mrs. Prage answered.
“And my beautiful bride would like to watch the sunset over the water, if that’s possible. If there is an extra charge for keeping you two after dark then I’ll gladly pay it.”
“Oh no, Mr. Prage, we will gladly take you to the perfect spot to watch the sunset. We know just the spot, don’t we, Kyle?”
“We sure do.”
“Please, it’s Jack, and my beautiful bride is Diane.”
“You’re Jack and Diane?” The Prages just nodded.
“Oh, you just made his little classic-rock-loving heart very, very happy,” Drea laughed.
“Well, Jack, Diane, we’re gonna have a good day!” Kyle said, high-fiving them. “Let’s get started!”
The Prages started to get settled in with all their stuff while Kyle and Drea went back to the bar area to do the final few things before they could set sail. When he was pretty sure the Prages weren’t looking, he pulled her close again, wrapping his arms around her.
“So, are we okay? I know we need to talk, and I promise we will, but I need to know we’re okay.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “We’re okay. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I am looking forward to what you have to say for yourself.”
“Oh baby, I promise it’ll be worth it.” He kissed her forehead before hopping up to the captain’s perch.
Kyle kept himself up in the captain's chair all day, fighting every urge he had to go down to Drea and scoop her up. She was wearing that purple bikini again—he was pretty sure she’d done it to punish him. Bouncing around to her music, which Diane had insisted she leave on when Drea had gone to turn it off prior to setting sail, had her shaking her hips back and forth, jiggling her breasts as she went. He had wanted to go down and dance with her while the older couple was in the water snorkeling, but felt it was probably best to give her some space while they were working.
He could hear the older couple settling in on the trampolines up front, getting ready to watch the sunset. Drea had popped open a bottle of champagne for them and Mr. Prage was wrapping his wife up in a light blanket before settling in behind her and pulling her close.
Hearing her feet on the steps up to his perch, Kyle turned to see Drea headed up to him, two cups of champagne in her hands.
“Hey,” she said softly.
“Hey back,” he answered.
“Figured you’d want some too.”
“I do believe this is technically against policy, Miss Miller,” he smirked.
“I got an in with the boss,” she giggled. “But I won’t tell if you won’t.”
He took both cups from her and put them on the little shelf next to the steering wheel, and pulled her all the way up to the top of the stairs. It took a moment of maneuvering, but he scooted all the way back in his chair and opened his legs wide to slide her in between him and the wheel, pulling her closer, his legs swinging around her legs and holding her at the knees.
“Drea,” he sighed. “You know you mean the world to me, right?”
“Yeah, I get it,” she said, looking down.
The devastated look on her face was like a punch to the gut. What did she think was about to happen? He knew she was hurt and confused, and that it was all his fault, but the look on her face said more than just confusion. She was obviously a lot more upset than he realized, and he could kick himself for being the one to put that look on her face.
“Dre, just what do you think you get?” he asked, trying to not sound accusatory.
“I’m great, I’m just the coolest chick, but you didn’t mean it last night, you just want to be friends, all that. I get it, it’s, I—”
He cut her off, pulling her in close and kissing her. The moment his lips met hers, she let out a little whimper. He slowly moved his lips with hers, letting his tongue dip into her mouth, lightly licking the inside of her lower lip. She greeted his tongue with hers, letting them play inside her mouth for a moment, before he pulled back slightly, capturing her bottom lip with his teeth and nibbling lightly before letting go. When he finally pulled away fully, the look of sadness in her eyes was gone, this time replaced with what appeared to be a little glimmer of hope.
“Dre, if that’s what you think, then no, sweetness, I don’t think you do get it.”
She stood there, quietly searching his eyes with hers, her fingers lightly sweeping back and forth on her bottom lip. He took in a slow, deep breath waiting for her to say something. He silently hoped that he had done the right thing, that he’d expressed to her exactly what they both had been feeling. She looked down again and then out over the ocean.
“Dre, please say something.”
She slowly shifted from foot to foot as she turned her head back toward him. Just as he was letting out another long, slow breath, she forcefully grabbed his face and pushed their lips together for another kiss. She kissed him hard and fast, as if she only had so much time until they were ripped apart. He slowed down her movements with his lips, taking control and enjoying each second their lips were touching.
Ever so slowly, she stepped back again. Breathing heavy, she opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
“I have wanted to do that for so long,” she finally said.
“Me too, sweetness, me too,” he whispered. He could feel her body relax as she leaned into him fully and rested her head on his shoulder. “And last night was anything but a mistake. The only mistake was how I handled it.”
“Why did you run away?”
“Because I’m an idiot.” She pulled back and looked at him. “Can we just go with ‘guys are dumb’?”
“No.”
“Ok, well, I tried,” he shrugged. “Drea, you mean so fucking much to me and I have wanted to kiss you for what feels like forever. But I held back because I came down here for a reason, and a relationship just wasn’t on the to-do list. Especially a relationship with the bosses’ niece. I’ve had it in my head that I couldn’t do both. I couldn’t work and save money and be the man you needed me to be.”
“So what changed?”
“Grayson called me a chickenshit.”
“What?! You talked to Uncle Gray about me?”
“No, no! His advice was out of the blue, and I don’t think it was really about you, but he just told me I had to stop being a chickenshit. And then I saw you with the meathead and I wanted to deck him. Last night when you were upset about that dumb blonde, I realized that you, at least on some level, felt the same way I did. I just couldn’t hold back anymore.”
“So, now what?”
“You tell me, baby, you tell me. I want you. I want you so, so bad. And by that I mean you, not just your body, please know that. Although you have to stop wearing that suit into work if you think I’m going to function.” She giggled, and that sound went straight to his groin, making him instantly hard. “And the giggles, we might need to cut back on those at work too.” He smiled. “But seriously Dre, if you want to tell me to take a hike, I get it. You have every reason to after the way I acted last night.”