Authors: L.D. Cedergreen
He looked at me intensely and whispered, “Not everything.”
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his words as I pushed the box into his hands.
He set
down his glass of champagne, burying the base in the sand to keep it from falling over. The anticipation was killing me as he slowly unwrapped his gift. I had found my grandfather’s old compass. A special trinket that had been at the lake cabin for as long as I could remember. Drew and I had once used it for all our adventures. My father had taught us to use it so that we could always find our way home from the woods.
I
had had it engraved for Drew a few weeks ago with the infinity symbol. Underneath the symbol in a beautiful cursive font it read,
Some things are foreve
r
. His tattoo still haunted me, the idea that he had lost hope in us along with so many other things in life, and I wanted to remind him that our promise was still alive, even though years had passed by.
He unveiled the compass as recognition flashed across his features. He turned it over in his hand and read the inscription before picking up the small note card that I had enclosed with it.
“So that we never lose our way again,” he read my words aloud. He looked at me then, his eyes full of emotion that I could not place. “Thank you. This is amazing,” he said, gripping the compass tightly in his hand. “This brings back so many memories.”
“I’m glad you like it.
I wanted you to have it, to always remember.” I smiled a solemn smile, overcome with so many different emotions.
“How could I ever forget, Gem
?”
His words washed over me, warming me from the inside out as we stared into each other’s eyes for a beat too long.
I broke contact first, lifting my glass and finishing my champagne.
Drew rewrapped his gift and placed it inside the picnic basket.
We ate our lunch, finished our champagne, and stretched out lazily in the sun. The sun was warm, and I felt completely relaxed. For a brief moment, I felt guilty for leaving my life behind. I had left my husband, my work, my cases, my condo, my bills, my yoga class . . . all of it. I had been hiding away, neglecting my responsibilities, neglecting my life and everything that I had worked so hard to build. I pushed aside these thoughts and turned my head to look at Drew.
He was l
aying on his back, his chest bare, his tanned skin glistening in the sun. I took in the definition of his chest and abs, the small trail of hair that began between his pecs and led down his stomach, where it disappeared underneath his shorts. He had aged well and was possibly even more handsome than I had remembered. I wondered what he saw when he looked at me.
“What are you looking at?” Drew asked, startling me.
I blushed, completely embarrassed that I had been caught perusing his body from where I lay.
“Like what you see?” he teased, without opening his eyes or turning to look at me.
“Would it be wrong if I said yes?” I said, owning the fact that I had been caught checking him out.
He turned to his side, facing me
, with his head propped up on his elbow, a complacent grin stretched across his tan face. “You think I’m hot?” he asked, and I instantly felt like we were sixteen again.
“Maybe,” I answered stubbornly, channeling my inner-teenage self.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think that you’re
smokin
g
hot, especially in that black bikini.”
His dimples were in full form from the shitty grin that was plastered across his face as he
lay down on his back, closing his eyes once again, knowing what his comment would do to me, how it would affect me. Heat gushed to my cheeks, traveling all the way down to my toes, but not before making a special stop between my legs.
My need to push boundaries, to ignore lines that I knew I shouldn’t cross, only taunted me more as the afternoon wore on.
The flirting continued, and I couldn’t ignore the way Drew seemed to invade my personal space throughout the day. The way he applied sunscreen to the places that I couldn’t reach on my own, his fingers subtly brushing my breast as he rubbed sunscreen underneath the straps of my bikini top, his deft hands massaging my neck and shoulders—his hands on my skin were nearly my undoing. The way we swam together in the cool water, Drew adjusting my bikini strap when it was out of place as we found any excuse to touch one another. Lines were blurred, and our rekindled friendship hung on the fringe as something else took its place, something undeniable.
The wind was slowly picking up
, and heavy clouds appeared from out of nowhere, obscuring the sun. I shivered as Drew announced that we should probably head back. The weather was shifting quickly. By the time we reached the channel it was sprinkling, the sky a canvas of dark clouds. We emerged into rough water from the Thorofare; white caps were painted across the dark surface as far as the eye could see.
“Hold on
. I’m going to open her up, but it’s going to be a rough ride.”
Drew threw a navy sweatshirt at me that I pulled over my head, welcoming the warmth and the comfort. The boat sped up and bounced off each wave that we hit.
I gripped the metal bar along the side of my seat, holding on for dear life. We were only halfway back when the thunder and lightning began. Bolts of lightning split the dark sky in half just moments before thunder crackled in the distance as the rain began to fall more heavily. I found myself counting in my head the seconds between the flashes of lightning and the roars of thunder.
One-one thousand, two-one thousand . . .
The waves were rolling now as Drew steered the boat into them at an angle, the bow of the boat pointing to the sky before slamming down, allowing water to spill over the top. Drew gripped the wheel tightly, his knuckles white, as his
gaze was fixed on the dreadful horizon. The white caps seemed to go on and on in the distance with no end in sight.
It reminded me of the time that my family had been caught in a bad storm coming back from our friend’s cabin in Reeder Bay.
Jacob and I had sat on the floor of the boat with our orange life vests secured tightly, hugging buoys as my father had driven the boat through four foot waves, heavy winds, and rain. We had gotten back to the dock before the worst of it. Fierce winds had capsized several boats, docks had been torn to pieces, and neighboring cabins had lost screen doors and roof shingles. Storms could be brutal at the lake, and I prayed that Drew and I made it back before the worst of this storm hit.
We passed Indian Rock, an obvious landmark
, alerting us that the cabin was not far. It was hard to see through the thick rain. Drew had trouble mooring the boat as the wind was pulling its bow in different directions, and the waves were threatening to slam us into the dock. I jumped out and helped pull the boat alongside the dock, until it was aligned with the boatlift. Drew needed to get the boat out of the water and up on the lift to avoid damage during the storm. Wind was whipping through my wet hair, rain drenching my clothes and face as the storm roared on around us.
Once the boat was secure, Drew grabbed my hand and pulled me along as we ran up the dock toward
his cabin. It took all our strength to run against the heavy wind, each step pushing us back, holding us in place. My heart was pounding in my chest from the exertion, the fear of the storm, and the relief that we had made it back safely.
When we reached the
manor, Drew and I charged through the door, securing it behind us. The windows rattled in the wind; the lake was barely visible through the heavy rain. We stood silently still, catching our breath as we watched the storm tear across the bay. My hands were shaking as I struggled to pull the wet, heavy sweatshirt over my head. I felt Drew’s hands on my arms as he helped peel the damp cotton from my body. Once my face was freed from the sweatshirt, I opened my eyes to find myself staring directly into Drew’s, our heavy breaths the only sounds that could be heard over the storm. He pulled me to him as our lips connected urgently. His frantic hands were on my face, in my damp hair—gripping me, pulling me tighter against him. I was defenseless at his touch, my need to feel him in this way outweighing any reservations I may have had.
I hesitated for the briefest of moments when I felt his hands gripping the hem of my T-shirt.
I moaned his name, and he pulled away. My eyes opened abruptly to find his intense gaze, melting me in place. “Drew?” I asked softly.
“I don’t care that you’re still married
. I don’t care about any of it, Gem. I need to be with you,” he breathed, as if pulling away from me was causing him physical pain.
I whispered his name
, but, before I could say anything else, he held his finger over my lips, his gaze piercing my soul as he whispered, “I love you, Gemma.”
Without hesitation, I pulled his mouth to mine and showed him just how much I loved him in that moment.
I couldn’t say the words, but I could show him. He continued to undress me. Starting with my T-shirt, my shorts, and then he slowly untied my bikini top, letting it fall to the ground. I felt his hands on my breasts as I peeled his wet shirt off his chest and untied his board shorts.
Drew gripped one of my legs and then the other, placing them around his hips until I was suspended in the air, wrapped around him.
He walked to the couch, holding me with his hands on my backside, laying me down gently, his mouth never leaving mine. He hovered over me until I pulled him closer, needing to feel all of him against all of me. Our movements were frantic, overdue, nearly desperate, as our denial dissipated in the heat of the moment. I was on fire, desire building inside me, ready to burst.
He pulled away, sitting back on his heels at my feet.
All I could feel was my vigorous breath, the rise and fall of my chest as I watched him—watching me—while he took my foot in his hand and brought it to his lips. He very delicately kissed the inside of my arch, his lips following an invisible trail that led to my ankle, my calf, to the inside of my thigh. My body was tied up in knots, begging for release, silently willing his lips to continue their journey. He stopped and slowly lowered my leg back down to the couch. Hooking his thumbs into the sides of my black bikini bottoms, he pulled them down over my hips, his fingers grazing my skin.
Once that final piece of clothing was thrown to the floor, he crawled over me until our lips met.
His mouth moved with mine, slowly and precise, as if he were cataloguing every detail in his memory—exuding more passion than I had ever felt before with just a kiss. My hands were feeling the curvature of his muscles along his back, trying to pull him closer—as if that were possible.
When my body began to plead with him to speed things up, he sucked my lower lip into his mouth and ran his teeth along it, keeping me at bay, escalating my need for him.
I was ready to beg for more, craving the feel of him inside me. He pulled his face from mine causing me to open my eyes to look at him. When I did, our gazes locked intensely, stealing my breath. It was then that I finally felt him lower himself inside me, slowly at first until he thrust into me so hard that I gasped—his stare bore into mine as if he could see right into my soul. I felt exposed, vulnerable, as I felt him inside me in every way possible—the deepest way possible. My body, my heart, my soul.
We made love all the while the storm was raging outside, all around us.
Nothing stood between us—not the past, not my husband, and certainly not the storm. It was just Drew and me. Together. At last.
Twenty-
Four
Drew and I stayed on the couch, wrapped up in each other as we watched the storm move on. It departed just as quickly as it came, leaving a band of colors stretched across the sky in its wake.
“Can I ask you something?”
Drew asked, as he traced lines on my bare shoulder with his finger. He was behind me, his front pressed against my back as we lay on the couch under the cover of a fleece blanket, watching the dark storm clouds that still hung in the east through the windows.
“I guess so,” I answered hesitantly.
I never knew what was going to come out of his mouth. Drew was fearless in that way, always up-front and honest.
He pulled my hair away from my face
, and I felt his lips on my ear, distracting me momentarily. “Why corporate law?”
I sighed, relieved at the simplicity of his question.
“I like the money and the power and the predictability,” I said instinctively, having been asked this question a number of times over the years.
“Huh,” he said
, as his lips trailed down my neck delicately.
“What’s that suppose
d to mean?” I asked, closing my eyes as the feel of his lips ignited fire deep in my core.
“I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
His lips paused as he rested his warm cheek against mine, his breath caressing my skin.
“Why’s that?”
I asked, trying to focus on our words and ignore my body’s commands. As Drew’s bare flesh pressed against mine, it was hard to think of anything else.
“I guess you never really cared about that stuff before.
I always imagined you practicing criminal law and putting away the bad guys. Taking pro bono cases because it was the right thing to do. That kind of stuff.” He brought his hand to my hip and began tracing lines along my sensitive skin.