He showed her how to steer and how to keep from knocking herself or anyone else out with the boom when the sailboat changed directions. He let her take the helm for a while, and he could tell that she really enjoyed having control.
For several hours, they followed the wind up the Oregon coast. When they grew hungry, he lowered the sails and tossed the anchor overboard so that they floated in a small, secluded cove.
“I don’t think I’ve ever realized how beautiful the coast of Oregon is. I mean, I’ve enjoyed the views from Highway One, but seeing it from out here…” She leaned against the railing and released a soft sigh. “Wow,” she said, glancing over at him.
Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were slightly pink from the chill. She’d worn a pair of dark gray jeans and a black-and-white striped shirt under a white coat, which she’d unzipped when she’d helped him drop anchor. She had a white hat that covered most of her long hair, which was lying over her shoulder in a thick braid. She had a pair of sunglasses on, and he wished he could see her eyes.
He followed her gaze and had to agree about the views. Tall rocky cliffs seemed to hang over the water’s edge in places with patches of rolling grassy hills in between. An occasional farm or small cluster of homes dotted the landscape.
But for the most part, it was the complete wilderness and isolation of the countryside that took his breath away and always had.
He stood next to Robin and debated wrapping his arm around her waist so he could pull her closer to him. He knew that she wanted to keep what was between them from everyone else, but he didn’t know if that meant she didn’t want to have any kind of relationship outside of sex.
When she leaned against his chest, he smiled and relaxed as he held her.
“Thank you,” she said, glancing up at him.
“For?” he asked, enjoying the way the sunlight touched her braided hair and highlighted little streaks of red in the long tresses.
“Today. I can’t remember the last time I had a full day off to myself.” She smiled. “I suppose I needed it.”
“When you work hard, you deserve to play just as hard,” he said with a shrug. It had been the number one philosophy in his life, which was one of the reasons that he always had a new woman on his arm. He’d talked himself into believing he deserved it. He’d always believed that with so many different flavors of women out there, he had an obligation to sample as many as he could so that one day he’d be able to decide what exactly it was that he wanted.
“Yes.” She smiled and turned away. “Your reputation for playing hard proceeds you.”
He winced slightly and decided to change the subject.
“How about some lunch?” he asked.
She chuckled softly but agreed. She followed him down the narrow stairs into the lower room. He’d spent countless summers living out of the sailboat with a few of his family members. One summer, he and his cousin Matt had spent weeks sailing down the coast to San Diego before turning around and coming back home.
At the end of the three weeks, he’d been thankful to have his privacy again. Of course, that was the summer he’d decided to become a lawyer after his cousin complained that he argued like one.
Robin asked to help him, but he knew there wasn’t enough room in the kitchen for two people.
“You sit.” He motioned to the small table. “Normally, we’d eat up on deck, but it’s warmer down here since the wind kicked up.”
“I’m not complaining.” She removed her jacket. His mouth started watering when he noticed just how her shirt clung to her curves. He was so distracted that he almost dumped the plate of sandwiches onto the floor.
“Focus,” she said with a slight chuckle as she took the plate from his hands.
“It’s kind of hard to when you’re wearing skintight clothes.” He felt his entire body react to seeing her nipples poke through the thin material. “My god.” He shook his head. “What was I saying?”
She chuckled again. “Food first,” she warned when he reached for her. “I worked up an appetite steering the boat.”
He chuckled. “Okay, food first.” He walked over and grabbed a bag of chips and some drinks and set them down on the table before sitting next to her.
“So, tell me. How many times have you taken other women sailing?” she asked.
Shit, he thought. If he told her he’d never taken anyone else out sailing, how would that make him look? Desperate? Would she believe this meant more than it did?
“Not a lot of women would trust me with their lives,” he said casually with a shrug.
“So”—she glanced over at him— “no one else?”
He could hear the worry in the tone. Worry and something else he couldn’t figure out.
“It’s not like I haven’t taken plenty of others out on the water.” He tried for casual. “Just not anyone I’ve… slept with before.”
She relaxed slightly. “Okay, so, what do you normally do with women you’re… dating?”
“Is that what this is?” he asked, motioning between them.
She glanced sideways at him. “No,” she answered quickly with a shrug. “I don’t have time for dating, or beyond.”
“Beyond?” he asked, holding in a chuckle. “Funny. I thought that was what we did the other night.”
She smiled quickly. “Sex is sex. Dating is… complicated, and beyond...” She rolled her eyes. “I deal with the beyond every day at work.” She leaned a little closer to him. “I’m years away from the beyond.” She tilted her head and then chuckled. “And, from what I hear about you, you are centuries away from the beyond.”
That stung a little. He didn’t know why, but there it was. He always figured he’d eventually get the nerve to settle down. After all, part of him deep down wanted the beyond and everything that came with it. The wife, a home with a white picket fence, a yard where kids and dogs would play.
It was just a matter of finding the right woman. Wasn’t it?
“What about you?” He watched her eyebrows shoot up in question. “Why did you pick weddings?”
“It was Kara’s idea,” she said quickly. “Although, we’d always had a fascination with weddings. What little girl didn’t that grew up with parents that were… well, had the perfect marriage.” She shrugged as she finished her sandwich. “We both wanted to see others celebrate their happiness.”
“It’s rough,” he said, causing her to look at him again. “Growing up under the influence of a happy couple. Their happiness casts a large shadow over everyone else. It almost makes you feel like you’re required to find that perfect person to spend the rest of your life with.”
“The hunt for someone to love,” she said softly.
He chuckled. “I suppose it is a kind of hunt.”
“You have a reputation for being an excellent hunter,” she added with a smile.
He laughed. “Jealous?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” she said, holding up her wine glass for him to pour her more from the bottle she’d brought along. “I’ve gone on a few hunting excursions myself.” She rolled her eyes. “A few I’d like to forget.”