Page 108 of PSYCHOlogical

“I can be the boat captain, and you can be the first mate. Until you figure something else out.”

She chuckled. “I might take you up on that.”

We’d driven sixteen hours in one day, slept no more than a few hours, and unpacked the following day. Although it was only mid-afternoon, we wandered into the bedroom and flopped onto the bed for just a minute.

I fixed my eyes on the ceiling. Thoughts of Shephard and Martin faded. Moonlit walks along the beach, fishing expeditions to locations unknown, and learning to cook fresh seafood took occupancy in the vacant space.

While my mind drifted away, the salt water breeze crept through the open sliding glass doors, bringing a hint of Val’s perfume with it. I rolled to my side. Wearing a slight smile, she, too, gazed blankly at the ceiling.

I rested my cheek against my open palm. “What are you thinking about?”

“Progress.”

“Are you making it?”

“I think so.” She tilted her head to the side. “This is our first step away from our former lives and into our new ones.”

I kissed her.

Her lips were softer.

Sweeter.

She returned the kiss, passionately. I eagerly continued, exploring what her intimacy offered my clouded mind. The longer we kissed, the less prominent my past became. In a moment, the thoughts that had littered the forefront of my mind were gone, replaced by the longing for a woman’s touch.

My hands explored the curves of her body, hungry to convey my mind’s desires without allowing our lips to part.

Soon, her naked flesh was against mine.

Neither of us spoke. As if it were as natural as drawing a breath, we continued our sexual journey, each providing the other with exactly what words simply couldn’t convey.

Her body grinded against mine, and mine hers. The sweetness of her perfume melded with my manly musk, creating one scent that was ours, and ours alone.

With the aroma of our life’s progress lingering lightly in the room, we reached the pinnacle of bliss, together.

I collapsed onto the bed. She did the same, nestling into place at my side. I studied her, trying to memorize every curve and line of her body’s perfection. When I was satisfied that I had, my lips parted.

“I think I’m going to be okay,” I said.

She looked at me and smiled. A lone tear escaped the corner of her eye. “Me, too.”