The Pursuit

Sixteen

⬻Damien⤖

I loved teasing her, it was quickly becoming my new favorite activity. She was so reactive and so easy to goad. I saw her watching me from the shore and loved that she wanted me. But it wasn't time yet.

I lifted myself up and stood in front of her. "Come on, I wanna show you something", I said to her and held out my hand for her to stand.

She took my hand and I gave her a gentle squeeze. Her face blasted with pink as she reacted to me. "Where are we off to next,  babysitter?" she asked sarcastically. 

"It's a surprise", I said as she let go of my hand and adjusted herself. I could see her try to hide herself in the suit but it was too late. I had already memorized every inch of exposed skin, the birth mark on the back of her left thigh, the  lines of her curves, and scar on the back of her right elbow.

We said our goodbyes to Haku and headed into town. I brought her to my favorite place on the island. The shack stood on the side of the road, tucked in by palm trees and picnic tables. I saw her face light up when we pulled into the parking lot.  She was like an eager child waiting to get out of the Jeep.

"This is definitely a very nice surprise", she admitted as she got out of the car.

"It's my favorite place on the island", I admitted as I met her in front of the car. "Been coming here my whole life", I shared with her.

"So, you're from here?" Maggie asked innocently as we walked to the building.

"Grew up here, yes, but wasn't born here", I shared again with her.  We made it to the order line and I ordered my favorite lilikoi ice.

"Where were you born then?", Maggie asked and ordered her own cone of ice.

I paid then turned and looked at her. I didn't say anything but just looked into her eyes. The greys eyes looked at mine with interest and I replied, "Boston".

"You were born in Boston?", she said excitedly. "How'd you get out here?"

I walked us to picnic table and watched her sit down. Her hair was still damp from the ocean, and her wet suit under her clothes was dampening her tank top.  I had resisted the urge to stay shirtless knowing the effect it had on her but I wasn't going to give the girl a heart attack all day. 

Maggie looked at me while she ate her shaved ice. "I was born in Boston and adopted by mom and dad. Dad was in the Navy. He got the lucky straw and was stationed out here for most of my childhood. He and my mom divorced when I was about twelve years old", I stopped and took a bite of my ice.

"So you stayed out here with your mom then? Haku said your mom brought you out to surf with him since you were a kid", she asked and tilted her head to the side, taking another bite I wondered how much I wanted to share with her. I didn't like sharing too much about myself but I knew she was going to have to get to know me for at least the remainder of our time together. 

"Yea, Uncle took me under his wing when my dad was relocated to Connecticut, he took a teaching job at the Naval Academy", I stopped and watched her take a generous bite and the ice dripped out of her mouth and down to her chest. I couldn't resist the opportunity. I reached over with my napkin and wiped the juice off the top of her breast. I let my finger touch her bare skin and goosebumps erupted all over her. I moved my hand back and winked at her.

"You need to stop doing that", she said with a low voice full of lust.

"Doing what?", I asked coyly.

"Touching me, like that. You obviously see me react to you and it's embarrassing that I can't control my reaction to you", she huffed with a spit of anger.

"It's not my intention to cause you any discomfort Maggie," I admitted apologetically. I really didn't want the woman to hurt anymore.  "You shouldn't be embarrassed, it's called attraction for a reason. And as for control, maybe it's time to give that up for a while, might be worth the risk", I winked at her again knowing exactly what I was doing.

"Hmm", she peeped out. Her goosebumps were subsiding and her cheeks were losing their blush.

I finished my cone and Maggie looked around the area. Her eyes glanced over to a young couple with a child. She watched them take turns feeding the child ice. The mother lifted the child into her lap and held her, kissing it sweetly on the cheek and whispering to it. Maggie's lips turned into a frown as she watched the young mother laugh out loud into the air and hug her child. I could see the moisture in Maggie's eyes build up but she didn't let the tears fall. Her lip began to quiver and I felt myself outreach for her. She must have seen it coming and she stood abruptly. She moved her gaze to me, "I'd like to go back to the house please". She began to walk away, her head lowered and the confidence she earned today washed out completely.