World renowned writer, Molly Tulip, moves up to Northern Montana, hoping to escape the busy city life and a cheating ex. After years of stress and toxicity from her previous relationship, Molly needs to focus on healing herself through her writing...
"I'm going to freeze my butt off!" I cry out at Carver, shivering on the dock just feet from his parent's yacht. The wind is blowing at a ferocity that I've never seen before. If I had thought we'd be going out on a little romantic cruise then I would have worn a thicker jacket. After I left the cafe this afternoon it was bright and sunny, but now it feels like the start of a snow storm; this Montana weather is constantly surprising me.
"I have blankets you can wear and there's a really nice heater below deck that can be your boat buddy." He laughs as he grabs my hand to bring me aboard. I resist and when he turns around I see this playful nature that I've never seen before. Before I can attempt to do anything, he's thrown me over his shoulder, fireman style, and is carrying me onto the boat. I try to wiggle out of his grasp, but he only laughs as he holds on tighter to me.
"Let me down! I need to go get warmer clothes!" I giggle. He lays me down on a cold, plush outdoor seat and my body instantly turns into an icicle.
"Let me get us on the water-" He starts to say, but I jump up and take off towards the edge of the boat. I almost make it to the stairs leading to the dock before a pair of strong, warm arms wrap around my waist and lift me back off my feet. "You'd think I had just kidnapped you by the way you're acting." Carver chuckles as he places me back on the deck of the ship, but continues to have at least one arm wrapped around me while he unties us from the dock.
"I just need to grab another jacket from the car." I sigh, giving into the fact that I'm not as strong as him and he's won this round by literally holding me hostage. Not that I mind this close proximity with my date, his body is radiating heat that calms down my flight or freeze instinct, plus it's a nice feeling having him so close to me. I lean my head back into the crook of his neck and nuzzle my face into the warmth of his breath.
"You're really not making this easy." He says, breathless. His arms wrap tighter around my waist as he brings my body closer to his. I turn around so that we're face to face and wrap my arms around him; while resting my cheek on his chest, I feel him place his face against the top of my head as we both breath out a silent sigh at the same time. I can count on one hand the number of times my ex made me feel this safe and secure, but by some miracle, I've found a man that can make me feel those feelings from one simple hug on the first date.
Carver lets go of my body, quickly taking off his jacket before placing it around my shoulders. I look up into his brilliant blue eyes and I can see the excitement and contentment radiating off him like the heat from his body. He cups my face in his hand and wipes away the stray hairs that are being thrown into my eyes from the wind.
"You're so beautiful." He whispers and I can feel my cheeks heating up under his touch. We stand there in the setting sunlight, our eyes examining every inch of the other person's face while the icy cold wind slowly dies down to a pleasant breeze. My eyes fall on Carver's lips, the soft scruff he's grown in during his photography trip frames his light pink mouth perfectly. The butterflies in my stomach start a little dance as Carver moves slightly and my eyes dart back up to meet his.
"Can I kiss you?" He asks, his eyes dark and the gaze he's giving me makes me feel weak at the knees.
"I thought you'd never ask." I whisper as he leans forward and gently places his lips on mine. All the nerves I'd been feeling fade away and the butterflies in my stomach swoon from the care and love that Carver gives in this gentle kiss. He wraps his fingers through my hair and pulls my mouth closer to his, deepening the kiss, and my hands run up along his solid chest until they're wrapped around his neck.
He pulls away slightly to breath, but I stand on my tippy-toes to kiss him more. He laughs into the kiss and pulls be in tighter, practically lifting me off my feet in the process. "Let's continue this on the lake," he says in-between kisses. It takes all my willpower to let him separate our lips and not hold him hostage with kisses.
"I want this night to be perfect and we can't have perfection on an empty stomach." He teases as he scoops me up into his arms. I giggle and nuzzle my face into the crook of his neck, leaving a trail of kisses from his jaw to his collarbone as he carries me towards the helm of the ship.
Ten minutes later, Carver has us in the middle of the lake with a beautiful view of the sun setting over the mountain tops. He brought us a little homemade picnic with wonderful dishes that he'd learned to make while travelling with National Geographic. He calls it his taste of the world dinner and I could tell that he was ecstatic to share the food with me.
"This really does top our Escape Room and MacKenzie's night, I hate to say it because that night was amazing, but a delicious picnic on a beautiful lake wins hands down." I say as I take another bite of the German Apple Strudel dessert he's tweaked to be gluten free. I don't get spoiled by desserts very often since it's so hard to find good GF options, so I'm allowing myself to pig out a little on the amazing food he's made for us.
The sun has set now and the automatic lights on the ship slowly fade on. The world outside the boat falls dark without the light pollution from the town the stars above us come out in full force. I lay down on the blanket that's under our little picnic basket and take in the beauty of the sky. It's been years since I've seen what the true night sky looks like. It takes my breath away. Carver lays down next to me, his hand finding mine, as we stare into the vastness of the night.
Our moment is cut short as a horn sounds just outside the ship. "What the hell?" Carver exclaims as we both try to stand up, I only make it to my knees when I see another ship come careening towards us. In a split second I go from having a magical picnic with the man of my dreams, to being thrown off the side of the ship from the impact of a larger yacht ramming into our boat.
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