CHAPTER 39
"Back when my mother ran Publishing, she wrote that section in The Vulture Herself. It was very important to her."
Sarah pushed her hat back on her head. Finally, I could see her eyes properly. They were full of emotion.
"Oh, William. And you want to keep it as a tribute to her?"
"Something like that."
"I think that's very touching."
I rowed twice more before saying, "My team isn't thrilled, but my grandparents said to follow my instincts. Those passion projects are also fine as long as they don’t break the bank."
She smiled. It was a bit wobbly. "I think that wanting to keep someone's memory alive is commendable. Even if you just hold onto the section for yourself, that's fine. You should do it."
“It does have readers," I said. It wasn't the dead end everyone thought it was. “I’ve been thinking about this—that the focus should be on the person whose biography we are writing.
There is still a strong market for it, judging by the biographical books that come out every year. It just needs to be attached to a celebrity, which we haven't done before.
Usually, we’ve taken the historical angle, writing about past presidents and such, keeping it more educational. But I'm getting ideas on how to change this up."
She grinned, shimmying in the seat. “I think that’s a great idea. And William, I’m here to inspire you any time."
The lake was surprisingly empty.
I assumed a lot of people would be taking advantage of the weather, but the less traffic, the better. The lake was our oyster, so to speak.
Sarah aimed her phone at me, holding it still.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Sending a picture of you to Emma.”
“Bragging about me, huh?”
“Oh yeah. What I wouldn't give to have some chips or popcorn,” she said after putting her phone down.
"You're hungry?"
"No, just so I can enjoy the view.” She repositioned to look at me. ”That’s better."
I laughed. "What's one thing got to do with the other?"
"It all makes sense to me, trust me. It's just very hard to explain."
"Fair enough, then don't."
"The sun is a bit hot though, isn't it?" she asked. "We should put on sunscreen. I want to apply some to your face; scoot over so I can come closer."
I put the paddles in the boat, wiggling my eyebrows. "You can sit in my lap."
Laughing, she rose to her feet. The boat immediately started to move from left to right.
"Holy shit!" Sarah exclaimed, but I grabbed her firmly by the waist, steadying her. She gripped my shoulders.
"You're safe, babe. You can relax. You're with me."
"Huh, I didn't fall. That's good."
I patted my lap. "Sit down."
She sat sideways on my thighs, licking her lips. I kissed her the way I’d intended to do at the house and then again in the shop. I congratulated myself on waiting because if I’d started at the house, we would never have left.
If I did this at the store, we would've made a spectacle of ourselves. I couldn't hold back. I needed to explore her. I needed her warmth, her cries of pleasure. I needed her. I'd been restless ever since I left my grandparents’ house, but now I finally felt at ease. I felt at home.
I pushed my hand under her dress and up her thigh. With a flash, I realized this wasn’t a good idea. No matter what I did, this wouldn’t be comfortable for her, and I didn’t want to tip us over into the murky water.
Her pleasure and well-being will always be my number one priority. She groaned, pushing her hips slightly forward. Fuck. She wanted me to touch her, and so did I. I couldn't have her here, but that didn't mean I couldn't make her come.
I brushed her clit with my thumb, and she moaned against my mouth. I deepened the kiss, moving my finger over her panties in slow cycles. Then she gasped, pulling her head and her hips back.
"William," she murmured, "we can't do this here."
"I just want to make you come, beautiful."
"No," she stammered. "We're not completely alone."
I glanced to the right where she was looking. Sure enough, three other boats hadn't been there before. I groaned.
"My bad," I said.
"Where were we?" she murmured, more to herself.
"I was about to make you come. We realized it's not the best idea."
She pushed my shoulder playfully. "Not that. Oh yeah, I was going to put sunscreen on you."
She poured a bit in her palm and then used two fingers to spread it on my face and neck and then my forearms. She did it with a tenderness that made me want to break all rules of decency for her.
"My turn," I said.
I put some on her arms, spreading it slowly, massaging it into her skin. Her hair was even lighter in the sunlight.
She groaned. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
"Protecting you? Oh yeah, definitely."
"William, you know what I mean."
I looked up at her. "I can't stop myself when I'm with you. I have no control."
"Neither do I, but it makes me happy.
I didn't think I could do this at all! Open up, I mean. Trust someone with my thoughts and feelings."
I gripped her right wrist tightly. "Sarah, you can always trust me, no matter what. You know that, right?"
"I'm starting to learn that."
Yes, fuck yes.
Earning this woman's trust was very important to me.
"Now your legs," I said, taking her right one and putting cream all over it and then drawing my hands up her inner thigh.
"You think a lot of sun is going to go in there, huh? Under my dress?" she challenged me as I moved on to her other thigh.
"The fabric might slip and leave your skin exposed."
"Mm-hmm, I'm sure that's why you're being so thorough."
I pinched her thigh lightly. She gasped and then laughed, throwing her head back.
"You're playing a dirty game, William ."
"I'm not even pretending otherwise. I can't stop touching you."
"Well, you have to," she said, abruptly moving back to her seat. "There are even more people crowding in."
She was right. I had no idea how it was possible, but every time I was with her, the world around us seemed to fade into a blurry background. I was only aware of it when she pointed it out.
She sighed.
"Oh, I wish I could come to the lake every day.”
"Why don't you?" I asked. "You said your schedule is flexible."
"My job keeps me busy, and I’m taking on more freelance projects than usual too.”
"Why?"
"I spent most of my nest egg on my lawyer. Now I'm trying to build it back up."
I wanted to throttle that moron. Not only had he dragged her through a divorce, but she’d wasted her savings on it.
"The losing party is supposed to pay the lawyer fees.”
"There was no winning or losing party. Just lots of lawyers advising me, and they charge a lot. I was always hoping to save enough money to buy my future kid a small condo of their own, but that ship has sailed."
Her words struck me unexpectedly deeply. Maybe because money had never been a problem for me, but this wasn't something I'd ever consciously thought about. Sure, I wanted to build a legacy my son would be proud of, but this was completely different.
She didn't have much. Hell, she didn't have anything right now except the condo she'd shared with that asshole. And still, she thought about her future child.
"I'd better get you into the shade, beautiful. I don't want you getting a sunburn on account of me." The sun was hot. I wasn’t sure the sunscreen was enough protection.
I rowed to one of the huge willow trees at the edge of the lake but then realized people were picnicking behind it.
"Let me find another one," I said. I wanted a quiet place.
"I think this one's good," she said a few minutes later, pointing to one that was farther away.
"That’s better."
She took off her hat as soon as we reached the tree. It was enormous, with branches dipping into the water. There was barely enough space for me to maneuver the boat.
Once we were directly under the tree, the branches formed a curtain of sorts around us, protecting us from view.
"It's so peaceful here," she muttered.
"Want to go to the front of the boat? We can lie down next to each other."
"Sure, that's a great idea. Why didn't we just do it out in the water?"
“It’s easier to anchor the boat here in shallow water.”
"Okay."
We moved to the front, lying side by side. I took my suit jacket off the bench and put it under her head.
“Always so careful,” she said.
This was truly the best moment of my life next to holding my son for the first time. I knew deep in my veins that I belonged with her, just like my son belonged to me.