“You never actually answered my question, so I’m going to take that as a yes.” I chuckled as I shook my head while she was busy with looking at the controls.
“How about on the way there since you don’t know where we’re going, you co-captain and maybe, depending on your alcohol intake, you can drive the yacht back.” I looked up as Olive was mid sip; she looked down at me. When she began to spread her legs, slightly giving me more room to fit between them, I inhaled deeply, trying to control my growing dick.
Man, she obviously wants us to take it there.
No, not yet.
I cleared my throat as I answered my question from earlier. It was me who wasn’t ready.
“The first step to driving the yacht is safety first. Before you touch the key, make sure all of your passengers are aware of us leaving port.
“What happens next?”
“We hit this button that pulls the anchor up. Even with tying us off, I like to set the anchor to ensure the yacht doesn’t move at all.” I pointed to the button before giving Olive the signal to hit it. We sat there for a minute before she finally caught on.
“Oh damn, that was my cue.” Her sweet giggles came out as she released my hand then looked around for a cup holder for her wine, but I took it from her.
She blew out what I assumed was a nervous breath as she rubbed her hands together before she leaned up and hit the button. It had been a long time since I had enjoyed seeing a woman’s whole spirit light up. The way Olive’s smile stretched widely had me thinking of ways to make sure it stayed that big for me. She yelped out of excitement the second the motor from the anchor hummed.
“The next step is shove off, which means to push us away from the dock. We should feel that happen in a few seconds.” I stood up to see Tate who was kneeled now on the outside of the vessel, giving us a good push off. I nodded at him, letting him know we were good.
Olive, who didn’t see him, began to look around now with her mouth slightly hanging open.
“Okay, either I’ve had too many sips of this wine already or you got a ghost crew.” She looked from me to her half empty glass since she drank the majority of it. I chuckled as I took my seat next to her and began to turn on my controls so I could properly navigate us to our destination.
“Not a ghost crew, but a crew for sure. I don’t run this place by myself at all. I have other skippers and stewards to help me host parties, drive the ferry, and everything else. You’ll have to forgive me. I didn’t want to share you and our limited kid-free time with anyone else. Not even them. I apologize for taking away the full crew experience from you,” I said as I put one arm around her chair, turning her to face me.
“No, it’s fine. I appreciate this more, seeing you in action. The other day, I wasn’t able to see you in full captain mode, so yeah, this is nice. I’m enjoying my time with only you. Besides, there will be other dates for the full experience.” She grabbed my hand, interlocking it with hers then placing it in her lap this time.
“And then what?”
“Then we start her up. Turn the key.” Eagerly, Olive reached out and cranked us up, clapping her hands once it was done.
“Ooh, Highland, look at me. I’m two seconds from taking your job and being the captain. All I need is my own hat, ya know the ones captains wear.” She nodded while she gave me a cheeky grin and eyes to match.
I smirked as I passed her glass back. It was time to put some food into Olive since the wine had her talking wild now.
“Olive, it’s going to take more than that to be the captain of this vessel. How about you let me handle the driving while you sit back and enjoy the ride of a lifetime. Let me teach you some things on this water.”
I placed my arm across her body, holding her in place while I shifted the gear and hit the gas pedal. The take off wasn’t like skirting off in a car, but the quick wind blew. I glanced over at Olive and that smile didn’t fall so I knew we were good.
“I like when you call me that.” She blushed and I was lost since it was her name.
“That’s your name, right?” I shrugged as I began to put my attention on the open sea. But I felt her glare upon me which had me turning to face her. I tried to play the shit off nonchalantly, but there was a reason. I loved her name and I loved saying it.
Olive kissed her teeth as she rolled her eyes while her face now formed a slight scowl.
“Yeah, but you know what I mean. It’s not the name; it’s the way you say it. No one pronounces it with much—so much—yeah, I can’t describe it. But, it’s your tone when you say it that burns into my soul as if you gave me the name. Not to mention that drag out of Olive sounding like you're sayingall love,” Olive shrugged before she continued, “I don’t know. I’m not even sure that makes sense.”
I sat there taking in her voice because I knew what she meant. It was the same for me whenever she preferred to call me Highland over the nickname I had everyone call me. That’s probably why I never corrected her. It was her personal name for me and I loved the exclusivity between us.
“I told you I couldn’t describe it and now I sound crazy as hell. Oh shit, I’m blowing this. I don’t even know how to date without the kids here. I’m sure it’s this glass that I managed to finish way too fast for a first date. You probably?—”
She was going, and it was cute, but I cut her off. I didn’t want her overthinking about a simple situation I completely understood firsthand.
“Olive, I promise I get it. It’s the same for me, well, with Highland. No one refers to me by my first name, and honestly,I love hearing you call me it. I always thought it was different, but when you say it, it’s like I’m hearing it for the first time and can appreciate the uniqueness. And maybe I do stretch out your name. I love saying it when it comes to you.” I tossed her a wink as I reached for her hand that she was fidgeting with to calm her racing nerves. I held it tightly in mine and brought it to my mouth to kiss the back.
The other day when I did this gesture, it calmed her down, and I was hoping for the same result.
