Once they had finished eating and everything was cleaned and put away, Grey grabbed two tumblers from the cupboard by the sink and the bottle of Auchentoshan from the liquor cabinet. She smiled at Lauren and waved the bottle of scotch at the back deck. “After you.”
Lauren tipped her head and wandered out onto the deck, calling over her shoulder, “Bridge, or tramps?”
“Whatever you want is fine with me,” Grey drawled with a smirk, throwing Lauren’s words from earlier back at her.
“Ooh, you sure got me there.” Lauren chuckled as she bypassed the stairs to the bridge and started down the side of the starboard hull. She smiled at the sound of Grey laughing behind her as she stepped onto the trampolines at the bow. “It really isn’t that funny, Wells,” she said as she dropped to the mat.
“Says you,” Grey retorted as she sat down beside Lauren. She arched a brow challengingly and handed Lauren the glasses she was carrying. “I thought it was pretty funny.”
“Yeah, well, whatever makes you giggle.” Lauren held the tumblers out for Grey to fill and gave them a wiggle.
Grey poured a generous serving of scotch into each glass, and gave Lauren her most smoldering look as she capped the bottle and set it onto the hull beside her. “You like it.”
There was really no point trying to deny it, and Lauren sighed as she nodded and leaned over to press a chaste kiss to Grey’s lips. “Yeah. I like it.”
Grey smiled and kissed Lauren again, tilting her head to the side and deepening the kiss as Lauren’s mouth opened invitingly under her own. She sighed under her breath when she eventually pulled away, and dropped a playful kiss to the tip of Lauren’s nose. “I like that.”
“Me too,” Lauren agreed softly, licking her lips as she looked out over the silhouette of the island in front of them. She took a sip of her drink and glanced back at Grey, and was not at all surprised to find that Grey was watching her. Her heart fluttered as she leaned back into Grey, unable to do anything but give in to the overwhelming desire that consumed her.
They kissed slowly, deeply, every clasping of lips and every sweep of their tongues speaking a truth neither of them felt comfortable admitting. Grey was the first to pull away, and she smiled as she leaned her forehead against Lauren’s. She reached up with her free hand to run her fingers over Lauren’s jaw, and her heart skipped a beat at the way Lauren’s eyes fluttered closed under the gentle touch. “So beautiful,” she murmured adoringly.
Lauren was glad for the shadows that hid her blush as she opened her eyes to look at Grey. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Thank you.” Grey cupped Lauren’s face in her hand and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. “I didn’t think I’d ever feel like this again.”
“Like what?”
“Whole.” Grey sucked in a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it go. “Like I can actually breathe again. I don’t know what it is about you that got behind my walls like you did, but I am so glad that it happened.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Lauren murmured, her gaze softening as she mirrored Grey’s pose and cupped the brunette’s face with her freehand. She smoothed her thumb over Grey’s cheek and shook her head. “You are an amazing woman. You know that, right?”
“I’m a mess.”
“No, you’re not,” Lauren argued in a gentle tone. “You are an amazing, smart, beautiful, funny, sexy as hell woman who deserves to be happy.”
The sincerity in Lauren’s tone took Grey’s breath away, and she looked away as she admitted softly, “I am.” She took another deep breath and forced herself to meet Lauren’s gaze. “Happy, I mean. You make me happy.”
“You make me happy too.” Lauren lifted her chin and brushed a tender kiss over Grey’s lips, and sighed as she pulled away, her eyes drifting to the stars overhead. The moment was becoming far too serious, and she wracked her brain for something to lighten the mood. “Do you see that star up there?”
Grey understood what Lauren was doing, and she was thankful for it as she leaned into her to look along her arm that was stretched toward the heavens. “That’s Sirius.” She laughed at the surprised look Lauren shot her and pecked her lips affectionately. “I do sail for a living, you know. I spend a lot of time out here looking at the sky.”
“Should have known,” Lauren grumbled.
“Sorry.” Grey grinned and leaned her forehead on Lauren’s shoulder. “You can still teach me about the constellations if you want.”
“Now you’re just patronizing me.”
“Maybe.” Grey rolled away from the elbow Lauren aimed at her side and chuckled as she darted a hand out to tickle Lauren’s leg. “Is that all you got, Murphy?”
“Oh, don’t you wish you knew.” Lauren arched a brow challengingly and lifted her glass to her lips.
“You betcha,” Grey said in her best Minnesotan accent.
“Oh, yeah, doncha know.” Lauren laughed and shook her head. “Would you believe that I actually don’t know a lot of people under sixty who talk like that at home?”
“That is very disappointing.”
“I’m sure it’s not,” Lauren retorted dryly, smiling as she took another sip of her drink.
