Page 24 of Where You Are
She startles me enough that I jump in my seat, but I oblige, quickly hitting the brake and turning the wheel before we miss it. I pull into the parking lot of the tiny little convenience store-looking place, and Melanie hurriedly unbuckles and opens her door.
“What are you after here?” I ask curiously, as I step out on my side.
“I can find some authentic stuff to make us something for dinner,” she says excitedly, walking briskly toward the entrance, not even looking back to see if I’m coming with her or not.
I follow her in, and while the place is cooler on the outside, you can tell the air conditioning unit’s days are numbered. The man behind the cash counter is obviously of some kind of Asian descent but I can’t tell which country he’s from. He waves at us and Mel gives him a greeting in a language I don’t recognize.
“What was that?” I ask as I watch her perusing the aisle, her eyes fixated on things like rice, dried noodles and spices.
“I told him hello in Thai,” she says absently, picking up a can of coconut milk. My dick just turned to steel so fast it was painful.
“So you’ve not only been to all of these countries, but you also speak all their languages?”
“Hell no,” she says, snatching up a basket as we pass them and chucking the coconut milk and rice she just picked up into it. “I would have died trying to learn them all before I got to go anywhere. I totally had to carry the pocket-sized language books with me everywhere. But I learned the basic greetings pretty well after a while, and I did make a good friend in Thailand that I keep in touch with and she taught me a lot; including how to make a mean sweet-sticky rice. It’s a dessert and you’re going to love it.”
She’s talking a mile a minute and I’m adoring this enthusiastic side of her that she didn’t even hesitate to show me.
“So what do you want tonight? I can do something Filipino, Thai, or Cantonese.”
“I’ve never tried any of them. Surprise me, Sunshine,” I say, leaning in to kiss her cheek and acting like I didn’t just have my mind blown, or that my dick isn’t reaching for her from inside my shorts.
She ends up buying out half the store which I insist on paying for, and when the man rings us up, I discreetly hide an extra fifty in the cash and tell him simply, “Keep it,” before he even has a chance to look for it. He smiles and nods gratefully and tells us what I assume to be some form of thank you in Thai, which Mel cheerfully returns over her shoulder as we leave, both of us loaded down with plastic grocery bags.
While I’m still itching to get us to the lake house in time to get out on the lake and have lunch on the boat, I’m happy Mel’s happy, and I’ll never trade a moment when she shows me that excitable side of hers.
MELANIE
After turning off the freeway at one of the exits, it’s only a fifteen-minute drive or so down some back roads before Matt turns the Jeep down a long dirt drive. Through the tall pines, I can see glimpses of blue water with bright sunshine glinting off of it, and my excitement starts to climb. I’m giddy in my seat at the idea of staying here and enjoying time in the sunshine and water with Matt. Even though I have a serious love for the ocean, I’ve always loved the Great Lakes. They’re big enough in some places and seem never ending, giving off an ocean impression anyway.
The gravel crunches under the tires as Matt pulls up to an unbelievably beautiful house. It’s a two-story log cabin style home that sits right on the water.
When we get out, Matt grabs both our bags while I reach for some of our groceries and follow him up the steps and around the right-hand side of the house where the wrap-around porch leads. As he juggles both bags, he looks for the right key on his key ring and I steal a look at the long dock that protrudes out into the water, with what I presume is Matt’s ski-boat bobbing beside it under a protective covering.
When Matt turns the lock and lets us inside, I’m greeted with a beautiful sight of a light and airy living room with high ceilings, and I can see that the house has an A-frame window that faces a breathtaking view of the water. I step slowly inside and take in the whites and creams that make the place seem more spacious, yet cozy. There are exposed beams all throughout, and while most of it has hardwood floors, there’s a short cream-colored carpet in the living area with a white fluffy looking area rug in front of its fireplace.
I turn my glance to the wide-open kitchen with its sleek countertops and stainless appliances, and already I can’t wait to get my hands on it tonight.
Changing into my suit while Matt does the same in the next room is a challenge, let me tell you. But if we changed in front of each other, let’s face it, there’s no way we’d make it on the boat… at all. I throw a tank top and shorts on over my burgundy bikini, and come out of the bathroom to find the loft bedroom empty, save for our overnight bags, and venture down the stairs to find Matt packing up a cooler bag with our sandwiches and drinks. And oh, fuck… me… dead. How is this only the second time I’m seeing him shirtless and in swim trunks? It’s been too long since I’ve seen the work of art that is his tatted torso and biceps, not to mention his back. Thank God this dry run is hopefully coming to an end soon.
When we’ve got everything we need, we head out on the dock where he uncovers a gorgeous sporty-looking ski boat. It’s white with black and gold accents, and although I can tell it’s still pretty new, he looks right at home as he fires up the engine and unties the line.
Another major turn on of mine? Watching a man operate pretty much any vehicle or machinery. Even a car. And holy shit, is it ever hot watching Matt get the ski boat going and skillfully maneuvering between buoys and swells from other boats. Just when I thought I couldn’t get worked up any more, the way he looks around for where it is he means to take us, how his muscles flex with each movement… I’m thankful for the occasional cooling spray of water that hits me.
When he seems satisfied we’re out far enough, he kills the engine, leaving the boat to slowly rotate and bob with the gentle waves.
He drops anchor and bends to reach in one of our bags before producing the tube of sunblock. “Alright, get over here baby,” he calls as I pull my tank top off. He sits down on one of the cushioned seats and pats the spot between his legs. I sit and hold my hair to the side as I feel the cool, sunblock being spread across my back and shoulders by Matt’s calloused hands. It feels sensual and relaxing at the same time to have him touching me like this. He works it in circles across my skin until it’s rubbed in, then he squirts a little more in his hand and gets my neck and then I feel him dabbing some with his finger swirling between my shoulder blades.
When he seems to be done, he massages my shoulders and it feels so intimate I can’t help but turn and look at him and he grins sweetly, his sunglasses hiding what’s going on behind his eyes. He leans into kiss me softly, and while that first kiss he gave me is hard to beat, this one, with the sun beating down and the cool breeze coming off the water, his lips brushing deliberately against mine, might make it a contest.
When we finally break apart, I return the favor, spreading the sunblock over the expansive plains of his back, my hands and eyes enjoying every second. We take out our lunch and crack open a couple of beers. We relax next to each other, his arm around me, as we just take in the peaceful sight of the seemingly endless lake stretched out in front of us, reflecting the sunlight in shimmery, vibrant ripples. We talk easily, joke and tease each other, slipping into this comfortable dynamic we’ve been forming over the last couple of weeks that feels like second nature.
When our lunch has settled and we’ve cleaned up the debris, I head right up to the bow of the boat.
“What are you -?” Before Matt can finish his question, I step onto the warm metal rail and dive in, head first. I plunge through the invigorating water, my body making a perfect inverted arc. I’ve never been in Lake Superior, but when it comes to Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, Huron is definitely colder. It feels amazing when you’ve been baking in the heat.
I emerge at the surface and wipe the hair and water out of my eyes. I look up to see Matt smirking down at me.
“Nice to see a girl not afraid to get her hair wet,” he muses before making a pretty impressive dive himself and disappearing beneath the surface, emerging a few feet away from me. “Want to race?” he asks, as he swims closer to me, quirking an eyebrow.