Following Me by Linde, K.A. (good e books to read txt) 📕

She was starting to get reallycurious about where they were going and what was happening.  She waspractically bouncing up and down with excitement.  Brennan kept looking at herfrom out of the corner of his eye.  His smile grew wider at her enthusiasm.

“So…really, what are we doing?”she asked as they passed through the small park.

“Have you ever heard of theChicago to Mackinac Race?”

“No.” Walking at his side, shestared at all the huge boats docked.

They walked, crossed the end of thepark, and stepped out onto a sidewalk leading up to the water.  Devon looked upat the building that stood before the docks and read DuSable Harbor onthe side.

“Well, it’s a huge sailingtournament.  Hundreds of sailboats flood the lake to sail from here to theisland on the north coast of Lake Michigan.  It’s over three hundred miles.”

Brennan took a right and startedwalking away from the Pier side of the harbor.

“Wow,” she said, surprised shehad never heard of this.

“It’s hosted by the Chicago YachtClub, which is that building,” he said, pointing it out from their vantagepoint on the harbor.

“Oh, fancy,” she said, wonderingif it was anything like the country clubs at home.

Brennan shrugged.  “I supposeso.  Anyway, I’ve actually sailed to Mackinac Island a couple times in thecompetition.  Decided to sit it out this year, and I’m glad I did.”

“Why?” she asked, trying to keepher mouth from falling open.

Brennan knew how to sail andwas good enough to enter competitions?  What else didn’t she know about him?

“Because now I get to spend todaywith you.”  He took a turn, walking down one of the busy wooden docks.

Devon smiled brightly, giddy fromhis compliments and the impending surprise.  They walked down the dock, stoppedat the very end, and faced a pretty imposing-looking boat.  She didn’t knowanything about boats.  Well, she knew nothing more than the one her parents hadat their lake house.  Even then, she hadn’t been all that interested in muchmore than tanning, tubing, and drinking.

“This is Alma,” Brennan said,gesturing to the boat.

“Alma?” Devon asked with anarched eyebrow.

Brennan shrugged.  “She was namedafter my grandma.”

“This is…your boat?” she askedslowly, trying to keep it all together.

“Well, it’s my dad’s boat, butwe’re going to use it today.”  Smiling, he jumped onto the deck like he wasmore familiar with it than the land.

He extended out his hand to her,and she took it, steadying herself before taking the first step onto the boat. It rocked as her weight shifted it, and she all but fell into his arms.  Hecaught her easily, laughing.

“We’ll work on your sea legs,” hesaid, holding her steady.

“I’ve been on a boat before,” shesaid defensively.

“When was the last time?”

“I don’t know.”  She chewed onher bottom lip.  “Like two years ago.”

“Way too long.  I’m glad I couldremedy this,” he said.  “Come on, let me show you around.”

His boat included way more thanher parents’ lake boat, which was big enough for a couple of people, not muchmore, to jet around the lake.  Brennan had pointed out that this was less of aboat and more of a cabin cruiser.  It had plenty of space for hanging out onthe deck, and it also had a cabin area with a small kitchen and dining room aswell as a door that led to an even smaller bedroom with a double bed taking upthe majority of the room.  When her eyes landed on the bed, she knew that sheshould look away, but somehow, she couldn’t.  Even when she had been staying atBrennan’s, she had slept on the couch.

She scooted out of the room andwent back onto the deck.  It was hard to keep her mind out of the gutter.  Herlife had been filled with that for a long time. She didn’t want to fuckthis up.  She had so much more to figure out first.

They spent the afternoon enjoyingeach other’s company, leisurely cruising around the harbor and watching thesailboats depart.  It was lazy and comfortable and exactly what Devon needed.

Day faded into night, and thesoft crash of the waves hitting along the boat lulled them into silence.  Lyingon a blanket out on the deck, Devon cuddled up into Brennan’s arms, leaning herhead on his chest.  He rubbed his hand back and forth along her arm.  As theboat swayed to and fro, she felt herself slipping away toward the sleep thathad so often evaded her.

“Hey,” he whispered beforekissing her forehead.

“Hmm?” she mumbled.

“You can’t sleep yet.”

“I wasn’t sleeping,” she saidwith a big yawn.

“Good.”  His hand moved from herarm to her waist, pulling her in close.

“Brennan,” she whispered,propping herself up on her elbow to look at him.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for today.  You don’tknow what it means to me.”  She bit her lip and broke his gaze.

“No, thank you,” he whispered,pushing her hair off her face and bringing her back to face him.  “I’m not sureI would have gotten through this past week without you.”

Devon smiled shyly.  “Why isthat?”

He sighed softly before bringingher face down to meet his lips.  She kissed him until she was breathless.  Whenthey broke apart, she melted at the sight of him lying beneath her.  How hadshe gotten so lucky after everything that had happened to her?

“Devon,” he whispered.  Hescooted his body up, so he was facing her, seated on the floor of the boat.

“Yeah?” she asked, mirroring him.

“I don’t really open up to manypeople, so this is kind of big for me,” he said, taking her hand in his.

Out of nowhere, Devon’s heartrate picked up.  She wasn’t sure if it was just because she hadn’t beencompletely honest with him or what, but it made her uneasy.

“This, uh…isn’t my dad’s boat.”

“What?” Devon asked, confusioncreasing her temple.  “Then, whose boat is it?”

“What I mean to say is that it wasmy dad’s boat,” he said softly.

Devon stopped fidgeting andstared into his handsome face.  Was.  That was such a final word.  “Whathappened?”

“Three years ago, he died in acar accident on the Fourth of July.  Sideswiped by a drunk driver,” he said,gripping her hands.  “They took him in an ambulance to Northwestern Memorial. It was the hospital he had worked in as a doctor for thirty years.  He died beforeI