“How safe you make me feel,” I tell him honestly. “My dad’s still in prison, and I can’t change that, but these past few months have been rough. Clint and James didn’t stop with my dad. They blacklisted me from getting a job, from renting anywhere but that apartment complex, and once I was there, they wouldn’t fix anything that was broken. I had no hot water, my freezer didn’t work. They kept upping everyone’s rent because they want them out. I just felt like I was drowning and then you came along…”
He kisses the side of my temple, and I sigh into his embrace. “I never wanted to be a damsel in distress, but even so, you saved me.” The last words come out choked, my throat filled with emotion.
“Hey.” He turns me around so I’m facing him. “You are not a damsel in distress. I told you before how strong you are. This world, this life, isn’t meant for anyone to go through it alone. Needing someone by your side, to help you up when you fall, to be your strength when you’re weak doesn’t make you a damsel. It makes you human.”
Tears burn my eyes. I’m falling so hard and fast for this man. How he’s gone thirty-four years without being scooped up, I’ll never understand, but I’d like to think it’s because he was waiting for me—we just didn’t know it.
I try to form words, but when they don’t come, I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him tightly, hoping to convey how much he means to me. He places a soft kiss to the top of my head. “You’re not alone anymore, Cam. I’ll always be by your side.”
Tears fall down my cheeks, and we stay like this for several minutes, in each other’s embrace. Once I’m more collected, I glance up and find him smiling at me with tenderness in his eyes.
“So, where are we going?” I ask, clearing my throat.
“There’s an island I love to get off at. We can lie out and enjoy the sun. They have an area with shops we can walk through. There are also several restaurants along the inlet we can dock and have lunch at.”
“That sounds perfect.”
When I glance out at the water, I want to capture the moment, but I don’t have a phone with a camera. “Can I borrow your phone to take a few pictures?”
He doesn’t even bat an eyelash, when he pulls his phone out of his board shorts pocket and hands it to me, relaying the code for me to get in. While he drives, I take pictures of the water, of the few islands we pass, and a few of Isaac. Then he insists we take a couple together.
“Why don’t you go lie out and relax,” he suggests. “It’ll probably be another half-hour before we get to the island.”
“I think I’ll stay here with you.”
He glances at me and hits me with his gorgeous smile. “All right, then let’s play a game.”
“You love games, huh?”
“Growing up, my parents always played them.” He shrugs. “How about twenty questions?”
“Okay, I’ll go first.”
We spend the half-hour asking each other questions and getting to know one another. I learn a lot about him, like his favorite foods and bands, what he enjoys doing for fun, all the places he wants to travel to. The conversation with us flows, like it always seems to do, and before I know it, we’re docking at the island he mentioned.
We spend the day lying out and exploring, then stop at a delicious seafood restaurant for lunch. In the afternoon, Isaac makes love to me in his bed, and then again on the front of the yacht, and one more time in the water. By the time we arrive back at his marina, I’m sun-kissed and sexed out.
“Tomorrow I have to go into the office,” he says, once we’re home and he’s helping me put my stuff away. “I’m going to get you a real phone added to my plan and a credit card so you have money.”
I freeze at his words. “I don’t need any of that. I’m going to find a job.”
He puts the stack of clothes down and pulls me into his arms. “I know you don’t need any of that, but it’s what’s going to happen. I meant what I said, Cam. I’m going to take care of you. And that asshole Clint and his spawn are going to get what’s coming to them.”
Chills race down my spine. “You can’t mess with them, Isaac. They’re horrible people. Look what they did to my dad and they were best friends and business partners. Please, promise me you’ll leave them alone. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”
I cling to him tightly and he eyes me for a moment, his features softening and then hardening. “I have it in my power to fuck with them, just like they fucked with you. Trust me, they’re going to pay, and nothing will happen to me.” The way he speaks, it’s clear he’s already made up his mind and there’s no point in arguing. I just have to hope he knows what he’s doing because I’ve already lost everyone I love, and I’m not sure how I would handle losing him too.