He’s the one who sees me first as I approach them. “Christine, good morning.”
“Good morning.” I raise an eyebrow in question and look toward Corbin, who’d told me Jay wouldn’t be coming today.
Reading my look, Jay steps into my line of vision. “Is it okay if I come along? I remembered that today is a special day, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to spend it with you.”
“It’s fine,” I say. I still think of Jay every year on his birthday. I’d often wished that my brain would stop marking the date.
“Happy birthday!” Jonathan says, taking me by surprise with a hug from behind. My body stiffens at first, and then immediately switches gears and melts into him, remembering how good it feels to be close to him.
As I thank him and he releases me, Brendan and Corbin step in, one at a time, to deliver birthday greetings. Corbin brings his mouth toward mine, but mindful of Jay watching, I turn, leaving him with my cheek. Even his chaste, close-mouthed kiss to the side of my face is enough to give my ovaries a little tug.
“You should have told us,” Brendan says, reading my discomfort and settling on a warm, lingering hug.
“I probably would have at some point, but I guess Jay took care of that for me,” I say lightly when we separate.
Since the other three men have just hugged me, Jay is considering it. I can see the indecision cross his face. Pre-empting any potential contact from him, I bend over and pick up my bag, which I’d dropped when Jonathan surprised me.
What would it even feel like to have his arms around me again?
“I didn’t tell them that it’s a big birthday,” Jay says, a hint of teasing in his tone.
“Wait a minute,” Brendan says. “Jay, you said that you and Christine graduated together, right?” When Jay nods, Brendan says, “So you’re the same age.”
“He’s older,” I say quickly.
“By four months,” Jay says, laughing.
“We’ll make today a big celebration, then, birthday girl!” Jonathan says. He leans in to take the bag I’m holding, and for my ears only, says, “Damn, forty looks good on you.”
I can’t help but smile back at his devilish grin as he swings my bag easily over his shoulder and we walk toward the docks.
I’m not sure what I was envisioning when the Hayes brothers invited me to spend the day on the water with them, but it surely wasn’t the yacht I’m standing on.
We’ve been aboard for at least ten minutes and I’m still on a tour, checking out all of the rooms and amenities. Though some individual areas are compact, overall the vessel is definitely larger than my patio home.
“You said we were going on a boat,” I say to the brothers.
“This is a boat,” Corbin says.
“Who’s going to drive it?” I’ve been expecting to come across a captain and a crew during my explorations, but the five of us appear to be the only ones here.
“All of them have captain’s licenses,” Jay says, tilting his head toward his friends. “They know what they’re doing.”
If the Hayes men tell me they can do something, I believe them. Piloting a yacht is probably easier than eliciting all my magical orgasms the other night, and they seemed to do that effortlessly.
Corbin offers me a drink from the yacht’s sizable bar, but I still have my coffee. He encourages me to get comfortable, while the three of them do whatever it is they need to do to prepare for our voyage.
“Have you sailed with them before?” I ask Jay.
He nods. “Several times. They have their own boat up in Vermont.”
“I’ve never been on one this big.”
Soon, the motor is running and we’re moving away from the dock. As the boat turns, Jay slides over onto my side of the semicircular bench for a better view of the receding harbor.
There are still several inches between us, but I’m very aware of his proximity.
“How long have you known them?” I ask.