Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
I rocked harder, then softer, chasing that edge but not quite tumbling over it. Something shifted between us — the urgency still there, still pulsing like electricity beneath our skin, but the desperation gave way to something deeper.
I swore I felt his heartbeat mirroring mine as Finn leaned in, brushing a strand of damp hair behind my ear before cupping my face in both hands. His thumbs stroked my cheeks as I moved on top of him, our foreheads pressed together, breath mingling in the heat between us.
His kiss came softer this time — no bite, no hunger. Just slow, aching devotion. That kiss was an impenetrable steel beam in a storm. It was an anchor grounding us to the moment.
“I’ve got you, Firefly,” he mouthed against my lips, too quiet to hear over the engines but I felt every syllable. “I always will.”
I winced, not because the words hurt, but because I couldn’t articulate what it meant to hear them. I sat fully on him before grinding in a slow circle, shivering when his forehead fell to my shoulder. Then his lips were on me, kissing and climbing until I grabbed his face in my hands and forced him to look at me.
I didn’t need him to say more. I saw it in the shadow and light playing on his skin, felt it in the way he held me like I was something worth fighting for. The world outside this engine room didn’t matter. Not the cameras, the whispers, the reputation I’d be handing over when this aired. Not my past. Not his.
We had one more charter to survive and then we could walk away from all of this and build something new.
Together.
I moved again — slower, deeper — and he breathed my name like a vow.
There was still sweat between us, still tension, still friction and heat and the ache of release building again. But now, those sensations surrendered to the deeper emotions within.
Trust.
Forgiveness.
Love.
And I knew, from that moment on, it was us against the world.
POST-PRODUCTION CONFESSIONAL
CLOSE QUARTERS
SEASON 4
EMBER REED: CHIEF STEW
PRODUCER
Well, I think that’s all we need for now, Ember. We want to thank you again for coming in for some bonus footage and commentary. We know the season wasn’t what you expected. We appreciate you being so open.
Ember laughs, stands.
EMBER
I don’t think I had a choice with that whole open part.
PRODUCER
Is there anything else you want to say before you take your mic off for the last time? Anything you really want the viewers to know about you?
Ember pauses, smiles.
EMBER
There’s nothing I can say to make them change their minds about me, and that’s okay. Because I know who I am. I know my intentions. I know my truth. And that’s enough for me.
PRODUCER
What about your father?
Ember looks directly into camera.
EMBER
I love you, Dad. You raised me to be a strong, independent, intelligent woman. Thank you for instilling bravery in me, for always reminding me I can do hard things, and for passing on a little of your stubbornness, too.
PRODUCER
That’s it?
Ember smiles, begins removing microphone.
EMBER
What else is there to say?
Four days later, I laid in my bunk with Finn, covers kicked to our feet and limbs tangled into a pretzel. Gisella was already on deck for the early shift — not that I would have cared much at this point — and we had a few minutes before Finn needed to get started on breakfast for the guests and I’d go help Leah with service. I didn’t care that the stationary camera in the corner of my cabin was catching our every move on film, either.
It was the last day of our last charter.
We’d fucking made it.
The Successful Six had left with big smiles, a big thank you for all we’d done, and a big tip — not from Tammy, but from Maria. Tammy had left less than twenty percent, despite the fact that we did all in our power to give her group everything they wanted. But she was upset about the chaotic night and how it detracted from her vibes. She was particularly pissed that the wind swept away her Hermès scarf.
Damn us for not controlling the wind.
But after Tammy and the rest of the guests disembarked, Maria handed Captain Gary another envelope with a soft smile. He tried to assure her it wasn’t necessary, but she’d insisted. Then, she’d grabbed both of my hands in hers and thanked me, sincerely.
And I hadn’t been able to help myself.
“These people are not your friends,” I’d said as quietly as I could, though I knew Leah heard me. She was right next to me, and I noticed her tense a little at my next words. “Life is too short to spend it with people who treat you poorly, especially when you’ve done nothing to deserve it.”
Maria had squeezed my hands. “I know you’re right. It’s just… hard to let go of the group I always wanted to fit in with.”