Heartbreaker

by Monica Robinson

  “My, my. You certainly are cranky this morning. I take it the chat with your friend didn’t go well?” When he didn’t so much as blink, she continued, “Okay, okay. What happened? You look like hell, Scott.”

  He felt like hell. He’d returned to the Helios deck to get some sleep. But every time he closed his eyes, all he could think about was Charity and how much he wished he were still in bed with her. When he did drift off to sleep, he’d relived the entire night, starting from when he’d found her near the railing to when he’d taken her in the shower. Finally, he’d given up on sleep entirely and spent the last several hours walking the decks.

  “I don’t want to talk about it. I didn’t get much sleep last night.” He pushed back in his chair. “We’ll be dropping anchor in a couple of hours, so I should probably get ready for work.”

  She placed her hand over his and slid him a sympathetic smile that succeeded in disarming him. “I can’t make you tell me anything you don’t want to, but I can guess what happened.”

  He hadn’t earned his reputation by playing bridge, so her comment wasn’t a surprise. However, her expression of empathy caused his unease to escalate. Since she wasn’t a compassionate person by nature, her behavior was downright creepy.

  Scott slouched in his seat and gestured with his free hand for her to go ahead. “All right. What do you think happened?”

  Kathy released him and leaned forward, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized him. “I know how you operate, Scott. You never sleep with the same woman twice and when you decided to sleep with this woman, you thought you’d get her out of your system. You didn’t though, did you?”

  No, and perhaps that was what bothered him most. Now that he’d tasted her sweet lips and touched her soft body, he knew one night would never be enough. He wanted more. Much more, and not just in a sexual way either—though no other woman could get him riled up faster than she could.

  He wanted to spend the remainder of the cruise locked in a cabin with her, talking for hours about everything that happened from the time he left San Rico until the night she sauntered into the Cleopatra looking more gorgeous than he could have ever imagined.

  He wanted to curl up behind her in bed, wrap his arms around her and simply lay there, stroking the soft swell of her belly and laughing when she protested.

  More disturbing, he didn’t want their time to end once the cruise was over. He wanted to take her out, go somewhere for dinner, catch a movie or even watch the Padres play on a Saturday afternoon. She’d been a hell of a shortstop when they were kids, so maybe her love of baseball was still there. He wanted to do all of the things normal couples did and—

  Couples.

  The word slammed into his gut like a fist, and the realization of what he was feeling made his heart thunder in his chest. He wanted an honest-to-God relationship and he wanted it with only one woman.

  Charity.

  “Scott?” Kathy’s perplexed tone brought him crashing back to reality and he lifted his eyes to meet her startled brown ones. “Scott, what is wrong? You’re shaking.”

  He glanced at his fingers tapping nervously against his bicep. So he was. He was shaking like a leaf. But despite the fear twisting his stomach, he felt eerily good about his discovery.

  “You’re right,” he muttered at last.

  “About?”

  Scott released a nervous laugh and let his hands fall to the table with a thunk.

  “About last night…you’re right. I slept with Cherry and it’s not enough. I want things I’ve never wanted before and it scares the hell out of me. To tell you the truth, I think that’s why I left her last night,” he said.

  “Because you were scared?” He nodded and Kathy shook her head, the compassionate smile returning. “Do you want my advice?”

  No, because he knew what she would say. She would tell him to forget Charity, that all of his newfound thoughts and feelings would fade the instant the Hedonna set sail again. Given his reputation, she would be justified in saying it, but she would be wrong. He wouldn’t forget and, more importantly, he didn’t want to.

  “I know what you’re—”

  “No, you think you know what I would say.” Irritation flickered in her eyes as she rose. “Tell you what. When we drop anchor, go with the others and show this woman a good time.”

  Scott was stunned. Not because Kathy was telling him to skip work, but because he’d somehow managed to piss her off and he didn’t know how or why.

  “But—I’m scheduled to tend bar tonight.” Lame, but he didn’t know what else to say.

  Kathy scoffed. “Would you rather work?”

  He opened his mouth in awe then quickly shut it.

  “Don’t argue. Just go and do as I say.” Before Scott could even think to thank her, she walked away, leaving him to stare after her and wonder what he’d said to make her angry.

  He shook the thought from his head and rose. He needed to talk to Charity and explain why he’d left without saying goodbye. He couldn’t tell her the truth—that he’d been scared shitless. Why not? Didn’t she deserve the truth? He’d never been much of a liar and, even if he had been, she’d known him long enough to see through any line he’d try to feed her. He’d figure it out when he got there and hope she wasn’t mad at him, too.

  What had he said anyway?

  ****

  Two hours and at least two dozen informal interviews later, Charity hadn’t come up with much to support Tom’s theory of Fantasy Cruises. Stepping out of the elevator to the Helios deck, she lowered her sunglasses onto her face and made her way to one of the empty deckchairs near the pool. As she walked, a loud catcall caught her attention and she glanced down to see a young man leaning on the edge, a wide grin on his face.

  “Why don’t you come in for a dip, baby? The water’s warm and it’s not too crowded.” He gestured to the water with his head. “I bet you’d like the slide.”

  Despite the early morning heat, gooseflesh formed on her arms and her pulse raced. She just managed to give him a weak smile. “That’s sweet of you, but I think I’m going to get some sun instead. Thank you though.”

  He pretended to pout. “Aw, come on. It’ll be fun. You like to have fun, don’t you?”

  Get lost, loser. “Yes, but I’m not in the mood to get wet. Thanks.”

  She eased herself onto the deckchair and flipped open her notebook. One of the single women she’d spoken to, Brigitte, had come with her twin sister and, though the idea had been for the two of them to hook up with the Heartbreaker for a night of fun—yuck—they’d each found someone they’d connected with instead.

  As luck would have it, she’d also run into Delia and Carl while strolling the Dionysus deck. After confessing that she was on assignment and apologizing for not being honest the night before, Charity asked the couple if they would be willing to help debunk Tom’s theory. Appalled at the notion that the Hedonna was a floating orgy, Delia instantly agreed, provided that her comments were anonymous. A simple request Charity readily agreed to.

  Hmm. So far, she had the beginnings of a good editorial regarding relationships/flings formed while aboard the Hedonna. If she could find a few couples who’d been married a while, then she could turn the piece into a feel-good feature. A bit corny perhaps, but the readers would love it. Especially in light of that damnable “Ask the Expert” radio segment. Man, she hoped Nick choked on a chicken bone. It would serve him right for calling her out like that.

  All of a sudden, something cold and wet scooped her up, causing her notebook and pen to go flying. She let out a scream and twisted her head to find the young man from the pool cradling her against his chest, his shoulders shaking with a laugh.

  “Gotcha, gorgeous. Just a quick dip. It’s hot as hell out here.”

  “Please, don’t! Oh God. Put me down.” She squirmed in an attempt to free herself, but he held fast, moving closer to the deep end of the pool. Her heart hammered in her chest and she struggled to draw a breath. Memories from
long ago flashed before her eyes at record speed. At least Scott had saved her back then. Who would save her now?

  “Oh come on, you’ll be fine. It’s only eight feet at the deepest part. In you go!” With that, he tossed her in.

  Charity let out a blood-curdling scream and flailed her arms, praying someone would take her screams to mean she wasn’t goofing around. Right before she hit the water, she heard a shout.

  “Cherry!”

  Scott.

  She wasn’t sure how he knew to come to the sundeck, but she was glad he did. She didn’t have time to think about that though. As soon as she hit the water, her limbs seized and she sank, the water swallowing her. Chlorine burned her nose and the water she’d inadvertently swallowed made her choke.

  Her ass hit the bottom of the pool and she tried to get her feet beneath her to propel herself upward, but she couldn’t force her muscles to work. Panic twisted within her, making the seconds feel like hours before a pair of arms grabbed her beneath the armpits and she surged upward.

  When they broke surface, Charity coughed out a mouthful of chlorinated water and kicked her legs for the side of the pool. Her fingers brushed the rough cement and she latched onto it with both hands. The arms around her loosened and she stiffened.

  “Don’t let go!”

  “Shh,” Scott murmured in her ear and turned her around, wrapping a protective arm around her waist. With his free hand, he pushed her dripping hair from her face. “I’ve got you, Cherry. Just like last time.”

  Emotion choked her and, rather than say anything, she wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. He stroked the back of her hair, murmuring reassuring words before pressing a kiss to her temple.

  “You ready to get out now?”

  She nodded.

  “All right. Put your hands on my shoulders and I’ll lift you out. On three?”

  Again, she nodded and gingerly did as instructed.

  He slipped his hands onto her waist and quickly had her sitting on the edge. She scrambled back several feet, but didn’t rise until Scott had pulled himself out of the water. She tipped her head back to take in his dripping form and a rush of admiration overcame her. He’d jumped in after her fully clothed, but sans shoes, to fish her out.

  He stretched both hands out to her, offering her a small crooked smile she knew was meant to make her feel better. She laid her still trembling hands in his and rose. Before she could open her mouth to thank him, he pulled her against him, cupping her face with both hands and lowering his mouth to hers in a deep, searching kiss.

  Rising to her tiptoes, Charity returned the kiss, running the tip of her tongue over his lips and eliciting a small groan from him. Scott withdrew after a few seconds and turned to the young man who’d thrown her into the pool. She took his elbow, but he slipped out of her grasp.

  “Scott, don’t.”

  He closed the gap between him and the other man, squaring his shoulders. “What the hell’s your problem?”

  Stunned, the young man held up his hands. “Whoa! Hang on. I was just messing around. It’s just a damn pool.”

  “She’s afraid of water, asshole.” Scott looked as though he wanted to say more, but didn’t. Instead, he bent down to grab his shoes and returned to where Charity was standing. “We should probably get you into some dry clothes. We’ll be docking in less than an hour.”

  She looked down at her attire in dismay. So much for looking like a sexual diva. In her current state, she looked more like a drowned rat. And now her sunglasses and shoes were at the bottom of the pool. She was so not going after them.

  “That’s a good idea.” She stole a glance at him before retrieving her belongings. “You should do the same. Do you have to work tonight?”

  “No. Kathy gave me the night off. Those shorts look amazing on you.”

  Charity shoved her notebook into her purse and turned to face him. “You should have seen me before he threw me into the pool. You held your temper better than I thought you would.”

  Scott cleared his throat. “Diplomacy is the better part of not getting fired.”

  She made an “O” with her mouth and started to nod when she paused. “You consider calling him an asshole being diplomatic?”

  “It’s better than punching him in the mouth.”

  True enough, she supposed. Though she had to admit seeing Scott doing just that would have made what she went through a little easier to take. Slipping her purse onto her shoulder, she took his outstretched hand and tiptoed across the hot deck.

  Scott peered down at her bare feet and then at her. “Where are your shoes?”

  She sighed. “In the pool along with my sunglasses.”

  “Do you want me to get them?”

  “No. I’ll get new ones at the gift shop.” And make Tom pick up the tab. It would serve her editor right if she picked out a pair of high end ones to replace her dollar-store sunglasses, but she wasn’t going to push her luck. She’d be fortunate if he accepted the purchase as a necessary expense.

  “Here.” Scott turned his back and crouched. “Hop on. No sense burning your feet.”

  Charity hesitated for only a second before climbing onto his back and draping her arms around his neck. She couldn’t even remember the last time someone had given her a piggyback ride. A laugh bubbled in her throat when he adjusted her on his back and maneuvered his way through the maze of deckchairs.

  With each step he took, the friction of her shorts rubbing against her bare sex sent tiny jolts of awareness coursing through her. She squeezed her thighs tighter against his sides to make the sensation stop, but to no avail.

  By the time they reached the corridor, her nerves had settled but her heart was still racing. She didn’t see how it was possible to go from being terrified one instant to completely aroused the next. Adrenaline and shock explained only so much. The rest? Well, she would need to ask an expert and she was not about to ask her brother that question.

  Not wanting to think about it any longer, she peered at Scott from the corner of her eye. “How did you know to come to the Helios deck when you did?”

  “Lucky guess. I tried your cabin and, when you weren’t there, I figured I’d look up here. It worked last night. What was with that guy, anyway?”

  Was it her imagination or did she detect the faintest hint of jealousy in his voice? Nah. Scott wasn’t the jealous type nor was he the kind of man to hang onto a woman for any longer than a single night. He’s with you now. Yes, but he’d also agreed to be with her for the length of the cruise. A promise between friends was different than a lover coming back because he or she wanted more.

  “He asked if I wanted to get into the pool and I said no. He asked again and I still said no. Finally, he picked me up and tossed me in. He didn’t know I’m hydrophobic, so he probably thought he was being cute. Can we drop it now? I really don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

  Once they reached the elevator, Scott set her down and pushed the DOWN button before leaning against the wall beside him. “Fine, let’s talk about your plans for the day. Pleasure Island is known for its erotic atmosphere, but it’s also a place to party. I would keep that in mind while dressing.”

  The doors slid open and she stepped inside. “I take it my stilettos are out?” Not that she actually owned a pair. On her salary, she was lucky to hit up the local shoe store when they had their buy-one-get-one-fifty-percent-off sale.

  He laughed and pressed the number for her deck. “No, the fuck-me shoes are definitely out. You’ll want something comfortable to dance in with easy access.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Easy access?”

  “That’s strictly for my benefit.”

  While her cheeks flushed, her nipples hardened at the thought. He had her number all right. He knew just what to say to turn her into a walking bundle of hormones. She didn’t know what she would do when the cruise ended. She wasn’t ready for this adventure to end or for Scott to be out of her life for God knows how long. Years? M
aybe forever? She didn’t think she could go through the pain again, especially now that she realized she still cared for him.

  The chime of the elevator brought Charity out of her thoughts and she gave herself a mental shake before following Scott down the hall to her cabin. She retrieved her keycard and slid it into the door before turning to him.

  “Did you want to come in for a few minutes before changing?”

  He hesitated for a long moment before shaking his head. “I better not. I don’t trust myself not to take advantage of you.”

  She gave him her best seductive smile. “What if I want you to take advantage of me?”

  He closed his eyes with a wince. When he reopened his eyes, he placed a chaste kiss to her forehead. “Take a shower and warm up. I’ll be back in about a half an hour.”

  She watched him walk away, telling herself she was being silly for feeling put off. She needed to get ready for their island excursion, not to mention doing something with her hair. Closing the door, she bolted it and headed for the dresser. Scott had said to dress comfortably. But after scanning the contents in the drawers, she came up empty. She moved to the tiny closet.

  “Aha!” She reached into the back and removed the sundress she’d been searching for.

  Holding it up, she tilted her head to examine the soft white fabric with large red, blue, and yellow flowers. The plunging neckline would give Scott—or anyone else who might be looking—a fantastic view of her cleavage, while the fitted bodice highlighted her slim waist. The skirt, loose and flirty, fell three inches above her knees and made for an altogether cute yet sexy look that would be certain to achieve her goal.

  Which was what precisely? She didn’t want to come off as desperate or mousy, since sexual divas were not desperate. They were self-assured and spirited. They didn’t need a man to tell them they were hot because they knew it.

  Okay, so she hadn’t reached sexual diva status yet. At least she had the spirited part down—sorta. If stripping naked in front of hundreds of strangers and sucking a man’s cock didn’t constitute as spirited, she didn’t know what did.