“How about we play a game?” he offered.
Naked Twister, she almost wanted to say. Prove to him she wasn’t the timid nerdy girl she used to be in high school. She’d long since left that Gabriela in the dust. She thought of the Gabriela on Spark, the Gabriela who’d had dozens of quickies in New York, the Gabriela who had fun. Real fun. But, seriously, am I going here? With Sebastian Lott?
“What kind of game?” She retreated a bit and found her back against the elevator door, her clipboard against her chest.
“Truth or Dare.” His eyes sparkled with mischief.
“We’ve got to find Felicia,” Gabriela said, her throat suddenly dry as she imagined the kind of dares he might have in mind. Or worse, the truths. Both came with a heaping helping of trouble.
“One round, then. Truth or Dare?”
“Neither,” she breathed.
“Truth, then. Tell me—do you want to go back to my room? Right now?”
Yes. The single admission in her head surprised her. But that was exactly what she wanted to do. She felt he knew it, too, could read it all over her face. The vodka really was buzzing around her brain, the hum growing louder. She took a step closer and all she could think about were his amazing lips. Full, sensual, highly kissable. She realized then that she was really considering kissing the man. Seriously considering pressing her lips against his, flicking her tongue inside his mouth. Tasting him. The air between them grew thick and suddenly Gabriela forgot to breathe. She was drowning in his hazel eyes, mesmerized by them.
“Won’t answer that,” she murmured, realizing that answer alone gave him exactly what he needed to know.
“Dare, then,” he said. “I dare you to...” He paused as her heart sped up, a rabbit in a cage that desperately wanted out. “I dare you to kiss me.”
She froze, every molecule in her body seeming to hold its collective breath. Kiss him? She glanced at his lips, unable to look away. Was she going to do it? Would she accept his dare?
And then came the loud ding as the elevator reached its destination and the doors slid open. She began breathing again, the spell broken. Sebastian almost looked disappointed as Gabriela moved away from him, out of the elevator.
She laughed uneasily. “I never said I’d play that game,” she said.
I can’t believe I almost kissed him. What the hell was I thinking?
Hooking up with Sebastian Lott would be the most embarrassing mistake she could think of to make. What if they’d kissed and someone had seen them? What if Felicia had been waiting on the other side of the elevator doors? She’d never live it down. Felicia and Liv would mock her endlessly.
The cool night air hit her as they stepped out onto the sixth deck, with its big, sliding doors open wide to the outer pool deck. Laughter traveled across the open-air patio, along with the distinct sound of splashing. Gabriela moved outside and saw Felicia, Liv, Bill and James in the pool. Bill and James had stripped down to their boxer shorts and Felicia and Liv were wearing just their lingerie. Actually, scratch that, thought Gabriela, Felicia and Liv were topless. Completely topless. In fact, they were all playing some kind of game of Keep Away, trying to keep Bill’s drink away from him, even sloshing some into the pool. Their clothes were heaped in a pile on a nearby lounge chair.
“Oh, lord.” Gabriela let out a long breath. “Are those sisters allergic to clothes?”
“We could always just pretend we never saw this,” Sebastian said. “There’s still time to flee.”
“No.” Gabriela clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on the clipboard. “We have to get them out of there before they make so much noise, the ship security come.”
“Whatever you say.” Sebastian seemed skeptical but he followed her across the cool, stone tiles surrounding the square pool, the high-pitched giggles and screams of delight washing over them.
Gabriela maneuvered her way around the diving board and called out to Felicia. “Hey, guys, time to get out. Pool’s technically closed.”
“Oh, look.” Felicia narrowed her eyes at Gabriela as she ducked down into the water, her wet blond hair slicked back, and then she stood, deliberately and slowly, showing off her erect nipples, most likely for Sebastian’s benefit. It irked Gabriela more than she liked. “It’s Ms. Wet Blanket come to spoil all our fun.”
“Yeah, Gobstopper. Why don’t you move on?” Liv said, wrapping her arms around James. “We’re trying to have fun here.”
“Why don’t you have fun in your rooms? If you get in trouble and ruin Lola’s wedding...” She tapped her clipboard for emphasis.
“We’re not going to ruin anything,” Felicia snapped. She was very drunk and her bloodshot eyes seemed to have trouble focusing, though she was angry enough.
“Guys,” Sebastian said, his voice clear and authoritarian. “I think we’ve probably had enough fun for one night. We’ve got an early start tomorrow. And cruise ship security is coming.”
“Seriously, you, too, Swipe Left?” Liv growled.
“Gobstopper must be rubbing off on him,” Felicia murmured.
“Bill,” Sebastian said, calling to the man in the drenched plaid boxers who was helping Felicia keep steady in the pool. “Won’t your wife be upset if you’re...” He paused. “...out this late?”
Bill’s mouth worked itself into a thin line. “That’s none of your business.”
“Hey, guys, why don’t we head upstairs?” James offered, trying to help. “I’m getting cold and shriveled anyway. Let’s head up before we all turn into prunes.”
Liv seemed to consider this a moment. “Yeah, you can come to our suite!”
Gabriela froze. “That’s my room, as well.” Felicia, Liv and Gabriela were sharing a four-bed suite. It was cost-effective, but Gabriela now realized just how bad an idea that had been.
“Hey, Gob, you can’t have it both ways. Either we stay down here or we go to the room.” Felicia climbed up the ladder, her bare breasts bouncing with every step, and her without a bit of modesty. She grabbed her dress from the lounge chair and tugged it on over her head. Liv followed, as did the two men. Liv grabbed a big fluffy towel from a basket nearby and wrapped herself up in it.
“You are literally the antidote to fun,” Liv said, shaking her head. “Some things haven’t changed since high school.”
The foursome walked past Sebastian and Gabriela. “Yeah, you really need to lighten.” As Felicia passed Gabriela, she gave her a hard bump, a decided push. Gabriela was so close to the edge of the pool that there wasn’t any correcting herself. Her heel caught the edge and she was free-falling, arms wheeling. Sebastian reached out to her, but it was too late. She fell into the pool, fully clothed, her clipboard launched into the deep end. She came up sputtering and wiping her dark, wet hair out of her eyes, and to the sound of laughter as the group walked toward the elevator. Her clipboard floated nearby, the papers soaked.
Suddenly she was back in high school again, the nerdy outsider, the one who never quite fit in the group. She was surprised by how hard that laughter hurt, how much it reminded her of all she hated about growing up.
“You okay?” Sebastian was kneeling, a concerned look on his face. At least he wasn’t laughing, thank God. He reached out a hand to help her get to the side of the pool.
“I’m fine. Fine,” she growled, though she wasn’t the least bit fine. All her anger toward Felicia rushed to the surface. She wanted to take the woman by the hair and drag her into the pool. Not that she would. She’d be good for Lola’s sake, though she frankly didn’t understand why Lola insisted on keeping Felicia in the circle. Misguided loyalty.
“That was a cheap shot,” Sebastian said as he helped her climb out. She was soaked, dripping chlorinated water onto the stone tile. She felt like a drowned rat. Her once flowing halter-top jumpsuit now clung to her, sticking to her like cling wrap. Ugh. What a nightmare. And Felicia and Liv were go
ing up to her room where her clothes were and doing who knows what with those guys.
Sebastian leaned over and grabbed her sopping wet clipboard, a nice gesture she noted, even though the whole thing was ruined. He led her to the basket of towels and grabbed one, wrapping it around her shoulders.
“Wanna go get changed?”
“Can’t,” Gabriela spat. She looked at the clumped and ruined papers and then leaned over and dumped the drenched clipboard in a nearby trash can. What a waste. “They’ll already be in the room. Probably won’t let me in.”
Sebastian nodded once, pulled the towel tightly around her and then rubbed her shoulders vigorously. His hands felt big and strong and comforting.
“Want me to go roust them out? I will.”
Gabriela laughed a bit. “That’s not necessary.”
“I’ll punch Bill and Felicia if I need to. Heck, I’d love to punch Bill anyway. I don’t like guys who run around on their wives.”
“Unfortunately, that’s just Felicia’s type,” Gabriela quipped, thinking about how she’d slept with her married brother-in-law. Sebastian laughed a bit. “Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked as he pulled on the towel.
“Because they’re jerks,” he said. “You don’t deserve that.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“Was I ever...a jerk like that? In high school? I mean, I know I was a cocky kid but...” Sebastian almost seemed worried.
“No.” It was one of the reasons why she’d had a crush on him all those years ago. “You were never like that. You were pretty nice, really. When you noticed me, which wasn’t often.”
Sebastian looked up at the stars. “Well, I’m sorry about that.” He rolled his eyes heavenward, to the big expanse of night sky above them. “I’m sorry. I was an idiot in high school.”
“You were a god in high school,” Gabriela corrected. “Everybody worshipped you.”
Sebastian shrugged one shoulder. “Yeah, and all that went to my head. I’ve had a lot of time since then to evaluate my life choices... I don’t know. I realized I took a lot for granted and I was just starting to expect life to hand me everything I needed. Now I realize I have to work for what I want. And I have to make better choices if I want a more fulfilling life.”
Gabriela nodded. The sudden depth from Sebastian Lott surprised her. Maybe it wasn’t a ploy at all. She was really beginning to think the man had tired of one-night stands and hookups. Somehow that fact, that surprising depth, made her want to kiss him more. She shivered, the pool water dripping down her back, sending a chill along her spine. She pulled the towel tightly around her.
“I guess it’s not always easy to be the guy every girl fawns over,” Gabriela admitted, though even to her own ears the words sounded crazy. Though she knew that, from the outside, lives sometimes looked perfect even though they weren’t.
“Every girl didn’t fawn all over me.”
Gabriela barked a laugh as she sat on one of the lounge chairs flipped out in the horizontal position. Sebastian sat next to her, his dry shoes next to her sopping wet ones.
“Sure they did. There wasn’t a girl in school that didn’t have a crush on you at one time or another.”
“You didn’t.” Sebastian stared at her, hazel eyes probing, questioning.
“I...” Now Gabriela found herself grasping for the right answer. Admit that she, too, once dreamed that the handsome AF Sebastian Lott would notice little old geeky her? “Sure I did.” Gabriela shrugged. “Every girl did.”
“You had a crush on me.” Sebastian’s wolfish grin grew wider. “Really?”
“Maybe.” She was already regretting telling him. “I...I tried to ask you to the prom.”
“No.” All the color drained from Sebastian’s face.
“I tried to ask you...by the lockers. It was stupid.” Her face flamed red as she remembered that horrible day, standing at his locker, struggling to get the words out. “All I managed to say was ‘Are you going to prom?’”
“I don’t remember that.” Sebastian wrinkled his brow as if trying to recall the memory. “What did I say?”
“You said, ‘Yeah. I’m going with Felicia.’ So that ended that.”
“A mistake of the first order.” He winced. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice you then.”
The apology went right to Gabriela’s center, a salve to a very old wound. “It’s okay.”
“Well, thank goodness you had a crush on me. I’d worry if not every girl had the hots for me. It would damage my ego.”
Gabriela rained light blows on his arms and chest, feeling her face flush with heat. “You’re an egomaniac.”
“Ow, ow!” he cried, holding up his hands. “Help! I’m being attacked!” he called mockingly to the empty poolside.
She kept up the slapping blows to his shoulder and chest, his voice echoing through the empty rafters, the ship’s pool long deserted. She wondered if someone would come: a ship worker maybe, someone who would see her drenched, sitting next to Sebastian, beating the stuffing out of his shoulder. Not that she cared. She was enjoying pounding on him. He deserved at least that for being such a jerk. He was full of himself.
“Hey! Hey!” Sebastian started to defend himself, blocking her blows, and before she knew it, he had both her wrists. “Now what are you going to do?”
She wanted to head butt him maybe, but instead she struggled to get her arms free. She twisted her body, losing the towel completely, vaguely aware of how her too thin, now see-through fabric clung to her. “Let me go!” she called, playful but firm.
“Not unless you promise not to hit me any more.” Sebastian didn’t seem at all hurt or fazed by the blows. It made Gabriela want to hit him again—and again. She twisted, harder this time, and let loose her right foot, kicking him in the shin, harder than she’d intended.
“Oof!” he groaned as he jerked from the impact, flinching. Somehow he was falling backward on the pool lounger and taking her with him. They were sinking against the oversize pillows and Gabriela was right on top of him. In the fall, he’d let go of her wrists, so it was just her body on top of his. Her soaked clothes dripped onto his dry ones and she leaned into the feel of his warm, solid chest beneath her. Now she was so close to him, her heart thudded hard in her chest.
“I see you have become a bad, bad girl since moving to New York,” he wheezed, pupils growing large.
“You have no idea how bad.” That was the truth.
He looked intrigued as he studied her face. “Show me,” he challenged, his voice a rumble in his chest.
Every alarm bell in her brain went off at once as Gabriela found herself inches from Sebastian Lott’s full mouth, searching his eyes and finding not just shock or surprise there but also...want. A surprising want. Did he want her?
He waited patiently for her to make the first move. Challenging her, almost, as he kept still, their lips nearly touching. All she had to do was to dip down to taste him. She inhaled his scent: sandalwood and something muskier, something dangerous. She wanted that smell on her, she realized. She wanted him on her in every way possible.
An inner voice of warning pinged in her head. Don’t do this. It’s a mistake. He says he’s reformed, but you know you could never keep someone like Sebastian Lott. He’ll wake up in the morning and realize how much of a mistake it all was... He just wants sex. He’s going to use you.
Not if I use him first, she told the voice.
Oh, she liked that idea. Play the player. Take what she needed...and she would. She needed this. She needed him. She was tired of being polite. What she wanted was a bad boy, someone who was off-limits, someone who wouldn’t play nice.
Her inner wild child roared to life. She’d been held down too long beneath the prim and proper, with her pretending to be that timid girl from high school. But she knew she wasn’t. Not anymore. Maybe not ever again.
Tonight she wasn’t going to be a good girl. Tonight she was going to let the bad girl out. Her real self, finally. Wild, free, a woman who knew what she wanted and took it. He won’t know what hit him, she thought.
She dipped down and pressed her lips against his.
CHAPTER NINE
SEBASTIAN COULDN’T BELIEVE that Gabriela Cruz was kissing him. It was the last thing he’d expected from the clipboard-toting, by-the-book, former high school salutatorian.
All of Sebastian’s nerve endings lit up at one time. Gabriela’s mouth opened, inviting him in, and he went for it, amazed by how deftly this woman could kiss. This was no awkward nerd from high school. This was a woman who knew how to light a fire in a man. He tried not to think about how she’d learned to kiss like that, learned to tease him with the flick of her soft tongue. How he wanted that tongue all over his body. How he wanted that now. He could feel her amazing curves beneath the thin, wet fabric of her jumpsuit, which left absolutely nothing to his imagination. Her nipples pressed against his shirt, hard, wanting, demanding to be squeezed.
His whole body came alive, ready and eager for what came next. He strained against the zipper of his pants, wanting out, wanting to bury himself deep inside this woman. Here on the pool deck or anywhere else she’d let him. He was acting like a man starved of sex, not one who’d just had a Spark three days ago, yet there was something about Gabriela that drove him wild. Good girl goes bad, maybe? No, he knew what it was: she’d been the smartest girl in school, the one who’d always made him feel somehow...lacking. Her razor-sharp wit challenged him in ways he’d never been challenged. He’d always been one step ahead of the women he usually dated. But now? Now this woman was one step ahead of him. It thrilled and scared him all at once. This was a woman of substance.
And she was kissing the life out of him. It felt gratifying, but more than that, right. Maybe what he needed was a smart woman, smarter than him, sharper than he could ever be. Maybe what he needed was a challenge that woman could provide. He kissed her back, his body taking over, even as he could feel her heart beat as her chest pressed against his. The woman was soft and firm all at once. He tasted the sweet sourness of the vodka sodas she’d been drinking. Her tongue flicked out, meeting his in perfect unity, as if she anticipated his every move. Her hand slipped down, running the length of his fit chest, and he almost cried out as she reached below, rubbing his stiffness, making him come even more alive. She knew how to work him; he could tell even as she stroked him through his clothing.
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