by Jill Sanders
She sighed and felt like crying when she realized even some of those memories were now gone.
Pulling on her cotton pajama shorts and tank top, she brushed through her hair slowly. She took her time brushing her teeth and applying lotion to her legs.
When she felt like she couldn’t stall anymore, she packed up her bag and took one last look at herself in the mirror.
When she walked into the room, she was shocked to see Sean fast asleep on the bed, his arms tucked behind his head and his ankles crossed in a relax position. There was a game playing on the muted television.
She picked up the remote and switched off the set. He looked so handsome, and she wondered why she’d never really noticed it before. His dark hair had grown out a little since he’d been home, and she like the slight curl it had.
He had a sexy, perfect chin. There wasn’t a little dimple in it, like Nick had, but Sean did have slight dimples when he smiled. His nose was a little crooked. Becca remembered how it got its bend and smiled. She hadn’t meant to toss the football so hard; actually, she hadn’t known that she could. She watched his chest rise and fall with each breath and sighed at the muscles she knew were hidden under his shirt.
Turning away, she crawled into her own bed and tried to wind down, knowing that she wasn’t going to get any real sleep that night.
Chapter Nine
Just before four that evening, they stood on the dock and looked up at the ship. They’d walked to a little coffee shop that morning for breakfast and then had enjoyed the little shops around their hotel. They’d even walked down to the water and enjoyed a nice sandwich in a bistro along the walkway. Sean had been surprised that Becca hadn’t bought anything from the little stores, but she’d told him that she was saving her money for later. She did get a postcard, and she mailed it to her sister.
Now, as he looked up at the ship, he realized just how massive it was. He glanced over to see how Becca was handling it all. To his surprise, she had a huge smile on her face and looked very excited.
“Think you can handle this?” he asked, shuffling his bag under his arm.
She smiled up at him. “No sweat.”
It took them a little under an hour to find their cabin and drop their bags off just inside the door.
“What do you say we go watch the send-off?” he suggested.
“Wonderful. Will there be streamers like in the movies?”
He chuckled. “Probably not, but we can hope.”
She smiled and he took her hand in his and led them back up to the deck. They probably had a small balcony in their room, but for something like this, he wanted people. Lots of people.
By the time they found a spot on the large deck, the ship was already pulling away from the docks. They stood and waved with the rest of the crowd until they were far enough that everyone started looking like little dots.
As people around them started leaving, she held onto the railing next to him with a huge smile on her face. The wind was blowing her hair as her eyes took in all the other boats in the channel. The ship maneuvered them slowly towards open water.
“Look at how green the water looks over there.” She pointed to another body of water where there were smaller sailing boats parked along a row of massive houses. “I’ve never seen water so beautiful.”
He smiled. “Get ready to see even more of it in just a few days. Not only see it, but swim in it.”
She smiled up at him as she pushed her hair away from her face. “I never imagined it would be this fun.” She laughed as the ship finally pulled into open water. “Oh look!” She took his hand and pulled him to the other side of the railing. “There’s a swimming pool with a slide.” She giggled.
He smiled. “There’s a lot to explore. What do you say to taking a walk before we jump into our suits?”
She nodded and tugged on his hand. He followed her as she led him around the deck, chatting about everything she saw.
By the time they’d seen everything, including the rock-climbing wall and the gym, she had listed off everything she’d like to do.
“How are we going to fit all that in?” He chuckled. “You do know that we’re only on this boat for three nights?”
“Ship.” She smiled as she turned around and walked backwards in front of him.
“What?” He took hold of her shoulders to stop her from walking into another couple.
“It’s a ship.” Her smile grew.
He smiled back and nodded. “I stand corrected.”
She laughed. “I think there’s enough time for a dip in the pool before dinner. We walked by that steak house in the promenade that smelled simply wonderful.”
He nodded and remembered he’d made a mental note of the place as well. “Okay, back to our cabin and then some pool time. Then we’ll head back, get dressed, and hit the nightlife. Did you see the casino?”
“Boy, did I.” She sighed. “I’ve always wanted to try my hand at gambling.”
He took her hand and started walking back to their cabin.
“I tried it once when I was stuck at the Vegas airport.” He shook his head. “I guess I’m not that lucky. Lost my lunch money.”
She giggled. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, Nick had to buy me a sandwich.”
She laughed as he opened their cabin door.
“Wow!” She said walking in. “I guess I didn’t actually look at this place when we dropped the bags off.” She took a few steps in and did a circle. “Oh my god!” She gasped looking up. “There’s a second floor.” She rushed farther into the large room.
*******
Becca was speechless. She’d never seen anything like it. She was standing in a massive living room, and there was a small dining table and kitchenette area off to the right. There was a beautiful glass staircase that led up to the second story balcony, where she could see the edge of a bed and a sitting area.
She rushed up the stairs and walked through the sitting area into the room. Large white curtains hung on the glass wall of the balcony, so they could be shut for privacy. The bed was huge. The white comforter looked soft and inviting and the blue accent pillows, well, she wanted to shove them in her baggage for her own bed.
She turned when she heard Sean behind her. “Nice.” He nodded and looked around.
“Nice?” She gawked at him. “Nice, doesn’t even come close.”
He smiled and walked past her. “This must be the bath…” He dropped off and his chin dropped.
“What?” She rushed past him only to have her chin drop as well.
The bathroom was something straight out of the movies. Large windows where everywhere. There was a huge white bathtub with jets to the right. Lots of jets. The two gleaming white bowl sinks sat in the middle with individual mirrors hanging above them. Off to the left stood the shower. Sean walked over and chuckled. “This should make showering very interesting.”
She nodded, not able to say anything. When you showered in this shower, you showered in full view of the ocean. No curtains, no fogged glass, nothing stood between you and the whole nautical world.
“It gives new meaning to being one with nature.” He chuckled. “Ladies first.” He nodded towards the glass enclosure.
She shook her head. “I…I think I’ll stick with the bath.” She turned away and hid the redness of her cheeks.
“I brought up your bags. You can change first, and then we’ll head out to the pool. I guess we’ll have to decide which one to go to.”
“I know.” She smiled. “There are four of them.”
“Change. Then we’ll decide.”
By the time they left their cabin again, they had decided to hit the main pool tomorrow, so they headed to the smaller one closer to their cabin.
It was an adult’s-only pool and she was kind of grateful. Not that she didn’t like kids; she loved them and had always planned on having a large family of her own someday. But, for tonight, she just wanted some quiet time soaking up the dying rays of the warm sun
as they sailed off.
“It’s beautiful,” Sean said next to her. The pool was a little on the small side, but it was an infinity pool, giving the appearance that it dropped off the side of the boat straight into the ocean below. Seeing the sun set by the side of the pool would be a fantastic sight.
There were only four other couples at the pool and she guessed that most of the other people were getting in their time on the big slide. “Looks like we picked correctly tonight.” She stripped off her beach dress, her eyes on the cool water.
Sean was silent beside her, and she turned just in time to see him strip off his shirt and toss it on the lounge chair.
Her eyes traveled over his perfect back and she felt herself grow warmer just looking at him. When he turned around, their eyes met, and she saw heat in his eyes that matched her own. She was locked to him, unable to look away, unable to breathe unless he did. He started to move closer, just as a loud splash and the sound of laughter broke the spell.
“Well?” he said, moving a little closer to her with a smile. “Shall we cool off?”
She nodded and swallowed, trying to rein in her emotions.
When the cool water hit her, she sighed and sunk in its glory.
When she came back up, she watched Sean jump in with a loud splash. When he came up, there were a few cheers and laughs.
“Who says the adult pool can’t be fun,” he said, swimming beside her. She smiled and shook her head.
They watched the sun set from the cool water and enjoyed the deck and pool lights that came on as night settled in. When her stomach growled, she splashed water at Sean and nodded to the edge.
“It’s food time.” She smiled and he nodded, swimming quickly over to her. He moved like a fish. It was amazing to watch him.
She’d grown up going to the Boys and Girls Club pool every summer, but she’d never really learned how to swim very well. Watching him, she realized that he was a natural. And he looked even better wet than dry.
She sighed as she watched him step out of the pool. She thought she heard a few other women do the same, but when she looked around, everyone seemed to be involved in their own affairs.
As they walked back to their cabin, she knew for certain that she’d never get the image of him rising from the glowing blue water out of her mind.
“I’m just going to go rinse—” She stopped talking and frowned a little, remembering the shower situation.
He chuckled behind her. “I was thinking the same thing.”
She turned and looked at him. “Do we have time for a bath?”
His smile grew. “Is that an invitation?”
She frowned and looked at him.
“Are we bathing together?” He smiled.
Her chin dropped a little.
He shook his head and laughed. “Go, we have plenty of time. I’ll jump in when you’re done.”
She nodded and backed up towards the bathroom and then stopped and grabbed the bag that had all her clothes in it.
As the water filled, she dug through her bag and pulled out the perfect dress for the evening. She’d packed a few, but this one screamed what she wanted it to. At least for tonight.
She smiled and thought about the possibilities as she slowly dipped into the water. Bathing in front of a bunch of large windows didn’t bother her as much as standing in front of them completely naked. After all, she was used to her life being on display. She didn’t really mind her apartment overlooking the town; otherwise, she would have hung curtains months ago.
She kind of liked looking out at the town as people hurried by.
It was too dark outside to see the ocean, but she could just imagine taking a bath during the day and watching the sunrise or sunset from the jetted wonder.
She got out and quickly dressed and decided to finish her hair outside in the sitting area so Sean could use the bath. She tucked herself into one of the fluffy robes and dragged her bags back out to the bedroom.
“I’ve put all my clothes in the dresser there.” He pointed to the smaller one. “You can use the closet and that one.” He nodded to the large dresser.
“Okay. I’ll finish out here so you have time to bathe.”
He smiled. “Thanks.” When he disappeared into the bathroom, she quickly got to work drying her hair and perfecting her makeup so that by the time he walked out of the restroom, she was just snapping on her bracelet.
He stepped out of the bathroom in a dark suit. His hair was combed back, giving him a very sexy Bond look. Any woman would swoon if she saw him walking towards her, looking at her the way he was now.
She felt her knees go a little weak and was thankful she was still leaning against the back of the sofa.
Chapter Ten
He must have stepped through a portal to heaven. He’d never seen Becca looking so beautiful. Her hair was straight as it flowed around her face. The dress she wore was black and gold. The lights in the room caused the material to shine, along with her necklace and other jewelry she wore. She had on three-inch heels that were black with a tip of gold. Everything about her was perfect, down to the little matching purse she was holding.
When she smiled, he lost his breath.
“You clean up nicely,” she said, taking a step towards him.
He nodded and then swallowed, feeling like an idiot.
“You’re beautiful.” It came out as a whisper. He shook his head. “I mean, you look beautiful.”
She smiled a little more. “Thank you.” He nodded and took a step towards her. “I’m starved.” He stopped and frowned a little, nodding some more. “Maybe we can hit the casino after dinner?” He nodded again and wondered if he’d ever be able to speak normally around her again.
As they made their way through the halls, he noticed several eyes follow her and a sudden need for possession threatened his mind. He took deep breaths as they walked into the steak house to stop himself from turning her around and ordering food in their own cabin for the night.
She looked beautiful, and he couldn’t blame anyone for looking at her. She was like a piece of art that he himself wanted to spend a lifetime studying.
They were seated at a small table along the large glass wall that overlooked the dark waters. A woman played soft music on a large black grand piano near the center stage.
The waiter went through the menu items and showed them their drink options and told them he’d return to take their orders shortly.
“Do you think there will be a show tonight?” Becca asked, leaning closer to him.
“I hope so. The main stage is in the family dining area, but I would think that every area would have its own show.” He smiled and she looked down at her menu.
“I can’t believe all of this is paid for with the tickets.”
“Everything but the drinks. I’ll get us those.” He smiled.
She nodded and looked down at her menu, then chuckled.
“Something funny?” He glanced over his menu at her.
“I was just thinking that if I ate like I wanted, I’d probably gain ten pounds on this trip.”
He smiled. “We can hit the gym tomorrow.”
“I’m sure we’ll both need it. Did you see those desserts?” She nodded towards the couple a few tables away from them.
He looked and felt his mouth water for the second time that night. “Okay, definitely hitting the gym tomorrow.”
He ordered a bottle of wine, and they both ordered steak. By the time their food was delivered, a comedian had been introduced and had stepped out on the stage. They ate a wonderful dinner and laughed harder than he could remember laughing before.
Becca seemed to enjoy herself as well. When they finally left, heading towards the casino area, she wrapped her arm through his and leaned on him a little.
“I think you enjoyed that wine a little too much.” He pulled her to a stop along the railing.
“Hmm, I’m enjoying everything so much.” She smiled up at him and then bit her bottom lip and leaned
closer to him.
He brushed back a strand of hair that had blown towards her eyes.
“You’re even more beautiful in the moonlight,” he whispered. Maybe he’d had a little too much to drink, as well.
She smiled. “Sean?” Her arms wrapped around his hips.
“Hmm?” he said, running his hands over the softness of her dress, of her.
“Kiss me. Kiss me in the moonlight on the bridge of—”
He dipped his head quickly and took her lips before she changed her mind.
She tasted like heaven. Her lips were soft and moved slowly under his own. Her hands went to his hair, pulling him closer to her as his mouth took the kiss deeper.
He would have totally lost himself in her if he hadn’t heard a young family approaching. It took all his willpower to gently pull away and hold onto her until they passed them.
“I can’t think straight.” He dipped his head and rested his forehead against hers.
“Good. That makes two of us.” She pulled back and looked up at him. “Sean?”
“Yeah?” He smiled a little.
“I don’t want to go to the casino anymore.”
“No?” His smile fell away a little and he felt his heart skip a beat.
“No, I’d like you to take me back to the cabin and make love to me.” She stood on her toes and kissed him one more time as she pushed her body up against his.
He would have given her anything at that moment. Especially when she took his hand and started walking quickly towards their cabin.
By the time his mind had cleared, they were in the corridor outside their room.
“Becca?” He watched her fumble with opening the door. She giggled a little and held a palm flat on the door as she rocked a little. Okay, so that was proof that she was a little more than just tipsy. This wasn’t a good idea. He didn’t want their first night to be something that she wouldn’t remember, or worse, something that she regretted.
“There!” She turned as she opened the door. “I got it.” Her smile was big as she grabbed his tie and pulled him into the room. When the door shut behind him, she pushed him up against it and plastered herself against him again.
