What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 7)

by Lexi Buchanan

  She walked over and sat back down on the couch.

  “I know that when we get to Florida, we will never see each other again. I came on this cruise to have fun and get away from work. I didn’t come here to find love or anything. I just want to have a good time. When I go home, it’s back to business as usual. I don’t know what it is about you, but every time I turn around, you are there. There is something about you that’s different and special. I’m not looking for a relationship either. I don’t have time in everyday life to have one. I just want to cut loose and have fun here. I don’t want to hurt you or upset you. I just want to spend time with you,” he replied.

  “So you are fine with spending time together and then walking away at the end of the cruise?” she asked.

  “Yes. I know that after this cruise, we will not keep in touch,” he answered. “While I am here though, I would like to spend time with you. Will you spend the rest of the cruise with me?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered. “I just don’t want to go home thinking about you.”

  “By the time you step off the ship, you’ll most likely be tired of me,” he said, joking. “How about this. We go the islands together and spend time on the ship together, but we keep the things we tell each other less personal. If we don’t tell each other anything too personal, then we won’t have any strong connections when we leave. Let’s just have fun.”

  “So all the fun we want with no strings?” she asked. “I think I can deal with that. No last names, nothing about work or where we live, or family. That way when we leave there are no feelings and no way to ever run into each other again. That is doable.”

  “Great. Grab me a pillow, turn the movie back on, and lean back and relax. Let’s just have fun together. No pressure or stress of any kind,” he said.

  Becky threw a pillow at him as she walked over to turn the movie back on and grabbed her blanket on the way back to the couch. He put the pillow behind his head as he leaned down into the couch and pulled her back against his chest. She covered them up with the blanket and put her head on his chest as they watched the movie.

  Gavin hoped she could not hear how fast his heart was thumping as she snuggled in closer to him. He wanted to kiss her so badly. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. There was no way he wanted to push her away, so he was careful with his movements. He knew she wasn’t much younger than him. If she had been with someone for seventeen years, he must have been her high school sweetheart. Could she have been with only one man in her life, he wondered? Slowly, he felt her body loosen against him. She must have fallen asleep. He continued watching the movie she had turned on being careful not to disturb her.

  When Becky opened her eyes, it took a few minutes for her to realize where she was. Crap, she had fallen asleep on Gavin, and he never moved her off of him. She slowly looked up to see his head against the wall on the pillow. Oh no, she thought. The poor guy slept all night with his head against the wall. She felt his arms tightly around her and could feel him tighten when she went to move out from under them. He looked so cute. She reached up to stroke his scruff on his chin. Finally, she was able to wiggle out of his grasp. It was only six o’clock in the morning. Should she let him stay on the couch or try to get him to at least get one hour of comfortable sleep? She stood up and lightly rubbed his shoulder.

  “Gavin,” she whispered. “Go lay down on my bed. You have at least another hour you can still sleep.”

  He opened his eyes slightly and looked up at her. She took his hand and pulled him to his feet. He had a confused look on his face, but she could tell he was still tired.

  “Lay down, I’ll wake you up in a little bit,” she said.

  He scooted over to the bed and put his head on her pillow. She covered him with her blanket.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “I’m going to read on the balcony and take a shower. I’ll wake you up so you can go get ready in a bit. Do you want to go to breakfast or is room service okay?” she asked.

  “Room service is good. I can order for us when I get up,” he said, as he closed his eyes.

  She quietly went out onto the balcony to read her book. She could hear someone come out onto the balcony next to hers and she could hear two men talking. If Gavin’s room was three rooms away, was the guy in the room next to her Gavin’s friend, she wondered? Curious, she tried her best to hear what they were saying.

  “Did you get lucky last night Ethan?” the man asked.

  “Of course, did you?” Ethan said.

  “No, I was too tired. It has been a while since I have drank that much, so I pretty much vegged out last night. I watched some television, but that was about it?” the man replied.

  “You sound like Gavin,” Ethan responded, as her eyes and ears perked up. “He just stayed in his room last night. I went to talk to him and he was in sweats and a t-shirt. I don’t think he has hooked up with anyone yet. I told him last night, I’m going to get with the chick in the next room over here, but he was lame and told me to leave her alone.”

  Becky could not believe this guy was talking shit about her. How he was going to get with her, like she was a piece of meat. Not going to happen pal, she thought. She was glad Gavin had told him to back off, but wondered why he didn’t tell his friend that he was talking to her? Maybe he was just in it to have fun and wasn’t interested in her in any other way. That was good for her, because she wanted no attachments after the cruise. After a few minutes of Ethan talking crap, the guys went back into the room. She could not believe that ass was one of Gavin’s friends and hoped that Gavin was nothing like him.

  She got up and went into her room. Gavin was sleeping soundly. He looked so cute. Quietly she grabbed her bikini and clothes and went to take a shower. When she was dressed, she put her hair up and packed her bag, making sure to bring an extra bottle of sunscreen. She picked up the phone and ordered room service for both of them.

  There was a huge tray of food delivered. She leaned down and rubbed his arm.

  “Gavin, I ordered us breakfast,” she whispered, not wanting to scare him. “Get up and eat.”

  He barely opened his eyes to look at her.

  “I see you looking at me. Get up. Let’s eat,” she said. “The boat is docking in a half an hour.”

  He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

  “How did I get in your bed?” he asked.

  “I woke up and your neck was to the side. It could not have been comfortable sleeping against the wall. I had you get in my bed for about an hour and a half. I felt bad waking you up,” she said. “I wasn’t sure what to order, so I got a few things. Is that okay? I can order something else if you want.”

  “This is fine. Let me grab that table from outside,” he said.

  Gavin grabbed the table from the balcony and Becky cleaned it off. They sat on the couch and used the little table in front of them.

  “How old are you?” she asked.

  “Thirty six, and you?” he replied.

  “Thirty four,” she said. “How many of your friends are on the cruise with you besides Heath?”

  “Three others. John, his brother Ethan, and Josh,” he said. “Why?”

  “I was just wondering. Are you and Ethan close?” she asked.

  “We are all good friends, but some of us are not as nice as others,” he said. “Did he say something to you?”

  “No, I heard him and someone else talking out on the balcony this morning, that’s all,” she said. “Just wondering if you were anything like him?”

  “We have some things in common, but I don’t think I’m anything like him. He can be rude sometimes. He is one of the higher strung in our group and he’s the oldest, but we usually end up looking after him,” Gavin said, shaking his head. “What do you want to do today?”

  “I really want to go to Magens Bay. One of my friends told me it was her favorite part of her whole cruise. Have you ever been there before?” she asked.

  �
�No, I have never been there. That sounds fun. Is it just a beach or is there other stuff there?” he asked.

  “She said it is a beach with a small bar where you can eat pizza and stuff, but it’s all outside. I don’t want to tell you what she said about it if you have never been there,” she said.

  “Sounds good,” he said. “I’ll go shower and get dressed. Do you want to meet me in my room or should I come back over here?”

  “If you want, you can meet me off the boat. I can shop or something until you get done,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t want to spend some time with your friends. I can always go to the beach and you can meet me there later.”

  “I won’t take long to get ready. Why don’t you come wait in my room? I promise I will only be fifteen minutes or so,” he said.

  “Are you sure?” she asked.

  “Get your stuff,” he replied.

  She grabbed her bag that she had already packed and they went over to his room. Gavin went into the bathroom, and she could hear him in the shower. She pulled a book out of her bag and sat down on the couch to read. The shower shut off and a few seconds later she heard the door open. Becky looked up over her book. He walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, barely holding on. His body was so sexy. The way the water shined on his chest and stomach, made her want to lick it off of him. She wanted to reach out and slide her hands across him. There had never been a man that gave her shivers just from looking at him. He was unbelievably sexy. Why was this guy wasting his time with her, when he could be getting laid like crazy? His hair was dripping and the drops of water were running down his cheeks. In the light from the room, his blue eyes were so light with sparkles in them. She hurried to look down at her book, but not before he bent over to grab his clothes with his ass right in front of her. Stop looking, she told herself. Don’t touch him. He put his trunks on and then dropped the towel to the floor after he dried his chest. His t-shirt was on the couch next to her. She could smell his manly smell as the air passed in front of her nose from him bending over her to grab it. His suit pants, shirt, and tie from the night before were draped over a chair in the corner of the room.

  “I forgot to give you back your suit jacket from last night. I’m going to run and grab it while you finish getting ready,” she said, shutting the door behind her.

  As she messed with her key card trying to get her door open, Ethan’s door opened and he walked out with another guy.

  “How are you today, beautiful?” Ethan asked, as she recognized his voice. “You want to hang with me today, don’t you?”

  She turned to look at him. Both of the guys were facing her, and she could see Gavin’s door crack open and him peek out slightly.

  “No, I don’t want to be with you today, or any other day either,” she said.

  “Yes you do. I would spoil you and take you on an amazing adventure,” he said, with a grin. “I would make it the best day of your life.”

  “I already have plans today, with a real man,” she said, turning and opening her door. “Oh, and by the way, you might want to be more careful next time.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Next time you open your mouth to let shit come out of it, make sure the person you’re talking about can’t hear you, ass,” she said, as she walked into her room and let the door shut behind her.

  She could hear the guy that was with Ethan laugh so loud and then Ethan tell him to shut up. How could someone that was grown act so dumb, she asked herself? She grabbed Gavin’s suit jacket and peeked out her door to see Ethan and his friend walk away and round the bend. When she knew the coast was clear, she opened her door and walked to Gavin’s. He had left the door cracked open, so she walked in and put his jacket over with the rest of the suit.

  “John is never going to let him hear the end of that one,” Gavin said. “John is Ethan’s younger brother by six years. I knew you didn’t need any help with him.”

  “Ethan is such an ass,” she said.

  “What did you hear him say?” Gavin asked.

  “He was out on his balcony this morning, and I heard him talking about me. He didn’t know I was out there,” she said.

  “What did he say about you?” Gavin asked, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

  “Just stuff about getting with me before the cruise is over,” she said.

  Becky left out the part about him saying Gavin was lame and told him to leave her alone. She heard Gavin whisper something about over my dead body, but she wasn’t positively sure. His response shocked her. No feelings remember, she told herself. It was sweet, how he responded, but she wanted to stop it before she let it get to her.

  “If he wasn’t such an ass, maybe,” she said, laughing.

  She heard Gavin growl as he walked to the door.

  “Are you ready to go?” he snapped.

  She felt bad for saying that to him. There is no way she would have done anything with Ethan.

  “Settle down. You are the only one I plan on having fun with,” she said, walking past him and into the hallway.

  Chapter Six

  Gavin held the cab door open for Becky to get in. He told the driver that they wanted to go to Magens Bay. The driver nodded and told him that he would take them to see a beautiful site first. They drove through winding roads. It was sad to see how simple the people on the island lived and how poor some of the homes looked. He thought about everything he had, and realized just how amazing his life was.

  “I can’t believe some of these homes. My heart goes out to them. It makes me see how lucky I am,” Becky said, pulling him from his thoughts.

  “I was just thinking the same thing,” he said.

  “Look on the other side of the street. It’s like the rich live directly across the street from the poor,” she said.

  They drove for a bit longer before the driver pulled onto a tiny road. At the top of a winding road he pulled off to the side and told them to go out and see the view. Gavin got out of the car and reached for Becky’s hand. She put her hand in his and got out after him. They walked hand in hand to the top of the hill and he heard her gasp.

  “This is beautiful,” she said, as she pulled out her phone to snap pictures. “I can’t believe this view.”

  While she was standing snapping picture after picture, Gavin pulled out his phone and took a picture of her. It gave him a chill to see how happy she was. She was smiling and her energy was amazing. He looked out over the edge and understood why she felt that way. It was beautiful. It was like they could see for miles of cool looking rock and blue, green water. It really was picture perfect, and he caught himself taking pictures as well. The site was amazing and calm. He stood behind her and wrapped her in his arms. She stood still, watching the water.

  “I can’t believe how beautiful it is here,” she said. “I am so glad he drove us up here.”

  “Me too,” Gavin said, looking down at her.

  They stood for a few minutes more, before he took her hand and led her back to the cab. Before long, they were at the beach. She got out in a hurry, not waiting for him to get out first. He laughed at her as she came around to his side of the car. She grabbed his hand and pulled him as quickly as she could to the beach. When they reached the sand, she stopped.

  “I see what my friend meant. It’s beautiful. Look at that. The sand is perfect and the beach is smooth. The water is so bright and there is not a wave around. I understand why someone would want to go to a Bay. It’s almost like it is totally separate from the rest of the water. Look at the tall land surrounding it. This is amazing,” she said.

  Becky walked up a little on the beach, pulled a towel from her bag, and spread it across the sand. She put her bag down and looked over at Gavin.

  “Thank you for coming here with me,” she said.

  “Thank you for letting me come with you. This is really cool,” he said. “You are getting in this water.”

  “I don’t know,” she replied.
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  “Look at that perfect water and the sand is awesome. You have to get in. There is no way you are going home without going in the water. Either you walk in or I carry you, your choice,” he said. “I will stay right there with you, I promise.”

  Becky pulled her shirt off and slid off her shorts.

  Every time he saw her in her bikini, he wanted to wrap her body around his. He hurried to take off his shirt and grabbed her arm.

  “Sunscreen first,” she said, pulling her arm back.

  She pulled it out of the bag and squirted it in his hand and hers. He turned to the side as they both rub the lotion on and then he squirted more in his hand as he motioned for her to turn around. He wanted her to get into the water before she changed her mind, so he hurried to rub her back and shoulders. If he slowed down he would make sure to rub every inch of her. There was no way she was backing out. Focus, he told himself. He turned around and waited for her to do his back. He grabbed the bottle, threw it on the towel, grabbed her arm, and ran for the water, pulling her behind him.

  She stopped fast at the edge and slowly walked inch by inch.

  “It’s warm,” she said. “I thought it would be really cold.”

  “It’s perfect,” he said, grabbing her hand in his.

  Slowly he walked further and further out, until the water was just above her shoulders. Gavin made sure not to let go of her hand. He leaned down a little letting the water roll over his shoulders. It was so relaxing with the calm water and all of nature surrounding them. He pulled her into his arms with her back against his front and held her. They were both quiet and still, soaking up the calm around them. He noticed her body slowly relax against him with each passing minute. She was like jelly in his arms. He rested his chin on her head for a moment before moving his chin down and brushing against her ear and over her shoulder. His breath sped slightly as he softly kissed her neck. Her head tilted slightly to the side giving him better access. He kissed tiny kisses along her neck and up to her ear, before opening his lips slightly, sliding his tongue across the lobe, and then softly sucking it. He felt her body shake.