Sensation of the Seas

by Cyndi Redding

  She wanted him with a fiery white-hot passion she couldn’t explain. Marriage seemed like an extreme step, but being with him felt so right. Running her finger from his strong jaw to his slightly dimpled chin, she touched his lips and said, “Let’s think about it.”

  * * *

  Miklos didn’t know why his ancestors would lead him to a non-Roma, but he knew she was his mate. There was no doubt in his mind or heart. He had gambled everything on finding his true love when he refused to marry his betrothed and abandoned his tribe.

  He might need to convince Vicki that the universe had a grand plan for them., but what else could have warranted the intervention of his ancestors who sent him the visions? Someday she would know it beyond any doubt, and they could begin their journey to that greater purpose. At the proper time, it would all be revealed. How much longer did he have to wait, though?

  It had taken years not only to see her, sense her, and let his visions lead him to her, but also to hone his own Chovihano skills enough to project his image to her. When the time was right, he would know why he needed this woman to complete him. Whatever lay ahead waited for her to accept him--into her life, her soul, and her body.

  He had brought her a gift all the way from Bulgaria. It was a small but sturdy willow tendril that had grown naturally in the shape of a knotted heart. His grandfather had given it to his grandmother, and Miklos was told it was a powerful luck charm. He knew it must be a very fortunate amulet filled with the positive energy of their remarkable love.

  He slipped it under her mattress pad and would present it to her when she accepted his proposal, as he knew she would. She had no choice. Fate had made the decision.

  His eyes briefly flit over her breasts. He longed to hold them in his hands. To enfold her. To suckle her. She would be the one to fill his body with life’s most brilliant energy. And he would give it back to her with the added power of his seed as he filled her womb. His cock throbbed and he knew it would be nearly impossible to wait.

  He sat on the floor of her room, and said, “I would like to play that music for you. I would like it very much if you would show me how to read the song you gave me.”

  Vicki propped herself on her elbow. “But you left it in the crew bar. Someone probably threw it away by now.”

  He dropped his gaze. “I am sorry I did that.”

  “That’s all right. I’ll get another copy.”

  Miklos stood and reached into his back pocket. “That won’t be necessary. I returned to the table and found it.”

  She smiled in that special way she had. She added some sort of sweet nectar to her smile just for him. He couldn’t help himself. He dropped to his knees and wrapped her in his arms to cuddle her. Pulling her supine body to his chest, he tucked her head into the space where his shoulder met his neck, closed his eyes, and rested his cheek against her hair.

  She seemed content and completely at home in his embrace. Her arms and hands stroked his back, over his shirt, and then slipped under it. Because they were soul mates, he allowed the intimate contact to warm not only his bare skin, but also a place far deeper--his heart.

  The door opened and a young woman stepped in.

  “Oh, sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know you had company.”

  They dropped their arms. “It’s all right. Simone, this is Miklos.”

  He stood and reached over to shake the woman’s hand noticing a sly expression on her face. She turned to Vicki and said, “You work fast.”

  “Oh, no, it’s not like that.” Vicki seemed flustered and he wondered how he could help her out of this embarrassing predicament.

  Miklos let go of the woman’s hand and said, “Vicki and I knew each other before I came onboard.” True words.

  “Oh. That’s good. So where do you work on the ship?”

  “I am the new fitness trainer.”

  Simone’s eyes grew huge. She grabbed Vicki’s arm and dragged her into the bathroom. Miklos didn’t know what to think. He overheard something that sounded like, “Are you crazy?” and he decided it was time to leave.

  Chapter Five

  The next morning in the spa, the new fitness trainer was introduced to the crew, including Vicki. She tried to act as if she didn’t know him. She just smiled and shook his hand like everyone else. He held hers a moment longer and gazed into her eyes. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks. To anyone watching, the relationship, or at least the sexual attraction, would be hard to miss.

  Throughout the day, she glanced through the glass between the spa and gym as often as she could without being obvious. She tried to focus on her clients and hoped to hide her preoccupation from Gizela, but apparently her boss noticed anyway.

  She had just strolled past the window hoping to catch a glimpse of her sexy Miklos in his gym shorts and tank top.

  “Vicki,” Gizela said, sternly. Vicki jumped, not realizing her boss had snuck up behind her. “You’ve made several trips past this window. Is there something that concerns you in the gym today?”

  Well, at least she knows my bloody name now. “No, Gizela. I was just...”

  “Well, your work is over here. Do you like your work?”

  “Yes, very much! The guests are great. I love it here. I was just...”

  Gizela peered in the window. “I know he’s handsome, but stay away from him. He’s no good.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  She cleared her throat. “A client is waiting. One of the other girls is shampooing her for you.”

  “Oh, Right. I’m sorry. I’ll get right over to her.”

  Vicki hurried back to her stylist’s chair, wondering if it wasn’t awfully soon for Gizela to have made up her mind about a new employee. Wasn’t she even going to give him a chance? The questioned bothered her all afternoon.

  A last, when her shift ended, she hurried to the crew bar without even taking the time to shower and change. Gizela had her clean up the daily mess, nearly as bad as the weekly swabbing of the decks. Waiting to see Miklos for so long was killing her. Her cheeks had been on fire all day. She couldn’t think of anything but him and that kiss.

  Her heart pounded whenever she caught sight of him. She had to talk to him about this “you’re mine and I’m yours” yabber, but most of what she wanted to do had more to do with jamming her tongue down his throat and convincing him to tear her clothes off.

  When she reached the crew bar she had no trouble finding him. He stood out, especially when surrounded by a dozen females. The air grew thin and her heart shrank in her chest. Her eyes narrowed as she realized that most of the girls were PYTs. Pretty, young things. Isn’t that what Simone had called them? Ron was with them too, but it was Miklos they were flirting with--or trying to.

  Vicki was mad as a cut snake. When he looked up and spotted her, he stood and made his way to her, taking her hands in his and kissing them.

  “Vicki. I have been waiting for you. This seems to be the only place where we can find each other. I need to speak with you, privately.”

  Vicki mumbled, “Yeah. Let’s get out of here.”

  Miklos dropped her hands, and they hurried out of the crowded bar. She grabbed his arm and raced to a neutral corner near the ship’s prison. She stood so close to him that she could feel the heat radiating off of his powerful body barely wrapped in workout clothing. She wanted to push herself into that warmth and feel his growing passion inside her.

  They began speaking at the same time, stopped, chuckled, and then Miklos insisted that she go first.

  “Miklos, your kiss awakened something in me last night. It’s the most powerful, overwhelming... I--I can’t even... What is this?”

  “I know what you feel,” he whispered. He rubbed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “I feel it too.”

  “I’ve heard about a few places where crew members, lovers, can go to find some privacy.”

  “Really?” He put his hands on her shoulders. “Vicki, am I to be your lover?”

  She tipped her head u
p so he could lean over and meet her lips. With one hand behind her head, he claimed them. Possessive. Demanding entrance. He wrapped his other arm around her lower back and pulled her so close that she could feel his hard-on lunging at her belly.

  By the time they managed to ease contact enough to breathe, Miklos said, “I have been waiting for this moment for so long and wondering about our intimacy too. Ron said that a couple has to be married when they come on board to get a room together, but often cabin mates trade places in secret. I told him how much I need to be with you, privately. He understands and wants to help. He will trade places with you, so we can be together.”

  “Are you sure you can trust Ron? Why would he want to help you?”

  “I told him that we knew each other before. That you and I are in love. That’s why you rejected his attention--because you were saving yourself for me, and he said, ‘Oh, it all makes sense now.’”

  “That figures.” Vicky shook her head. “Simone will never go for that. She doesn’t like Ron in that way, and she thinks I’m around the twist for associating with you.” Vicki didn’t want to tell him about their boss’s prejudice and influence his dealings with Gizela. “People are calling you a gypsy as if it’s an insult.”

  “But I am what others call a gypsy. I am Romani. How does that change what we feel?”

  The way he rolled his r’s and the lilt in his sexy voice melted every brain cell in her head. She wouldn’t have cared if he were accused of murder. He was Miklos. “It doesn’t. I don’t know why people think gypsies are lower than shark shit, and I don’t care. I’m flaked out over you. If people don’t like it they can go to the devil.”

  “My people would banish me from the tribe for marrying a non-Roma without the consent of the elders. There are tests a man or woman from outside the tribe must face. You are not the only one turning your back on what others think.”

  Vicki threw her arms around his neck and met his lips in a passionate kiss. He broke the contact sooner than she would have liked.

  His intense, gleaming eyes bore into her. “Vicki, I want you so badly. It is long past time for me to marry, and I need to be with you--to lay with you--soon. I can barely withstand the fire inside me when I touch you.”

  Vicky grasped either side of his strong jaw with both of her hands. “I would let you do anything to my body right now, if we could only find a place. But, please stop talking about marriage. I’m only twenty-three, and I just got out on my own. I’m not ready for marriage.”

  Miklos grabbed her wrists, lowered them, and took a step back. “Does this mean you will not marry me?”

  “I didn’t say that. Someday I might, but not now. Maybe I’m nervous, but Miklos, marriage is an overwhelming step. It’s so tricky and confining. We should be absolutely sure we’re right for each other, first.”

  “So you want to mate with me, but not marry me? What if we create life? I won’t have my wife and child shamed.”

  “I use birth control. We shouldn’t have to worry.”

  His eyes grew large. “Why would you need this birth control?”

  “Just in case…you know. Things could happen--involuntarily.”

  Miklos folded his arms and looked off in the distance. “I have heard of this. It seems very unnatural to me. There is no need to worry about that with my people. Rape does not happen. Adultery does not happen. We have very clear and unquestionable laws. The harshest punishment is reserved for this type of betrayal.

  Vicky softened her voice. “It won’t happen with us either, Miklos. If we take our time and get to know each other first.”

  “Roms cherish their family, and I wish to become a husband and father. I am twenty-three also, but it is long past time for a Rom to marry. A man with a family is someone to respect. You need not worry. I will provide for you, Vicki.”

  “How about if I just bloody respect you, then? And you might try respecting me, and listening to what I want for a change. I have no doubt that you would be a good provider, but women today have their own goals. What about mine?”

  He scowled at her. “I know what you want. Sex without commitment.”

  “Bloody right!”

  “Well, I’m glad we had this talk,” Miklos started to storm off. Halfway down the hall, he stopped and looked back. Vicki was standing in the same spot with her arms folded. He motioned for her. She rolled her eyes, let out a huff, and strolled down the corridor to where he stood.

  “I may have thought of a way,” he said.

  * * *

  During the following week, Miklos and Vicki met for several secret conversations whenever and wherever they could, and at last agreed to a plan. It was an unusual solution to say the least, but any solution that would bring their love to fruition and their frustrated sexual inferno under control was worth considering.

  Miklos explained that a Rom wedding ceremony involved no paperwork. In countries that required blood tests and marriage licenses it would not be considered legal. Vicki would not be risking the legal hassle of divorce if it didn’t work out. Miklos was so sure it was meant to be, that he was willing to take the risk.

  She had to let it all sink in, and yet she couldn’t find anything wrong with the plan he proposed. It reminded her of the sweet, secret marriages she had heard of, like Romeo and Juliet. Well, maybe that wasn’t the best example. She did know an Indian couple so in love they couldn’t stand to be denied their sexual longings. Despite their family’s conservative traditions, they had eloped and didn’t tell their families for a year. After everyone recovered from the shock, it worked out fine.

  She wasn’t afraid of her father’s wrath. In fact, he’d probably be glad that someone was making an honest woman out of her, but to stay on good terms with her boss, at least for the remaining months of her contract, seemed like a good idea. After that, they could leave the ship and get assigned to another.

  When Miklos agreed to keep it a secret, except for their witnesses, she finally agreed to marry him. He said that all he needed were two friends as witnesses, God, and their ancestors to know. Her acceptance to be his bride made him so happy he smiled more in one day than in the entire week preceding it.

  Vicki thought the whole thing would sound a bit daft, especially when she thought about telling Simone. Would she laugh? Tell everyone on the ship like it was some kind of joke? Perhaps she’d think Vicki was making a huge mistake and come out with a whole new litany of French curse words. It made her nervous to think about asking her roomie to be her witness so she put it off as long as she could.

  Lying in her bunk with the lights out, about to go to sleep, Vicki took a deep breath. It’s now or never. “Simone?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I have to tell you something, and you’re going to think I’m barmy.”

  “I already think you’re ‘barmy.’ What is it?”

  Vicki reached for the lamp and turned it on. “Miklos is going to marry me tomorrow.”

  Simone thudded to the floor. “Merde! What did you say?”

  “You heard me.” Vicki propped herself up on one elbow and said, “I need a witness.”

  “And you want me to witness this insanity?” Simone pulled the chair out from the desk and sat on it, hard.

  Oh, bloody hell. Now she thinks I’m insane. “We’ve been batting the breeze about every possibility. This seems to be the only one.”

  “Well, it seems you’ve taken a good long time to think about it, eh? What’s it been? About a week? Oh, but you’ve got to act fast, right? After all, you’re an old maid.”

  Vicki had to come up with a way to make her understand. No witness, no marriage. As crazy as it sounded, she loved Miklos with every fiber of her being and knew, just knew, it was the right thing to do. Simone would have to believe it. The only way to reach Simone would sound crass, but she was fresh out of brilliant ideas.

  She took a deep breath and blathered her less praiseworthy rationale. “Look, Simone, I don’t want to get married. I just want to shag him
and he won’t let me because he doesn’t believe in premarital sex.”

  Simone laughed. “I see. So, you’re going to marry him, just so you can fuck him?”

  Vicki sat up and hugged her knees. “I didn’t say I was going to marry him. I said he’s going to marry me.”

  Simone squinted and said, “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Look, he has some sort of old world, moral notion that he needs to marry a girl in a Rom ceremony in order to make love to her. I’m a modern woman and I don’t feel that way, but I respect his traditions. He says a Rom marriage is all that’s necessary to consider ourselves married in his mind. However, countries that require legal marriage to happen in the legal way, with paperwork, blood tests and everything, wouldn’t recognize it. So, to him, we’re married. To me and Australia, we’re not.”

  Simone threw her hands in the air. “So, you want me to witness what? A trick? A lie?

  “No, neither one.” Vicki squirmed and wondered why the brilliance of this idea wasn’t as easy to understand as it had been before she tried to explain it. “Look, I’m not tricking him. He knows the laws, and he’s explained his customs to me. It’s the only way we could think of that would make us both happy. Right now, wanting each other so badly and yet not being able to go beyond a kiss... Well, it’s making us both bloody miserable.”

  Simone shot to her feet and paced. “You’re a lunatic. You’re acting crazy.”

  Vicki rested her cheek on her knees. “Crazy in love, maybe.”

  “You’re suffering from temporary insanity, not love. You just met up with him again. How long did you know him before?”

  “Not long.”

  “It’s lust, that’s all. It’s purely physical.”

  Vicki couldn’t explain what she didn’t understand herself. She knew it wasn’t simply physical. Miklos was part of her, and she was part of him. Her physical lust for Ron disappeared with one glimpse of her true love, and he didn’t even compare. No one did. Miklos made her burn with a white-hot fire, and she knew it would never go out.