The One (The Halo Series Book 2)

by Kimberly Knight

  “I would like that,” Nicole replied and looked over at Brooke.

  “Sounds good to me.” Brooke smiled, looking over at Easton.

  He smiled back. “Perfect.”

  So this was how it was going to go down. It was perfect if you thought about it. The original plan was to go back to the girl’s room if we were to hook-up, but in this case, one of us could have our own room because the other would be in Brooke and Nicole’s room.

  But I wanted to do more than fuck Nicole. I wanted to see what was behind those baby blues. Hear her laugh. See her smile. See her bite her lip more. If things led to us in bed, then I wasn’t going to put on the brakes. It had been a long time since I’d slept with someone. And a long time since I’d wanted anyone more than I wanted Nicole.

  We walked to the lounge bar, the girls scoring us four seats while Easton and I went to the bar to buy us all drinks.

  “Do you want our room or you going to Brooke’s room?” I asked as we waited for the drinks. I knew how Easton worked. He would fuck Brooke, so I just needed to do my wingman thing and keep Nicole company.

  “I don’t think Brooke and I will be hooking up.”

  “Really?”

  “This is different. I feel different.”

  “You’re not attracted to her?” I asked, looking over to where the girls sat.

  “Oh no, I am. I just feel something different. I don’t know what it is.”

  I knew what it was, what he was feeling. It was the same thing I was feeling for Nicole, but I couldn’t describe it either. It was instant. It was electric. It was magnetic. It was fucking awesome.

  Before we could discuss it further, the bartender gave us our drinks. We walked over to the girls and Nicole smiled at me as I handed her a margarita. I smiled back, loving the feeling it gave me inside.

  “So, do you two come on single cruises often?” Nicole asked, looking directly at me.

  “No, this is our first time.”

  “Ours, too. I heard we should sign up for activities before they book up. Maybe we should do that after this drink?”

  “That sounds like a plan.” I smiled.

  “I heard they have a Love Connection game or something. Maybe we could go do that.”

  “Isn’t that where the person goes on three dates and then decides which one to be with?”

  “Yeah.” Nicole took a sip of her drink.

  “What if I don’t want you to go on dates with anyone but me?” I asked, eyeing her over the lid of my plastic cup that held my beer.

  She paused. “I might like that,” she said, touching my arm.

  I looked down at where her hand trailed up my forearm and I wanted to capture it, keeping it on my body. We’d only just met, yet I’d basically told her that I wanted her the whole eight days. I hadn’t even scoped out the ship, but I didn’t care. I was drawn to her.

  Right now, I only wanted to give Nicole the time of day.

  After our drink in the lounge, we decided to sign up for mixers instead of group activities. Avery was flirting with me and I loved it. The moment I laid eyes on him, my breath caught.

  He was gorgeous.

  He had broad shoulders, dirty blond finger length hair, soft blue eyes, and a smile that made my insides melt and my panties moisten.

  The way his hand lingered in mine when we shook hands, and the way he told me that I didn’t need to look for another guy on the cruise, made me hot and bothered. I never really liked cocky guys, but Avery wasn’t cocky. He was assertive. I didn’t want to look elsewhere for another guy. I wanted to get to know him. He was sweet, funny, and I had those butterflies you get when you start a new relationship. It felt good.

  After we’d signed up for the ten o’clock mixer, we toured the ship. Brooke and Easton were getting along. I wasn’t sure if it was for mine and Avery’s benefit, but I appreciated that Brooke had the sense to know I liked Avery, without me having to drag her off and tell her. So she had to hang with a hot guy. She’d get over it…or under it like I wanted to do with Avery.

  The four of us ended up by the pool, ordering another round of drinks. There were people our age tanning, swimming, drinking…basically a big pool party. I was worried when we’d first arrived because we hadn’t really seen people our age, but I should have known that they’d all be poolside.

  “Come with me for a second?” Avery asked, whispering into my ear.

  I shivered as his breath tickled my ear, causing goose bumps. I looked up at him silently questioning where he wanted to take me, but really, it didn’t matter. “Okay.” I stood.

  “We’re going for a walk,” Avery murmured to Brooke and Easton. They barely registered what he’d said. Brooke was laughing with Easton—something that I hadn’t seen her do in a long time. Even her beautiful green eyes had a twinkle to them.

  “Where are we going?” I asked as we started to walk through the crowd.

  “This way.”

  He linked our hands as we walked to the lounge through the doors that led to the side deck. It was quiet, just a few people making out. We stood against the railing looking out into the open water. All I could see was the Pacific Ocean. No birds. No land—just calm blue water and the ship making little waves as we parted the water.

  The heat from Avery’s body radiated off him as his left arm pressed into my right. I wanted more than just his arm touching me. I wanted to know what his mouth felt like on mine. I wanted to know the way he tasted, and the way his hands felt on my body.

  “It’s crazy that we’re surrounded by nothing but water,” I said, the wind whisking around us causing my hair to fly in my face.

  “Yeah, it is.”

  I looked over at him as he spoke, his mouth moving closer with each word. I licked my lips, anticipating the moment his mouth met mine. The seconds felt like hours, and everything was in slow motion as he leaned down, brushing my hair aside with his hand before his lips finally met mine.

  It started off slow, like he was testing the waters, testing my reaction. I felt his tongue slip out between his lips, silently asking me to open to him. I moaned, doing what he asked and opened up, allowing his tongue to slip in and take a swipe to taste me. I’d never had a kiss be so slow. So passionate. So right.

  Avery’s lips were soft and they fit perfectly with mine. Like they were made for me to kiss…only me.

  My hands reached up, running through his silky hair, our bodies stepping closer to one another until they were flush. I felt Avery’s arousal and if he could feel mine, he’d know I want to do more than kiss.

  Just as our kiss intensified, we were bumped hard into the railing. I broke our kiss, looking at the couple stumbling as they tried to walk. They didn’t even bother to say they were sorry for running into us.

  “Are you okay?” Avery asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “We should get back to our friends,” he said with a tight smile. Avery looked as bummed as I felt about the assholes breaking up our kiss.

  “Yeah.”

  He reached down and grabbed my hand again. I smiled because even though we’d lost our moment, what was happening between us wasn’t going to stop at one kiss. Maybe we would just talk, get to know each other. But if I was right, his lips were made for me and I wasn’t going to let some drunk assholes ruin my moment.

  “Wait.” Avery halted us just before we rounded the corner to the pool. “I want to do that again. Tonight,” he said, looking at my mouth.

  I smiled. “Me, too.”

  “Good.” He smiled back.

  Still holding my hand, Avery led us back to Brooke and Easton.

  “I have no idea what I’m going to wear,” I said, looking in the tiny closet in mine and Brooke’s room.

  “It’s just dinner,” Brooke said, looking at her clothes. “The boys won’t even be at our table.”

  “Yeah, but Avery will still see me when they come to walk us to dinner.”

  “We just left him. He knows what you look like.” She laughed. />
  “I know. I just want to look good, you know?”

  “If Avery didn’t like you, he wouldn’t be giving you the time of day. I don’t think it will matter what you wear.”

  “You’re probably right.” I paused, pulling a cute purple sundress from a hanger. “So…we kissed.”

  “You did?” Brooke’s eyes were wide.

  “Yes, and he makes me feel all…dreamy. Like I’m a teenager again.”

  “Well, you’ll have to tell me all about it tonight, but we need to go now. Your teenage heartthrob is waiting.” She chuckled.

  I pulled on my dress, gave myself one final look in the mirror, and we left to meet my very own Zack Morris.

  Brooke was right. Avery didn’t care what I wore to dinner. We ended up having the same table number assignment and the whole time through dinner, he looked at my eyes and my mouth, not at my clothes. He looked at me.

  I couldn’t believe how comfortable I was around him. Everything felt natural—like we’d known each other for years and not just hours. I could talk to him all night. I didn’t know if Avery only wanted to kiss me again, but I had to be ready for the next step. We both didn’t come here just to meet someone; we came here to physically meet someone. I just hadn’t expected it would be on the first night.

  After dinner, Brooke and I went back to our room so that we could shower and get ready for the mixer.

  “Do you think I’ll be a slut if I sleep with Avery tonight?” I asked Brooke, straightening my freshly washed and dried hair.

  I’d never slept around. Sure I had sex with guys that weren’t my boyfriends, but it wasn’t with strangers. I just met Avery, but there was something about him that made me not care.

  “I…I can’t judge you, Nic. I’m not in that position.”

  “Would you do it if you were single?”

  Brooke thought for a moment. “I’m not sure, but if it feels right, do it. Just be careful.”

  “I hate how guys can fuck a different chick every night and people don’t care. But if a woman spreads her legs like that, she’s a slut.”

  “I know, but I’m your best friend. I won’t judge you.”

  “Thanks,” I said with a small smile. “I’ve never had this instant connection with someone before.”

  “Then maybe he’s what you’re looking for?”

  “Yeah. Maybe.”

  To be honest, I’d planned to come on this cruise and sleep with women—plural, hoping that maybe one was the one. I didn’t expect it to be with the first girl I saw. There was something about Nicole; she was more than my next fuck. Don’t get me wrong; every time we touched it made my dick stiffen, and when we kissed I was at full mast, ready to take her right then and there, but nothing felt like this. Her lips were perfect, and from the time those assholes bumped into us, I’d been thinking of nothing but kissing her again. I wanted to kiss her for hours. Maybe it was good that we were interrupted because I was confident I wouldn’t have stopped until one of us had passed out from lack of air.

  Nicole had a rockin’ body and I’d hoped that I would be able to see it one day, but during dinner all I could focus on was her cute, soft, perfect mouth as I’d envisioned kissing it again. Actually, I’d envisioned it kissing every inch of me, especially my dick.

  I wasn’t like Easton. Well, the old Easton before the cruise. If I were, I’d have fucked Nicole already. He had no intention of knowing anything about the women he slept with, but I did. I wanted to know everything about Nicole, especially why her eyes twinkled when she talked about being a nurse. If things led to us ending up in bed together, I was okay with that, but I hoped it was more than just a fuck on her end too.

  I looked over at Easton as I ironed my dress shirt; he was acting weird. When he was with Brooke, he seemed to be into her. Maybe her boyfriend was playing a factor in this situation, but that had never stopped him before. He liked the challenge when a girl had a boyfriend, but this…this was different. He was quiet and I could picture the hamster in his head turning as he sat there thinking.

  “You need to snap out of it, man. If you don’t get your shit together and Nicole leaves to hang out with Brooke so she won’t be alone, I’m going to kick your ass.” This was the second time today that I had to get Easton to quit thinking so much. It wasn’t like him and honestly, it was scaring me.

  “I know,” he said, sighing.

  “You’re supposed to be my wingman. Stop with the silent bullshit.”

  “I’m trying,” he said, slamming the drawer a little too hard with frustration.

  “What the fuck is the problem?”

  “I like Brooke, okay?”

  “Yeah? So what’s the problem?”

  “She has a boyfriend.”

  I laughed. “When has that stopped you before?”

  “I know, but she’s not one of the whores from the bar. She’s—different.”

  “Nicole is different, too. I think we got lucky.”

  “Yeah…” he muttered, slamming the bathroom door behind him.

  He was acting really weird like he was off his game or something. I didn’t know what was up with him, but I didn’t have time to worry about him. I was too busy thinking about Nicole and how I needed to get her alone again so I could stare at her lips.

  While Easton showered, I made sure I looked good for Nicole by spraying my neck with my favorite cologne, ironing my shirt, and making sure my hair was gelled just right. When we were ready, we went up to the Champagne Room where the mixer was being held. It felt like we’d time traveled back to the roaring 20’s. We walked into the art deco bar where I could envision women in flapper dresses dance around to the jazz music that was playing through the speakers.

  We arrived before the girls and I was happy they didn’t beat us there because I wanted to watch Nicole walk in the door. I wanted to watch her reaction when our eyes met again. I wanted to see her smile when she saw me because I knew I’d be smiling like a love sick fool.

  “They’re not here, yet,” I said as we settled at the bar.

  “I noticed,” Easton replied. “Before they get here, tell me what your plan is?”

  “Nicole wants to—”

  Before I could finish, two brunettes walked up to us. “Hello, boys. I’m Kristen, and this is my friend, Stacy.”

  “I’m Easton, and this is Avery.”

  We shook hands awkwardly. I looked past them towards the doors, waiting for Nicole to enter. I didn’t want to miss that moment.

  “Usually the guys are supposed to approach the women, but Stacy and I made a pact that this go around we’d take the initiative and approach the ones we were interested in.”

  “Does that mean this isn’t your first singles cruise?” I asked. I wanted to be rude and brush them off, but that wasn’t me.

  I needed to look towards my future and my future had just walked in…

  “No, we’ve been on a few with no luck, but they’re so much fun that we just continue doing them,” Stacy said.

  My eyes watched Nicole as she entered and walked towards us. “Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. Either I was about to get the cold shoulder or a cat fight was about to go down. The way Nicole looked back and forth between me and these two girls, had me holding my breath and I was ready to step between the girls mid-swing.

  However, Nicole did something unexpected. Before I could utter a hello, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. It wasn’t like the kiss we’d shared on the side deck. This kiss was hard, like Nicole was staking her claim, and I returned the kiss as if my life depended on it. For all I knew, it did.

  Our bodies were flush, our tongues mixing together, and once again I didn’t want to stop. I thought I heard one of the girls huff at their loss and leave, but I honestly couldn’t even open my eyes to look.

  Nicole smiled against my lips, confirming what I’d heard. I was too busy tasting heaven with my eyes closed and imaging Nicole’s naked body under her dress to even care. The only thing that got me
to pull away was Easton talking about going back to Brooke’s room with her. I needed to confirm the plan for the evening.

  I was already hard again, and if Nicole kept wiggling her front on my front, my dick was going to burst out of my pants. At this rate we’d get kicked off the ship once we made it to Mexico because I assumed fucking in the middle of a bar wasn’t in the rule book.

  “I need to talk to Easton real quick,” I said, stepping back from Nicole’s warm body and mouth. Easton and I stepped a few feet down the bar from the girls. “I’m going to wait ten minutes and then take Nicole back to her room, so make this fast and then hang with Brooke for at least an hour, okay?”

  “Yeah,” Easton agreed, not putting up a fight. There was plenty he and Brooke could do for an hour on the ship. Swim, take in a comedy show, go to the casino—I didn’t care as long as he gave me my hour.

  I watched the two leave the bar, then turned back to Nicole. “So, staking your claim?” I asked, giving her a smirk.

  She laughed, blushing a little as she looked away. “I guess…yeah, I guess I am.”

  I gently grabbed her face, turning it to look up at me, and kissed her again. There was something about being wanted that turned me on. Knowing that Nicole didn’t want me with anyone else made me want to return the claim. If Nicole was staking her claim on me, then I would as well. Every guy in this bar would know that she was mine, even if we met less than ten hours ago.

  “We have to wait ten minutes,” I said against Nicole’s lips.

  “For what?” she asked, not removing her lips from mine either.

  For a split second, I regretted opening my mouth. What if she didn’t want to be alone with me? What if she came to the mixer just to have a drink and get to know me? “To…uh…never mind.”

  “Tell me,” she said, finally removing our connecting lips.

  I hadn’t been in this situation in a very long time. What I was feeling for Nicole was like experiencing lust for the first time—like I was in high school again and didn’t know how to act around a girl except trying to get her in bed.