Honeymooning With the Enemy, page 19
Storm rests her head on the edge, closing her eyes, her chest rising with a deep breath. Admitting temporary defeat, I do the same, succumbing to the jets as they shoot water into my spine.
I wonder what Tobin would say right now if he saw me dancing around the elephant in the room. Probably tell me to stop being a douchebag and come out with it already. And then he would take one of my beers, put his feet on my sofa, and hog the remote control.
“Ready for a steam?” Storm asks after a few more minutes.
The steam room is quieter at least.
“After you,” I say, smiling tightly at the middle-aged woman leering at my chest as I emerge from the water. At least I know my body hasn’t gone to total shit since I stopped playing football.
I follow Storm into the steam room, the air thick as I close the door behind us. To my delight and also horror, there is no one else in here. No excuses.
Storm takes a seat on the second level, resting her back against the timber.
I opt for the level above, sitting to the right of her shoulders. They drip with sweat and I’m reminded of all the fun sweaty times we’ve had together so far on this trip.
No. Now is not the time to get distracted. You need to talk.
“Mmm…” Storm moans, tilting her chin up toward the ceiling. “This is just what my body needs.”
I stare down as beads of sweat roll down her chest and into her bikini, and try not to think about my growing erection.
“It’s great,” I say lamely, before adding. “Nice to have some time to ourselves, too.”
“Mmm-hmm.” Storm nods, her eyes closed.
Go on, just rip the Band-Aid off.
“So… I’ve been thinking. Maybe we should discuss what’s happening once the cruise is over.”
Even from a level up, I can see Storm’s eyes open. “Once it’s over?”
“Yeah. When we’re back in New York.” I frown, the first complication already rearing its head. “Or I guess, Jersey for me.”
Storm is quiet for a moment before turning around to face me. Her mouth is set in a gentle but devilish smile.
She crawls a couple of paces over until her body is kneeling between my legs. “See… I can think of a much better thing we can do with this time to ourselves…”
Reaching up, she tucks her fingertips under the band of my shorts and pulls them down, exposing my semi-hard cock to the steam. But it only takes her teeth grazing across her bottom lip to turn my semi-hard-on into a full-blown boner.
I breathe in deep as she clasps her hands around my thighs, staring up at me. “I’ve always wanted to know what this would be like.”
“Jesus Christ,” I growl as she inches closer, sliding one hand over and curling her fingers around my shaft.
It all happens so fast, thoughts of having ‘the talk’ leave my brain speedier than a missile.
“What if someone comes in?” I rasp, not sure why I’m putting any doubt in her head.
She looks up at me with a cheeky grin. “Isn’t that part of the fun?”
“Are you sure this is your first time doing this?” I balk.
She just giggles before continuing to pump her hand up and down, and I groan, letting my head fall back against the wall. Moments later, she leans forward and opens her mouth, lightly flicking her tongue over the tip. It takes everything in me not to grab a handful of her hair and hold her in place, so I grab hold of the timber instead.
“Do you like that?” she asks, looking up at me sweetly.
“You know I do,” I growl.
Smiling with satisfaction, she dives back down, this time taking all of me in her mouth. Goddam it. How is she so good at this already? I’m not going to last long at this rate. I dig my fingers into the timber as she bobs up and down, the sensation of her tongue against my skin driving me wild. But before I completely lose my head, I grab hold of her shoulders, pushing her away.
“Not yet,” I gasp, catching my breath and ordering myself not to explode. “You have to finish with me.”
And then a devastating thought enters my mind.
I don’t have a fucking condom.
Her face falls with disappointment and it looks like the same thing has occurred to her before her eyes go wide. “I’ve had my tests done recently, and it was all good… and you know there hasn’t been anyone but you…”
My eyes dart to hers in shock. “So have I but… seriously? That would be okay with you?”
She stands up, crawling onto my lap to straddle me, my hard dick rubbing against her bikini bottoms. “I want you. Now.”
“You’re going to kill me,” I groan, the thought of fucking Storm bare nearly making me come then and there.
Our mouths come together as I tug at the ties of her black bikini. It falls on the seat beside us and I stoop my head to take her breast in my mouth, flicking my tongue over her nipple. She arches her back, grabbing fistfuls of my hair as I tease.
Hips move back and forth over me, working me until I can’t take it anymore. I pull her onto the timber seat beside me, yanking her bikini bottoms down as she gasps in delight. I pull them from her legs until we’re both sitting there, naked and panting, and maneuver her onto all-fours.
“Fuck me, Tanner,” she gasps, resting on hands and knees. “I don’t care if someone walks in. I need you… now.”
I don’t need to be told twice.
Closing the space behind her, I reach around and slide my fingers between her legs.
“I’m going to show you what my cock really feels like,” I whisper in her ear and she groans into the steamy air. She’s already so wet, the second I position myself, I’m already sliding inside.
Her moans fill the room as I thrust into her hard and deep, my fingers rubbing between her legs. It’s hot and frantic, fueled by not wanting to get caught and animalistic desire. I’ve shown her making love… now I’m going to show her fucking. Intense, wild, gripping the bedhead fucking.
Except it will never be just that for me… not with Storm. Even with her ass pressed against my hips, our skin slapping together in sweaty thrusts, it’s so much more than fucking. It’s everything.
And that’s when it hits me.
She’s distracted me with sex.
Storm knew I wanted to talk, and the second I brought up life after the cruise, she seduced me. Lured me into forgetting the conversation with her sweet lips around my dick. A crafty distraction technique, I’ll give her that, but not one that will work. If having porn-star sex isn’t going to make me forget the serious conversations we need to have, I know this is the real deal for me. I love her. I fucking love her. And by the time we depart this ship, she’s going to know how serious I am about her.
That’s what I need to do.
Not sit her down for ‘the talk’, but make sure it’s not even a question for her. I need to sweep her off her damn feet. I need to grand gesture the shit out of this girl, so that the only question in her mind is why we didn’t make it official sooner.
That’s it. That’s what I’ll do.
As Storm cries out my name, her body seizing with an orgasm, I take my cue. The second I can’t hold on any longer, I pull out, releasing myself onto her back while I keep massaging her sweet spot.
As my climax peters out into a subtle contentment, I press my chest onto her back and she twists her neck to meet my lips with hers.
Storm can distract me all she wants, but by the time this trip is over, I’m going to make her mine.
25
Storm
The last full day passes in a blur of sex and tiny cocktail umbrellas, and by late afternoon when Tanner says he’s going to make some work calls, I’m well aware of the subtext.
He’s trying to put some distance between us.
I know he said a lot of nice things the first time we slept together, about it being real for him. But just because I was a virgin before this trip, doesn’t mean I’m naïve. Men say a lot of stuff they don’t mean during sex, and I’m not stupid enough to think that just because we can’t keep our hands off each other on this boat, that this is a long-term thing.
He said he wanted to talk. Everyone knows what that means.
Let me down easy.
My insides tense at the thought of sitting down at one of the little wooden tables overlooking the vast ocean and being told ‘it’s been fun, but…’
I just want to stay in this little bubble, where I’m not thinking about work or Debra or Bianca’s approval. I want to stay where it’s normal for Tanner to put his arm around me when we’re waiting in line to order a meal… where I wake up in his arms, the hardness of his desire pressed against the back of my thighs. I like this bubble. I’m happy in this bubble.
The whole distracting him with sex thing might have been immature, but at least it was effective. Every time Tanner has tried to talk, I’ve swiftly brought the attention elsewhere (specifically, to my vagina). But I know this tactic can only last so long. The sun is already dipping lower in the sky, signally the arrival of our Last Night Together. I lean over the railing, the salty sea breeze picking up the hair around my face and sending it backward.
Water pools in my eyes as I stare into the sun… from the glare or from the knowledge that this will be the last sunset I get to enjoy on the cruise, I don’t know.
I check the time on my phone. Tanner has already been gone nearly an hour. Must be some long work calls.
I sigh, dropping my head to face the ocean, watching flecks of light dancing on the ripples. How did I get here? Flopped over the edge of the ship, lamenting over a guy I hated only days ago? I should’ve known better than to open myself up to Tanner Jonas. Now instead of protected behind charm-proof walls, my heart is sitting out in the ocean air on a silver platter. Just waiting to be pummeled by whatever variation of we knew this couldn’t work long term Tanner has for me when we eventually do talk.
My phone vibrates in my hand.
Tanner: Get changed and meet me on the east side of the ship
I frown, punching out a reply.
Storm: I don’t know what the east side is. I’m not a sea captain.
Tanner: Haha, meet me out front of where we got the burgers
Releasing the breath from my lungs, I surrender. I guess it’s time to face it.
Storm: OK, be there soon
I go to stuff my phone back into my pocket when it vibrates with another text.
Tanner: Can’t wait. Wear something nice x
I take one last look at myself in the reflection before leaving our suite. Butterflies circle my stomach as I touch the corner of my eye with a precise fingertip. If I am going to get rejected tonight, I don’t want to do it with uneven eyeliner.
I decided not reading too much into the wear something nice comment was smart. Requesting I dress up doesn’t necessarily mean he’s planned a special evening; he’s probably just booked us a table at one of the restaurants that don’t allow the typical Hawaiian shirt and flip flop ensemble.
Brushing down the front of my spaghetti strap black maxi dress, I clip and clop my way to the meeting spot. At least the one pair of heels I packed are getting some use.
As I walk past other passengers, laughing and enjoying their last night of the cruise, I can’t help but compare to how I felt the first night onboard. Jealous. Sad. Everyone having a better time than I am. Except this time, I’m not feeling blue about spending the week with a man I hate. This time, I’m mourning the time we had here together, feeling sick at the thought that tonight will be our last.
Turning toward the burger restaurant, I shake the feeling off. I’m just being melodramatic. Living in a fairytale. Maybe I should’ve called Bianca, told her the truth about what’s been going on here. She’d give me the wake-up call I need.
Looking around, Tanner is nowhere to be seen, so I lean against the wall, looking out at the sun sitting only inches from the ocean’s surface.
“You look beautiful.”
I turn in the direction of the voice and nearly gasp when I see Tanner. I didn’t even recognize him.
“You look—hi,” I stutter.
A tailor-made deep blue suit encases the gorgeous body I know is underneath, sitting perfectly over a crisp white shirt that bounces off his tanned skin. He looks absolutely delicious, straight off a cologne billboard.
“Hi.” He grins, closing the distance between us. Smoothing a hand around my lower back, he pulls me in, pressing warm lips against my own. I sigh on contact, melting into the embrace as I weave fingers around the back of his neck. It doesn’t feel like a rejection kiss. But then again, everything has felt real on this trip. That’s what’s so disorienting about it.
We break apart, and I have to steady myself on his shoulder to stop myself from wobbling. He presents his arm, a strange look of anticipation on his face. “Shall we, Mrs. Thorn?”
The fake name stabs unexpectedly in my chest, but I cover the grimace with a tight smile. “Lead the way.”
Tanner walks us to the staircase, circling up to an area of the ship I haven’t been to before. We walk through a room where a man stands next to another door, his hand on the handle, ready to open it for us.
“Your table is ready, sir.”
Tanner nods at him appreciatively. “Thank you.”
The door opens, and as we step outside, I have to catch my breath.
We’re on our own private balcony, overlooking the setting sun in the distance. Fairy lights weave around the railing and overhead, surrounding us in magical twinkling beams. And when I look down at the table, with a single red rose and a place set for two, my mouth hangs open.
“Lobster rolls… deep-dish pizza… cheese curds?”
“All of your favorite foods from when you used to move around with your mom,” Tanner says, pulling out the chair for me. “I hope the cruise chefs do them justice.”
I stare at him in wonder. “But I told you about all these when I was like—”
“Seventeen, I know.” He chuckles. “I hope your taste buds haven’t developed too much since then.”
I stumble into the waiting chair, my brain still turning over and over.
He remembered my favorite foods from a conversation we had ten years ago?
“And don’t worry, I didn’t forget dessert,” he says, sitting in his own chair. “There’s a pint of half-baked Ben and Jerry’s waiting for us when we’re done here, assuming we can fit it in.”
“I always have room for Ben and Jerry’s,” I say, my eyes trailing over the spread in front of us. And oh God, it smells incredible. “How did you do all this?”
“It’s amazing what you can get organized in a couple of hours.” He winks at me, and I get a tingle in my lady parts. So he wasn’t on work calls. He wasn’t avoiding me all afternoon.
“Cheers,” he says, holding up a glass of champagne.
“What are we toasting?” I grab my own glass.
He tilts his head. “To a perfect vacation with perfect company.”
My cheeks burn at the compliment, but my stomach sinks at the pending ending to it all. Both feelings compete for the top position in my brain, but I stuff them both down, trying to focus on Tanner’s soulful eyes. We clink glasses together, and I close my eyes as the bubbly liquid fills my mouth.
When I open my eyes again, they land on the sun as it dips below the ocean. I’m transfixed, watching as it sinks lower and lower before my eyes. It’s funny how sunsets do that. It takes forever for them to reach the horizon, but when they do, they are gone in an instant. Just like mine and Tanner’s time together. It took us ten years to get here, and now that we’re finally here, it’s basically over.
The last of the sun disappears.
“What are you thinking about?” Tanner asks, watching me with a curious smile.
I return my eyes to where the sun was only seconds ago. “I’m thinking about my mom… and how I hated moving around so much. But now…” I take a lungful of fresh, salty air. “Now I’m starting to get it, why she never wanted to stay in the one place. Why she never wanted to surrender to the mundaneness of an everyday life. I mean…” I shake my head, chuckling to myself. “God… part of me wants to stay on this ship forever, sailing from port to port, running away from the real world…”
I trail off, looking back at my plate. I probably sound insane.
“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about,” Tanner says, shifting awkwardly in his chair.
Oh no.
Here it comes.
I inhale sharply, forcing myself to look him in the eye instead of at my hands. “You did?”
“Yeah.” He reaches forward, grabbing my free hand in his. “This trip has been incredible… life changing, even. But we both know it’s coming to an end tomorrow, and we have to go back to real life…”
I nod, bracing for the inevitable.
“… But when I do go back to real life, I want you to be in it.”
I swallow hard and almost choke. “You… what?”
“I know it’s like we’ve been living in a fantasy world, in a crazy alternate universe, but the last ten days have made me realize something. You are what’s been missing for me, Storm. All this time, ever since high school. And I don’t want to go back to the real world unless you’re going to be there.”
My body shivers, rattled by adrenaline and shock and pure joy. “You… want to be together when we leave here?”
A crease settles between his brows. “Of course I do. I mean, I’m sure it’s been obvious, and it probably freaks you out. But I need to tell you that if you take this chance with me, it won’t be like last time. I’ll never let you down, Storm. And if you just give me a chance to prove myself—”
“I thought you brought me here to let me down gently.”
His whole face scrunches up now. “What?”
“The wanting to talk… the serious expressions and acting weird… I thought you were working your way up to dumping me.”
“Dumping you?” He balks. “Storm, what the fuck? Where have you been the last few days?”
