Page 22 of Hooked on a Feeling

“Yes. Turns out there are a few moves that could be used during sexy times.”

Starr laughed again, pretty sure that she knew what moves he was referring to.

He opened a door and stepped inside, and Starr followed him. It was gorgeous. The bed was centered in the room on a platform. Three large square windows were above the bed, and the view of the crystal-blue horizon was breathtaking. “Oh, I get it now. Blue Horizon. That’s a great name.” The floor was covered in white stone tiles, and three square mirrors lined the opposite side of the room—with the ocean view reflected in them. There was a desk with two small screens on top and a keyboard and larger monitor.

“My grandfather thought so too.” He opened another door. “The head.”

She got close to him and peeked in, seeing the toilet and shower. Her arm brushed against his chest. “This is so nice. It’s surreal. I mean, I expected it to be dapper, but I didn’t think it was going to be so crazy. I feel like I don’t belong here, it’s so nice.”

John wrapped his arm around her stomach, crushing her against his chest. “You belong wherever I belong.”

His lips nibbled her ear and tugged her lobe between his teeth. He absolutely made her feel like she really did belong. She turned in his embrace and gave him a slow kiss. His hand slid up her back, and she was cocooned in his arms. Her stomach dropped then rolled, and alarm bells screamed in her head. She pulled back. She did not want to throw up on John’s boat. She clenched her teeth as saliva pooled behind her teeth. She breathed long and slow out of her nose, trying to settle the rolling in her stomach.

“You okay? You’re looking a little green.”

She blew out a shaky breath. “I think so. Maybe we should go back up and get some fresh air. Are we far away from Emerald Port already?”

John glanced at his watch. “Not terribly far. Let’s get you upstairs.”

John led her to the saloon and guided her to an overly large white-cushioned seating area. She sat down and sucked in fresh air, but when she caught a glimpse of the wide-open ocean with no land in sight, she stood abruptly. That was the wrong thing to do. “I need… I’m going to be sick.”

She began retching inside a bin that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Her stomach twisted and turned, making her vomiting seem never-ending. She was mortified at getting sick in front of John, but he had pulled her hair up and was holding it away from her face. She didn’t want to chance a look at him, but her heart melted anyway at the gesture.

Her stomach seemed to settle momentarily, and he handed her a wet washcloth. She wiped her mouth and took a shaky breath. So much for their plan to enjoy one another today. She really wanted her body to be okay on the water.

She peeked at him. “I’m sorry. This isn’t how I wanted today to be.”

“Don’t apologize. You have no control over how your body is going to react being back on the water. I’m the asshole for thinking you’d be fine, and I got you sick.”

* * *

“You think you can make it to the bathroom on your own?” John asked, the guilt of making Starr sick settling heavy in his gut. “Gianni is taking us back to Emerald Port.”

“I think so. Thank you.”

He was such an asshole to take her out knowing it had the potential to make her ill. But he had really believed the yacht was big enough that she wouldn’t know the difference—standing on land or being inside the yacht. It was that way for the majority of people. And most people enjoyed being on the turquoise waters and couldn’t get enough of the view. “I’m sorry about this. I didn’t know. It wasn’t my intention to make you sick.”

“How could you have known? It’s fine.”

He opened the door to the head for her, and she paused, resting her arm against his. “I trust you. I don’t blame you for this. It was a trial run. I knew there was a possibility I could puke my guts out.” She closed her eyes, and her cheeks turned red, getting some color back in them. “Which was so embarrassing. I’m sorry you had to witness that.”

John laughed. “Six siblings. You forget I’ve seen so much snot, vomit, and other bodily fluids and functions in my life that a beautiful woman throwing up isn’t going to freak me out.”

She closed the door gently, and he knocked his head softly against the wall. What a dick. He should have thought about staying close to land on their first day out. He really hoped she would take him up on his offer to try again. He wanted to share this with her. Being on the yacht gave him a sense of peace he didn’t get on land. My Way was his pride and joy, and it was nice to have someone to share it with.

If she could overcome her seasickness.

Because could a man like him marry a woman who wasn’t cut out for the sea? He scrubbed a hand over his face. Not really the place or time to think about that, but the conscious mind didn’t ever stop, did it? He enjoyed the solitude, silently berating himself while also trying to clear his mind as he waited for Starr.

Eventually, the lock clicked, and Starr emerged from the bathroom, hugging him from behind. “Thanks for being so understanding about it. I love being out here. I love the way it smells, the way it looks. I’m enjoying my time with you. It’s just that my body seems to have other ideas. I’d like to overcome it. I know you enjoy being out here.”

“So you’re saying you’d be okay trying this again sometime? We can do a dinner cruise any night this week if you’re free. I have Sunday dinner tomorrow. But I would love to work with you in the hopes that you wouldn’t get seasick. I’ll research it and see what they recommend about overcoming it.”

“Not sure about that soon. By the way, what’s that like? Sunday dinner. Are some of your siblings married? How does your mom have a big enough table for everyone?”

The yacht stopped. While John didn’t mind talking about his family, he wanted to make sure she was okay. “I’ll tell you all about Sunday dinner when I’m confident I’m not going to get you sick again.”

Gianni had docked at the marina, and John helped Starr off My Way. “There you go. Solid ground,” he said. Annaliese handed him the basket Starr had brought with her.

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