Page 7 of Faking It at Sea

Sutton stood without a word and edged into my space. Even perched on the tall barstool as I was, the guy towered over me. He moved slowly, projecting his intent as clear as day. His big hand chased fire across my skin with a feather light touch that drifted up my arm and over my shoulder, until he held the side of my face in his palm. His thumb stroked a soft line across my cheek.

It was the most sensual touch I’d felt in ages, and my eyes fluttered closed.

“Something like this?” he whispered.

A ripple of goosebumps danced across my skin. I should have said no. It was too much. Too intimate.

Too tempting.

I swallowed and forced my eyes open. “I’ll give you points for being convincing.”

Without breaking eye contact, his hand reversed course, leaving a trail of delicious heat in its wake. He picked up my hand and brought it to his lips. “It’s easy with a woman like you.”

The kiss he pressed to my knuckles made my knees wobble, but that was nothing compared to the way other parts of my body reacted to his touch. And his voice. And the way he looked at me, like he wanted to devour me right there in the bar.

I was playing with fire.

My fake dating proposal was supposed to save me from a week of awkward greetings and stumbling conversations. Now, I had a feeling the real trick would be making it through the rest of this cruise without getting burned.

I wasn’t oblivious to my mom’s struggles growing up. She worked herself to the bone providing for me. While I would love her forever for being who she was, the last thing I wanted was to end up like her, a broken-hearted single mom scraping to get by.

Sutton was still holding my hand when he quirked his head. “Come to dinner with me?”

Right. The steakhouse.I nodded, but only because I didn’t trust my voice.

Who the hell was this guy anyway? From the way he’d acted earlier, I thought he would be relatively harmless, but I was realizing Sutton Rafferty wasn’t some scared animal in a trap. He was a wolf through and through, and I was the foolish bunny who’d asked him to come play with me.

He gave my hand a gentle tug, and I stood. “I should tell Missy...” I started, but the words faded when I looked out across the bar and saw her watching me with a mischievous smirk.

“I think she already knows,” Sutton said.

“But I should still tell her where we’re going.”

“Of course.” After a heavy pause, he released my hand. “I’ll touch base with Brandon and meet you at the entrance?”

My heart was buzzing like a cicada in my chest. I nodded. Tried to breathe.

Sutton’s responding smile was infectious, and I caught myself smiling back. Oh yeah, he was definitely trouble. Then he turned and headed across the bar to catch up with his friend.

Missy didn’t waste a minute. She glided over, her heels glittering almost as much as her eyes. “Girl...”

I held up a hand. “We’re going to dinner at the steakhouse. That’s all.”

She was clearly trying to hold in her excitement. It damn near bubbled out of her. “Pay attention to how he treats the wait staff.”

“I’ve been on plenty of dates before. I think I can remember how to spot a jerk.”

“And when exactly was your last real date?”

It had been years, but that wasn’t the point. “Fine,” I said. “Even though this is literally a first date on a cruise ship, with a guy I’ll probably never see again, I will watch him. But you do realize he could be the picture of politeness just trying to impress me and still turn out to be an ass, right?”

In truth, I was kind of hoping that was how it went. It would make it that much easier to keep some emotional distance between us.

“Let’s hope he’s not, for his sake.” That was Missy—bold, bossy, and never afraid to say what was on her mind. She’d lost some of her luster during the divorce, and it was nice to see her inner fire warming up again.

“If he turns out to be a jerk, I can always leave.” I eyed the trio of men who were waiting on her. “Besides, you have your own suitors to vet.”

She tossed a glance over her shoulder, her blond hair swishing with the move. “Those three? They don’t stand a chance. Way too shallow, but they are fun to talk to.” She leveled me with a serious look. “Do you have your phone?”

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