I leaned down to capture her mouth, my tongue sliding over the seam of her lips until they parted to allow me access. Like every time I’d tasted her sweet kiss, my cock grew hard against her thigh.

“You’re insatiable,” she said, running her fingers through my hair.

“I can’t help how my body responds to yours. I can only swear I won’t pounce on you without permission.”

“That’s the problem.” She giggled. “Every time I feel you hard against me, my body wants you, as well. How could I turn down the pleasure you give me? I need a shower though after last night.”

“Let me draw you a bath, then.” Making love in the tub sounded like an adventure I was down for. We were lucky. Though most cruise cabins had tiny bathrooms you could barely move in, luxury suites had been designed for just that—luxury. And we had a nice tub for soaking.

“That sounds heavenly,” she admitted with a small sigh.

Suppressing my groan, I released her and stood. I pulled a robe from one of the chairs, covering my erection. Em probably needed a rest, too. I’d claimed her so many times the past thirty-six or so hours, we were running low on protection. And I’d meant what I said to her, I wanted to put my baby inside herso badly it hurt, but we had our whole lives ahead of us, and I wanted some time with her as just us. While our children would be the only people I’d ever share her with, they could wait.

After taking care of my morning rituals, I started the bath, ensuring the perfect water temperature and adding bubbles before returning to the bedroom.

“Bath’s ready. Go soak and I’ll order breakfast.”

“You’re too good to me,” she said as she climbed out of bed.

The moment I saw her standing there in all of her naked glory, I couldn’t help but pull her into my arms and kiss her again. I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life doing this, every single morning. In fact, it had taken every ounce of my willpower to keep that damn engagement ring hidden in the tree yesterday. Several times, I’d considered pulling it out and demanding she be my wife. Immediately. Jacob could marry us while at sea, right?

But I wanted my proposal and our wedding to be special. I wanted everything, always, to be special for her.

Emerson pulled out of my arms, and I was pleased to see the reluctance to part plainly on her beautiful face. But I released her, catching her hand and giving it a quick squeeze before letting go. She hurried into the bathroom, closing the door between us with a soft click.

I blew out a breath then headed for the phone in the sitting room.

After calling Marco to order breakfast, I got dressed, figuring I could shower later. I wanted Em to relax in the tub as longas she wanted. Her body needed the break, and if I were being completely honest with myself, I needed a breather, as well.

The food was delivered as Emerson came out of the bedroom. She was dressed in shorts and a tank top, her hair pulled up into a ponytail. She looked good enough to eat, and part of me really wanted to take her right back to bed. She was right. I was insatiable.

With iron will, I settled for a deep kiss before leading her to her seat at the table. I couldn’t sidetrack back to bed. I had outside plans for us, and I knew how much she would enjoy the day I’d set up for us. As enjoyable as the sex was, she needed to know we were compatible, friends even, outside the bedroom.

“So what do you have in store for me today, Mr. Cassel?” she asked before taking a sip of her coffee.

“I thought we’d do a little scuba diving,” I answered innocently.

“What?” she gasped, and I instantly regretted teasing her.

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly, reaching over to pull her free hand into mine. “I shouldn’t joke like that.”

“No, I’m sorry,” she said. She shook her head. “I’m such a baby. I know you’d never let anything happen to me.”

I stood and circled to her. I knelt, wrapping my arms around her and resting my head on her chest.

“Emerson,” I said firmly. “You’re not a baby. Everyone has fears, and yours are completely warranted. I shouldn’t tease about that. I already dragged you onto a cruise ship without any regard to how you’d feel about it. I don’t need to make the situation worse by making light of the situation.”

“You’re too good to me,” she whispered, threading her fingers through my hair. She leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “All is forgiven. Now, what are we really doing today?”

“I thought we’d go to the Turtle Farm,” I said while I went back to my chair. “There are all kinds of animals to see and birds to feed. Would that be alright?”

She grinned at me and nodded. The childlike excitement on her face filled my heart to bursting. I wanted that exuberant look in her eyes for the rest of our lives together. Once again, I thought to grab the ring. Maybe, I should take it with us and propose at the sanctuary. When else would a woman be able to play with sea turtles and get engaged all in one swoop?

No, I reminded myself. Christmas was just a couple days away. We could both wait. I wanted her completely under my spell and unable to say no by the time I asked her. Not that I believed she’d decline. As much as I knew we were destined for each other, I was becoming sure she felt the same. She hadn’t said as much, but whenever I spoke of forever with her, she never showed an ounce of hesitation or disbelief.

“What time do we have to leave?” she asked.

“Soon,” I answered. “We’ll have to catch a bus to get to the farm, so we’d better eat then finish getting ready for our day.”