Page 9 of Break: Vol. 2

Chapter 5

“Welcome toLady Maria!” someone called.

Everywhere I turned, there was someone in a navy blue polo and white shorts handing out whatever you could have needed. Seriously, if I could think of it, there it was. Brochures. Drinks. Candies. Shops. The ship wasn’t all that big, considering there were luxury cruise ships with dozens of tiers that towered above the Lady Maria, but that just meant there were fewer people. You wouldn’t have guessed it by looking at the boarding area, though. It seemed that all of the employees had been pulled out for this one.

“What are we going to do first?” Cody asked, coming up behind me and slinging an arm over my shoulder.

“Swimming?” Taylor suggested.

“How about we head to our rooms first and drop off our extra luggage?” Dex said.

I nodded. That sounded like a good idea. I looked down at my floral sundress. I’d probably need to get changed as well. Dex grabbed a boat map from one of the employees milling about and led the way, the rest of us trailing along behind him. The scent of salty ocean air infiltrated my nostrils, making me smile as I tipped my head up towards the sun. All too soon, though, we were heading inside.

We passed rounded bars, a customer services desk, and more than our fair share of cleaning carts as we headed towards the elevators. We found them, and thankfully, no one else was waiting to board. It might have been a little bit more crowded than I was comfortable with if we had tried to squeeze four athletes and me and thenmorepeople onto an elevator. I shuddered at the thought as the bell dinged and the doors opened.

“What floor are we on?” Taylor asked.

Dex glanced up from the map as Cody leaned forward, his hand hovering over the button. “Top floor,” he said.

I narrowed my gaze on him from the corner of my eye. “Isn’t that the fancy floor?” I asked.

He shrugged. “It’s just the top floor.”

Darren’s shoulders stiffened but he didn’t say anything. Cody frowned but pressed the correct button. A tense silence settled over us as we slowly ascended. Dex sighed and put the map down.

“I don’t want you getting the wrong idea,” he started. “This was a gift.”

“Did you pay for it?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No. Like I told you before, my family owns stock with this company.”

“How much stock?” I asked.

Dex leveled his eyes on me, but true to Dex’s character, he didn’t blush or flinch away as he finally admitted it. “All of it,” he said. "It's a private cruise line. We own it."

I groaned.

The elevator doors opened and the five of us exited. Dex led us down the hall. No one said anything more until we found the door to our room and Dex slid a keycard in and unlocked it.

Before I could utter a singular angry word, I froze, my mouth hanging open. I didn’t know what I had been expecting. A hotel on the ocean maybe. I mean … it was like that, but it was also so much more. It was a veritable luxury suite with a living room, a kitchen, and rooms on either side.

“There are only two bedrooms,” Dex explained. “One with a king and the other has double beds; the couch pulls out into a sleeper.”

“Huh,” Taylor said, moving further in with his arms crossed behind his head as he examined the area. “For a rich guy, I’m surprised you didn’t ask for the presidential suite. Those would have had more rooms.”

“Taylor!” I snapped.

He glanced back at me with blinking owlish eyes. “What?”

I shook my head at him.

“The presidential suite was already taken,” Dex admitted. “This is the Duchess suite.”

Taylor whistled. “Whoa. Outbid on your own ship, huh?”

“It’s not my—” Dex stopped himself and huffed. “It’s not my ship,” he finished. “And I wasn’t … exactly…” He gritted his teeth in irritation and then cast me a look of apology. “I meant it when I said we got the suite for free. I didn’t pay a damn cent.”

I caught the meaning, though, in his gaze. I grimaced. “Okay,” I said, “what’s the catch then?”

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