Page 101 of Falling Overboard

It was the best feeling in the entire world. I ignored that warning sound inside me, the one that tried to prevent me from getting hurt.

“This is special,” he said softly. “What we have. I don’t want to lose it.”

“Neither do I.”

He squeezed me softly and told me good night.

I closed my eyes and my brain suddenly filled with memories and feelings of what it had been like to kiss him. I tried very hard to think about anything else but it wasn’t working. Especially not when I was cuddled up next to him like this.

Despite how sublime kissing him had been, I knew we couldn’t do it again.

But I was worried I wouldn’t be able to give it up completely. It was like swearing off chocolate. If someone had never tasted it, it would be very easy to not have it.

Hunter was like the most delicious, luxurious, refined, expensive chocolate that I’d ever had, and so now I knew exactly what I would be missing out on.

There had to be a way forward for us. I just had to find it.

When I woke up the next morning, Hunter was spooning me. I was lying on his left arm and he had his right draped across my waist. He was a warm, firm wall behind my back and I felt like a very foolish woman for not doing this the entire time.

I rolled over to face him and his right arm subconsciously tightened around me. I could tell that he was still sleeping, given his light snoring. I fought off the urge to kiss him good morning. I wondered if that impulse would ever go away.

It was more difficult to get out of the bunk, as we were so completely entangled with one another, but I finally managed it. I got up and used the bathroom, got dressed for the day, and then went out into the galley, where I grabbed a couple of cups of espresso for both of us.

I returned to the cabin and sat next to him on the bed. I nudged him awake. “Hunter, time to get up.”

His eyes drifted open and he smiled lazily at me and then put his arm around my waist. “There you are. I missed you.”

He hadn’t even known I was gone. He was too romantic for his own good. I shook my head as I handed him the mug. “Double espresso.”

He sat up and took the mug from me. “Thank you. I lo—” There was a strange pause, and then he hurried to finish his sentence. “I love coffee.”

I told my rampaging heart to chill out. Hunter had not been about to say that he loved me. We had only known each other for a few weeks. We weren’t dating. We’d only kissed once. That was ridiculous.

Giving him a tight smile, I said, “I’m off to clean. I’ll see you later!”

I hurried out of the cabin and went to find Georgia. I needed her insight. I couldn’t figure this out on my own. She was still in her cabin, which wasn’t surprising.

She was also alone, and that did surprise me. Either Emilie had gotten up early like she was supposed to and had started on her chores or she had hooked up with one of the deckhands and was currently in their cabin.

I would have wagered good money on the second.

“Georgia?” She was on the bottom bunk, sprawled out completely.

“Mmph?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“Lucky?” She groaned. “What time is it?”

“It’s seven o’clock.”

Another groan. “Can’t this wait until a more humane hour?”

“It’s about Hunter and how I kissed him.”

That got her attention. She sat straight up and reached for my espresso, drinking almost the entire thing in one gulp. “I’m going to use the toilet and then I’m coming straight back here and you’re going to tell me everything. Don’t go anywhere.”

She went into her bathroom and I turned the cabin lights on. I knew she was the person I needed to talk to for a couple of reasons—(1) so far she had been right about everything between me and Hunter and so I was hoping she would have helpful wisdom that would assist me in moving forward with him, and (2) there was no one else for me to talk to.

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