Page 22 of Cruising with You

“Like tonight? Or…?” I razz, surprising myself with the innuendo I just tossed at him.

With another groan, he smacks my ass, and I squeal in surprise before scampering toward the bungalow to stay out of his playful reach.

“Don’t tempt me!” he yells at my retreating form.

Ditto,I want to return, but I bite my tongue. He’s way too tempting for a girl like me. Especially when we’ve both gone to so much trouble to set up certain guidelines that guarantee this little relationship will dissolve as soon as our ship docks in Fort Lauderdale. The thought is bittersweet because even if he wanted something with me, I know I wouldn’t take him up on it, no matter how strongly I could feel about him.

Nope.

After signing the paperwork, a super sweet girl named Aayla with long, black dreadlocks and a kind smile leads us down a boardwalk. My flip flops slap against the wood paneling that surrounds a massive water enclosure where dolphins are playing peekaboo with the spectators between the soft waves.

“Are you excited?” Gage murmurs beside me. The guy is so enthralled with my reaction to the beautiful animals that he’s missing the entire thing.

“Uh, yes!” I almost squeal. “Do you see the dolphins that areright there?” I point to the water that’s only a few feet away from us.

“And you get to swim with them.”

“Well, technically, I think it’s more of an up-close and personal encounter. We only get waist-deep in the water or something like that, but still. It’s going to be awesome. I keep telling Gem they’re my spirit animal, but she insists crabs are.”

His brows furrow. “Why would crabs be your spirit animal?”

“Because they have something to do with my zodiac sign. Yours is a lion, by the way.”

“Ooo…I like it. Powerful. Strong. A badass.” His eyes glaze over as he thinks about it for a second longer. “Yeah, I’m definitely cool with claiming the lion.”

“I’m sure you are,” I joke. “But since you can’t swim with lions, I guess dolphins will have to do.”

Tossing his arm over my shoulder, he pulls me into his side and admits, “Like I said when we were on the ferry, I’ve always wanted to try swimming with dolphins, so thanks for inviting me. This will definitely be a memory for the books. Although I’m going to be a little jealous that the dolphin is going to get to kiss you before I do.”

“I mean…technically, we’ve already kissed. Remember the football stadium?”

“How could I forget? I’ve been craving you ever since.” It sounds more like a rumble than a coherent sentence but still causes tingles to race down my spine as his eyes drop to my mouth.

My face heats up as I remember how close we were to kissing only a few minutes ago, but I don’t know what to say.

So close. Yet so far.

I’m not sure when we really stopped moving, but now I find myself chest-to-chest with a very attractive Gage, who looks more determined than ever to finally end the blissful torture we’ve both been putting ourselves through. And blissful it has been because I’m not sure if I’ll be able to live up to the hype he’s built in his head, which is why I rock back on my heels to put a few more inches of space between us. That same sense of anticipation thrums through my veins, but I ignore it. For now.

“We should…uh…we should probably keep going.”

“You’ve got two minutes,” Gem interrupts, scooting around us on the boardwalk with Conner in tow. “Then I tell Aayla to start without you, mmmk, horndogs?”

Clearing my throat, I take a step toward her. “Oh, we don’t need––”

With our hands still laced together, Gage yanks me back, reeling me into him before planting a kiss on my mouth. Surprised, my mouth opens on a gasp, and he takes full advantage. His tongue tangles with mine before he presses his other hand against my lower back until my entire front is pressed against his hard chest. It isn’t soft and sweet. It’s hot and needy and leaves my heart pounding and my knees shaky. I’m panting as his lips leave mine and trail down my neck, convinced he’s going to take me right here, right now, and I wouldn’t fight it. At. All. With a deliberate, open-mouthed kiss against the column of my throat, he pulls away and looks down at me with those same brown eyes that mesmerized me the first time we met. They’re still hazy with lust, but it’s that arrogant smirk that makes me press my thighs together as he lifts his chin. “Let’s go get going. Wouldn’t want to miss out on those dolphins, right?”

“Umm….”

I mean….

“It’s been two minutes!” Gem yells from twenty yards ahead of us.

“Yup. We should….” I hook my thumb over my shoulder before losing my train of thought.

“We should get going?” he finishes for me, his grin widening.

“Uh…yup. We should…. ” Still in a daze, my feet stay glued to the wood beneath my flip flops as my gaze drops back to Gage’s mouth.

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