Page 45 of Ship Happens
“Anytime. And if you spot Bennett in the hall, tell him to hurry the fuck up.” She reaches for the trash can again as I take my leave.
I close the door behind me, silencing the retching on the other side. If Maverick ingested the ecstasy when he went to change, that means he should start coming down soon. It’s been nearly three hours.
When I open the cabin door, Maverick is still where I left him. He’s polished off the bottled water and even gotten another. The empty bottles stand on the bedside table.
He looks up and smiles when he hears me come in. “I tried not to move, but I had to get more water. Have you ever tried sitting still for hours on end? It’s more difficult than you think.” He tips his head to the side, and the ridiculous cross earring drapes over his shoulder. “I think my head is starting to clear a little, though. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.”
“You were drugged.” I go to the sink to fetch a cool washcloth. When I return, he looks so confused.
“Drugged? I don’t partake.”
I motion for him to scoot over a bit, and he does. I sit beside him and dab his forehead, which is much less sweaty now. “When you went to Bennett’s room, he gave you something to help you loosen up a bit. Cat said you told them you wanted to make me laugh, so they were just trying to help.”
He closes his eyes and grimaces, then opens one eye to look at me. “Did it work, at least?”
I smile down at him. I can’t help it. “Yes, you made me laugh.”
“Good. You’re so much prettier when you smile. I mean, you’re pretty anyway, but when you smile, it makes me want to smile too.” He relaxes into the pillows. “Wanna cuddle?”
“I mean, if that’s what you need right now, I guess I can do that.”
Confused as hell, I sit on the mattress, then stretch out beside him. I rest my head on his bare chest, and the awkward feeling fades with each beat of his heart against my ear, each inward breath he takes. His arm bands around my shoulder, and he sighs.
“Damn,” he says.
“What?”
“This is actually really nice. I’ve never done this before, so I didn’t know what it would be like.”
“You’ve never cuddled?” I ask with a laugh. “I’m the Ice Queen, and even I’ve cuddled.”
He chuckles, and the movement bounces my head slightly against his chest. “I’m not some innocent flower or anything, but no, I’ve never cuddled like this. I, uh...I don’t really get close to women.”
“You and Eve seem close.”
“No, I mean intimately.”
My eyes widen, and I panic internally. “Is this intimate to you?”
“Well, yeah. If my shit worked, I’d be rock hard right now.” His fingers trail over my shoulder. “Something tells me your skin would be this soft even if I wasn’t coming down from a high.” He lowers his voice until I can hardly make out the whispered words when he says, “Something tells me I’d never come down if I were to get inside you.”
I skate on thin ice. If this had happened on day one, I’d have leapt for shore. Now I’m considering plunging beneath freezing waters just to feel a little of his warmth.
His fingers trail lower on my back, and the ice cracks a little more.
This isn’t the same as before, when I teased him until he came in his pants. Now I want to tease him until he comes insideme.
“Maverick, maybe I should see if Eve could come take care of you. I’m afraid of what might happen if I stay in this room tonight.”
He sighs again, this time sounding more forlorn than relaxed. “Yeah, I know what you mean. But you don’t have to worry about us crossing any lines. My dick doesn’t work, remember?”
I nibble my lip, wanting to ask why that is, but the question dies in my throat. It feels too personal.
He must sense this, because he points to a thin white scar that runs along his hairline. “See that line? That’s why I’m so particular about my hair. I style the swoop so that no one can see it.”
“So that you don’t have to talk about how you got it.”
“Bingo.” He pauses, seeming to consider something before he says, “That part isn’t important, but it left me with a gnarly case of erectile dysfunction. Once I get it up, I’m good, but the initial erection can prove elusive.”
