Page 25 of Every Bite You Take
“What happened?”
I sighed as my plan to tuck away memories of Damien and file them as a happy vacation memory crumbled. How could that happen when I thought about him nonstop? Wondered if he’d forgotten about me and found someone new to entertain him on the next sailing.
I sighed. “I met someone.”
Gianna clasped her hands together. “I knew it!”
I grunted in response, not as enthusiastic.
“Tell me more,” she insisted, tapping my forearm with a light brush of her long fingers.
I took a deep breath as I let images of Damien flood my mind—the way he looked at me from his intense green eyes, the way he sang in his deep, soulful voice, the way he touched me… “Someone very considerate.”
“And…hot?” Gianna’s eyes widened.
A smile tugged at my lips, breaking through my moping. “Incendiary.”
“Oh, hell yes.” She leaned closer. “I’m listening.”
“He’s a musician—a guitarist for a band on the ship.”
“Definitely sounds hot.” She fanned herself.
I grinned, shaking my head. “And he’s a vampire.”
She stared at me, her mouth agape. “A vampire?” She turned her hand upward, as in disbelief. “No way. You and your blood thing?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, you should hear how we met.” When I pictured the gruesome encounter with the blood bag outside the ladies' room, I chuckled. It felt good to laugh again, and I gave her a brief rundown of our short time together while we finished up. Gianna poured us each a glass of prosecco, and then we sat at the bar, the opposite side of where I usually spent my time there.
I took a big sip of my drink, and the bubbles popped on my tongue before I continued. I shared the story about my dad—both falling for a vampire and becoming one—and the horrifying incident of catching them in bed.
“Guess you now know how that feels like,” she said with a sage nod.
“Eww. Let’s not go there.” I shook my head to get rid of any weird psychoanalytical explanations before delving into them.
“Okay, fine, but don’t forget to share the good parts.” She raised her index finger to emphasize her point.
“Gianna,” I said in a lower voice and tipped my head.
“What?” She widened her eyes with feigned innocence. “Anyway, I’m glad you seem to be over your squeamishness with blood—at least in some aspects. And hopefully, this hot vamp had you screaming instead of squeaming.”
“Oh my god, I don’t think that’s even a word.” I released a playful groan. “I should have known what I was getting into by telling you.”
Gianna was the most uninhibited person I knew and never shied away from talking about anything sexual.
“So was this a two-ships-sailing-in-the-night kind of encounter?” She moved her hands by each other. “Or do you have plans to see each other again?”
My smile vanished. “Ships have sailed. Meaning he’s still on one and I’m…not.”
“It’s better that way,” she reassured me. “You have a little fun on vacation, no strings attached.”
I bit my lower lip and didn’t say anything.
“Kylie?” she prompted.
“He asked me to stay longer,” I admitted.
Her eyes almost popped out of her head. “What?”
