Page 74 of Revenge Honeymoon

Now here she was in a cabin on a cruise ship about to embark on a date with the hottest man in existence, and she wore something her mother would deem ‘immoral.’ The cleavage displayed was probably more than Dua Lipa would feel comfortable with on the Grammys.

“Different and definitely good.” Ruby nodded. “I’m actually jealous. I think you look ten times better in that dress than I do.”

Ruby jealous of Emily? Boring, plain, and top-heavy? All boobs and nothing else? That’s what Emily saw in the mirror. She turned sideways and then faced the mirror a second time. “Really? I don’t know. Isn’t it too much?” She tucked in the ‘girls’ one more time and pursed her lips.

“No. Not too much. Perfect.” Ruby stood behind her and reached out to tighten the halter tie on the back of Emily’s neck. “That dress was made for someone with a figure like yours.”

Emily glanced at her phone, which she’d laid on the vanity in front of the mirror. “Oh, crap, I’m supposed to meet him atL’Océanin five minutes.”L’Océanwas the fancy French restaurant on the upper deck that guests had to pay extra for.

“How did he get a reservation there?” Ruby’s eyes rounded. “Those spots were booked up months ago.”

“They were?” Emily tucked her cell phone into her purse.

“Yes, Tyler and I tried to reserve something back in September, and there weren’t any tables left.”

“I don’t know how he managed it, but I have to go.” She grabbed a wrap that Ruby also let her borrow, a frothy thing with sparkles and fluff at both ends, and swathed herself in it to cover the obvious cleavage. She’d have to come to terms with the ka-pow of her dress with her in it at some point, but she wasn’t quite ready to go there yet. “Wish me luck, Rubes.”

Ruby blew her a kiss. “You look amazing. He won’t be able to resist you.”

All kinds of hot and steamy things flew through her mind when her bestie said that. Had she ever been irresistible? Her face heated. “Thanks, sweetie.”

“You are truly my best friend, Em.”

Emily stepped out into the hall and raced for the elevator. They’d agreed to meet outside the restaurant. As she turned the corner, her high heel twisted under her, and she stumbled right into the arms of Max.

* * *

A bundle of pink and fluff fell into Max’s arms. Warm, soft, and so Emily.

For a moment, he considered not letting her go, picking her up, and carrying her back to his cabin. What would he do with her there? Well, he had so many ideas. So, so many. The first of which was to remove that nothing of a dress.

Emily pushed against his chest and propped herself back on her heels. “Oh, I’m sorry.” A lovely pink flush spread across her cheeks.

“Don’t be.” His nerve endings tingled, and his voice dropped a few notes.

She enveloped her upper body in a swath of fluff. “I guess it was kind of silly for us to meet at the restaurant. We’re only a few doors down from each other.”

He wanted to tug away the distracting bit of fabric so he could take in the sight of her magnificent body. Where did she find such a perfect dress? “Yeah, not sure what I was thinking. Let me call the elevator.”

“Okay.” She stood rigidly and avoided eye contact.

He punched the up button, rolled his shoulders to loosen the tension, and reached out a hand. “I won’t bite.”

With a shy smile, she accepted it.

They both stared at the floor indicator and watched the elevator descend from the top deck.

“I’ve never had French food before,” Emily said.

“Never? I thought you were a gourmet chef.”

She shook her head. “I put together picnics for people with things like fried chicken and banana pudding. Not escargot and ratatouille.”

“Rata-what?” His thoughts froze. Would she think him an idiot? Did most men she dated know this stuff?

“Didn’t you watch the movie?” she asked.

“About the rat?” He willed his heart to slow down. This was a casual, fun conversation.

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