Page 59 of Total Ship Show

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The sand between my toes and the sun kissing my skin feels glorious. It couldn’t be a more perfect day for spending time on the beach. Aris purchased entry into Doctor’s Cave Beach, apropos given his profession, which includes access to their restaurants, beach chairs, and umbrellas. After a quick frolic in the crystal blue waters, we opt for a little relaxation, casual dining, and people watching for the afternoon.

“That necklace looks beautiful on you,” Aris says, admiring the silver chain around my neck.

I pick up the aqua sea glass enclosed in a silver lotus flower pendant and hold it between my fingers. “It’s perfect.”

At the time we couldn’t help but giggle when we saw it hanging in the little jewelry shop. It brought back fun memories of yesterday’s scavenger hunt and our final Kama Sutra position. The one that led to the hottest theater sex I’ve ever had.

The only theater sex I’ve ever had, but still.

I couldn’t take my eyes off it, so Aris said it was the perfect choice. And since it only put him out about thirty U.S. Dollars, I felt better about receiving the gift.

Truth be told, I’m not sure I ever want to take it off.

“You know you’ve ruined yoga for me forever, now?”

He laughs. “Sorry, not sorry, Babe. We had to do what we had to do.”

“And we were damn good at it.”

“Wearedamn good at it,” he corrects me with a kiss to the top of my hand.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Anything,” he replies.

“Will you tell me about your past relationships?”

His brows raise. My question surprises him. “Umm,” he smooths his hands down his thighs. “I guess there’s not much to tell. What do you want to know?”

All of it.

“How many women have you been with?”

Sheepishly, his gaze turns down. “Women I’ve been with, or relationships I’ve had?”

“Uhhh,” I chuckle nervously. “Is there that much of a discrepancy?”

He shrugs. “I can’t really say how many women I’ve been with…sexually, I mean. I don’t make a habit of logging them in a notebook or notching them on a bedpost.”

But that must mean there are enough they couldn’t be counted…

“Okay, well, how about your relationships then. Any serious ones?”

He shakes his head, his expression lighter. “Not any that I wanted to introduce my family to if that tells you anything.”

“Why didn’t any work out?”

“Most of the time it was my schedule. Med school took all my time so I kind of just…” His head bobs. “I slept around for fun, you know? To ease the stress of the workload. But once I was working, I was pretty married to my job. I worked a lot of hours and that didn’t lend well to relationships.”

“Yeah.”

“How about you? Any serious relationships other than Jock Strap James?”

I laugh. “Nope. I had a boyfriend in college that was really more like a fuck buddy to distract us from having to study, but it died out before we even graduated. Other than that, it was just a few scattered one-night stands or something that would be a couple weeks long and fizzle out until I met James.”

He nods, taking in my relationship history, and I wonder what he might be thinking about. I’m about to ask him when he takes a deep breath and exhales loudly.

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