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She thinks for a moment, touching a fingertip to her chin as her eyes slide heavenward in a playful expression that has my heart leaping with joy. “If I win, I get to see your cabin,” she says in a way that suggests that looking around my room is the last thing on her mind.
“And if I win?” I ask.
“What do you want?” she asks as we’re both pulled toward the next leg of the competition.
“A kiss!” I’m already getting what I want, so I have nothing to ask for.
“Agreed!” she shouts before turning to go take her place in the competition. I do the same, standing in place and lightly flexing to really accentuate the muscles in my stomach. I make it to the next round and lock eyes with her in the winner’s circle.
“Even if I lose, I win.” She’s still shouting over the noise, and I nod to convey I feel the same way.
“Me too.” And I realize I’m having fun. Even with this activity that’s nothing like I’d do on my own, even with the heavy scent of chlorine in my nose, the heat of the sunshine, and the press of bodies, I’m enjoying myself. I haven’t thought about work since she and I started spending time together, and I’ve never been so relaxed and willing to be spontaneous.
She’s bringing out a side of me that I didn’t know I had.
A fun side of myself I want to keep. A side of myself that’ll die the second I step foot off this boat. I’m pulled into the next round of judging and make it through. Only two more rounds to go.
I see her laughing as she makes her way to the winner’s circle, strikes a pose, and gestures at her leg like she’s displaying a prize on a game show. I let out a loud whoop of approval and her smile widens. I clap and cheer for her as she makes her way back up for judging and I hear her doing the same for me.
I make it to the next round and look for her in the winner’s circle, only to see her pop up next to me. “I lost,” she said. “But I’m a runner up to the winner!”
With that, she takes my arm, her attitude still upbeat and chipper as she leads me to the circle once more. As I’m declared the winner of the sexy abs contest, she jumps up and down and claps, and regardless of the crowd going wild, all I see is her.
Her bright eyes, the excitement in her face, the way she’s smiling at me as if I’m the center of her universe.
Someone pushes a silly gold trophy of a man flexing his abs in my hands, and I lean down to speak into her ear. “I’ll still happily show you my room,” I say softly, and she smiles up at me.
The crowd around us congratulates me and begins to disperse as her gaze darts back and forth between mine. “A deal is a deal,” she whispers, before rising up on tiptoe and touching her lips to mine. And in that moment, we might as well be the only two people that exist on this planet. The noise around us fades away and all I see, smell, feel, and hear is her.
Her lips taste like the cinnamon gum she's chewing and there’s a softness to her kiss, a shy innocence that leaves me desperate for more.
When she finally backs off and smiles at me, I feel as if I've been blindsided. “I’d love to see your cabin whenever.” As she says the words she lifts a shoulder up.
Without a word, I take her hand and begin leading her toward my cabin. Her kiss ignited every nerve ending in my body and I have to talk myself down - she’s only going to see my room, not do anything more.
Still, every step of the way, I have to fight back fantasies that I shouldn't be having about her and what might happen when we cross the threshold of my room.
I think about all the fun that we've had together making pizzas, the memories we've made playing table tennis, and the sheer joy I feel with her near me and wonder how I’m going to deal with disembarking tomorrow and parting ways.
I love the way she laughs at my jokes, grabs my arm while we’re walking, and gives me looks that make my heart race.
I can’t help but wonder how she’s going to feel seeing my cabin. I’d booked one of the top three rooms designed for the wealthiest people. While I’m not the kind of person to show off, I do want to impress her.
We stop in front of my door and I wave my key card in front of the panel. The panel goes green and the door swings open as she looks up at me with a shocked, mouth-open expression. “Fancy, fancy!” she says. “I have to key in a code to get into mine.”
“That's a perfectly acceptable way to enter a room.” I have no desire to be disparaging and make her feel bad about her quarters.
We step into the spacious living room, and I can feel her amusement growing. “Cass clearly booked the wrong room, and I’m going to tell her as much the second I get back.”
I chuckle as I head back toward the bedroom with its king-sized bed and beautiful aesthetic.
“What exactly are you planning?” she asks, gazing up at me.
“I am planning to change into something more comfortable. I would appreciate it if you'd step out of my room,” I say, shooing her out while closing the double doors.
I hear her laughing on the other side as I strip down and grab a pair of sweats and a tee shirt for our next adventure.
When I finally step back out of the room, I catch her sitting in the living room, gazing around herself in wonder. “This is amazing,” she says, meeting my stare for a second before continuing to soak in the beauty of the room. “I'm starting to feel like I'm at a disadvantage.”
