by Parker, Ali
Babe, really? We’re going there? He’d called me baby the other night, but that had been in the heat of passion. I hadn’t been expecting him to follow through on it.
“I think my center is stuck somewhere between Mexico and Guatemala.” I finally reached him, nearly falling off my board again when I tried to turn around so I could also sit up and face the beach like the cool kids did.
Rylen laughed, shaking droplets of water out of his hair. My mouth dried up. He was too hot for his own good. Seriously, any second I was going to have to fight off a horde of wanting women.
“Trust me, you’re doing much better than a lot of other first-timers.” He grasped the front of his board with both hands, stretching out his back but turning his head so I could see his sly grin. “It seems you have a knack for that, doing things so much better than other first-timers.”
Smacking my palm on the water, I sent a spray of it his way while also trying not to fall off my board when I started to giggle. Giggling, Olive? Really? “You can’t say stuff like that.”
“Isn’t it a bit late to get shy with me now? Why can’t I say stuff like that?” He straightened up again, shrugging. “How did you manage that anyway? Staying a virgin until now?”
I rolled my lips into my mouth, chewing on both as I slicked my own hair back. Undoubtedly, I didn’t look like a commercial while doing it. Unless someone was making a commercial filled with wobbling, uncoordinated people. I could totally qualify for that one.
Once I’d regained my balance and was sitting a little more comfortably, trying not to imagine how much I might have looked like a sea turtle to any hungry sharks in the vicinity, I resigned myself to answering his question honestly. He was right, there was no point in getting shy now.
“I’ve always had the girls,” I said, staring off into distance at the people gathered on the beach. There weren’t so many of them, but they all looked so small regardless of the fact that we weren’t even in so deep. “They were enough for me, you know? I had companions in them, I never needed more, and I didn’t want to have to deal with any messy relationship issues.”
“And now they’re gone?” He looked right at me, jaw tighter than I would’ve thought it would be. “Is that why you were ready now? Just because your friends have moved on?”
Replaying my words in my head, I realized why he was suddenly suffering from masculine-tight-jaw syndrome. “No, I know that it must have sounded like that was what it was. It really wasn’t just because they’ve moved on that I randomly decided to start sleeping around or to screw someone just because I was bored. I swear, it’s not like that.”
I tipped my head back, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. My eyes were closed, and I stayed sitting that way. “The sun feels different here than it does in New York. I know how strange that sounds, but it’s true.”
“Okay?” When I opened my eyes and faced him again, one of his eyebrows lifted as the other dipped down in confusion. “What does that have to do with this?”
“Well, things started changing the day we arrived here. It wasn’t only because Heidi met Will. It was more than that, bigger than just them. Moving here has given me a new outlook on life. I think it did for all of us.”
As the words came out, it was like my brain remembered them from having said them before. I hadn’t spoken any of it out loud before, though. They were just true, and that was the power of truth. It wanted to come out, but speaking it was both the easiest and hardest thing that one could do.
“I’m the only one left who doesn’t know what I’m going to do, but I don’t regret moving here. I’m not sad that my friends have figured it out and I haven’t. I will too, eventually. Obviously, I move way slower than they do. My time will come.”
“And in the meantime?” Rylen was still looking into my eyes, staring even. “What do you do in the meantime?”
I shrugged, wobbling a little on the board. I grabbed the sides, forcing myself to steady before I went crashing into the water and maybe taking him with me. “In the meantime, I’m not going to obsess about things the way I used to. I’m going to keep exploring what this new outlook means, having new experiences and really living my life.”
A slow grin spread on his lips, crinkling the corners of his eyes and making his irises shine. “I like that plan. Mind if I tag along with the really living your life thing?”
“No.” I felt my own lips pulling up at the corners. “In fact, I wanted to thank you for spending the day with me. I’m sorry my surfing skills are subpar.”
He laughed, the sound bouncing and rolling off the water. “It’s no problem, we’ll get you there.”
“About that.” I dropped my gaze from his, seeing a sticker that had one corner starting to peel. My fingers sought it out almost automatically, picking at the edge. “I know you said you had the weekend off and that we could spend it together, but if you don’t want to, you don’t have to feel obligated to just because we … well, you know.”
“What?” Rylen scoffed, reaching out to touch my hand and gently stopping it from fidgeting with the sticker. He had the balance of a fucking Olympic gymnast to be able to do that without falling off, but at this point, nothing about him surprised me anymore. “Actually, I’m going to take you somewhere tomorrow. I’ve already got the weekend planned, so don’t even think about backing out now.”
“Where are we going?”
“Just pack an overnight bag, will you? You’re going to need it. It’s not necessary to pack too many fancy clothes, and you are not going to need ten pairs of shoes.”
I stuck my tongue out at him playfully, giving an exasperated sigh. “Do you even know me? But fine, since you’ve asked, I’ll only bring eight.”
Chapter 19
Rylen
The smell of barbecue was in the air when I arrived at Olive’s house on Friday, a plume of smoke coming from the neighbor’s yard. My stomach growled, but I ignored it. Soon enough, we were going to be feasting to our hearts’ content. I wasn’t going to sweat one barbecue. No matter how fucking amazing it smelled.
Lifting my hand, I hammered on her door. The sooner we got out of here, the sooner we would get to my big surprise. I’d seesawed these last couple of days, wondering if it was a bit much for where we were in our relationship.
In the end, I booked it because it felt right. It was something I had been wanting to do ever since I could afford to do it, and there was no one I’d rather share the experience with than Olive.
This was the first time I had taken so many consecutive days off, and I knew it had been a long time for her as well. That deserved a proper celebration, so society’s idea of it being too much too soon could go fuck itself.
Olive opened the door wearing a strapless turquoise sundress and those strappy sandals that look really confusing to put on until you realized that they only had one zipper down the back of each heel. A pair of giant sunglasses sat perched in her thick hair.
She glanced down at a dainty, dated watch on her wrist. “Wow, you’re literally right on time.”
“Occupational hazard.” I grinned, giving her a long and obvious once-over. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks.” She stepped away from the door. “Want to come in?”
“Regretfully, I have to decline.” If I did, that dress was coming off and we were so going to end up losing my deposit. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah, I think so.” She ducked behind the door, emerging a second later with her hand grasping a small wheeled suitcase. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” I took the suitcase from her, lowered the handle to carry it to my car, then turned to face Olive just before I set off down the stairs. “Lock up, you won’t be back this weekend.”
She arched an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes in thought before doing as I asked. She caught up with me just as I stowed her case in the trunk. “Are you so sure you can’t tell me where we’re going? Why all the cloak-and-dagger stuff?”
“I w
ould tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” I opened the passenger door for her. “Or you know, probably not kill you. I took an oath saying I wouldn’t do that, and I take it pretty seriously, but maybe I’d have to drug you or something.”
She rolled her pretty blue eyes, climbing into the car. “I’m sure that goes against your oath too. Isn’t the whole thing ‘do no harm’?”
I shrugged. “It wouldn’t be permanent.”
She opened her mouth, but I shut the door and jogged around to my side of the car. After getting in and finally navigating us onto the road, I glanced at her. “Kidding, I wouldn’t drug you either. You’ll see soon enough where we’re going. It’s a surprise.”
“I know you wouldn’t drug me; otherwise, I wouldn’t be in this car with you right now,” she argued, buckling up her seat belt. “Don’t you drug people every day, though?”
“I prescribe drugs that they need if and when they need them. Technically, it’s the anesthesiologist who drugs them every day.”
Olive lifted her shoulders in a shrug, then settled back in her seat. After a moment of quiet contemplation, she finally asked the question she had been chewing over. “What’s it like, holding a person’s life in your hands?”
The question called for a certain gravitas, so I gave it due consideration. I’d been asked a variation of that question so many times, but never had it been put so directly.
“It’s not easy. In fact, it’s fucking daunting. It was so intimidating at first that I second-guessed my decision to become what I did, but it’s something I’ve had to get used to.”
I took a moment to gather my thoughts. Olive didn’t interrupt me, listening intently to my answer. “I do the best I can every day to pay the necessary respect to the responsibility I have. I’ve been fortunate enough not to have lost a patient, but I know it’s a matter of time.”
She released a heavy breath, her voice honest and sincere. “I don’t know how you could do that for a living. I know someone’s got to do it, but that’s a massive weight to carry on your shoulders.”
Inclining my head, I acknowledged her words. “I just wanted to help people. I know there are other ways to do that, but this felt right to me.”
I knew the next logical question coming was “why.” Thankfully, we pulled into the port before she could get it out.
Olive gaped at the cruise ship beside us. “What are we doing here?”
I followed the markers for long-term parking, grinning at her after checking there was no one about to slam on their breaks in front of us. “We’re going on a cruise, that’s what. I hope you don’t get seasick.”
“I wouldn’t know.” She breathed, her voice not even a whisper as she twisted in her seat to keep watching the ship even as we headed into the parking lot. “I’ve never been on a cruise.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” I very nearly winked, but I figured we’d had this discussion and more talk about her first time was unnecessary unless she brought it up. “Don’t worry about time either. We’ll be back on Sunday morning, plenty of time for you to get ready for your big day at your new job.”
Olive let out a sound between a shriek and a squeal, bouncing in her seat while I found a spot and parked. A porter came and got our luggage, giving me the tag. I barely pocketed it before her hand was in mine and she was running toward the ship.
Chapter 20
Olive
“This is amazing.” My eyes were wider than they had ever been before, my head swiveling from side to side as I tried to take in the magnificence of the ship. “I’ve seen pictures of cruise ships, but I never imagined the grandeur of them if you’re standing on one.”
Rylen chuckled, but his gaze was darting around as much as mine was. “It’s something, isn’t it?”
“I’d say.” I honestly couldn’t believe I was standing on a vessel that could move instead of being in the lobby of a luxury hotel.
The atrium was massive, boasting sweeping spiral staircases with copper banisters that led from level to level. The tiles had intricate designs that were accentuated by natural light streaming in through windows and skylights.
There were people everywhere, and yet the space didn’t feel cramped. Neon lights could be seen in the multitude of corridors leading off the atrium, advertising restaurants, shops, and entertainment.
Smartly dressed servers walked around, offering welcome drinks to the passengers. Rylen plucked two glass of champagne from a tray, handing one over to me as he politely thanked the waiter.
I sipped from the flute, loving the feel of the bubbles sliding down my throat. At least this meant that my mouth was now closed. I was pretty sure it had been hanging open since the moment I’d realized what Rylen had planned for the weekend.
“This is incredible,” I said once I had swallowed my champagne. “I can’t believe it. It’s just…”
“You like it?” He grinned, casually sipping his drink as he watched me marvel at my surroundings.
I jabbed his ribs with my elbow. “Are you kidding? I don’t like. I love it.”
A satisfied smile spread on his lips, his arm coming around my shoulders. “I’m glad. I know you’ve been in Florida for a little over a year now and I wanted to bring you to do something you hadn’t done before.”
“Thank you.” I transferred my glass to my other hand, wrapping my arm around his waist as I soaked it all in. Rylen and I walked around, weaving between people awkwardly but not letting the other go.
When I saw a sign indicating the direction to go in to get to the water park, I blinked and reread it. “There’s a water park on this thing?”
He nodded. “It comes complete with high-speed racing slides with clear loops, pools, and a watercoaster. Awesome, right? I can’t wait to hit it later.”
“Clear loops?” I swallowed, nervous just thinking about it. Heights weren’t my friend.
Rylen was oblivious to my discomfort, excitedly explaining how it worked. “The loops are part of the high-speed slides. They extend over the one side of the ship, so when you look down it’s like you’re flying over the ocean.”
“That sounds terrifying.” I didn’t want to sound like a spoilsport, though. “But it’s definitely something I haven’t done before.”
“We’ll add it to the ‘New Olive’ list of experiences.” He gave my shoulders a little shake. “I hope you packed a sturdy swimsuit. Bikini tops tend to go flying on those things, not that I would mind if yours went flying, but I wouldn’t like it if it went flying in front of so many other people.”
“Jealous?” I looked up at him, a small smirk playing on my lips. I’d never had anyone be jealous about me before. I think I like it.
Unfortunately, thinking about what he might get jealous about, I realized why I’d had the feeling I’d forgotten something while I was packing. “Crap. I didn’t pack a swimsuit, sturdy or otherwise.”
“That’s okay, we’ll buy you one in the mall on the ship.” He shrugged. “Or maybe we’ll just get you a tracksuit to swim in, because yes. I think I may be a little jealous.” He held his thumb and forefinger about an inch apart and winked. “You know, just a little.”
I felt a smile spreading on my lips along with heat creeping onto my cheeks. “If I have to swim in a tracksuit, so do you.”
The thought of other women ogling Rylen, which they would, didn’t sit well with me. He wasn’t mine or anything, but it kind of felt like he was. Just for now.
He pursed his lips as he considered my suggestion, eventually relenting. “Fine, come on. Let’s go get checked in and then we can go get you a suit.”
Surprisingly, the checking-in process ran smoothly and efficiently despite the amount of people trying to do the same thing. Once we had the key to our cabin, Rylen led me through the throngs of people, and we headed toward the shops.
Quite a few of them sold swimwear, but the prices were exorbitant. Lifting the tag of a gorgeous turquoise tankini, I gaped and hung the thing back on the r
ack as carefully as if it had been spun from gold. “Wow. This is expensive. Maybe I really should consider swimming in clothes.”
“Nope.” Rylen popped his lips on the last syllable, adding the tankini to the collection he already had growing in one hand. “We’re getting you one. It’s on me. Are you ready to try them on?”
I came to a stop beside him, arching an eyebrow. “It’s on you? I don’t know how I can accept something else from you when you’ve already paid for all this.”
“You can accept it. Trust me, I can afford it. I’ve been saving money for a long time and I haven’t had much to spend it on. Besides, at risk of sounding like a total cliché, buying one of these for you to wear is more a gift for me than it is for you.”
I laughed, thinking he was joking until I saw the heat that had suddenly crept into his eyes. Having him looking at me like that was doing funny things to me too. I clenched the muscles in my thighs, suddenly eager to see what his reaction would be if I tried them all on for him.
“Okay, let’s go find the changing room.” I made an attempt at a come- hither look, which I thought was going to fall flat, but it worked.
Rylen nodded, grabbing my hand and holding it tighter than before as he practically dragged me to the back of the shop. Since the cruise hadn’t actually started yet, most people were still getting checked in and getting to their cabins.
We were the only people in the shop, so I chose the changing room right at the back on the row and motioned Rylen to a stool in the empty stall across from mine. He handed over the five options he’d chosen and wordlessly went to take a seat.
The first one was a simple black one-piece, but its legs were cut high and the back low. I put it on, gave myself a quick pep talk and then squared my shoulders, prepared to model items for a man for the very first time.
It was a heady feeling that made feminine power surge through me, watching his reaction to each suit. By the time I was in the last one, his hand was in his lap and I was ninety percent sure I saw him press his palm into a bulge in his pants.