“Do you think he recognizes me?” Gabriela whispered. She prayed not. Then he glanced up, gave her a tentative smile and a wave.
“Uh, yeah, I think he does.” Lola waved back at him, grinning like a madwoman.
“Why is he waving?” Felicia said, leaning into the two of them.
“He must like Lola,” Gabriela said, even though she worried about what she’d say to him. After all, he’d texted and called a few times, but Gabriela hadn’t made it a priority to get back to him. She’d just hoped he’d get the message she wasn’t interested before she’d had to dream up a ridiculous excuse like a sick imaginary cat.
As she worried about how to avoid Carson, she glanced up to see Sebastian at the end of the dock. She stiffened. What was he doing there? She’d told him not to come. She slowly sat up, lowering her sunglasses, hoping somehow it was a trick of the light. But there he was, wearing a T-shirt that hugged all his muscles, worn untucked beneath sleek swim trunks with gray pinstripes, his muscular legs working as he hopped onto the boat in one leap.
“Oh, no. It’s Swipe Left.” Felicia barely got the words out before the man himself was standing in front of them, grinning.
“Ladies,” he said, nodding at each of them, his gaze lingering on Gabriela. He winked at her. Actually winked, in front of Lola and everyone.
“Uh, hey... Gabbie?” Carson was suddenly standing beside Sebastian, who for the first time clocked the blond, muscled Viking next to him.
“Uh... Hi.” Gabriela pushed up her sunglasses, quickly wishing that somehow they made her invisible. Sebastian, who was taller than Carson, stood a little straighter and frowned.
“How you been?”
“Uh, good. You?”
“I’m Sebastian.” He thrust out a big hand and shook Carson’s hard. He held it a beat too long.
“Carson. I’m the First Mate on the Royal Harmony. Just here to make sure the excursion goes smoothly for all our passengers.”
The two men sized each other up.
Oh, lord. This was all going south and fast. Gabriela glanced up at the sky. How on earth could two hookups meet on a tour boat in the middle of the ocean? She shook her head. Only her luck. “How do you two know each other?”
“We met in New York,” Carson said, and a bright grin flashed across his face.
“Right.” Gabriela was less than enthused.
“Well...uh, I need to go check in with the captain, but nice to see you, Gabbie.” Carson grinned and scooted away from them.
“Gabbie?” questioned Sebastian.
“Gabbie? Since when?” cackled Liv. Felicia, however, just pressed her lips together in a thin line, unimpressed.
“We just met him in a bar,” Lola said. “On that trip a couple of years ago I made to New York. No big deal. He bought us drinks.”
“Bought you drinks?” Now Sebastian was completely focused on Gabriela. Was he...jealous? Surely not. Sebastian had a new woman on his Instagram feed practically every weekend. So she’d made out with one Thor look-alike. So what? Besides, she was the one who should be mad. She asked him not to come on this little trip and now here he was, crashing the party.
“He didn’t seem to remember you, Lola,” Felicia pointed out.
“Well, I wasn’t the one who—” Lola began.
Gabriela jabbed Lola in the arm.
Lola quickly swallowed the end of her sentence. “I mean, er, he talked to Gabriela more.”
“Gabbie, you mean.” Liv broke out into laughter again. “Gabbie! Now we have a new nickname for you. You know, I’m beginning to think maybe we don’t know you as well as we thought. A hookup last night and now...Carson!”
Gabriela held up her hands. “Look, it’s no big deal.”
Sebastian hadn’t said a word. He was busy keeping an eye on the retreating figure of Carson as he headed to the wheelhouse to talk to the captain of the excursion boat. Seconds later the engine roared to life and the deck beneath them rumbled as the boat began its journey away from the dock, the wide-open water ahead. She was now trapped on a boat with Sebastian—and Carson—for the next two hours. Fan-freakin’-tastic.
On the other side of the boat, Marco beckoned Sebastian over.
“If you’ll excuse me.” Sebastian walked over to the other end of the boat and Gabriela watched him give Marco a high five.
She felt her blood pressure rise. She’d definitely told him not to come. She’d told him to give her some space and yet there he was. She watched as he sidled over to Carson, drumming up some small talk. Ugh. What on earth were they talking about? She prayed not her. This whole little excursion was a complete disaster.
Gabriela stared as Sebastian whipped off his thin T-shirt, exposing his muscular chest to the sun, his muscles flexing as he tossed the discarded shirt onto an empty chair.
“He might be Swipe Left, but damn that man has abs that don’t quit,” Felicia murmured.
“He’s still poison,” Liv said, but the way she was looking at him told Gabriela she was admiring the view all the same.
Felicia seemed to notice that Gabriela was being unusually quiet. “Right, Gabriela?”
“What?” Gabriela wasn’t really listening. She was too busy worrying about whether Sebastian planned to blow her cover. Or planned to grill Carson for details about New York. Either option was horrible.
“She’s too busy staring at Carson’s ass. Damn, girl. Did you hit that?” Felicia studied her with what seemed to be admiration.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Pffft. Why the hell not?”
A million reasons, she wanted to say. One of which was the fact that a lack of intelligence was just a huge turnoff. It just always had been for Gabriela. She needed someone who could challenge her in all ways, not just physically.
“Uh, he’s not much of a conversationalist.”
“Well, hell, honey, for what I’d do to him, talking’s not required.” Felicia cackled at her own joke, but Gabriela was barely listening. She was watching Sebastian and Carson deep in some conversation. This was not good.
Suddenly the music on deck seemed to get louder. The thump of the bass of a new song rattled their chairs.
“Oh, I like this song,” Lola cried.
“Me, too!” Liv cried and began a little dance, still sitting in her chair.
Gabriela stared at Sebastian as he slathered on some sunscreen, acutely aware that as he rubbed in the lotion, his abs shone in the sunlight. Why did Sebastian have to be so gorgeous? How was she supposed to say no to one more night exploring that wonderland of a body? She wasn’t sure she’d be able to say no. What was wrong with her? One night with Sebastian Lott and now she was like his lapdog, unable to think for herself?
Then again, would one night really hurt? She watched as he kicked off his flip-flops and sat in one of the plastic lounge chairs on the deck. He was talking to Marco, laughing at something the groom said. Sun glinted off his gold-rimmed glasses. Seriously, he should be in movies, not litigating corporate cases. He glanced her way and she froze as a slow smile spread across his face. He was enjoying making her uncomfortable, that much she knew. She watched as he leaned over and told Marco something she couldn’t hear. Was he telling his friend about their wild night? Did Marco already know because he’d seen them?
Why had she even gone to his bedroom in the first place? This was turning into a ridiculous headache.
He moved to head downstairs. She got up to follow him.
“Bathrooms downstairs, right?” she asked.
“Dunno,” Lola said.
“I’m going to go check,” she said as she adjusted her bikini top. She wasn’t going to bother slinging on her cover-up. She’d have to face him in her yellow string bikini. She jammed her feet into her flip-flops and headed down the small, single staircase to the floor below. Lined with four or so benches, with ope
n windows to the sea, there was a small snack bar at the back. Sebastian was already there, ordering drinks. Gabriela marched over.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Trying to get a beer if the bartender ever shows up,” he quipped dryly before he turned around. He gave her thin swimsuit a slow sweep and a low whistle. “You look good enough to eat. I love a woman who knows how to own a bikini.”
“You agreed not to come today.” She tapped an impatient foot on the deck. The engine purred somewhere beneath the floor as the boat made its way out to sea.
“Nope,” he said and shook his head slowly. “You told me not to come, but I never said whether I was or wasn’t.” He grinned slyly and she felt her blood pressure rise. “And now I see why you didn’t want me here. What? Would I get in the way of time with Carson?”
“What? No!”
“Really? It just seems convenient you don’t want me here and a Spark buddy of yours happens to be here.” He gazed at her, his eyes deadly serious. “You think I don’t know about games?”
“I’m not playing any. I didn’t know he’d be here.” This was the absolute truth. And she wished he wasn’t.
“You didn’t check your app? It tells you when one of your matches is nearby. Surely you knew he was on board. Heck, maybe you even told Lola to pick this boat so that you two could meet up again.”
“No. Absolutely not.” Was Sebastian crazy? “Have you been checking your app? I bet you have a hundred hookups on the ship alone. I mean, look at your Instagram account.”
“You’ve been stalking me?” He quirked an amused eyebrow.
“No, I haven’t.”
“You’ve been checking out my Instagram page, though. That’s cyberstalking.” Sebastian leaned back on the bar and grinned as he crossed his fit arms at his wide chest.
“I’m not cyberstalking! Ugh. You’re impossible.” She exhaled a frustrated breath and swept her hair out of her eyes. The man was impossible. “Look, I didn’t want you here because I don’t want anybody to know...”
“That we hooked up.”
“Yes.”
His eyes sparkled. “And that we’re going to hook up again. Tonight.”
“I never said...”
“You didn’t have to say.” He moved closer and she could smell his scent, something musky and a little bit sweet. “I can read your body, baby.”
“You can’t say anything to anyone.”
“Why? Think Carson will get jealous?”
She craned her neck to meet his gaze. Lord, the man was tall. “I don’t care if he’s jealous. Carson isn’t my type.”
“No? Why not?”
“Let’s just say talking isn’t his forte.”
“Dumb as a box of hair, huh?” Sebastian tilted his head back and laughed. “Been there, regretted that. So you’re saying you don’t have plans with him tonight?” If he wasn’t so handsome, she’d want to punch him.
“No, I don’t have plans with him. Tonight or any night.”
Sebastian studied her a moment. “Good,” he said, voice even.
“So you promise, then. Not to say anything?”
“About your plans to break Carson’s heart?” He blinked quickly, playing innocent.
“No. You know what.”
The bartender arrived, scurrying behind the bar with a big bag of ice. He was clad in a neon-orange hat and wearing the tour boat’s T-shirt. “Sorry about that. What can I get you?”
“Would you like a beer?” Sebastian asked.
“I can buy my own.” Gabriela lifted her chin. She could theoretically buy her own, except her wallet was upstairs near her towel.
“I’m sure you can. I’m sure you’ve got money hidden somewhere.” He nodded at her bikini. “But how about the first round on me?” He glanced at the bartender. “How about two light beers?”
“Two coming up.” The bartender slipped two bottles onto the bar, popping the tops of each one. Sebastian slid one of the bottles closer to her. She hesitated but then took it. She’d need a beer to deal with this frustrating hulk of man.
Sebastian slapped down a twenty-dollar bill and then swiped one bottle, taking a long swig.
“So, please. Promise me you won’t talk about us.”
“So there’s an us now?” Sebastian asked. “I thought it was just one night. You made that clear.”
“You know what I mean.” Gabriela glanced at the beer.
“To us,” Sebastian said, offering up his bottle.
“No, to no one finding out,” she stressed, clinking her bottle to his and then taking a gulp. The ice-cold fizz washed down her throat.
Sebastian watched her slyly as he took a long sip. “You know, you’re beautiful when you’re hopelessly embarrassed by me.”
“I’m not...” She let out a loud sigh. “Seriously, you have to promise not to say anything. Will you promise?”
“Hmm...let me think.” Sebastian considered this a moment, rubbing his chin in mock exaggeration. “No.”
“Sebastian!” Gabriela slapped him across the elbow. “Seriously. You have to promise.”
“No, I don’t. I never signed a kiss-and-don’t-tell contract.” He took another drink.
“Please. Sebastian.” She tugged at his arm. She had to get him to promise.
“Why are you so insistent? Why? This can’t just be about Felicia.”
Gabriela didn’t have a good answer for him. She didn’t even know herself why she was so determined that no one find out about her and Sebastian. Why not? Why wouldn’t she want to lord that over Felicia? Then again, she knew why. Because she was better than that and because this weekend was supposed to be about the wedding.
“I don’t want to ruin Lola’s day.”
“Why would you being with me ruin Lola’s big day?” Sebastian stared at her and for a second she lost all ability to debate.
“Because...the drama...”
“There’s only drama if you let there be drama.”
Sebastian was making a whole lot of sense. Yet why was he pushing so hard? Was this just part of his fall-hard routine?
“Why are you determined not to see me again?” he asked her.
Gabriela searched for an answer but couldn’t find one. Okay, so maybe it wouldn’t ruin Lola’s day. Or it might, if Felicia went crazy and tried to throw Gabriela overboard. Or maybe this was really just about Gabriela being embarrassed that she’d spent the last ten years warning people to stay away from Sebastian Lott and then the one single time he’d thrown her a tiny bit of attention, she’d jumped out of her panties. But she couldn’t tell him that.
Sebastian took another swig of his beer. “Tell you what,” he said, placing the bottle on the counter. “How about we go into that little bathroom right there—” he looked toward the door marked with the men and women sign “—and I show you why you would want to see me again.”
Gabriela giggled, anxious. “Here? Now? Everyone’s up on deck!”
“Right. Not down here.” He flashed her a devious grin. “Even the bartender’s left.” He nodded over the bar and Gabriela realized that he had disappeared somewhere. They were all alone. “Just one kiss,” he promised.
“One kiss?”
“One kiss.” He led her to the door of the bathroom. Was she really going in there? She damn well knew it wasn’t just going to be a kiss.
“If I go in there with you,” she said, “you have to promise not to say anything about...about us.”
Sebastian held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor,” he promised as he flung open the door. The tiny bathroom was hardly bigger than an airplane lavatory, but as he pulled her in, he kissed her deeply and suddenly she didn’t care. His hands slipped down her bare back and then cupped her through the thin fabric of her swimsuit. She gasped, forgetting how insistent his hands could b
e, how well they knew their job, as she pressed herself into him, her tongue lapping at his mouth. God, the man tasted so good. She wanted more of him, not less. Her whole being lit up responding to his touch and she felt like her whole body was a puddle of white-hot need. She couldn’t help herself as she threw one leg upward and he grabbed it, holding her just under the knee, pressing his length into her, the only barrier between them their swimsuits.
All coherent thought flew from her mind as well as the distant warning bells. They could be discovered—the whole wedding party was above them, the distant din of the party music playing. Any one of them could come downstairs at any time. She pulled away from him, panting.
“There,” she said. “You had your kiss.”
“That’s not the kind of kiss I wanted.” He masterfully tugged at the corner of her string bikini and the entire bottom peeled off to one side. His fingers slipped in deftly, finding her wet and willing. She gasped even as he lifted her and set her on the small edge of the sink. Then he dipped down, his head between her legs. “This is what I meant by a kiss.”
Gabriela thought her mind would explode from pleasure. It was the only way to describe what was happening to her in that moment, with Sebastian between her thighs, gently exploring her with his tongue. She couldn’t believe it was happening, here, just feet away from the rest of their friends. She knew neither Felicia nor Liv would believe it. Not that she’d ever want them to know.
She grasped Sebastian’s shoulders, her whole body on fire. This was different from last night. How many techniques did the man have? Clearly his hands weren’t the only things with talent. And if she had to be honest, she was frankly shocked he was so...giving. Given his old reputation, she would’ve assumed he’d be the one demanding satisfaction.
He worked her faster, his tongue wet and warm and everywhere she needed it to be. She couldn’t help herself as she arched her back, pressing into him, wanting more, ever more. Her body was one taut nerve, pulling ever tighter, ever harder. She could feel herself swell with want, with need. She glanced down and saw him looking at her, happily lapping her. She’d never before been with a man so eager to devour her like this. It made her mind spin.
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