Sunset Sail

by Shannyn Leah

  “So, if I were to say, cold, prickly, and snotty,” Grayson winked at Emma, but directed the words at Melissa.

  Melissa scoffed. “Aren’t you entertaining.”

  “Always.”

  She propped herself up. “Arrogant, pompous...” Melissa grinned deviously. “...and ejaculation...”

  Emma closed her eyes and groaned.

  Melissa chuckled.

  “Ms. Carter, are you hitting on me?” Grayson asked, but Emma could hear the tease in his tone.

  “You wish, darling.”

  “I’m rather grateful for the clarification you aren’t,” Grayson said.

  “That makes two of us,” Melissa said.

  “Now that we have your repulsion for each other cleared up, let’s move on,” Emma said.

  Grayson settled more into the lounger, folding one arm under his head and stretching the other one under her. He wasn’t satisfied until his arm was under her neck and his hand rested on her arm. This was not a friendly position...unless you were really friendly, which they absolutely were not.

  “Make yourself at home,” Emma said, sarcastically.

  “Alright, let’s play some naughty bingo,” he said. “I feel like I will conquer this game.” His whisper smelled of a mixture of mint and beer.

  Emma’s impulse was to jump up and secure a lounger far away from Grayson. They’d agreed on friends, but these close quarters were designed for couples. If he didn’t want to have another episode like in the gym, he shouldn’t be rubbing every muscle and groove against her. Lord, he felt good. He smelled good too. Why did this man always smell so good? Good enough to eat...or lick...from top to bottom. Her mouth watered at the thought.

  “Mounds,” Grayson said. “Bosom. Moist.”

  Then, like a slap across the face, there he was, distracted by the opposite sex.

  Emma slapped him, noticing how slippery his torso was. “Get your own lounger if you’re going to be getting a hard-on looking at women.”

  “Isn’t that how the game is played? And how would you know who I was looking at with your face purposely avoiding me?” he asked.

  Emma looked up at him then, and his eyes drifted down to her chest, followed by a wink.

  “Frisky,” Melissa said. “Flirt. Playboy.”

  “We are off limits,” Emma said. “No more naughty words about each other.”

  Grayson sighed. “Now you’ve taken all the fun out of it. Fine...” He put his sunglasses back on. “Six o’clock, banana hammock.”

  Ewww, gross.

  “Three o’clock Micah’s camera,” Melissa said, as a flash went off at Emma and Grayson.

  Great, just great.

  Chapter Sixteen

  GRAYSON SIPPED HIS beer, listening to Emma talk about the last few days. For someone who didn’t take center stage, tonight, she was doing just that, entertaining the table with her adventurous stories. Izzy commented here or there, but Emma had the floor this evening, and her sole topic was their day on the kid’s level.

  He breathed a refreshed breath of air, when the thought of the arcade didn’t bog his mind and soil his heart. His mom was still there, the conflict, his young boy regret, but now, memories of the afternoon with Emma overrode all else, leaving him content. It was a good feeling.

  A feeling.

  Grayson was surprised at all the new unexplainable feelings he’d been experiencing this week. Back on shore, living in his condo, or traveling, his life seemed to be a routine of bland work and play. These cruises, always the same thing...until this cruise...until Emma. She destroyed his routine, changed his idea of fun and left him wondering: what’s next.

  The Kidsplex was a good example. He hadn’t expected Emma to have as much fun as she had, but her stories now showed she certainly had. He hadn’t even thought she would step off the elevator when it opened. But she’d done it, and, by the enthusiastic way Emma was telling stories, she’d enjoyed it too.

  Then there was the naughty bingo.

  He chuckled against the neck of his beer bottle, before taking a drink.

  Naughty bingo.

  He wondered which crazy Caliendo had created that game. He didn’t suspect Emma, but there was a lot about her he didn’t know. If she had, he wouldn’t be all that surprised. Each hour spent together, unravelled additional layers about her. Heaps of layers that, at a first glance, you wouldn’t expect. She was adventurous first in line for the activities that gave the Cohen cruise line its adventure reputation: rock climbing, the skydiving stimulator, or the sky ride pod. She was a bundle of enthusiasm.

  “Wait,” Linda said now, cutting into Emma’s story about the ice cream pancake buffet. “You and Grayson spent the day on the Kidsplex?”

  Emma laughed. “I know. That was what I first thought. The kid’s level? Really? But, surprisingly it’s more fun than you assume, as an adult.” Emma smiled at Grayson, before resuming her story, but leaving out the movie the few moments of genuineness, remained their private secret.

  Grayson felt Linda watching him and was unable to resist looking. Sure enough, she had a wide, approving smile waiting for him. He hadn’t expected to suggest the kid’s level that morning. There were dozens of fun things to do on the cruise far away from that level. As much as he didn’t understand why he had chosen it, why with Emma, he was glad he had. A part of him had lifted since the elevator door shut and he didn’t have the same fear of it opening on that level again.

  Tonight, Micah and Casey sat with them for dinner and Grayson could see the wheels spinning in their heads, trying to determine what they would take out of the stories and what they would pass up.

  When supper finished, the entire group headed to the casino. Hours passed, drinks disappeared, food consumed, money was won, and lost...a lot of money lost. Slowly the group depleted, and soon it was only Grayson and Emma left at a blackjack table. They were good as friends. They’d also stopped the hand caressing, moment stealing, chick-flick movie sort of stuff...and Grayson found himself missing it.

  Grayson shook his head and concentrated on Emma playing her last round, or so she’d promised when placing her bet...for the third time.

  A disappointed sound came from her when she lost. She scooted off the chair as she watched her chips being dragged away.

  She grinned at him. “I lost.”

  He grinned back. “I see that.”

  She slipped her arm in his as they headed toward the exit. “So Mr. Cohen, where are you taking me tonight?”

  He shrugged. “Where do you want to go?”

  “Not to another club. No more dancing. I will pass on a bar. I think the Kidsplex is closed. So, what do you have left for me?”

  He grinned. “I have the perfect place.”

  EMMA STEPPED INTO THE cruise’s library. A large wooden table, with matching chairs, sat as the focal point in the center of the room. Beige moulding on the walls corresponded with the bucket chairs sitting with round tables. The place was devoid of people, just her and Grayson.

  She grinned at him. “You want to spend your evening in the library?”

  “Darlin’, you wanted quiet. This is quiet. Besides, I miss the little bookworm in you.”

  “Last time we discussed a library, you thought you were getting lucky.”

  “Not my intention.” He crossed his hand over his chest. “Scout’s honor.” Grayson winked at her before settling on the lush black sectional sofa. He folded one arm behind his head and stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles.

  Emma spent a good ten, maybe twenty minutes reading the titles in one of the two floor-to-ceiling, cherry wood bookcases, wrapped around the corners of the room, before she decided on one and turned to face him.

  His eyes were closed.

  Emma stopped and stared.

  She’d wanted to simply look at him for days, but with Micah and Casey peeking around with their cameras, and the girls on high alert, assuming she was going to fall for the Cohen charm, she hadn’t had a chan
ce.

  Why did she want to stare at Grayson?

  His long black lashes swept against his tanned skin. With no conniving smile, or mischievous eyes, his face look softer, sweeter...just like the man he’d been the last few days. He was still an attraction magnet, there was no denying it and he was still a jackass, of course. An arrogant ladies’ man...but now he was more.

  “Having a nice peek?” One of Grayson’s eyes squinted open before she could look away.

  Busted.

  And there in the depths of his green eyes was mischief.

  “I was considering whether to wake you or leave you here, alone,” she said dryly.

  He closed his eyes and grunted. “You were checking out the goods.”

  “Overconfident, smug, immature.” They’d been playing naughty bingo on and off since that day on the deck.

  “Staring, drooling, aroused,” Grayson said back.

  Emma slapped his leg with the book as she walked past and sat cross legged on the opposite end of the couch.

  “What did you choose?” he asked, eyes still closed.

  “Why? Are you going to read it to me?”

  His eyes popped open. “Sure.” He held his hand out.

  Emma eyed him. “If you’re only going to tease me about what I’ve chosen, I would rather not hand it to you.”

  He shook his hand. “I won’t. Scout’s honor.”

  Emma laughed. “I’ve heard that one before and I’m pretty sure I will have a scar to prove it.”

  Grayson chuckled. “Come over here and sit with me.” He patted the seat beside him. “I will read.”

  Emma wasn’t sure what kind of invitation this was. An invitation to read? Or an invitation to the very thing haunting her dreams: him.

  It wasn’t hard to dream about him, falling sleep after he had walked her and the girls back to the cabin, or crawling under the sheets following an evening spent on the balcony, knowing he was on the other side. Call it stalking, curiosity, or just her simply wanting to learn more about him. Sometimes, she hoped he would hop over and visit her again. Sure, it was dangerous and not allowed, but she couldn’t get enough of him. Instead, they’d leaned over the balcony, some nights talking, others quietly enjoying the company. It was moments like this, alone and close, that she feared, and had been avoiding. Agreeing to be friends was easy enough, but when every glance across a room, or shared look at the dinner table, was filled with so much lust, it was hard to think about anything else.

  Emma scooted slowly beside him.

  “I don’t bite,” he said.

  “I swear you have a dictionary of the worst pick-up lines in your head.”

  He chuckled. “If I was trying to pick you up, I would say I bite a little, and nibble a lot.”

  Heat flanked her body, curled her toes, and warmed her face. “Luckily, you’ve made it clear you won’t tarnish this little virgin.”

  Grayson’s eyes darkened. “You tease.”

  What was she doing? She was throwing herself into the wolf’s den by baiting a very hungry, lone wolf.

  She held the book out and he gripped her hand before taking it. “If we spent even one night together, all this would be gone. You would spend the rest of the cruise avoiding me.”

  “And you...what would you do?”

  His eyes fell shut and his chest lifted with a deep breath. “I would spend the rest of the cruise wanting you again.”

  Emma inhaled sharply.

  Grayson kissed her hand, before taking the book and relaxing back on the couch.

  Was that an invitation?

  He looked at the book cover and cocked an eye at her. “Through the looking glass?”

  Emma was too flustered to hit him, or reach for the book. Was he waiting for her to make the move? Did she want to make a move and disrupt the friendship growing between them? What kind of friendship was it anyway? Once they parted from this cruise, they would only see each other at events and galas. It wasn’t like they lived in the same town, or worked in the same building.

  “I’m all about a jabberwocky,” Grayson said.

  How was he thinking about books at a time like this?

  AS HE WALKED EMMA TO her room, Grayson found himself not wanting the night to end. Behind his door was an empty, lonely room. It was well past three in the morning and sleep beckoned, but still the bed would be lonely. His eyes would stay wide awake for hours and the only person he would be thinking about was her. A repeat of the last three nights.

  “I had fun tonight,” Emma said, as they stepped off the elevator.

  “Me, too.” He’d had a lot of fun, and now he didn’t want it to end.

  Emma waited until they were in front of her door to talk. “I’m going to do my favorite thing tomorrow, and I was wondering if you wanted to join me?”

  She had no idea how much he liked the sound of that.

  “And that is?”

  “I guess you will have to meet me at lunch to find out.”

  He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  Emma touched his face, stopping it at her side. Her fingers traveled up into his hair. Her mouth found his cheek and a slow kiss lingered.

  “I want more,” her raspy whisper stilled him.

  He wanted more, too.

  His hand rested on her curved hip and he inhaled so deeply, trying to resist her, that his nostrils stung.

  “Will you do me a favor?” she asked.

  As if he could say no with her so close.

  “You were afraid I didn’t know what I was getting into that day at the gym. Maybe I didn’t. But I do now.” She sighed in his ear. “You’re a no strings attached type of guy. I get it.”

  Did she?

  “Nights are hard, Grayson. This longing for you is draining me.”

  She had no idea.

  “Would you consider, friends...with benefits?”

  His knees weakened.

  “Don’t answer now. My favor is, if you aren’t willing to do friends with benefits, don’t meet me on the kid’s level for lunch, and I will never bring it up again. I promise. But, if you want to explore friends with benefits for the rest of the trip...” Emma licked his ear, bit the lobe and pulled. “Meet me there. That will be my answer.”

  Emma let him go and stepped back against her door. “Goodnight Grayson.”

  He wanted to swallow her lips and carry her inside the cabin, but he needed to think about what she offered.

  “Goodnight Emma.” He didn’t dare kiss her cheek again and didn’t allow himself to think about her offer until he was securely behind his own closed door.

  Before he could change his mind and return to her door, he shed his shoes, pulled off his shirt off, poured himself a double and headed straight upstairs to the shower.

  Stripping off the rest of his clothes, he stepped under the water, letting the pressure pelt against his back.

  Friends with benefits? Could it work?

  He’d never been friends with a woman and never had a fling last longer than one night. Grayson wasn’t sure what the code was for friends with benefits. If they were both willing, not bringing their feelings into the fling and could walk off this ship without getting hurt, a fling sounded perfect. As long as Emma only felt lust for him, and wouldn’t confuse it with love. Grayson wasn’t a one woman man, just like his father. He couldn’t be responsible for the look of pain on another woman’s face. He wouldn’t.

  Friends with benefits gave them the best of both worlds and if only for the cruise...wasn’t that better than never?

  Chapter Seventeen

  EMMA SKIPPED BREAKFAST and lunch. By the time she was supposed to meet Grayson at the Kidsplex, she’d worked herself into a panic.

  What if he didn’t show? Could she smile at him and be friends later? What if he did show? Could she smile and be friends with him after they were intimate?

  In her head, there was no victory, but her body pushed her alone with confidence, somewhat, down the elevator,
and giving her the extra push onto the kid’s level.

  Lunch hour proved to be as chaotic as the voices in her head, loud and ferocious, but it could be the result of her thundering heart.

  She checked the time. Twelve on the dot and Grayson was nowhere in sight. Her heart sunk in her chest.

  Should she wait?

  Five minutes.

  Yes, five minutes, and then she would retreat to her cabin for the rest of the cruise.

  What was worse than being rejected by Grayson? Being rejected by him twice. She could write a best-selling book about the humiliation she’d endured.

  Would he model for her cover? His fit physique might very well be the selling point.

  Five minutes.

  Five seconds later, she caught sight of him across the room, leaning his hip against the railing of the bumper cars. The crowd parted slightly, and there he was, watching her, grinning...waiting.

  Emma’s heart went wild in her chest.

  He looked damn sexy. She’d spent a mortifying amount of time in her own closet that morning, finally deciding on a plain white cotton dress. She wouldn’t deem it “sexy” and wasn’t overly revealing, but it loosely hugged her body and showed her bare shoulders.

  But...Grayson. How long had he rummaged in his closet to find the white shorts and grey blue, short-sleeved shirt? Not long, she figured. But his everyday look made him appear kissable, touchable, and magazine model gorgeous.

  Grayson casually pushed off the metal railing and started walking toward her. She met him in the middle of the room and everything around them disappeared.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hi,” he said back.

  “I didn’t think you were going to show up,” she breathed out, instantly embarrassed by her low confidence.

  Grayson rubbed the side of her face, and her head melted against his fingers. She couldn’t wait for those fingers to dip lower on her body.

  “Do you promise you aren’t going to get hurt?” he asked. “You understand that I’m offering nothing long term. You are in this for lust, Emma, not love.”