The Companion Love Trap: A Fake Dating Vacation Rom-Com

Chapter 13

Kieran’s bodyshook with what I assumed were nerves as we neared the dining room. With my hand clutched around his arm, I could feel every tiny vibration. You’d think he was headed for the gallows instead of dinner with the level of fear that engulfed him with each step. My heart ached for him in a way I wasn’t used to, empathy pouring from my touch as I attempted to soothe his worries, but feeling like I was failing miserably.

Shit. What would a girlfriend do?

“It’s going to be fine,” I affirmed, squeezing his bicep and smoothing my hand over his dinner jacket. “I’ve gone to dinners like this a million times before. I’ll help you navigate the passive-aggressive bullshit.”

Kieran gave me a soft smile as I continued to pet his arm. He’d gone with a classic look for the first dinner with a white dress shirt and black jacket, matching his slacks and shoes.

I, on the other hand, had gone for a bit of liveliness in a sunny yellow dress that flowed around me. It had been one of my favorites that Ferro had made. Though now I wondered if we resembled a bee? Focus, Everly. You’re meant to soothe him, not become nervous yourself!

Jace had gone ahead to meet Cruz so he could be added to our table, so I didn’t know what either of them wore. I had to admit I was excited to see what they ended up in since both men were more casual in their everyday styles.

Yeah, because that’s the only thing you’re excited about. It’s not like you haven’t been thinking about all three of these delicious men while you were getting dressed, and all the things they said. And didn’t say. How you secretly loved that Cruz followed you here, forcing you to confront—Okay that was enough of you for now.

Companion Rule #8—suck it up buttercup. You still had a job to do.

Stepping into the main dining room, I took in the other guests as they sat around their tables. It felt like everyone had stopped to stare at us. The room was extravagant with gold filigree and lush floral arrangements decorating the space. It looked like every other high-end restaurant, from the people gathered to the food being served. Yuck. Looked like I’d be hitting the all-hours buffet and dessert bar later.

“Mr. Byrne and Ms. Carlisle, right this way,” the maitre’d stated, directing us to our table.

It had surprised me at first how they knew our name. But considering the amount Kieran paid for the staterooms and usage of the ship for his presentations, I’d bet they had his picture stapled to a wall somewhere with the words ‘exclusive guest’ under it.

We walked around tables, men and women of various ages filling the space. Surprisingly, there weren’t any children present, and I wasn”t sure if it was because of the dinner time we had, or if it was adults only. That would be good to know.

Not surprisingly, the men were dressed similarly to Kieran, some with or without a tie. And the women were decked out in dresses, some more formal than others. Thankfully, mine was right in the middle, not putting me at the bottom or over the top. I had to admit, Jace knew exactly what to select. I wouldn’t tell him though; the man was smug enough already.

“Dane and Harden will be your waiters while on board the Brilliance. Please let them know if you need anything. Enjoy your meal.”

The man stepped away, and our table came into view. Cruz and Jace had stood at our arrival, and I momentarily forgot to breathe. Cruz wore an all-black suit, his jacket shiny like the fabric had a sheen to it. His shirt was open at the collar, his dark skin gave the hint of chest hair peeking out at the top. He’d worn his dark hair down and pushed behind his ears. The curls and length had been unknown to me until right this moment, stunning me into silence. He had to know how incredible his hair was and kept it up to stave off the jealousy of women everywhere. Like damn, it was gorgeous. I had a sudden, intense urge to run my fingers through it.

“You look breathtaking, Firecracker,” Jace said, stepping up to kiss my cheek. I took the chance to take him in, finding him just as mouthwatering in a navy blue jacket, white shirt, and navy slacks. His auburn hair shimmered under the lights, the swoop in the front so perfect I wanted to mess it up with my fingers. In my daze, Kieran directed me to my chair, scooting me in like a gentleman.

He sat beside me, giving me a few seconds to recover from ovary overload. I’d never been happier to have an IUD than I was right then. If I had to worry about taking a pill, I was pretty sure my ovaries would reject it and get themselves pregnant. It would be a fertilization riot, leaving me with the repercussions.

Images of how cute a baby would be with any of the three men’s features popped into my head, my lady parts doubling down full force.

Retreat! Retreat! Flirty and thirty! Not thirsty and birthy.

“Everly, I’d like you to meet a few of our investors. You’ve already met Mrs. Combs. This is her husband, Barry.” I nodded my head, Mrs. Combs giving me a smile in greeting. “And our other two this evening are Mr. and Mrs. Huber. Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Everly.”

Kieran spoke with confidence, but I could still feel him shaking next to me. It made me instantly worried how much he pushed himself to be what other people expected of himself, and understanding even more why he tended to appear so unapproachable. If it took this much energy, he’d be a husk of a person. I smoothed my hand on his thigh and felt him relax instantly.

“It’s lovely to meet you,” I said, smiling as I took in the new faces. The Hubers didn’t appear to like me, returning to their conversation after a brief dismissal. Barry Combs at least seemed kind, and I liked him more than the other two.

“Each night, there will be different guests at our table so that they all get to dine with Kieran,” Jace whispered, his breath eliciting goosebumps. His hand lingered on my thigh under the table, and I gulped as I tried to slow my racing heart. Do not get turned on at the table. Do not!

Before I could ask any questions, the servers introduced themselves and saved me from letting out a moan as Jace’s hand continued to run over my skin, using the slit in the dress to his advantage.

Dane had a friendly smile and shared that this was his tenth cruise. He was originally from Croatia and loved traveling and meeting new people. Harden was more subdued, giving off a mysterious vibe, informing us this was his sixth cruise and that he hailed from a small village in Brazil.

That intrigued Cruz, who immediately began speaking in Portuguese with him. Harden transformed into a different person when he spoke in his native tongue. I didn’t know what they said, but I enjoyed listening to them. And if the slickness developing below was anything to go by, it was having an effect on me.

The table held small conversations as the first course was brought out, with people talking to those nearest them. Since both Jace and Kieran had been pulled into discussions with the person on their other side, I observed and listened as I oriented myself to the experience. There were so many things going on that I both loved and hated it. I wanted to watch all the other servers, intrigued by how they interacted with their tables, some putting on more of a show than others. But I also wanted to hear what was said at ours. Eventually, I gave up, unable to attend or follow anyone with any actual concentration.

“Everly, how did you and Kieran meet?” Mrs. Combs asked around the fourth course, pulling me from my battle with Jace’s hand and Cruz’s eyes that were practically undressing me. I’d believe he had x-ray vision at this point.

“We met through Jace at Howlers,” I said, smiling. Jace’s hand tensed on my thigh, but I focused on the woman across from me. “I couldn’t take my eyes off him,” I gushed, turning and kissing Kieran’s cheek. He blushed but wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“And what do you do?” Mr. Huber asked, giving me a shrewd look as he took a bite. He’d become more interested in me as the dinner passed. Or at least more interested in hating me since all of his looks had been heavy in derision since course two.

“I don’t see how that’s your business,” Kieran interrupted, shocking me. He stared across the table at Mr. Huber, not dropping eye contact as he challenged the man. My heart flopped in my chest at his protection. Placing my hand on his leg, I squeezed and left it there as I turned back to the table.

“I’m a consultant,” I said, the job title coming to me. It wasn’t wrong. I did consult on a lot of jobs. They didn’t need to know I didn’t keep them long.

Mr. Huber narrowed his eyes further but didn’t ask any follow-up questions. Jace steered the conversation in a different direction as he told about a recent photo shoot where the models wore feathers and rolled around in chocolate syrup. The table was laughing within minutes, the tense showdown between Kieran and Mr. Huber forgotten. I kept my hand on his leg, moving my thumb back and forth. Jace did the same to mine, and I wondered if I was affecting Kieran as much as Jace was me.

Both Hubers stared at me for the rest of the meal, spiteful and calculated looks in their respective gazes. I didn’t believe they’d be a huge threat, but we’d have to be careful with them. They clearly didn’t buy our fake relationship.

Or perhaps just me.

“Would you care to join us at the poker table, Kieran?” Mr. Huber asked after all the plates had been cleared. “I’d like the chance to redeem myself from the last time we played,” he joked, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He rubbed his hands together, arrogance all over his face. Mr. Huber wanted to put Kieran in his place. My brows drew closer together as I glared at the man.

Kieran glanced at me, and I managed to smile at him. “Go ahead. I can find something else to do.”

Jace gave me a knowing look, squeezing my thigh, his fingers grazing my pussy as he stood. He walked off with Kieran and the two gentlemen, a smirk on his face. He’d revved me up all dinner, and now I was a pulsing mess. The women bid me goodbye before they took off in a different direction, either to enjoy some alone time or not get saddled with entertaining me.

I didn’t mind, relieved I wouldn’t have to keep pretending. But it meant only Cruz and I remained at the table. His eyes hadn’t left me all evening, the heat rising as he watched. I had a feeling he knew what Jace had been doing under the table. Lifting his brow, he leaned forward with all the swagger he contained, and I sucked in a breath.

“You going to keep running, or can we talk?” he asked after a moment of silence. Words dried on my tongue as I stared into his dark eyes, my heart racing at the intensity I found there and the truth I could no longer ignore.

Cruz and his everlasting devotion.

Cruz and his solid, steady presence.

Cruz and his take-no-shit attitude.

No matter how much I pushed him away, he continued to stay right by my side. I didn’t know if it was because of me or not, but it made me curious—more than I’d ever been before about relationships. I didn’t like to owe people, but I knew I at least owed him an opportunity. He’d been my one bright spot in this past year of shit, and I could acknowledge that.

“I’m not running,” I said as I stood.

“Take a walk with me?” He walked over to me, his body a magnet for my own. The closer he got, the better I felt.

“Of course.” I swallowed the sudden bout of nerves that threatened my body.

Cruz dropped his hand on the small of my back and led me out of the dining room. I could feel his fingers as they pressed into me, sending tiny shivers over my skin, amping up everything Jace had conjured during dinner. I’d always walked a fine line with Cruz. Never giving him too much because I knew he’d catch me and never let me go. And now he’d finally outmaneuvered me by following me onto this ship—albeit a tad stalkerish and slightly obsessive, but for some reason, also endearing.

The night sky came into view as we headed outside; the temperature was pleasant now that the sun had set. We walked together in silence for a while, soaking in the atmosphere. When we came to one end of the ship, I stopped at the rails and looked out into the ocean. Cruz stepped behind me, pressing me into the bars as he braced his hands on the handrail beside mine.

“What are you scared of, Meu Tudo?”

“Nothing,” I whispered but shook my head. “Everything.”

“How long have we been doing this?”

I shrugged my shoulders, his lips brushing the skin, and he kissed it as he moved his hands to trail up my arms. His touch was soft and familiar, and my body instantly responded to him, craving what it knew he could give.

“I don’t believe you, but I’ll let you get away with that one.” He sighed deeply before kissing my collarbone. “One year, two months, three weeks, and five days, Meu Tudo. I still remember the first time you walked into my club.”

“Your club? I thought you were a bartender.”

My heart thumped in my ears, my skin sensitive to the desire he created. He chuckled, his laugh rumbling through my back as his breath hit my skin, adding to the sensations. He’d counted all the days. Fuck. Why did that intrigue me as much as it scared me?

“I bartend when they need help or when I’m bored. But did you honestly believe I only bartended? We were in my office last week, and we regularly fuck in VIP. The guards never stop us. Would a bartender have that access?” he asked, his hands moving to my hips and squeezing my muffin top until it stung.

Cruz had a way of touching every part of me when I was near, loving my thighs and love handles and even my cellulite-covered backside. I blew out a breath, my eyes wanting to close, but I focused on the waves below.

“Yes. No. I don’t know. I didn’t want to overthink it,” I admitted.

“I know, Meu Tudo. And I let you avoid so many things, believing that was the best way. But now I wonder if it was. I’d never want to change you. Você é o amor da minha vida.”

He kissed my neck, his words rolling over me, the feeling conveyed telling me they meant something powerful. Something beautiful.

“I cherish everything about you, even your stubbornness. I believed if I showed you how steady I was, how I wasn’t going to change you or disappear on you, then you’d let me in.” He paused like he was gathering the courage to say the rest. “I know your fears, Meu Tudo. But you don’t have to do it all on your own. You don’t.”

“It’s just easier that way,” I confessed. “If no one expects anything, then I don’t have to worry about letting them down. If I live my life just for me, then I’ll always be happy.” The words sounded feeble, even to my own ears. But they’d been what I lived by for the past eight years.

When I thought about it that way, I realized how dumb it sounded.

“Baby, you could never let me down, at least not in the way you’re afraid of. I’m not your mother or your music teacher. You don’t have to perform to earn my heart or love. You have it. You just have to take it.”

I sucked in a breath, both at his mention of the people who’d hurt me and the implication that he loved me. It was too much right here for me to process, so I pressed my eyes closed as I took a deep breath and regretted telling him about my past—my life before.

But that was shit. I’d wanted to tell him and then punish him for my own vulnerability by avoiding him for months. The desire to do it again was thick, but I wouldn’t live my life that way any longer. I’d let myself down by avoiding anything real.

“I can’t tell you what you want to hear right now,” I whispered as fear galloped through my body at that small act of bravery.

“Okay.” He kissed my neck. “I understand. I knew it was a risk to push you this early. But can you be open to seeing how this might work beyond this week? Don’t make any decisions now. Just…allow yourself the chance to experience a relationship without your walls. Please?”

Everything in me wanted to rise up and knock down his adoration, feeling undeserving of it, but I shoved it back. Cruz never asked me for anything. Even this was ultimately for me. He had been constant, and I used him for it. I didn’t like how that made me feel, either.

It scared me not to have my walls, but maybe it was time to let them go. I’d built them to protect myself, and they’d done their job well.

But what good were walls if they never let you grow? If they kept everything positive out too? I wasn’t the same girl I was when I left home, so perhaps I should re-evaluate the things I wanted in my life.

Companion Rule #9—never be afraid to pivot.

“Okay. I’ll be open.” As soon as I said it, my body relaxed, like it had wanted me to give in.

“Thank you, Meu Tudo.”

Cruz’s hands roamed higher, cupping my breasts as he pushed his lower half into me. His lips brushed against my throat, and I sighed into his touch.

“You look so gorgeous in this dress. I kept thinking how much I wanted to fuck you in it all through dinner. I’m desperate for you, baby.”

I moaned as I dropped my head back, loving how expertly his hands touched me. My top was pulled down within seconds, and my tits spilled out as the night air touched them. Cruz’s fingers rolled my nipples, their peaks hardening. His other hand pulled my dress up in the front, his fingers diving between my legs as he found my pussy. The last few hours had made me needy, so I was glad he wasn’t messing around.

“Always so fucking ready for me. I love how wet you get.”

He didn’t waste time, quickly plunging his fingers deep into me. I could hear people below and above us on other decks, adding to the thrill of getting caught, my exhibitionism fully engaged. My legs shook as an orgasm rushed through me, and I turned my head and cried into his suit jacket as I came hard.

“Ahh. God. Yes.”

“More. I need to be inside you now! Here or further back?” he asked, barely breaking through my arousal.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw a nook with a few deck chairs mostly hidden in the shadow. It would be easier to hide what we were doing there instead of here in the open. Not to mention the fear of falling over the edge when Cruz fucked me so hard I lost all control of my limbs.

“There,” I said, nodding in that direction.

Cruz picked me up and sat down on the lounger quicker than I could blink. Straddling his waist, I eagerly unzipped his pants, not surprised when he sprang free. The man went commando more than me. I stroked him once, his piercings cold against my hand. He let out a strangled growl, and I smirked, liking that I had him.

“Raios me fodam!” he cursed, his eyes pleading.

“I don’t know what that means, Cruz,” I teased as I lifted myself and positioned him between my legs. My tits were still out of my top, and he reached forward, sucking one into his mouth as I lowered. His hands settled on my hips, pushing me down as I sank into him. It was then I realized we’d foregone the condom again, but I was too horny to stop at this point. I moved my hips, and we rocked together, his hands digging into my flesh as he thrust up, unable to help himself from topping. I didn’t care. Cruz made me desperate for him.

I pressed him down and rocked myself forward, hitting my clit on his pelvic bone in the process. His piercings rubbed against my walls, and I felt myself growing close again. Cruz made me feel so desirable that it increased my arousal, making me drunk on the lust between us. It pushed me to take risks, like fucking out in the open on a cruise ship without a condom. But it was Cruz. And I knew that I trusted him despite my stubbornness and my walls. I didn’t want to look too closely at that yet, but I knew it was true.

Our bodies moved together seamlessly, my fingers digging into his chest as I tried to keep a steady pace. The chair moved with us, scraping against the floor with each thrust.

“Te amo, Meu Tudo.” Cruz sat up, wrapping his arms around us as he fucked me from below, the definition of a power bottom if there ever was one. I hung onto him, my breasts smashed against his face as I fell over the edge again, my body coming undone as he sucked on my neck and exploded in me.

The world seemed quieter when I came down from my high; my body boneless as I sat on Cruz’s lap, my head against his chest. He stroked my hair, his fingers soft as they ran through it.

“You make me so wild, Everly. I keep thinking that if you took the pill, I’d steal them to knock you up. The thought of my cum dripping from your pussy has me hard again. It’s the sexiest thing after you.”

“I’d like to lie and say my ovaries hadn’t thought something similar tonight when I saw you in that suit. Plus, damn you and your perfect hair. I want to be jealous. but it’s too pretty to hate.”

Cruz laughed, kissing my cheek closer to my lips. I wanted to feel them on me so badly, but I knew I wasn’t ready. Once I took that step, I would be done.

“Oh, my God. I just fucked Cruz on a cruise.” I giggled, my double orgasm high getting to me. He chuckled, staring at me adoringly as he pushed my hair behind my ears.

“Come on, Meu Tudo. Let’s get you cleaned up and back to your boyfriend.”

“He’s so sweet,” I sighed as we stood.

Cruz smiled at me, proving he meant what he said about sharing me with them. Could a relationship really be that simple? I didn’t know, but it gave me something to think about.