14. In Which Sunglasses Lead to Familiarity
Chapter 14
In Which Sunglasses Lead to Familiarity
“ E llie!”
Recounting the utter embarrassment of her actions in her mind, she glanced behind her when she thought she heard her name. Convinced she was hearing things, Ellie continued towards the large glass doors.
“Ellie!”
That time, she definitely heard something. Turning back once more, she saw him, or thought she did. It looked like Evander’s hand above someone with a heaping plate of food. She waited a moment to see if the crowds parted. They did, and she prayed for a sinkhole to open on the deck and gobble her up. It didn’t. Tapping her foot softly, she gave it an accusing look and cursed her luck. Evander moved through the crowd with all the grace of a monkey on a unicycle. Bumping into three people, he was briefly pulled into a conga line before he caught up with her.
“Ellie.”
She smiled weakly.
“Ellie.” He was winded and a bit disheveled. His? shirt had opened and fluttered around his swim trunks as he stopped before her. He looked wild and handsome. So damn handsome.
Knock it off cougar.
Thoughts flooded of her arm gliding around his waist as he tucked her into his side. The idea of him so close irrationally pissed her off, and she became suddenly angry for no other reason than the tingling in her fingertips. She closed her hand into a fist.
“Evander,” she said coolly, trying to hide her overwhelming desire to run.
How dare this man deny her a reasonable means to escape and rehash her petting his prosthetic arm like a damn show pony. She needed no less than eight solid hours of thinking about it until she was fairly sick over the whole thing, and then have her stupid brain bring it up in ten years while she was washing dishes at two a.m. Not allowing her this luxury was irritating.
Asshole.
“You dropped your sunglasses,” he said, showing them to her, “back at the lounge. They look expensive and—what?”
She knew she was staring. She was vibrating with annoyance. And embarrassment. And something else. Ellie blinked rapidly several times.
“You’re so damn cute, ya know that? This whole act”—she gestured to all of him—“is just annoyingly adorable. Does that usually work?”
Evander furrowed his brow. “Does what work?”
“This!” She pointed at him. “This whole thing. Do girls just fall all over you?”
“No,” he said cautiously. “Why?”
“Because. Because I find it curious is all. You just happened to run all this way to return sunglasses that fell out of my bag?” She used air quotes when she said the word happened.
Ellie knew at this point she was acting irrationally, but how dare this man not allow her the decency to leave the scene of her embarrassment? She folded her arms across her chest. He was unnerving her, standing there looking as lost and confused as a sad puppy. She had to get away. But he blocked the only way of escape, and his entire mass was taking up the door frame.
Evander blinked in response and then narrowed his eyes. “I’m confused.”
“Really?” Ellie snapped. “Cause I think it’d be pretty obvious to you. Looking like some beautiful, swimsuit-clad, chiseled god who just happens to be kind and thoughtful?” She scrunched up her face and clicked her tongue at him.
Now, she really needed to escape. Her annoyance, mixed with whatever she was feeling, was causing her to say the first things that popped into her head.
Evander had the decency to still look confused. He glanced around them as if waiting for someone from the stage to inform him they were in a skit.
“You’re all smiles and—and considerate, with your smiles and your stupid handsomeness. I mean, look at you.” She flipped her wrist at him.
Ellie knew she was running headlong into some sort of hysterical fit, and if she didn’t get a hold of her emotions, she would make an even bigger ass of herself than she already was. But she continued because once she’d embarrassed herself this far, she might as well commit to it.
“Who looks like that?” She waved her hands at him. “You look fake, but I’ve touched them, and those muscles are real, Your Highness.”
Evander drew his eyebrows together as if he was contemplating the fact that she might actually be crazy.
“And I bet,” Ellie continued because she couldn’t stop herself, “it works. Doesn’t it? And that poor unsuspecting girl gets all flustered, and then you smile or something, and her panties just burst into flames. You’re just so—so—British.” She was glaring at him, her words gushing out while her cheeks heated at the word panties flying out of her mouth.
He was quiet for a second. “I do not know what you think my motives are, but you really dropped your sunglasses. Look in your bag.”
Ellie huffed and shoved her arm into the folds of the fabric clear up to her bicep. She set the bag down on the nearest table with a clunk and rummaged around. Briefly, she stuck her head inside the bag as Evander looked on, both eyebrows raised. After a few moments, she realized her mistake and raised her head out of the bag.
“Right,” she said, looking sheepish, grabbing the sunglasses and putting them neatly into a case that she tossed back into the fabric maw. “I’m—um, batting a thousand lately.”
She glanced past his shoulder, refusing to make eye contact. Her eyes darted towards the sky, willing a man-eating griffin to come swooping down and carry her off. Only empty, clear blue sky. And for the second time today, she cursed her luck.
“No, really, it was my fault”—he gestured to her—“for assuming you wouldn’t react to returned sunglasses like you’d gone mad.” He smirked at her. “It’s a joke.”
Ellie made a gargling sound in the back of her throat and covered her face with her hands. “I was caressing your arm.” Her words muffled through her fingers. She ran her hands down her face and stared up at him. “I was stroking your arm, and I got embarrassed, and then you wouldn’t give me the courtesy of retreating to my room, and I’m just—I’m just—I’m a mess today. Can we start over?”
“Today?” he teased, the dimple on the side of his cheek showing.
“Fine, most days.” She wrinkled her nose.
“So, you think I’m handsome?” He grinned at her.
“Shut up, I didn’t say handsome.”
Evander offered his metal elbow to her, which she took instantly. It seemed natural, almost habitual, to take his elbow when winged in her direction.
“You most certainly did, Miss Ellie. You said handsome and pretty, and I believe cute.”
“I said no such thing,” she responded, sticking her chin out defiantly.
He nodded his head and proceeded to lead her through the crowded deck. “You did, darling. I believe your exact words were beautiful, chiseled god. Oh, and English.” He gave her a flirtatious eyebrow wiggle, and Ellie scrunched up her face.
“Although, if your panties happened to burst into flames . . .” he paused.
She found herself leaning in just a bit too close, curious of his answer.
“We would need to take you to the surgery on board and get you a cream or something. That sounds uncomfortable.”
Ellie laughed outright at that. He grinned down at her as they walked through automatic sliding glass doors. They fell in comfortable steps while walking the same path as last night. Nearing the makeshift nightclub, she noticed during the day, it was a room for crafting. Long tables with tubs of supplies shoved haphazardly on one side of the stage. A disco ball hung from the ceiling, waiting its turn later in the evening. Ellie’s sandals padded softly on the parquet floor as they entered.
“You never really answered,” he began, looking at her sideways. “We’ll be docking in a few days in Athens. What are your plans?”
It was evident he was fishing for information. Ellie glanced at him surreptitiously as they walked the length of the vacant room. On the opposite side was a hallway that led to her cabin.
“I’m not sure,” she drawled. “I know I want to see some architecture and the Acropolis. I want to find some street food and walk around eating while I look at ancient stone statues of Athena.” She shrugged. “I’m new to not having my days planned out by someone who doesn’t share my interest, so I’m not really sure where to start.” Her voice lifted, sounding far off. It was dreamy and wispy, and for a moment, she forgot Evander probably was only asking to make small talk. She glanced at him with a tight-lipped expression.
His face, however, looked just as dreamy as she sounded.
“I could show you my favorite spots if you’d like,” he shrugged. It gave his features a boyish look, and Ellie resisted the urge to ruffle his hair.
“You’ve been before?” She wasn’t sure. The teasing from Liam could have meant anything. “That wasn’t just Liam getting your goat?”
“Yes,” he said as they neared the door to the landing leading to her cabin. “I am well acquainted with Greece.”
Ellie shifted her gaze up and looked at him quizzically. “For how long?”
He shrugged again, but when his eyes met hers, they had a strange gleam to them. “A while,” was all he said.
Ellie accepted that answer and nodded curtly. He opened the door for her and walked along a few more steps in comfortable silence. When they reached the landing, Evander once again headed up the stairs towards his cabin. Ellie watched as he glided through a small gathering of people and climbed the stairs two at a time.
Comfortable. Something about him made her feel comfortable. For the first time in a very long time.
And so they went, Dear Reader, this motley crew of misfits. But as the ship sailed ever closer to Athens, our company of heroes and their unwitting charge were unaware they were sailing into a storm. One that would turn all their worlds upside down.