Chapter 7
He was going to hell.
There was no two ways about it, he was on the first shuttle to the roasting pit.
The only thing saving him from being arrested for indecency and thrown in the brig—did a cruise ship have one of those?—was the Santa suit he wore.
He never thought he'd be happy to have a huge belly, but the special padding of his suit meant his erection was hidden from those around him.
Yeah, thank fuck the only person aware, and uncomfortable, with his physical predicament was him.
Shifting yet again, Asha tried to give his hard cock some room, ease the burn in his balls that had obviously already made their way to hell. Not that any relief he found would last long. All he had to do was catch a glimpse of Sarah in her elf costume and he'd be rock hard again.
Fuck. Who was he kidding, all he had to do was think about her luscious body in that revealing dress and tights and he went hard.
It should be illegal for a woman to look hot dressed as an elf. It probably was illegal in some states to fuck her in that outfit, but he'd be damned if he didn't want to.
Over and over again.
Then he wanted to strip her bare and fuck her again.
And once they caught their breath, he’d do it again.
By then he might have actually gotten his fill of her.
Although he was beginning to suspect he'd never get his fill of Sarah.
They—okay, he—had been dancing around this attraction for years and what had all that hard work gotten him? Nothing but ill-timed erections and blue balls on more than one occasion.
The woman had almost driven him to drink on more than one occasion too. The more he thought about it the more he realized he'd been fighting a losing battle.
Their chemistry was off the charts. He had to wonder how they'd managed to keep it from exploding all this time.
Maybe it was because they'd both been trying to keep their distance.
If either of them had decided to push at any point Asha had no doubt, they would have found themselves in bed together before now.
His mouth curled up in a smile that made his Santa mustache tickle his nose, which of course made him want to sneeze. He'd spent the last two days with the fake beard and mustache irritating his face and he would be glad when he got to remove it in—he glanced at the clock on the wall—an hour.
They had an hour left of their role playing then they were free to enjoy the rest of the cruise.
Asha couldn't wait.
He had a plan. One that he hoped Sarah would be happy to join him on. And if not, he'd resort to Plan B.
Strip her naked and fuck them both senseless.
Dammit. He shoved a hand in his pocket and shifted his hard dick beneath his padded belly.
"Hey, Santa." The woman on his mind bounced on her feet in front of him.
He looked down at his roommate and fought the urge to grab her and kiss her. "Elf."
"So..."
Arching an eyebrow, he waited for her to continue.
"They said we can get out of here early. Everyone still here has already gotten their picture taken and told Santa their wishes. The crew are packing everything up as the last of the kids finish their decorations."
"We don't need to help?"
"No." She shook her head. "Oh, and apparently we get to keep these costumes. They had them made to our measurements so can't use them again."
"And we will?" He wasn't going to think about how he wanted to use Sarah's outfit again. Not if he wanted to be able to walk out of here.
"You never know," she said with a wink.
He laughed. If she only knew.
"Anyway, I'm heading back to the cabin for a shower then I thought I'd order room service. Considering we haven't really done all that much the last few days I'm exhausted. I like the idea of getting in my pjs and hanging out in our room. I'll probably eat out on the balcony."
This was his chance. They could eat dinner together and he could suggest they spend the rest of the cruise exploring the ship and all the ports they were stopping at before returning to Miami on January first. "Want some company?"
Eyeing him with suspicion, she took a moment to answer. "Are you sure you want to be in the same room as me, alone?"
He deserved that. Although they had been alone each night when he slipped into their cabin late. She might have been unaware of it, but it had still happened. "That's a fair question and the answer is yes."
"Hmm..." She folded her arms over her chest, a smirk on her lips. "I'll believe it when I see it."
He'd barely opened his mouth, to say what he wasn't sure, but she didn't give him a chance to reply. She hip-checked him then took off for the guy who had been their point of contact for this whole Santa and elf thing.
Asha had to bite his tongue and force himself to stay where he was when the guy's gaze roamed over Sarah, checking her out from head to toe. He couldn't blame the guy. She was every man's wet dream even in an elf costume and he had no claim on her no matter how much it felt as though he did.
And watching another man look at her with desire solidified things for him.
They were going to see where their attraction could go. He'd be a fool not to. She'd been the only woman he'd ever wanted this badly or even thought about a future with.
After his divorce he'd resigned himself to never having the family he'd always wanted. Sarah was the first woman since his ex he could see himself having that with.
And he'd stupidly put all these roadblocks in their way—his age, her age, the fact she worked for him—except none of them really mattered.
He had enough experience to know the chemistry between them was rare—special—and he didn't want to let fear of what others would think of them together derail what could be the most important relationship of his life.