Chapter 14
RAFE
I could’ve sworn I was high, but I’d had nothing but two and a half glasses of bubbly. I was barely buzzed.
Like I’d told George, I’d been to international fashion shows, glamorous movie premieres, and met all kinds of celebrities.
None of that gave me the stomach flutters as much as tonight had. I was giddy, and the rush was unlike anything I’d ever felt.
Even Dylan thought I was acting out of character when I answered his videocall earlier. When I told him who I was spending the evening with, he asked me if I was joking.
Or if I had hit my head.
“You’re telling me that you and George sat through a three-course meal for over four hours and there wasn’t one argument? I don’t believe it. Are you punking me?” Dylan quipped.
“No, I’m not joking. Look.” I turned my phone around to give him a clear view of the table.
“That’s nice and all, but I don’t see George anywhere. Just an empty table. Maybe it’s time you go and lie down for the night. Jet lag can mess with your brain,” Dylan replied. I turned the phone around to face me and I caught his smirk.
My happiness morphed into irritation.
“I’ve been in Australia for a while now and I’m fine. The dinner really happened. Feel free to text Jana and ask her.”
“Will do, since I need actual proof that the world has ended.”
“Haha. I know your current film role is a comedy, but you need to work on your delivery, Dylan,” I responded tartly.
“I’m sure once you get a good night’s sleep, you’ll be able to tell me the truth. It’s okay to have a romantic dinner by yourself,” Dylan replied with a raspy chuckle.
I hung up on him then texted him the middle finger emoji. Several times.
Good thing I hadn’t mentioned the dance, or I’d never hear the end of it.
The next thing I knew, my phone was blowing up with texts from my brother and brother-in-law.
Rowan: Dylan tells me you and George had dinner. Together. Alone. Without incident. If you’re unwell, I can arrange to have a medic come aboard and check on both of you.
Rafe:
Andrew: Don’t listen to them Rafe. I’ve known all along what’s really going on. Just remember that the rooms aren’t soundproof. And if you break it, you buy it.
Rafe: You’re a bunch of tossers. I had a lovely time and you’re sullying it with jokes and innuendo. I’m going to tell George how you’re treating me, and we’ll just see what happens the next time you board.
Andrew: Oh captain, my captain, come to my rescue. LOL
I turned my notifications off.
Putting aside the antics of my beloved but annoying family, I couldn’t let the night end without saying a proper goodnight to George and found myself knocking on the door to the wheelhouse.
I’d thought George was hot in his uniform, and then tonight in his dress shirt and jeans.
But standing in front of me in his bathrobe, with his reading glasses on?
I’d always been attracted to older men, but he was the silver fox of my dreams. Fuck, he was so bloody sexy I nearly swallowed my tongue.
And now that I knew how sweet and sensitive he was underneath that commanding exterior, it sent me reeling. Other men were stupid not to want to take the time to get to know him. Or, like his last boyfriend, cheat on him. And manipulate him.
He deserved so much better.
George needed connection before intimacy. And for the first time in my life, I wanted to go slow. It felt right.
After saying our goodnights, I wandered back my suite. I stripped down and slid under the covers, my skin overheated. The night replayed in my mind and my cock thickened, so painfully hard and so fast it made my breath catch.
Oddly enough, I didn’t rub one out. I enjoyed the delicious pain of denying myself.
George’s words and actions over dinner reverberated in my mind, and my heart ached as much as my cock. How was it possible that I’d reached thirty-five years of age and never known romance before?
Because as much as we both kept denying it, that’s exactly what tonight was.
I grabbed an extra pillow and held tightly to it. Imagining it was George in my arms, in my bed. I wouldn’t hurry then, either. I’d want to savor every taste, every touch. Unlike my usual lovers, a quick orgasm just wouldn’t do.
My restlessness ceased. I drifted, smiling, as sleep finally overtook me.
The alarm on my mobile woke me up at 7:30 a.m. the next morning. I had a check-in call with the Lazulo rep at 8:00 a.m. to discuss the shoot to date. The ship was still docked but as I came to, I realized we were swaying a bit.
Then I heard a knock at my door. Throwing on my black silk robe, I padded over and opened it to find Jana smiling before me, holding a tray with a teapot and toast.
And a single white rose. My heart began to beat double time.
“Good morning, Rafe. Did you sleep well?” Jana asked.
“I did, thank you. You didn’t have to bring my cuppa here. I was going to head up to the bridge deck for breakfast as usual,” I replied.
“As you can tell from the movement, it’s windy and the swells are high. Best to breakfast inside, or the fish will get first crack at your food as it flies overboard. Your tea and toast to start, courtesy of the captain,” Jana replied with a knowing grin as I moved aside so she could enter.
Placing the tray on the table in front of my window, she poured the first cup.
“Thank you so much.”
“You’re most welcome. I’ll see you upstairs shortly,” she replied and left as quick as she came.
I wandered over and reached for the long-stemmed rose. The petals were big and fluffy, the smell sweet and heady. Then I noticed the card, with the initials GB on it. Opening it, I pulled out a handwritten note.
‘ There is beauty in new beginnings.’
I held the card to my chest and full on swooned—heart racing, stomach dropping, smile hurting.
Feeling lightheaded, I sat down in the club chair, staring out at the vivid expanse of blue. Without hesitation, I took my mobile and snapped a picture of the note and the rose and saved it in my private folder, then carefully placed the note with my personal items in my nightstand.
Much as I wanted to head right back up to the wheelhouse and thank George in person, I had a business call to get ready for.
The tea and toast gave me a much-needed boost and by 8 a.m. I was dressed and ready for my conference call. I’d forwarded a draft set of photos and my client provided valuable feedback. They were excited to see the final portfolio, and I was thrilled that my work was resonating.
By 8:30 a.m. my call was done, and I was on my way up to the wheelhouse. Thankfully, the swells had calmed. When I passed the main lounge, I saw Niall and the models seated around the dining table.
“Where did you disappear to last night?” Niall asked as he looked me over with a knowing smirk.
“Me?” I replied innocently as I wandered into the room. “I didn’t disappear anywhere. I had dinner on the sun deck. What about you?”
“All of us went into town for sushi and then dancing.”
“Sounds nice. I’m sorry I missed it.”
Nope. Not sorry at all. I loved my friend, but I had no regrets about last night.
“How’re things going with you and Willem?” I whispered. Willem was seated on Niall’s other side deep in conversation with Zoe across the table.
“Really well, but let’s talk about that later.”
I was dying to ask more questions, I let it go.
“Join us for breakfast?” Niall added.
“I will, there’s just something I have to do first.”
“Say hi to George for me,” Niall winked.
“Have you been gossiping with the crew?” I asked.
“Me? Noooo.” Niall shook his blond head as he laughed. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”
“There’s no secret. We had a spectacular dinner and great conversation. We’ve finally found an understanding between us. A friendship.”
I was the master of understatement today.
Niall raised his blond eyebrows at me, and I rolled my eyes.
“We’ve patched things up for good. He even had Jana deliver breakfast to me this morning as a kind gesture.”
Niall placed a hand over his heart. “An officer and a gentleman.”
“Yes, he is.”
“I hear that’s not all he sent you.”
Did nothing remain private on this ship?
“He may have also sent me a white rose. And a handwritten note.”
“Oh Rafe, that’s so much more than friendship and you know it. A gesture like that is romantic as hell,” Niall fanned himself. “We’ll talk more about it later.”
I shook my head and headed for the stairs. There wasn’t anything more to talk about.
How could I describe what I was feeling when I didn’t even recognize myself? Fucking random strangers was what I knew best. But this? I was totally out of my element.
Maybe I was reading far too much into George’s gesture.
But the bigger part of me couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, he was feeling some of the same emotions.
The inexplicable pull towards each other, like being swept up in the tide.
Now that we’d found common ground, I wanted to surrender to whatever it was that was building between us.
I reached the top of the stairs, but the door to the wheelhouse was already open.
George was wearing crisp white pants and a navy polo shirt, standing at, or rather bending over, the controls. My eyes roamed over his broad back, and down to his trim waist and lower.
The view from here was mesmerizing. The one out the window too.
I forced my eyes away from his taut arse and cleared my throat.
“Good morning,” I said, and George whirled around.
“Good morning. You look well rested.” George replied and rand a hand through his thick hair.
“I had very sweet dreams,” I replied. “And a sweet morning. Thank you for the breakfast delivery. Especially the rose and the note.”
George’s green eyes warmed. “It was my absolute pleasure.”
I flushed at the sincerity of his tone.
“I hope I’m not interrupting?”
“Not at all, I was getting the final coordinates set for today. Once the swells calm enough, we’ll leave port.
” He pointed at the radar screen. “Lewen Island is the place I told you about yesterday. It should take us about twenty minutes to get there, and we’ll anchor a short ride away.
I’ve arranged for Charlie and Jana to accompany your group so they can set up a picnic on the island’s best beach. ”
“Fantastic. Are we able to come back here to port this evening instead of heading up to Cairns straight away?”
“Of course. It’s your voyage. I am entirely at your service.”
George’s words conjured up a very dirty scenario in my mind. There was no doubt he was thorough with his job. I’m sure as a lover he was the exact same way. Fuck, I’d better stop that line of thinking before I popped a boner in my too-tight shorts.
“Well, I’ll leave you to your work. Will you be joining us for lunch?” I asked.
“I need to stay on board. Dinner?”
“Dinner, then. How about we explore Townsville together?”
“I’m already looking forward to it,” George replied and moved closer to me.
He smelled so good. Woodsy and masculine.
“As you know, this area is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. The weather looks clear for the next few days. If you’d like, we could go diving tomorrow,” he suggested.
“I’d love that.”
I didn’t know what else to say, neither one of us breaking eye contact. My racing heart and sweaty palms had me swaying closer…
Until his mobile pinged. I saw the name Aldo flash on the screen.
His wanker ex was messaging him again. It seemed like he was harassing George. I had a mind to say something, but I didn’t want to shatter the tentative truce we’d built. And it was a good reminder that I needed to step away and take my leave.
“Enjoy your day.”
“I will,” I replied.
I’d enjoy it a hell of a lot more if George was with me. And that realization was a total mindfuck.
Reluctantly, I headed back downstairs. The sky was clear and despite the wind, the swells had eased.
I joined Niall and the others in the dining room for my second breakfast as the ship left port a short while later. It was raucous as usual, everyone excitedly talking about their adventures at last night’s club.
I barely heard a word going on around me.
My thoughts lingered over the memory of a quiet table for two. And a rose I’d never anticipated.