Chapter 12
Cienna
After that win, I—we—deserved a crown, and I wore my light-up penis diadem proudly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Reed step aside. Watching and grinning as I celebrated with my rowdy friends, who eventually began to clear away.
Darcy passed me and whispered, “Don’t forget about tonight.”
Ah, right. My last night would be spent in Jenn’s stateroom—now the couples suite.
We planned a special throwback night, including snacks, movies, and fun accessories from when we were younger.
I was looking forward to it the most, being that it was the only activity that didn’t include copious amounts of alcohol and wearing penises in public.
A thrill washed through my chest as Reed’s gaze bored into me from a few feet away.
The sudden desperate need to be close to him overtook me, and I closed the distance between us with a leap, latching my legs around his hips.
His mouth opened wide, seeing me coming, then turned into the most vibrant grin I’d ever seen.
Gripping my thigh with one hand, he held me up, then tugged on the hair at the nape of my neck as he pulled me into him, connecting our heads, our chests heaving.
Everything else faded away as he walked us forward, into an alcove humming from the ice and snack vendor machines, until my back connected with a wall.
His hand braced the back of my head, protecting it from the impact.
The tender gesture was the only gentle thing about this almost kiss, as his other hand cupped my jaw in a firm grip.
His hips pressed into mine, holding me up, and I squeezed my legs around him to stop my impulse to grind.
In a clash of passion and lust, his lips finally locked with mine, no sign of our sweet first kiss at the fountain. This kiss was fire like his hair and deep like the forest in his eyes. No hesitation of tongues or teeth as we explored each other insatiably.
My hands climbed his chest, up and around his neck, and through his silky hair, tugging on his curls, which tickled between my fingers.
The groan my touch elicited was intoxicating as it vibrated against my tongue.
As if seeking reprisal, his hand behind my head gripped and pulled back, forcing my chin to lift.
His breath danced across the sensitive skin of my neck, and my chest rose and fell in anticipation, the movement of my breasts against his body driving heat straight to my core.
He made a path of lingering kisses from the shell of my ear, down the underside of my jaw, to my chin. His scruff left its own tortuous, scratchy trail along my neck. I arched into each sweep of his lips, beckoning him to claim my neck the way he did my mouth.
Instead, he guided my head straight forward, eye to eye with him once again, and nibbled my bottom lip with a chuckle. His hand curved along the side of my face, and his thumb swept to the corner of my mouth, like a pause button.
Panting for air, I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing for one more second. But Reed created the slightest gap in the middle of our bodies, and I whimpered as reality swept between us. He slowly guided me down; arms curled around my waist while I found my footing.
The thumping of my heart still resonated in my ears, and I swallowed hard. I peered at my feet, my breath still quickened by his touch, his taste, fuck—just his proximity. There was no way I was going to pull myself together this close to him.
Standing up straight, I finally spoke, my breath embarrassingly ragged. “It’s our last night here, so I’m being summoned for bridesmaid duties.” An unexpected pout popped out with my words, and he booped my lower lip with a grin.
“You should go enjoy your she-pack.” With a hard-to-read expression, he placed a breathy kiss on my temple, holding me so close, so tight.
I felt like a gem. Like a treasure he wouldn’t let go of.
“But,” he added, “meet me at the café in the morning. I’ll buy you iced coffee because I know you’ll need it, and then we can disembark together. ”
My eyes darted down, the intensity wafting from him a little unbearable. He dipped directly into my line of sight, commanding my gaze. “Then I’ll kiss you on land and prove to you we have something outside of this cruise ship.”
His words left me speechless. That was more than I could ever hope for, but I trusted every word.
“One more.” He tucked his thumb under my chin and leaned in, giving me a chaste kiss. “Have fun.” He pulled the envelope we won from his back pocket and tucked it in my hand. “Go terrorize the couples suite.”
With a drawn-out kiss to my forehead, he stepped away, winked, and headed down the hallway. He looked back three times, each time wearing a huge, contagious grin. One that felt like a “to be continued.”
The next morning, I woke up squeezed on a loveseat with Darcy, using her butt as a pillow.
My face was dry and cakey from the heavy—albeit artistic—drag queen makeup Kennedy crafted, one falsie falling off, making my eye twitch.
I peeled it off and looked around the suite.
Wine glasses and opened snack bags were scattered everywhere.
Despite having an entire suite with a full bedroom attached, Kennedy and Jenn were cuddled on the couch in a sweet sisterly pile, an opened bag of M&M’s spilled out between them.
Lucy curled up on the floor with a pillow and a blanket, and yet, somehow, she looked the most comfortable out of all of us.
I supposed with a toddler at home, sleep was sleep whenever and however you could get it.
Last night had been the perfect way to end this trip. As much as I daydreamed about Reed, wearing swoony heart eyes all night, I was thankful to make these memories with my best friends. Trying not to wake Darcy, I untangled us and rose from the seat.
With a quick check in the mirror, noting the smudged, vivid coloring on my face and the line of red drool staining my cheek, I scrubbed my face clean, then tiptoed around the room, searching for my phone.
I found it on the floor by Mall Madness, the nostalgic game we opened and set up but didn’t end up playing, opting for real-life “guy talk” instead.
We swooned over Jenn’s retelling of her first date and love at first sight with her groom, Jared, and laughed at each other’s awkward crushes and horrible dates through the years.
We braided each other’s hair, had a food fight with snacks, and gawked at hot guys in the movies playing in the background.
The time on my phone read 8:45 a.m., and a bout of nerves swirled through my stomach.
My meet time with Reed was at ten, so I headed to my and Darcy’s stateroom, letting the girls wake up on their own.
I showered, put on a few extra layers of lotion and body spray, picked out a sensible but flattering “goodbye for now” outfit—a comfy romper that cut high on my thighs and had a low-cut V-neck.
There wasn’t time to flat iron my hair, so I scrunched it into casual, flirty beach waves. I was hunting down things I might have missed packing as Darcy rolled in with a half wave and a grunt.
“Good morning, sunshine!”
“Shhh,” she grumbled and covered her ears. She clearly had more wine than I did. I took it easy because I wanted to be up, alert, and bright eyed this morning.
How did I become so smitten in such a short time?
I let that question go, refusing to think too hard about it, letting myself have this moment.
By nine thirty, I was sitting on my bed, tapping my leg anxiously, my duffle bag next to me and my purse slung over my shoulder as I checked my phone every thirty seconds. When did I become this person?
Relax, relax. It’s fine, I reminded myself. Darcy came out of the shower all refreshed and calm, took one look at me, and cackled. “Girl, you’re a hot mess over this ginger boy toy.”
He’s more than a boy toy, I wanted to claim, but instead, I rolled my head back with a groan because she was right about one thing. I was a mess over this. Whatever this was.
She wrinkled her brows. “Hey, I’m glad you let yourself live a little on this trip!
” She walked over and squeezed my cheeks between both hands.
“You needed it more than any of us. I’m glad you let loose, left work behind for once, and seized something for yourself.
” The bed dipped once she released my face and sat.
“Just don’t get too swept up. Vacation flings can be…
um… flingy.” She giggled and patted my knee, then she stood to finish getting ready.
My instant reaction was to argue that he was different. But instead, I nodded and said, “I have a good feeling about Reed.”
She nodded back with a little smile.
“Has anyone seen my glasses?” Kennedy entered the room with a whine worse than one of my kindergartners.
She began throwing the covers around and looking under pillows like a maniac.
When she reached the spot where I was perched, she paused.
“Aww, she’s waiting to say goodbye to her boatboy! That’s so cute.”
She reached for my face, but I swatted her hands away, not wanting her to smudge my full-hearted but still probably half-assed attempt at makeup. “Touchy, touchy.” She stuck her tongue out at me. “What time are you meeting him?”
I cleared my throat. “Um, ten.”
Peering at the time on her phone, she mused, “Oh, girl, you got it bad.”
“I do not. I’m punctual. You guys are slowpokes and will be jealous of me when you’re feeling all hurried and rushed and forget something. Like your glasses.” I pointedly lifted a brow at Kennedy.
“Cici, just be careful, sweets.” She squeezed my arm as she returned to hunting down her lost items.
Standing up with a huff, I walked into the hall while announcing, “I’m going to head down and get some coffee. I’ll meet you guys at the docks.” And with that, I shut the door.
Ten rolled around, and I sat there, knee shaking, fingers tapping, sipping coffee like a crackhead who really shouldn’t be having caffeine.
Every bit of motion near the door caught my attention as I held my phone in my lap, bobbing with every jiggle of my knee.
Ten after. Any minute now.
Ten fifteen. He’s just trying to get down here as fast as he can.
Ten thirty. Maybe he got stuck in the elevator line?
Ten forty-five. Did I have the wrong time?
Eleven. Shit, I have to get to the dock.
I held back tears and gathered my belongings from the seat next to me. The spot I reserved for him.
With stuttered steps, I walked out, took one last look down the hallway, just in case, and then trudged to exit the ship.
Darcy saw me first. No words were needed. She pulled me into a hug and squeezed, whispering, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Gulping back tears, I forced a smile that said “It’s all good.”
From behind me, I heard “That fucking asshole!” Kennedy must have put two and two together and decided it was time to rage. “I can’t fucking believe that shit.”
I had to finally shush her because she was drawing attention from everyone around us in line.
“Guys,” I finally snapped, not wanting anyone else chiming in. “It’s fine.” Four sets of sympathetic eyes shot to me. “Maybe there was a miscommunication… I’m sure I’ll hear from him soon when he realizes our times were out of sync.”
“Did you try texting him?” Lucy’s bright blue eyes were so hopeful.
“We didn’t exchange numbers.” I shrugged, feeling like a moron who was completely ghosted. Duped. “We never needed to.”
The consoling looks I received from my friends were irritating beyond belief. I needed their votes of confidence. I needed them to trust my gut about him. All they could see was meek Cienna who came out of her shell and got squashed. Well, they were wrong. I’d see him any minute now.
They. Were. Wrong.