7
Stewart
I hated lying. Pretending to be someone else.
But I couldn’t ignore my duties. Or, apparently, the group chat.
Mason cornered me at the martini bar. “Jessup sent me. You can do this, Stewart.”
“That wasn’t her message.”
“No,“
he said with a shake of his head. “She said to do your fucking job.”
And now, apparently, kissing Roscoe was part of my job. How else was I meant to distract him?
Climbing onto his lap might have taken it too far, but he wasn’t leaving. And that gave Mason time to search his cabin.
The fingers of his left hand pressed into my hip bone while his other hand squeezed my ass.
I gasped, and he deepened the kiss. His tongue plundered my mouth as he claimed me. The sweet taste of caramel and gin. And him. Was this how kissing was supposed to feel? Intense as he devoured my mouth. Sweet as he feathered kisses along my jaw. But there was also a fair bit of desperation. A fear that it could end at any moment. I clutched his shirt to bring him closer, and Roscoe threaded his fingers through my hair and pulled it loose from its tie. Wrapping the strands around his hand, he tugged my head back to expose my neck. His other hand pushed firmly on my back and held me in place. He was owning me. And I was letting him.
Laughter close to us brought me back to reality. This wasn’t a romantic encounter. A cruise hookup. This was my job. A chance to prove to the team I could—a breathy moan escaped my lips as Roscoe nipped at my neck and then soothed it with his tongue. “Roscoe.”
“Still with me, sweetheart?”
“Mm-hmm.“
I pressed scattered kisses to his cheek. His jaw. I needed more. “Want you.”
He lifted me with one arm—how much did he bench press?—and shifted my body until I was straddling him, making everything more intense. Roscoe was hard. Hard because of me.
“Oh my God, Marjori, you will never guess— Oh!”
Someone bumped into us, and Roscoe pulled away. And while I mourned the loss of his mouth on my skin, it helped me focus, bringing much-needed oxygen to my brain. Two women, both dressed in glittery gowns, stared. One of them giggled.
“Sorry,“
the taller of the two said. “We didn’t know anyone was—”
“Can we watch?”
“Marjori! That’s rude. Inappropriate.”
She glared at her friend. “Why? If they wanted privacy, they’d go to their cabin.”
“The lady has a point,“
Roscoe whispered. “Ready to go someplace less crowded.”
“God, yes.“
I climbed off him and brushed the wrinkles from my pants.
“Ladies.“
He winked, and I swore they swooned just a bit.
Excitement bubbled through me as Roscoe grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowded bar. Some bubbles were big, popping with an exclamation point. This is it! But other tiny bubbles fizzed along my spine, in my chest. Like I’d drunk a bottle of champagne.
It reminded me of the screensaver I put on Dale’s desktop. What would he think if he saw me with—
Reality crashed back in, and I stopped, pulling Roscoe with me. “Wait. I…“
But what could I say? My partner is searching your cabin. And I couldn’t take him to ours.
“Did you change your mind?”
“No. I still want—“
God, did I want. “I need to text my cabinmate. I was supposed to meet him later.”
His eyes narrowed as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle. I smiled, pushing my nerves away. I could do this. Tugging on his hand, I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. “Just need a sec.”
I walked a few feet away, using the distance from Roscoe to clear my head.
Stewart
Code Red. Headed to his cabin. Get out now.
No response. Should I call him?
“If you don’t want to do this—”
I turned quickly. Of course he’d followed me. “I want this. I swear.”
I turned off the chat notifications. The buzzing would be a distraction. Hopefully, Mason would see my message.
When we reached his cabin, I scooted between Roscoe and the door and fell back with a loud thump. “You’re so hot.“
My eyes feasted on him, stopping to savor the good parts: his inviting mouth, his broad chest, the bulge in his pants. My gaze settled there. Would I get to touch him? Taste him? I shivered at the thought.
“You want this, sweetheart?“
he asked in a growly voice. His eyes were dark and a little wild as he crowded me against the door. He shifted slightly and—Holy Jesus—I could feel his hard cock through the bits of fabric between us. “I need an answer, Stewart.” He moved my hand down and placed it exactly where I wanted it.
“Yes. I want it. Want you.“
This was real. Roscoe’s moans were real. I stroked him while grinding against his thigh. “Need you. Naked,” I panted, forgetting everything else.
“God yes.“
His frenzied kiss left me breathless. “But you need to do something for me first.”
I didn’t hesitate. “Anything.“
My response should’ve worried me, but that was a concern for Future Stewart.
He kissed the tip of my nose. “Let me open the door?”
“Oh. Right.“
I laughed, but it was like being doused with cold water as I remembered the reason I was standing in front of the door in the first place: to warn Mason so he could hide.
It was also a reminder that having sex with Roscoe wasn’t part of the plan.
As Roscoe unlocked the door, I checked my messages. The ones from Mason. Not the group chat.
Mason
Dammit, Alexa. Now I have to scrub those sounds from my brain.
That wasn’t embarrassing at all.
Roscoe finally got the door open, but he must have seen something on my face because his smile dropped. “Change your mind? It’s fine if you did.”
My heart was at war with my brain. How was this man so sweet? I pulled him into his cabin and kissed him. This kiss was slower. Deeper. When Roscoe finally pulled away, we were both breathing hard. He shook his head as if struggling to think.
I did that.
He gestured toward the loo. “Give me a minute, gorgeous.”
What if Mason was hiding in there? I nodded, trying to keep the panic off my face.
As soon as the door shut behind him, I started searching the room. There weren’t many places to hide. I checked under the bed and opened the door to the balcony.
The warm air surrounded me as I stepped out and closed the sliding door. The view was stunning. The vast glittering sky, broken only by the dark ocean as far as I could see.
“Stewart.”
I jumped with a loud squeak. After glaring at Mason, I glanced through the sliding doors to check the room. No Roscoe.
Mason folded his arms. “Do I look like I’d fit under that bed?”
“You need to get out, mate.”
“Got that memo. Working on it.“
He studied me, and I didn’t like the glint in his eyes. “You two looked cozy. “
“I was distracting him. Doing my job.”
“Sure.“
His eyes darted to the cabin. “He looks familiar.”
“We don’t have time for this,“
I hissed. “I’ll distract him. You sneak out.”
Mason chuckled. “You’re really getting into this field agent thing.”
Click
My head jerked around. Roscoe was stepping out of the bathroom. Pushing Mason into the shadows, I opened the sliding doors. “Just enjoying the view.”
“I’ll join you.”
“No!“
I shouted. Then I smiled and took a deep breath as I calmly—not frantically like someone with something to hide—stepped into the room and closed the balcony doors. I shut the curtains. Would that make it harder for Mason to leave? I opened them again. Just a bit.
Roscoe furrowed his brow. “Are you sure about this? You seem…nervous.”
I laughed, and to be fair, it did sound a bit hysterical. Crossing the room, I wrapped my arms around him. “I’m sure and nervous. My ex—“
I stopped before blurting out the whole pathetic story.
“Your ex…“
he prompted.
I kissed him, turning him so he faced away from the door. His eyes were warm. Affectionate. Who was this man?
A criminal. Why else would he buy secrets from my ex? But I still didn’t want to believe it.
“I caught my ex cheating on me.“
Had it really only been four days ago? “He blamed me.”
His hands tightened on my hips. “How was it your fault?”
I glanced down, studying the shirt that hid all that glorious chest hair. “Apparently, I was too boring.“
I shrugged my shoulders. “Not adventurous enough.”
He tipped my chin, so I had to look at him. “Do you believe him?”
I opened my mouth…and closed it again. I had believed him. But now? “No.”
“Good.”
I threw my arms around him and kissed him. With Roscoe, I felt wanted. Desired. I’d worry about Mason and Captain Jessup later. I wasn’t wasting a moment of this.
“Need you,“
I whispered against his mouth as my hands explored his back. His ass. Then I slipped my hand between us and palmed his bulge.
“Fuck, sweetheart. We have all night.“
I squeezed, and he cursed again. “On the bed.”
I shivered at the command in his voice as I dropped onto the bed and shimmied back, my eyes on his face.
He crawled up and over me, planting his strong arms on either side as he stretched his body over mine and pinned me down. It felt amazing. Then he shifted, and our cocks rubbed together, and oh. This was it. What I’d been missing. “Roscoe.”
“You like that, sweetheart?“
he purred. “You want me to touch you?”
“Yes, please.”
As he kissed my neck, he slipped his hand under my shirt. I leaned into his touch. Needing more.
“Do you want me inside you, Stewart?”
I almost blacked out at the thought. “Please, Roscoe.”
“Are you sure?“
he asked, and there was something in his tone. “Or is this all so your buddy can sneak out?”
“What?”
But Roscoe was already on his feet, leaving a void where his warm body used to be. He swore.
I scrambled off the bed. Roscoe and Mason were glaring at each other, and I jumped between them. “I can explain—”
“Move, Stewart.“
His eyes remained on Mason as he grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the way. “I’d say it was nice to see you again, Detective Mason, but I’d be lying.”
My eyes darted between them. “You know each other?”
Mason snorted, but I ignored him.
Roscoe shrugged. “It’s hard to forget the man who arrested you.”