Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 70574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“Why do you call me angel?” I asked, knowing he wouldn’t tell me. He’d done it when we’d dated and wouldn’t tell me then. A part of me suspected I’d never learn the truth.
“Why did you dye your hair?” he countered playfully.
I grimaced as his words forced me to recall my ridiculous efforts to go incognito, just in case Eli caught on to my strategy of switching cruises. Suddenly so very self-conscious of my quick dye job in the bathroom sink of my house, I reached up and tugged on the dark strands. When I’d finished, I hadn’t thought I’d done a horrible job—at least not for my first attempt at dying hair. Apparently, I’d been mistaken.
I shrugged. “To try and help hide my identity. You know? In case you got suspicious because I caved on you accompanying me on my vacation cruise.” Using one of the weird wrist bracelets Eli had put on me sometime during the night, I tried to pull my hair back in a ponytail. Yeah, like that would hide my obviously atrocious dye job. “It sucks, right? Oh well, it’ll grow out in a few months.”
Eli immediately reached out and halted my movements. “Those bracelets are for your motion sickness and are supposed to be on your wrists, angel.” He gently put the bracelet back where it belonged. “And I never said nor meant to insinuate that I didn’t like the new color.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Actually, it’s hotter than fuck. I like it blond. I like it dark brown. Hell, Ari, I like everything about your hair. I was merely wondering why you’d done it.”
“Oh. Okay. I guess. Yeah, that’s okay.” My hand attempted to smooth out a wayward curl. “Are you sure? I could probably get it bleached out if it’s too hideous.”
He burst out laughing and several men from the tables surrounding us laughed along with him. “Hideous? Angel, you’re gorgeous, and you know it!” He smacked my ass and said, “Let’s hit the pool before it gets too hot.”
I followed behind him, my hand caught within his larger one, and pondered what he’d just said to me. Gorgeous? Me? That was hilarious. Everything about me was just…wrong. Wasn’t it?
Eli tugged until I was alongside him. “You’re thinking about something awfully hard back there, angel,” he said quietly. “Anything you want to share?”
We’d made it to the elevators but when I saw the crowd waiting to ride the glide, I motioned for us to take the stairs. It was only two floors up to get to the main deck, and I’d eaten a hell of a huge breakfast. Walking would do me good. It would also give me time to think out a new strategy. Things had shifted over breakfast. Years, it seemed, had disappeared—transforming me back into Mr. Horny and all I could think about was luring Eli into my bed.
I was legal. Almost. Well, I was legal for sex, if not for alcohol.
I wanted him.
He said he wanted me.
Could that mean there wouldn’t be a problem? That by the end of the night, I’d no longer be a virgin? That before the midnight hour I would finally have gotten fucked by the man who’d held my heart so tightly that nobody else had gotten a chance to break through the cage he’d locked it into when he’d left me?
Eli grabbed three towels from a steward, selected two lounge chairs for us, and asked, “How’s this spot? Not too much sun, but enough, I think. We’re close to the bar, so it shouldn’t be hard for me to grab a few beers and you one cocktail throughout the day. Three steps and we’re in the pool if it gets too hot.” He started placing the towels on the lounge chairs, tucking in the edges to make sure my body didn’t have to touch any of the icky plastic that thousands of people had already touched at one time or another. He looked over his shoulder and the expression on my face must have given me away. “What? Is this a bad spot? We can pick another one—wherever you want, angel. This cruise is all about making sure you have a good time.”
News flash—a good time equaled his cock in my ass!
Instead, though, I said, “No…this is fine. Perfect, actually.”
Shit, why couldn’t I just have the courage to ask for what I wanted? Normal guys wanted to fuck all the time, didn’t they? Eli might even be enthusiastic if I suggested we just go back to the room and have a roll in the sack. Hell, I wasn’t even close to being normal and I wanted Eli to fuck me. Eli, on the other hand, seemed determined to find us the best sunbathing spot instead of my G-spot. Yeah, I’d read about the prostate. I knew it existed—didn’t have a clue how to find it, but I suspected Eli did.