Page 16 of Demon On Deck

One word, gasped and demanded until the first rays of sunlight crept through the window.

Evren ravished me in every way imaginable, again and again, his appetite for me endless—his goal: my pleasure. And pleasure he gave me…

I saw galaxies ignite, flare, and collapse into supernovas behind my eyelids. Never in my life have I experienced such complete, utter, all-consuming ecstasy. I hadn’t known my body was capable of it.

At some point, exhaustion claimed me. Or maybe it was euphoria. Potentially both. Or I actually blacked out from coming so much. At any rate, I find myself gingerly stretching, my body filled with the most incredibly satisfying ache.

As I arch my back, a strong arm tugs me closer to a warm body.

Evren.

“Morning, Doll,” he groans in a deep, sleepy voice.

I can’t help the slight chuckle that escapes me. “Do you still say good morning if it’s actually afternoon?”

“Morning somewhere,” he responds, tracing his fingertips lightly down my side. A shiver rips through, and a soft sigh escapes me before I can stop it.

I hum my agreement as Evren takes my hand and brings it to his lips to kiss. I internally swoon.

We’re quiet for a moment, and my mind uses that space to race through the millions of things I could say.

Thank you for the best night of my life.

You’ve officially ruined me for every man that comes after you.

I would not be opposed to doing this again.

I don’t want this to be over.

A million things, each no less daunting than the next. In the end, I go with the simplest.

“So,” I begin as Evren continues to run his fingertips along my body, “what happens now?” I try to keep my tone light and casual despite the maelstrom of emotions I can’t explain swirling inside me.

Evren pauses for a moment but quickly resumes his path. “What happens now is we order room service, and while we wait for it, I run us a bath and clean you up. Then we eat and see if you’re still capable of walking.” He finishes kissing my shoulder.

I laugh and turn over in his embrace. It’s hard to see in the darkness of the room, but I can just make out the outline of his profile.

“Cocky much?” I ask, running my fingertip along the ridge of his nose.

“Confident,” he states, snatching my finger and nipping it playfully. “Watch your eyes, Doll.” He says.

I bury my face in his chest and close my eyes as he shifts to the side. When I peek them open, the side lamp is on. I look up to find him studying me.

“Confident or cocky, that’s not what I meant,” I say softly.

He gathers me in his arms and slides me onto his chest, playing with my wild hair while I stare at his handsome face.

“Confident,” he reiterates with a self-satisfied smile, “and I know. Kallie, we both know what this is. Two strangers on a ship. Sun, sea, and bad decisions.” He says with a casual, matter-of-fact tone that I don’t think is wholly genuine.

“Good decision, especially after you saved me,” I say softly.

His expression softens before he quietly says, “Best decisions I’ve made in a long time. But there’s a clock ticking. Once this cruise is done, we both go back to reality, the lives we had before we boarded.”

“I know,” I sigh, looking away, my gaze poetically falling to the bedside clock, as I try to push away the sting in my chest. Knowing that we’re on a timeline, that I won’t see him again once the cruise ends, makes my heart ache.

Evren crooks his finger and slides it under my chin, bringing my eyes back to his. “I want to make the most of that time, Kallie. I want to spend what’s left of this cruise with you.”

“I want that too,” I say as a lump forms in my throat for no good reason.