Page 29 of Cruising for Christmas
Norah looked up to where Ian still squatted next to the pool, studying her. She pressed her lips together. “Can we just pretend this didn’t happen?”
After a beat, he nodded. “As long as you know I never said anything about you, and I never would.”
“I know,” she whispered.
With a brief nod, he straightened up and walked away, taking his items with him as he left the pool deck.
* * *
Norah stayedat the pool for another hour before she worked up the courage to go back to their room. She and Ian had finally gotten comfortable with each other, and she had to go and blow it.
She took a deep breath before letting herself into their room, but Ian was nowhere to be found. She took a quick shower and put on a yellow dress that flared just under her breasts. After styling her hair and putting on makeup, she stepped out of the bathroom to still find their room empty. The dinner he had won would start in an hour, and Ian would likely come back to their room to change. She half wondered if she should skip it. It wasn’t likely that he’d want to be around her after that entire exchange at the pool. But if he still wanted her to go, she didn’t want to stand him up. Without having an international plan on her cell phone, she had no way of getting ahold of him. Not that it would have mattered anyway. She knew he also wasn’t carrying his phone around on the ship, and there was no service in the middle of the sea.
Norah quickly grabbed her clutch and left the room, wanting to prolong the awkward conversation that was bound to follow.
Coward.
She made her way down to the lobby level where her hideaway was located. Stepping through the sliding doors, she followed the path to her bench. The area remained empty except for a few people who were using it to pass through to the other side of the ship. She turned to walk down the path she found on the second day and took a deep breath. The scent of the flowers overwhelmed her, and it immediately relaxed her body.
Until she turned toward her bench.
Ian sat on it looking deep in thought, but his startled eyes met hers.
“Oh,” she said. She took a step back toward the path. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was back here.”
She turned to leave, but his voice stopped her.
“Norah, don’t go.”
She turned toward him and wrung her hands together, looking anywhere but at him. The silence stretched between them for a beat before she finally looked at him. His hair was disheveled like he had been running his hands through it repeatedly, and his face looked tortured.
No. No, he couldn’t be.
“I’m sorry again,” she whispered.
He shook his head and stood, taking a few quick steps toward her until he was so close she had to look up to see his face.
“This whole time you thought I was disgusted by you?” His voice was barely a whisper.
She closed her eyes and dropped her head. Ian settled two fingers under her chin and lifted her face to his.
“I’m so sorry you thought that.”
She scrunched her face in confusion. He genuinely looked ashamed, with no reason to be.
“You’re sorry? I’m the one who misheard. It’s me who should be sorry.”
He stared intensely into her eyes for a few beats before his head dipped closer, their mouths a mere inch apart.
“Is that why you pulled back the other night?” he murmured.
Her eyes fluttered shut as his breath feathered across her face. “I thought you were just caught up in the moment.”
“I wasn’t,” he said before their lips connected.
He kissed her lightly at first, pulling back briefly to gauge her reaction. Warmth consumed her, and she suddenly felt the loss of his lips. She pressed her hand into his back to encourage him closer. He captured her lips with a hunger she hadn’t expected.
Norah took a few steps back with the mere force, him following with his own steps before wrapping a hand around her waist and pressing her into his body. His hard length pressed into her belly, and she gasped into his mouth.
