Still, for a moment she held her breath, frightened he would refuse her outrageous offer. But his smile said it all. He took her hand and they hurried silently along the beach, rapidly approaching the lights of the harbor.
Emma caught her breath and tried to regain her composure. I should feel ashamed of myself. But all she could feel was the throbbing between her legs and her heart stammering. A sexy, outrageous woman had been born on that beach and she wasn’t ready to let go of that, at least for a few hours—unless, of course, they put her in the brig for trying to smuggle Andres on board.
As they arrived at the harbor Emma caught her breath at the sight of the huge ship, strung with lights like a giant Christmas tree. “It still feels a bit unreal to be on a cruise,” she murmured. “Like being in a movie or something.”
“As long as it’s not Titanic,” he teased.
She laughed. “I think we’re safe. I don’t see Leonardo DiCaprio anywhere,” she said pretending to look around.
“No Kate Winslet either,” he said, then turned those dark eyes her way. They gleamed at her with obvious appreciation and he stroked her face. “Just you.”
She shivered. “Now we have to get you aboard.”
“Just how do you intend to get me aboard?”
“Distraction. I’m thinking I’m going to have to distract the guy looking at the identification. I’ll scratch my leg and lift my skirt or something.” She tried to imagine what Tina would do in her situation.
Andres looked pensive. “Do you know who your chef is? The main one? They advertise it. Is it the British guy, Jonathan Sparks?”
“I think so. It sounds familiar. How do you know?”
“He, uh, comes into the bar where you met me, occasionally. He’s cool. He might help me or it might be okay if I go up to the staff entrance. I’ll just say I’m going to visit him. Guys I know do it all the time to get on board to visit women.”
“And you don’t?”
“I hadn’t found you.”
She leaned against his arm, wanting to be convinced. “If you can get on the ship I’ll be so grateful. But it doesn’t make any sense…”
He very discreetly ran the fingers of one hand over her nipples where her breasts were pressed against his other arm. “I’ll be very convincing. I really want to be with you, querida.”
“Okay.” She sighed, unable to breathe, let alone think, with him playing with her body, and again so glad she hadn’t worn a bra. “I’m in cabin F55.” She leaned closer to give him better access. Luckily there were only a few people around them. Probably most had gone to the captain’s reception already, or they were still exploring in town.
He tugged on one beaded nipple through her shirt. “I’m going to suckle you until you scream. I want to see how a drink tastes when I lap it off of your skin. When you get to your room, order one of those milkshakes from room service and I’ll show you what cocoa and cream are for.”
Nodding dumbly, she could feel her eyes almost crossing with desire while her normally practical brain seemed to have gone on permanent vacation.
Andres leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Chula, you wait here for fifteen minutes. If I don’t come back, you’ll know I made it onto the ship.”
She nodded.
He grinned and then gave her breasts one last pat before untangling himself from her side.
Emma felt as though she was floating while she waited to see if he’d come back. Everything seemed distant and just a little unreal. The thought of him meeting her at her room had her almost dizzy with delight. This was the adventure of a lifetime.
Her watch timer interrupted her musings and she looked around one last time to make sure Andres wasn’t coming before she boarded the ship. The man who took her ship’s identification gave her a warm smile. “Miss, the captain’s reception has just begun if you’d like to attend.” He handed her back her identification.
“Thank you. But I’m a little tired. I think I’ll just go back to my room.”
“As you wish.” He was cute, probably Italian. There seemed to be a lot of Italian men among the crew.
“Thank you.” Emma smiled to herself.
He grinned back flirtatiously.
Her feet barely touched the ground as she headed to her cabin.
Emma avoided the beautiful, sculpted center staircase with its lighted banister winding like a Christmas ribbon up and down the ship levels. It would be packed with people in sparkling gowns and tuxedos on their way to and from the reception. Normally she wouldn’t have missed such an exciting experience, but she had a very hot date. She took the elevator without a shred of remorse.
Usually, Emma handled anything mechanical with ease, but tonight her hands trembled, so she had trouble sliding the key card for her room into the door slot. Her flesh tingled and her heart fluttered.
She got into the room and then paused as the door sealed shut behind her. What to do now? She remembered Andres’s promise to sip the drink off her flesh, and her nipples hardened into knots. Emma grabbed the room-service menu off the desk. She ran her finger down the drink selections and found a Mocha Meltdown, the description almost fitting the drink she’d just had in the bar on the beach.
She picked up the phone and ordered two of them in a voice that quavered; they probably thought she was already tipsy, but what the hell. She put the phone down and sank onto her bunk. How would the cold concoction feel on her flesh, and where exactly did Andres plan to put it?
She shivered.
Then she jumped up and headed for the bathroom. She didn’t have time for a shower but she could sponge down a bit. Leaving the door cracked open, she took a washcloth and ran it under warm water. Then she pulled her shirt over her head. Her breasts felt so full and perky. They seemed to swell when she ran the cloth over them. She sucked in her breath as her sensitive flesh responded, her knotted nipples aching.
After unfastening her skirt and pulling it down to let it fall to the ground, she put the washcloth between her legs to cool the heated flesh. Her knees felt unsteady as she thought of him thrusting into her.
After the milkshake.
Did she dare suggest such a thing or would she even have to?
Naked and freshened she went to Tina’s suitcase and borrowed a flirty little silk robe in a hibiscus print. Back in the bathroom she put on some eye shadow and mascara. He wouldn’t be able to stay long because the boat sailed right after the reception, sometime around midnight. Emma figured she wouldn’t have time to get raccoon eyes. She shook out her hair and brushed it, enjoying the way her newly straightened locks swung around her head.
I look pretty, she thought. I have that glow. Anyone seeing me would know what I’ve been up to. And I want more of it. She smiled at the wanton in the mirror.
And she was going to enjoy every minute of it.
She put the hairbrush down, beginning to worry that Andres hadn’t made it on board after all when she remembered the condoms. Better put them under the pillow. Wouldn’t want to have to stop in the middle of things. She giggled, feeling like a crazy woman.
Tina had brought a huge variety of condoms. She’d even bought some that glowed in the dark. Emma held one of the packages thinking it was a shame that she didn’t have the guts to suggest a glow-in-the-dark condom. Instead she took out three of the gold ones, ribbed, and put them under her pillow.
Then she went back and got two more.
A knock on the door startled her and she jumped up and ran to answer it.
Andres