dibs (7 page)

“YES! That’s right.”

We all laughed.

“What type of get together is this do you think?” I asked, looking at the group of women.

“It’s a wedding party,” a guy’s voiced boomed behind us.

The guy wasn’t as drop dead gorgeous as Thor but he was damn close. I’d seen him with Thor near the surf area. Juls sat up a little straighter. Fine by me, I wanted no part of him.

“I’m Blake. Groomsman number six.” He stared at Juls.

“AH! A wedding? Six bridesmaids…wow!”

“There are nine. Can I buy you ladies a drink?” he asked Juls specifically.

“Dibs…” Juls said beneath her breath.

“Nine!” I nearly shouted. “Who the hell knows nine people they actually like?”

Juls nodded but the guy looked at me with that comment.

“Those girls don’t like each other at all, so that seems irrelevant,” he laughed.

“Where is the guy that you hang with?” I quickly added. “The tall guy that…”

“Mac? He’s still in the room. D71,” he said, volunteering his cabin number.

Mac. “Mac,” I whispered his name under my breath. My eyes snapped to Kat’s and she tilted her head toward the door. “Go. Before the skinny bitch has time to interfere.”

I grinned at her, threw back my vodka water and flip flopped right out of there.

The hallway was like a funhouse when I eyeballed it. As my pulse pounded in my ears, I swear, the hallway tilted, narrowed and extended about fifty feet. The numbers started at 50 so 21 more and I’d be there. This was so unlike me. Out of the ordinary. Out of my comfort zone.

Willing my feet to move forward, one foot stepped in front of the other until a door opened, and I froze. Two older women in formal dresses came out.

“Good evening, dear,” one greeted.

“Good evening to you ladies.”

For some reason seeing them calmed me. Yet as I passed cabin 67, 69, and then stood gawking at the number 71, my ribs began to crush my lungs as my chest tightened, leaving me unable to catch my breath. This had happened too many times to count.

Immediately, I rested against the opposite wall trying to breathe slowly. A few white lights were speckling around the perimeter of my eyes as a light sheen of sweat flushed over my skin.

I heard the door open and one of his buddies loomed in the doorway with eyes that lit up to match the smile that shot across his face.

“Mac!” he shouted.

“What?” I heard Mac say from inside the cabin.

“Your wish is my command,” the friend chuckled beneath his breath.

Thor…Mac towered in the doorway and confusion flitted over his face.

“I’ll see you at dinner,” the friend shouted, taking off down the hall.

“What are you doing?” Mac whispered in shock.

His mouth moved and I heard the words, but it was like osmosis—slowly sinking in…

“I fear that I haven’t been as cordial as I should be toward you and…”

“You’re here to grovel?” he asked, taking three slow, measured steps toward me causing my heart to pound harder

“Grovel? Isn’t that a pretty big word for a guy your age?”

That now familiar grin stretched over his lips.

“Even in your time of apologies you can’t help yourself, can you?”

Suddenly his hand came up near my face, and without thinking, I cowered. He held his palm toward me in a show of peace as his brow furrowed. Then he tenderly reached out and placed two fingers beneath my jaw, resting them against my jugular. The intimate touch instantly calmed me.

“You thought now is a good time to take my pulse?” I asked.

“I could see it beating. Crazily. Do I make you nervous?” The baritone in his voice ricocheted off my chest helping me catch a breath. Oddly, he didn’t make me nervous.

“I’m not nervous.”

He tilted his head. “Sweetheart, you’re more nervous than a whore in church.”

So it began!

“Did you purchase the wifi option when you booked this cruise?” I asked.

One of his eyebrows cocked up as a smile tugged at one corner of his mouth.

“I did.” His smile only grew.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Because I am waiting for you to slam me again. I know it’s coming, so I’m just waiting for it.”

“Yeah, well…you’re right. Google this. 301.81 DSM 5.” With that, I decided this had not been a good idea. I’d never been good at apologies for this very reason. As I walked away I heard him repeat it. He was typing into his phone. I picked up my pace.

“Narcissistic Personality Disorder?” His voiced bellowed in laughter echoing down the hallway.

“Good evening,” I said to a couple that rounded the corner.

Suddenly, he grabbed my shoulders and my blood turned molten at his more assertive touch. His hands slid down to my biceps, mere inches away from my breasts.

“You think I’m narcissistic?” he whispered from behind me, his breath hot on my neck.

I turned my head so I could look up at him, brows raised and lips pursed. “I think you invented the concept.” A refreshing breeze blew behind me and lifted my hair off my neck.

“You suck at groveling. Let me help you,” he said as he slowly, deliberately turned me to face him

The feeling inside of me was so new…so old…yet new again. I couldn’t recall the last time I had butterflies in my stomach.

“Help me?”

“Yes. Repeat after me.” His hands slid down to my elbows leaving a trail of fire, but he didn’t let go. “I…tell me your name.”

I repeated him. “I. Tell me your name.”

We both smiled, and the tension between us grew palpable.

“Tell me your name,” he insisted, leaning even closer.

“Samantha. Sam.”

“I like that, way better than Rose. Now, here we go. I, Samantha Sam, am very sorry, Mac for the way I’ve treated you.”

I threw him an eye roll but repeated. “I, Sam am very sorry, Mac for the way I’ve treated you.” Quickly, I turned to walk away.

“Oh, not so fast,” he said, easily holding me in place. He seemed a foot taller than me. “And I, Sam, think that you, Mac are the most handsome man I’ve ever seen and I
desperately
want to kiss you.”

I didn’t know if he could see my slight disbelieving headshake.

“And I Sam…OK…” my words stopped…I wanted him to kiss me.

His fingers tightened just a bit around my elbows, clinging to my words. “OK, what?”

“All of it…whatever you said…OK.”

His tongue darted out and swept over his bottom lip. “As in you agree with what I said?” He was the one who looked nervous now as I watched his Adam’s apple jet out and back in.

“Yes. Well…at least the second part of what you said,” I joked but meant every word.

That’s when his hands left my elbows. His eyes held me mesmerized as he moved with the slowest of intent. One hand slid carefully through my hair, where he wrapped his fingers delicately around my upper neck, and the other hand softly cupped my jaw.

Instinctively, I moistened my lips as he lowered his mouth to mine. And he treated me to three of the slowest pecks known to man. Perfect kisses…an appetizer as to what was to come…Soft. Slow. Agonizing. Aching for more, I almost swooned when he tightened his grip on my neck, opened his mouth and took complete possession of mine. God, I hadn’t been kissed like this…ever. Thor was making love to my mouth in a way that I knew (and he knew) I’d never forget. The warmth of his tongue only increased the temperature in my mouth and my head was literally floating in his massive hand.

An involuntary moan ripped up my throat, and my eyes shot wide in humiliation. My body was acting like a fifteen-year-old virgin being kissed for the first time. In response, he simply deepened the best kiss I’d ever experienced. The hand not tangled in my hair crept down my back, keeping me pinned to him.

“Mac!” the shrill voice interrupted, and he stopped kissing me but still held me close against his body.

A deep sigh engulfed him as his nostrils flared and his jaw clenched. Without looking, I knew who was there…who had shouted his name, but I couldn’t see around him.

“Larissa. Leave us alone,” he ordered.

“Dinner is being served. The entire party is there.”

“Eat without me,” he said, his eyes frantically searched my face. I don’t know what he was looking for, but I grinned.

“Seriously? She is like older than you! Don’t you get enough of old at home?”

Her words snapped me back to reality, and I pulled free of his grasp. When his eyes closed, I rested my hand over my chest trying to contain whatever it was I was feeling.

“Don’t go,” he spoke softly.

“It’s ok. My friends are waiting too, and she’s right,” I laughed, though nothing seemed funny to me at the moment.

“No.” He shook his head, his eyes begging me to change my mind as his thumb trailed down my arm.

Without another word, I turned and walked away.

“Come here, Larissa, now!” I heard from behind me. I didn’t turn to see what was going on. It didn’t matter any more.

“So?” Kat asked as I sat at our table, trembling from what had just happened. An uncontainable smile spread over my cheeks.

I waved at the waiter and within a minute he had another vodka water at our table.

“Tell me!” Kat demanded.

“Did you fuck Thor?” Juls nearly shouted as she joined us at the table.

“Thor?” a voice rumbled behind me. By the time I spun around, Mac was soaring past demanding the attention once again from every female in the room. Without breaking stride he flashed me a smile and winked.

Honestly, what difference did it make if he was too young? It’s not like this was going to turn into something real. Maybe he could just be a great fuck. I cringed at the thought. I’d never had
that
before. But that’s what it needed to be. I refused to get invested in anything else. Besides, he seemed into it. Into me. Just go with whatever and have fun, Sam! Treat it like some kind of game. Hell, I’ll never see him again after this cruise anyway.

“Shit!” I said out loud. “I’m toast. He kissed me and I don’t mean just kiss,” I panted.

“I’m wet just thinking about it. A whole kiss, really?” Juls laughed with an exaggerated yawn.

I kicked her under the table.

“What happened to Blake?”

“I just fucked him in the stairwell.”

“What?”

She nodded while examining herself in the little mirror from her purse. With her fingernail she cleared the smudged lipstick.

“Did you really?” Kat asked.

“Yep.”

“RULE 4, Juls, never leave a woman solo to meet your own needs. We have a no man left behind policy, and you know it,” I reminded her.

Kat shook her head. “It’s ok, Sam.”

“No, it’s not.”

“You left too, Sam, so whatever,” Juls said.

“Julia! You were here when I left.”

“Ladies. These shots were sent over from Mr. Blake,” the waiter said as he sat three small glasses filled with what looked like water on the table. He laid a tray of limes and a salt shaker on the table too.

Quickly, I grabbed his cuff. “Sir. Wait. Was he ever in possession of these drinks or did they come straight from the bar?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake! Do you think he roofied us?” Juls spat out, and Kat was laughing so hard tears formed in her eyes.

“Would you two both shut up!” Kat said licking between her thumb and index finger before shaking the salt on the wet area. I did the same, still ready to punch Juls.

“I have a toast,” Juls said.

“I can’t wait to hear it.” My tone was sarcastic.

She raised her glass. “Here is to new kisses and quick fucks.”

Kat rolled her eyes but licked the salt anyway, and down the hatch the tequila went. Then came the lime. I noticed Thor…Mac watching me as I finished. There was no possible way to make sucking a lime sexy…and how was I going to explain the Thor comment.

“Ma’am. From the gentleman.” The waiter handed me a napkin.

Thor wants to kiss you again.

P.S. I better be Thor

“What’s it say?” Kat asked.

“It says Blake said your friend was a horrible fuck,” I lied.

Kat’s eyes shot wide, and as she busted up laughing, Juls grabbed the napkin then threw it back at me after reading it. I flagged the waiter down again.

“May I have a pen?”

On the opposite side of the napkin, I wrote:

Thor carries one hell of a hammer. You’re holding a fork.

After I sent the napkin back, I waited, intently rearranging the food on my plate. The only thing I was hungry for was his response.

Voila. There it was. I should tip the waiter who was playing delivery boy.

My hammer? Is that what kids call it these days? It’s a little intimidating. I can’t just have it out and about. With great power comes great responsibility. You didn’t address the kiss.

Hmmm. A little sexual innuendo. Two could play at that game.

Oh…that’s cute. I was talking about a BIG hammer though. Not a Little Tykes hammer. The kiss…what kiss?

I held a $10 bill out with the napkin. The waiter smiled and nodded as he headed back to Thor.

“What would you say if I cheated on Brady?”

Both Juls and I dropped our forks onto our plates with a clang.

“Just once. Just to be with someone else. You two are the only ones who would ever know, and I trust you both.”

“Kat. No! Guilt would eat you up,” I said, shocked she would even say this out loud. “Everyone thinks of cheating at one point or another. It’s normal. But you have to say no.”

“Do you have someone in mind?” Juls asked with arched brows.

We both stared at her, waiting for a response. Suddenly the waiter tapped my shoulder giving me the napkin and the money back.

Keep your money. You don’t have to pay me to kiss you either, though I would pay to do so. Clearly my kiss didn’t affect you. I will try again. Thor always gets his gal.

P.S. Little Tykes hammers are durable and long lasting.

My heart was hammering. Every part of me wanted to leave this table and go over to him. But Kat, back to Kat.

“Ok. Sorry.”

“While you girls were off kissing and fucking, a guy came over to the table and we chatted. He’s not married. We just talked.”