Caribbean Cruising (5 page)

"But Ryan—"

"Ryan and I might cross paths at school or at some get-together with Walter. And it would be uncomfortable. So he is definitely out. It has to be someone I don't know and will never see again."

"A fling," she said. "That is so un-Lindsay."

"I know. And to have the kind of cruise that I want to have, I can't hang around with Ryan."

"I hope you know what you're doing."

So did I.

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The ship's horn blasted. Crew members began informing all the guests that they needed to disembark.

I gave Julie a hug.

"Have a great time," she said.

"I will."

"Stay up here and wave to me," she ordered.

"Okay."

I watched her disappear into the crowd of guests. I walked over to the dock side of the ship.

I could see people wandering onto the pier. I didn't spot Julie, but it didn't really matter. She knew I was here. I knew she was there. I started frantically waving, as other people—both on the ship and on the dock—began doing the same.

Another sounding of the horn, and we were moving away from shore.

Moving away from everything I knew. Everything with which I was familiar.

Moving into uncharted territory.

Into the unknown.

CHAPTER 5

"M
ore champagne?"

I looked to the side. Ryan stood beside me, holding two flutes of champagne. I took one. "Thanks."

Turning I leaned my back against the railing. It looked like maybe two dozen people remained onboard.

The band was still playing, people were dancing, and the waiters were walking around offering champagne.

I took a sip of my drink. Was this my third or fourth glass? I couldn't remember.

"I've never had champagne before tonight," I said.

"This is very fine champagne," Ryan said. "See how tiny the bubbles are? The smaller the bubbles, the finer the champagne."

In the dim light, the bubbles weren't that easy to see. Still, I said, "That's fascinating."

"I'm a constant source of useless information."

"No, really," I said, placing my hand on his arm, surprised that I felt comfortable doing so. It had to be mhtml:file://C:\Program Files\eMule\Incoming\+ Hawthorne, Rachel - Caribbean Cruising....

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the champagne working its magic to help me relax. "It was fascinating information."

He grinned. "Well, I heard that when you go on a cruise alone, you're supposed to study up on the ports of call so you can be an informal tour guide. Apparently women gravitate toward knowledgeable men."

"Really?"

He shrugged. "That's what some 'guide to having the best cruise of your life' said. But I spent spring break at Padre Island, and I don't remember any babes trying to hook up with guys because they could ramble off facts. I figure a cruise isn't that much different from spring break."

"At least you have some spring-break experiences to compare this with. It's totally alien to me."

"You seem to be managing it all right so far. Want to dance again?"

I was suddenly feeling very adventuresome. And my wild and crazy cruise was supposed to be starting now anyway. Besides, as Julie had pointed out, Ryan was nice. I nodded. "Sure."

We danced until the lights from Galveston faded into the distance. Sometimes we drank champagne while we danced, and sometimes we simply danced. With the bubbly wine coursing through my system, the dim lights, and the soft music, the night felt almost magical.

I closed my eyes and almost fell asleep right there on Ryan's shoulder. I stumbled. He steadied me.

"I think you've had too much champagne," he said.

We were barely moving our feet. I didn't have the strength, and I certainly didn't mind if he didn't either.

"I think you're right. It's making me really sleepy."

"You don't think being sleepy has anything to do with it being almost two o'clock in the morning?"

I straightened. "Is it that late? I had no idea."

As I glanced around, everything seemed to spin. When had almost everyone left? Only Mom and Walter were still dancing, and like Ryan and me, they were barely moving.

"Is the party over?" I asked.

"Just about. Want me to walk you back to your cabin?"

I was feeling a little light-headed, a little dizzy. I grinned at him. "Sure. I need to say good-bye to Mom first."

I walked over to Mom and tapped on her shoulder. She glanced over and stopped dancing. "Are you off to bed now?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"All right. Don't forget about our dinner date tomorrow."

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Mom wanted to touch base with me before we started hitting other ports and things got crazy. "I won't."

She hugged me. "Good night."

I waved at Walter. "Good night."

As we started to leave, Walter called after Ryan, "Take good care of my daughter now."

"I will," Ryan said.

I wanted to groan—at Walter's request and Ryan's response.

"I told you—" I began.

"I know," he cut in. "You don't need anyone watching out for you. Trust me. If I'd told Walter that, we'd still be explaining things to him. He's new at being a father, so he's probably going to be overprotective at first."

"I'm beginning to figure that out."

On our way toward the elevator, Ryan grabbed a bottle of champagne out of a bucket of ice. "No sense in it going to waste," he said.

As we rode the elevator to our deck, I wondered who he planned to drink it with. Was he planning to share it with me? Should I invite him into my cabin? Should we extend the party?

The elevator stopped and we stepped out of the glass enclosure and into the hallway. The walls spun around me.

"Oh." I reached out and found Ryan's arm. I steadied myself.

"Woozy?" he asked.

"A little. I guess it was the elevator."

"Just hold onto my arm for support. It's not that far to our rooms."

"Aren't you dizzy?"

"Nope."

How many glasses had I had? I couldn't remember. "I've never had champagne before."

He laughed. It was a nice, deep rumble. "You've said that already."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot. Champagne seems to make me forget things." It even seemed to make me forget why I had reservations about spending time with Ryan. I remembered that I'd had concerns earlier, but now I couldn't remember what they were. They couldn't have been very important. Julie was right. He was hot, and he was fun to be with.

"I have a balcony," I said, feeling very happy, content, and a little giddy. "Want to see?"

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I reached for my key—

And realized that I didn't have my purse. I quickly turned around to see where I'd dropped it. The walls, the ceiling, and the floor spun with me. I leaned back against the wall for support.

"Are you okay?" Ryan asked.

"I don't have my key."

"How can you not have your key?"

I shook my head. I was woozy, but I remembered…remembered giving my purse to Cindy right before the ceremony. Bummer. Total bummer.

"I gave my purse to Cindy. The cruise director or whatever she was. The one who was directing the wedding. Do you know if she's still up there?"

"I don't know. But I don't think you'll make it back to the top deck."

Unfortunately I didn't think I'd make it either. I wanted to curl up on my bed and go to sleep. Right now, even the floor was looking inviting. I didn't remember seeing Cindy when we left. What if she'd left for the night? I nodded. "You go look for Cindy. I'll wait."

"I can't leave you alone in the hallway. Come on. We'll go into my room and figure out what to do."

That sounded like a plan. Keeping my hand against the wall for balance, I followed him just a bit down the hallway to his room. Right next to mine. Just like Walter had said.

I couldn't determine why that struck me as funny. Everything seemed funny. The champagne was really getting to me, I guess. I was a little more tipsy than I realized.

He opened the door, walked in, and held it open. "Come on in."

I'd never been alone in a room with a guy before. My natural instinct was to stop at the door, but this was the start of the uninhibited Lindsay. I strode past him. "Oh, gosh, it's just like my room. And you have a balcony too."

I realized I sounded as though I was surprised, even though I'd seen his balcony while I'd been sitting on mine that afternoon. As a matter of fact, everything I said sounded as though I was surprised. It was the bubbly talking.

"Why don't you sit out there?" he suggested. "Some fresh air might help clear your head."

He slid the glass door aside, and I stepped through. "Oh, wow," I said as the breeze brushed by me.

"You can see the lights on shore. They're dancing around. Aren't they pretty?"

"Lindsay, how much champagne did you have?" he asked.

"I didn't count." I sat on the chair, slipped off my sandals, and tucked my feet beneath me. Then I laughed. "Am I drunk?"

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"I think so."

"But getting drunk on champagne wasn't on my list."

"Your list?" He sat in the chair beside mine.

"The list of everything I want to do while I'm on this cruise. Things I've never done before." I held up one hand and touched a finger with the other. "Have a margarita." I touched another finger. "Go snorkeling." Grinning I leaned toward him. "I can't tell you everything I want to do. Some of it is a secret."

"I'm going to call down to the main desk and see if they'll bring us a key to your room." He got up and went back into his cabin.

Getting to my feet I swayed and grabbed the railing for support. I followed him into his room. He went around the bed and was reaching for the phone.

I walked unsteadily across the room and lay down on his bed. Just like mine, it was king-sized. "Ryan?"

He stopped moving and looked over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"The room is spinning."

He stretched across the bed toward me. "Close your eyes."

"Everything is still spinning."

"Hold my hand." He wrapped his hand around mine, and I squeezed his.

"Never had champagne before." I thought I was speaking slowly but my words seemed to run together.

"I never would have guessed."

His voice sounded far away.

"Ryan, this is the last thing on my list."

"What is?"

As my eyes drifted closed, I murmured, "Sleeping with a guy."

CHAPTER 6

The Enchantment Day Two

T
he next morning was supposed to be the beginning of my very best vacation ever, but I woke up and wondered if it could kick off with a worse start. My memory was fuzzy. My head felt like it weighed about a hundred pounds. My body so did not want to move. I didn't have the key to my room. And I was mhtml:file://C:\Program Files\eMule\Incoming\+ Hawthorne, Rachel - Caribbean Cruising....

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sleeping with the best man—a guy I barely knew.

And to make matters even worse, I had a vague recollection of revealing some of the things I wanted to accomplish while I was on this cruise. I almost groaned aloud, but I was afraid that Ryan would wake up. And then what should I do?

Speak to him?

Good morning, Ryan.

Simply smile and shrug?

About last night…

Laugh?

I drank way too much champagne!

Look bored, get up, and leave without a single word spoken?

It wasn't as though waking up in bed with a guy fell into my "
been there, done that"
experiences because I'd never been there, done that—until now.

Of course that was the very reason that the experience was written on my to do list. Although when I'd written "Sleep with a guy," keeping my clothes on wasn't exactly how I'd planned to do it. I decided I needed to be a little more specific with my list. But to do that, I needed to get to it, and that required getting into my room.

I slowly opened my eyes. The morning sun was easing through the parted drapes at the balcony doors. I could see Ryan more clearly. The way his eyelashes rested on his cheeks. The hint of a morning beard on his chin.

We were on our sides, facing each other. His arm was draped over my waist, its weight making it seem as though I belonged to him. The palm of my right hand was pressed…well, it was pressed against his chest and I could feel the steady pounding of his heart.

Even with a wrinkled tux on, a tie hanging loose around his neck, and a couple of buttons on his white shirt undone, Ryan looked hot. His black hair fell across his brow. I had to clench my hand to stop myself from reaching up to brush it back into place.

I found myself half wishing we weren't both lying here with all of our clothes on. But with Ryan, that scenario was a recipe for disaster. He was Walter's godson. And I was a little embarrassed by my virginal status.

I mean I was probably the last remaining virgin of my senior class.

Julie had confessed that her first time had been awkward, clumsy, and filled with…well, disappointment, maybe even a little regret. I wanted my first time to be totally different. A cruise ship seemed like a perfect place to experience a once-in-a-lifetime moment. All I needed to find was the perfect guy for one night.

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