rious about the woman he'd been talking to before, but of course I didn't want to give away that I was jealous, so I didn't ask.
After breakfast, we parted ways again, until we both showed up at the pool. It wasn't until we ran into each other at the bar that night that we each admitted that we'd been hunting for the other because we were enjoying each other's company. After that, we were pretty much inseparable.
We toured all the spots in Mexico together. And during the times we were on the ship, we would hang out at the pool, play shuffleboard, and we even spent some time in the casino, where I discovered Carter had a thing for numbers as he helped me improve my odds of winning at the blackjack table. Walking away with $150 more than when I started was a nice thing.
There was no doubt that I was feeling extremely attracted to him, but at the same time we were on a cruise ship, where in a couple of days we would dock back in California and go on our own ways. Knowing this, while at the same time eager to have this trip be a magical memory, it was my idea that we didn't share many personal or real-life details. As a result, we only knew each other by our first names. While I understood that he was good at numbers, I didn't know where he went to college, what he majored in, or what he did for a living. I didn't know if he came from a family with money, or if he'd invented some sort of app that had made him rich.
He didn't know any more about me than my name, and my interest in fitness and health. It was like we had both stepped off the spinning world of reality, entering into a bubble of magic and wonder for the week.
But now that the week was coming to an end, I wasn’t ready to step out of the bubble and back into reality. The yearning to spend more time with him was so acute, that there was a part of me wondering if maybe we could take this magical moment back into the real world. Would he be interested in that?
Then I considered that in the real world, the day was not filled with fancy buffets, snorkelling in the ocean, and dancing the night away. Real life is filled with work, and bills, and other mundane tasks. It was foolish to think I could bring the magic between us back to the reality of life. It was a schoolgirl dream that I knew would never come true.
So, my only option was to make the most of the few hours we had left, and my goal was that this night, the last night, he and I wouldn't be sleeping in separate beds. Sure, we’d kissed a lot and groped each other some, but we always stopped to avoid any potential emotional entanglement. Right now, I didn’t care if I fell head over heels and left with a broken heart. I couldn’t end this trip without having one night with him.
A part of me wondered if he was thinking the same thing, because right now I was on the balcony off his cabin staring out over the ocean as we cruised back to California.
"Penny for your thoughts?" His voice came from behind me.
I turned and he was exiting the cabin onto the balcony, carrying two glasses of wine, one of which he handed to me.
I wanted to ask him about his interest in numbers, and money, as related to his comment to me, but we had an agreement that we wouldn’t get too personal.
"I'm thinking about how when I wake up the day after tomorrow, in my own bed, that'll wonder if all this was a dream."
His smile was bittersweet. "Me too." He lifted his glass and clicked it against mine. "To fantastic dreams."
We sipped and then he turned to look out over the water, his hand sliding low along my back. Longing filled my chest, and I gave into it enough to lean my head against his shoulder.
"I know we have an agreement to keep our emotional distance, but it doesn't feel right to me, to end this cruise without touching you," he said.
Inside I was screaming hallelujah, but I tried to contain my excitement. I turned and looped my free hand around his neck. "On that point, Carter, we are in complete agreement."
His smile was bright and then slowly turned wolfish. Inside all my hormones flared to life. I was no virgin. In my twenty-two years, I’d had a few boyfriends that I'd slept with. But I was sure, based on the feral gleam in Carter's eyes, that none of my experiences up to now, would come close to comparing.
He took my glass and set it down with his on the small table on the balcony. He pulled me to him, his hands sliding down, each one grabbing my backside. "I've been wanting to get you out of your shorts, or your bikini, or your dress practically since the moment I saw you,” he said.
Another zap of electricity fired through me.
I pressed my hips forward grinding against him, discovering a sizable erection that made me gasp. "I've been dying to get you naked too."
He gave me a wicked grin. "This is going to be fun."
Before I could respond, he scooped me up into his arms and carried me back into his room.
He set me down, and his fingers deftly undid the zipper of my dress before my feet hit the ground. He tugged the straps down and my braless breast fell free.
He groaned. “I knew you had perfect tits.” He sucked one nipple into his mouth and I clung to his head as a shock of sensation shot straight to my pussy making my knees buckle. For a moment, I couldn’t do anything but feel as his mouth suckled my breast.
But then my own need to discover him rose, and I eagerly undid his belt buckle and the button of his pants. I reached in, gripping him through his boxer briefs.
“Fuck,” he growled.
I looked down, noticing that the head of his dick was peeking out of his waistband. It looked velvety soft and I wanted to drag my tongue all around it.
In a flurry of activity, we got naked and he pushed me back on the bed, crawling over me. He kissed me hard, and then his lips trailed down my neck and he sucked my other nipple.
“I want you,” I said, not caring that I sounded so desperate. My hips were gyrating, seeking his dick.