Page 10 of Cocky Cruiser

Then I saw him winding through the crowd. Smiling broadly, he raised a hand to wave at me.

I let out a sigh of relief, the tightness in my chest easing as I waved back.

“Hey,” Cohen greeted as he reached me, leaning in to press a kiss to my cheek.

I felt my face heat as he pulled back. He was even more handsome in the day than the dim lighting in the bar the other night. “Hungry?”

I’d only had coffee and some Vegemite on toast before we’d left the bungalow, so I was starved. “Yes.”

We browsed the options before finally deciding on an Asian noodle place with amazing smells coming from the kitchen.

Once we got our food, we took a seat at one of the tables in the food court.

“So, can you give me a breakdown of this cruise? I’ve never been on one before,” I stated between bites.

“Well, the first three days will be at sea. Our first stop is at the Bay of Islands in New Zealand.”

I put my chopsticks down. “Whoa, whoa. We’re going to be stuck on the boat for three whole days before we even get anywhere?”

Cohen gave me a sexy smirk. “Afraid of being alone with me, sweetheart?”

My abdomen coiled with heat as I felt my face flush. I hadn’t had sex since Harry, and my vibrator just wasn’t the same. “Well, no, but I’d expected the days at sea to be when we were on our way to Hawaii, not right off the bat.”

His eyes were heated as they bore into mine. Thoughts of what we could do in close quarters for three days flashed in my mind.

Focus, Adele. You’re not on this trip to get laid. You’re here to have new experiences and find yourself.

Those new experiences could include hooking up at sea with the hottest man I’d ever seen, right? Not everyone experienced that.

“Don’t worry. There’s plenty to do on the ship. There are pools, a spa, fitness center, bars, restaurants, even a casino, and they have shows and activities for guests throughout the day.”

Picking up my chopsticks, I resumed eating. “Wow. Sounds like a dream.”

Cohen smiled at me. “I thought we could use those first three days to get acquainted with the ship and plan out what we’re going to do at the ports.”

I wanted to get acquainted in more ways than one. I felt like a college frat boy with the thoughts running through my head. The smart thing to do would be to keep things platonic between us to prevent any awkwardness during or after the cruise. But the thought of a transpacific fling was tempting.

Talking about our relationship expectations during the cruise would be a smart idea, but I was too embarrassed to bring it up. Cohen might not even feel the same way I did, and I didn’t want to humiliate myself and ruin the trip before it even started.

“That sounds like a good idea; get a game plan together,” I agreed.

We finished eating, then went to our gate to wait to board our flight. My leg bounced anxiously as I scrolled through my phone.

“Nervous?” Cohen asked, his eyes darting down to my gyrating leg.

“A little,” I responded, forcing myself to stop fidgeting. “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever done.”

He chuckled. “A little spontaneity is good for the soul.”

I smiled. When I looked past the nerves, there was a level of excitement and hope I hadn’t felt since both my parents were alive. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

Cohen and I didn’t get to sit together since we’d bought our tickets at different times, but he was waiting for me when I deplaned. He’d arranged for a shuttle service to take us to the port, so once we retrieved our luggage from the baggage claim, we went to the designated shuttle area.

The ride was about twenty minutes long, and once we pulled into the port, I was glued to the window as I gazed at the massive ships. “Wow.”

“Wow is right,” Cohen agreed.

The shuttle dropped us off right outside the entrance to the cruise terminal building. The line of passengers was out the door and along the wall outside.

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