Page 19 of Cocky Cruiser

She grabbed a towel from the chair next to mine and started drying her hair. “My mum used to call me guppie because I loved the water so much. I never wanted to get out once I got in.”

I chuckled endearingly. “Oh, you shouldn’t have told me that.”

Her brows furrowed. “Why?”

“Because now I’m going to call you guppie every chance I get.”

She shook her head. “No, you won’t.”

I gave her a mischievous grin as I stood. “Watch me, guppie.”

She tossed her towel in my face with a laugh. “I’ll make you regret it.”

I arched a brow, egged on by her challenge. “Oh, will you now? What are you going to do about it?”

Narrowing her eyes at me, she crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ll see.”

A grin spread over my face. “I can’t wait.”

We went back to the suite to get cleaned up before teatime. One of the private lounges hosted it for suite guests daily, and I knew I’d be taking Adele every afternoon if it meant I got to see that beaming smile of hers.

A few moments after we were seated, a waiter brought over a box of various teas. My eyes widened as they scanned the selection. “I had no idea there were so many different types of tea.”

Giggling, Adele wasted no time in selecting one. I knew nothing about tea, so I just picked the same one she did.

The waiter proceeded to pour hot water over our selected tea bags. Cream, sugar, milk, honey, and lemons sat in the middle of the table, and once our beverages had brewed, I watched as Adele put generous amounts of each in her tea.

A smile curved her lips as she closed her eyes and took a sip. “I haven’t had a proper tea since moving to the States.”

I couldn’t help but smile. For some reason, Adele’s joy made me happy. I made my tea the same way she had so that I could experience tea time through her eyes.

Our waiter came back with an assortment of scones, finger sandwiches, cookies, and cakes accompanied by various butters, jams, and creams.

“This is amazing,” Adele said as she gazed at the spread in front of her. She had pretty much grabbed one of everything, and the look on her face reminded me of a kid in a candy store. “This reminds me so much of my mum and dad.”

Her eyes watered even though she had a smile on her face. “What were they like?” I asked.

She let out a sigh while bringing her eyes to mine. “They were the best. My dad played and then coached professional soccer. That was the reason we moved to Australia; he was recruited when I was three.”

I raised my brows. “Professional player, then coach. That’s impressive.”

“Yeah. He died several years ago from pancreatic cancer. When that happened, my mum and I moved back to the States. Our whole life in Australia had been built around him, and it was just too painful.”

I nodded. My heart hurt for her because I understood the kind of pain she felt. That’s why I moved to Vegas after Cara died. “Sometimes, the memories of a deceased loved one are almost as painful as their actual passing.”

“It hit both my mum and me hard; Chance too. Dad was his idol and mentor. And my mum was head over heels in love with my dad, so she was completely devastated. Then she died a few years later of an aneurysm.”

I couldn’t imagine losing two close family members in the span of a few years. Cara’s death was hard enough for me, and I respected Adele’s strength that much more. “I’m so sorry for your losses. I’m glad you have your brother to be there for you.”

At the mention of her brother, Adele smiled. “He’s the best. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without him.”

“Speaking of,” I said between bites of a scone, “you haven’t told me the story of why your brother went to jail for you.”

Smile falling, Adele’s face paled. “I, uh,” she stammered, obviously flustered. “I don’t think I’m ready to talk about that yet.”

I could tell I hit a nerve. My blonde beauty looked visibly distressed, so I didn’t press the issue. “No problem. Sorry I asked.”

Once we finished teatime, we went back to our suite to relax before dinner. Adele took a bath, and all I could think about was how soft her skin would feel beneath my hands as I lathered her up.

---