Page 39 of Cocky Cruiser

“Yeah, my brother was just checking in.” I rolled my eyes but smiled. “He’s so protective.”

Cohen nodded. “That’s older brothers for you. I’d be the same way.”

An awkward tension filled the silence that passed between us. I had to get what was on my mind off my chest before I exploded. “What are we doing, Cohen?”

His brow furrowed as he glanced over at me. “What do you mean?”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “This.” I gestured back and forth between us. “Us.”

He stayed silent for a few seconds, his eyes searching mine. Then he let out a sigh. “I didn’t plan for this, Adele. As I told you earlier, when I came to Australia, I wasn’t even sure I would take the cruise. Then I saw you. And something about you drew me in.”

A lump formed in my throat, and my chest tightened as he continued, “I told myself that I wasn’t going to get involved with you. I didn’t want you to think that I’d invited you on this trip as some sort of hookup, but you were harder to resist than I’d thought.”

“And now?” I asked, hoping he wasn’t going to say he’d made a mistake.

He sighed. “I don’t know.” He paused for a few moments, looking up at the stars. “Cara always told me that I needed to live in the moment. That tomorrow wasn’t promised, so I needed to make the most of the present because life is too short.” He brought his eyes back to mine and raked a hand through his hair. “So that’s what I’m doing. I’m living in the moment and doing things that make me happy.”

A small grin tugged at the corners of my lips. “And that includes me?”

Cohen barked out a laugh, his dimples coming out in full force. “Yes, that includes you, guppie. You’re actually my favorite thing to do at the moment.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, smiling warmly at me. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”

My stomach flip-flopped. “Me too.”

Cohen’s answer was so honest and endearing that I didn’t press him further even though I wanted to know what was going to happen with us once the cruise ended. The thought plagued me daily, wondering if he was just going to forget about me and move on, or if he wanted something more with me.

I really hoped it was the latter because I knew I’d never meet anyone like Cohen again, and my life would never be the same.

Chapter Twelve

The next night, we arrived in Papeete. Typically, we arrived at the port in the morning, but Papeete was an exception on the cruise. Our excursion wasn’t until the next morning, so we decided to stay on the ship and go to bed early to be refreshed and ready for the day.

We’d chosen to go sailing on a catamaran, then snorkeling at a coral reef. I was looking forward to a day with some relaxation intermixed with the activity.

We didn’t have to tender like we did in Moorea, which I preferred. It made the whole disembarking process quicker and simpler than when we had to take a tender boat.

The port was in a more urban area than Moorea, but lush, green hills and tropical scenery still greeted us. There was even a huge mountain on the opposite end of the island.

We found our guide then set off on the shuttle to where the catamaran was docked. I didn’t know much about boats, living in the middle of a desert and all, but I could tell that our catamaran was top of the line by the sleek details and brilliant craftsmanship.

We were all given life jackets as we got on board. I was a pro at putting on both mine and Adele’s since any excursion in the water required wearing the safety device. Once everyone had put them on and were seated, the captain started the engine.

We chose to sit at the front of the boat where the netting was. Once we had driven about ten minutes, the captain killed the engines and had the crew unfurl the sails.

Adele leaned back on her elbows and extended her legs, tipping her head back to look up at the sky. “This is heaven.”

I chuckled as I did the same next to her. “Definitely my kind of paradise.”

“What are you going to do with yourself when you have to go back to a dry desert?” she asked with a teasing grin.

“I don’t know. I might have to buy a vacation home somewhere so I can have a tropical oasis to escape to.”

I’d always thought about getting a vacation home somewhere but never had a destination in mind. There wasn’t any location I’d had the desire to visit more than once, so I’d never committed to it.

“Or you could just move to somewhere like California where there’s a beach right around the corner. I’ve heard the restaurant scene is pretty spectacular.”

I scoffed. “California ain’t got nothing on Vegas. Why do you think all the top chefs have restaurants there?”

“Because Vegas is one of the biggest, if not the biggest tourist trap in the States. And people throw money around like it grows on trees when they’re there.”

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