Page 48 of Cocky Cruiser

I shot her a quick smile, trying to maintain my resolve. Things had progressed way too far for my liking, and we needed to slow down. “Good night.”

She disappeared into the room, and guilt twisted my stomach. I told myself it was for the best, but I didn’t believe my bullshit. We still had five days left on the cruise, and I wasn’t sure I could keep up the act for that long.

Because no matter how much I tried, there was no denying that I wanted Adele and had feelings for her. And I was stubborn enough to believe I could have her and still be able to end things between us once the cruise was over.

If only it were that simple.

Chapter Fifteen

As we got off the boat in Hilo, I had to stop myself from lying on the ground and crying with relief. Being on a ship for five days straight was not my cup of tea, even with the mind-blowing sex. “I don’t think Cara thought about the cabin fever when she picked this cruise,” I joked.

Cohen laughed. “Probably not. She was so used to being stuck in the hospital that I’m sure she didn’t even think about being confined to a ship for a few days.”

I instantly regretted my comment. I was acting ungrateful for the unbelievable gift I’d been given when Cara wasn’t even alive to experience one of her dreams. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about that.”

Cohen smiled at me. “Don’t be. I know you didn’t mean it that way.”

Guilt still twisted my stomach as we met up with our group for our excursion that day. Things had been a little awkward between us for the past couple of days, and I felt like I’d just made it worse.

The icing on the cake was that I didn’t understand what had happened to make Cohen’s behavior change all of a sudden. He’d been acting strange since our spa day, and I hated the tension between us, especially so close to the end of the cruise.

Trying not to focus on our glaring problem, I attempted to enjoy the paradise we were in. We’d chosen one of the longer excursions to get a variety of what Hilo had to offer, and I was thrilled to be off the boat for almost the full day.

“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” Cohen asked as we followed our tour guide to the shuttle van.

I was so excited I practically squealed in delight. “So first, we’ll be going to Honoli’i Beach Park to see a hidden waterfall.”

Cohen’s forehead creased. “How can a waterfall be hidden?”

I chuckled. “I guess we’ll find out. After that, we’re going to Rainbow Falls and Wailuku River, which are located at one of the largest tropical fruit farms in the world.”

Cohen smiled down at me, draping an arm around my shoulders. When he looked at me like that, I felt like I was going to explode. “And then, guppie?”

“Then we explore Kaumana Cave, a lava tube that once served as a pipeline for volcanic lava to travel down the mountain.”

Cohen whistled. “Wow, we really are seeing a lot today.”

“And the best part?” I grinned widely, giggling. “We end at a black sand cove at Richardson’s Beach, a sanctuary for Hawaiian green sea turtles.”

Cohen squeezed my shoulder, grinning widely. “Saved the best for last. I bet you’re excited about that, huh?”

I was looking forward to the whole day, but he was right. I was most excited to see the sea turtles. “I am. Today is going to be a great day.”

As we rode to our first stop, the guide talked about Hilo's history, which of course, Cohen was enthralled by. I thought it was funny that some flashy, top-notch Vegas chef was a history buff. “Hilo is the biggest and oldest city on the Hawaiian islands. It is home to the Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in the world when measured from its base to the top. Most of the dormant volcano is underwater.”

When we arrived at the beach park, our guide led us into a gulch at the back end of the park to see the hidden waterfall under the road we came on.

We gazed up at it. “Guess that makes sense; hidden from view of the main road,” Cohen remarked.

We didn’t spend much time there. After letting everyone take a few pictures, we returned to the shuttle. The guide mentioned he’d rather give us more time at the end to swim at the black sand cove, and I was totally okay with that.

Our next stop wasn’t far from the beach park, and it only took a few minutes for us to get there. According to our guide, the tropical farm was close to a thousand acres, located alongside Hilo’s historic Wailuku River with its very own private overlook deck of the famous Rainbow Falls.

“High-quality tree crops such as coffee, macadamia nuts, lychee, longan, citrus, cacao, and a wide variety of other tropical fruits and spices are all grown here,” the guide explained.

We were able to sample some coffee and macadamia nuts before heading to the falls.

“This is the best coffee I’ve ever had,” Cohen commented as he tossed his sample cup away. “I’m definitely buying a couple of bags before we leave.”

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