Page 30 of Sail Me to Ruin
My stomach growls, so I wander out the room. I make my way up to the deck to order and run face-first into Blaise.
Clearly surprised to see me, I try to make the best of it by asking for company.
“Hey, did you eat by chance?” I skip straight to the point, not waiting to make it seem like I’m shy around him anymore.
Not after earlier.
I still feel his finger tips digging into my hips.
He sighs, slightly exasperated. “I’ll be honest, Elodie. We went fishing today after I saw you and I am peopled out. I also smell like fish and need a good shower. I would love to spend time with you, but that’s if you’re game to do room service and relax. I cannot hang out on deck any longer.”
Smelling him, I nod and we take off to his room.
Damn, that really is an awful smell.
Fighting to keep my nose from scrunching, he tells me where the room service menu is and to pick out whatever I want before he heads into the bathroom.
Throwing his dirty clothes into the hallway outside the bathroom, I notice what looks like dried blood on his pants.
Remembering he said he went fishing, I brush the thought away and go to find the menu.
The menu is six pages front and back with an array of different foods to choose from.
It must be nice to be rich...
Looking at a photo of steak covered in sauce and crab meat makes my mouth water; the green asparagus on the side looks grilled to perfection.
“Damn that looks good,” I mutter to myself.
“Personally, I like it with extra béarnaise sauce, it compliments the crab meat really well. But most would say that’s a choice. Especially Knox and my mother.” I whip around to find Blaise in a towel, standing behind me.
“Oh…I uhm...I’m sure it’s good.” My voice wavers with uncertainty, and I pray he doesn’t notice.
“Elodie, my pretty little Storm, would you like to try that for dinner? We need to order anyway.” There’s no judgment in his tone at all and my body relaxes a smidge.
“It looks delicious. I’d love that, honestly.”
He nods, walking away to place the order. Making myself at home, I sit on the couch and stretch out. After I hear him complete the order, he comes and sits with me, placing my feet in his lap. He rubs them gently in slow circles.
The tension leaving my feet causes me to groan.
“Elodie, can I be honest with you? I need to get something off my chest and I might chicken out if I don’t go ahead and do it now.”
Turning to look at me, he puts my feet down. I face him as my heart starts racing out of my chest at all the possible things he could say.
The cruise is back out on the water and we’re going to port and head back to real life tomorrow.
Does that mean this play pretend ends too?
Bracing myself for the worst, his words shock me.
“I’m not ready to stop pursuing you. You have brought light into my life for the first time in a long time, and I can’t let you go. I don’t expect us to be madly in love or anything like that. Hell, I wasn’t sure I’d ever fall in love—didn't know if I could. But you make me want to. You make me want to own, cherish, and worship you all at once. It’s new for me, but please don’t make me fully give you up. Say that we can see where this goes.” The sincerity in his eyes blows me away.
I want to give in and say yes so badly, but something nags at the back of my mind.
I don’t want to be owned.
Today and how I was treated comes to the forefront of my mind and I know I need to be honest too.
