Page 33 of Midnight Serenade
Sebastian maneuvered his inner tube closer to mine and grabbed onto one of my hold bars. “Hello,” he said with a charming grin and a sparkle in his dark green eyes.
I grinned back, trying not to blush at the look he was giving me. I wasn’t sure how he made me feel both sexy and adored with a single look, but Sebastian made it happen every time he looked at me that way. “Hello. How goes it on your sad side of the river?”
“Lonely.”
I pretended to think about his answer, then held my hand out for him to hold. He gently clasped it, letting our arms rest on the inner tubes to support my sore arms and shoulders and my bruised right hand. The other hand was in a mini hard cast now because I’d damaged it further in the zipline disaster. The onboard physician had practically hissed at me as he’d looked at my X-rays in horror.
“You’re being awfully forward, Miss Liora,” Sebastian teased. “I don’t know if my frail heart can take such forwardness from you.”
I giggled. I hadn’t thought until this moment that I was, by nature, a giggler. Part of me wanted to roll my eyes at myself, but the other was all in and egging me on. If this week had taught me anything, it was that life was short. No more tiptoeing in the shallow end of the pool for me. I was going deep end all the way. Now if only Sebastian would cooperate with me.
“I’m sure you’ll survive,” I teased back.
We reclined and enjoyed the stars together for a while as we drifted down the river. Later, after we’d toweled off and put on shirts and coverups, we hit the midnight chocolate bar. I stuck with the chocolate strawberries and some delicious chocolate cherries that were to die for, while Sebastian ordered some chocolate drizzled blood. I tried not to gag when he told me it was the perfect late-night dessert.
“Here.” I handed him part of my chocolate boysenberry smoothie. “Rinse your mouth out.”
He gave me a searing look as he took a few sips. “What are your plans, Grace? Are you trying to seduce me?”
“Trying and failing,” I said in exasperation. “I’ve been flirting with you all day!” I popped another chocolate cherry into my mouth and my eyes nearly rolled up in my head. Oh my gosh. They were sooo good!
Sebastian gazed at me fondly, then leaned across the table, a soft, intense expression on his face. I was completely mesmerized as he moved closer, anticipating what he would do. But there was some communication misfire between my hand and my brain because instead of leaning over the table, andfinallygetting to kiss him again, I foolishly tried to get another piece of chocolate strawberry into my mouth... but missed and stabbed myself with my fork.
“Argh!” I dropped the fork with a clang and fumbled for my linen napkin, holding it to my stinging, now probably holey face. I glanced up at Sebastian, super-embarrassed, only to see him frozen in place, hovering over the table in a bent position that looked wildly uncomfortable, with an expression of shock on his face. Laughter started to dance in his eyes.
He sat back down and cleared his throat. “Are you okay?”
I looked at him in exasperation. “I stabbed myself with a fork, Sebastian, and I’m really embarrassed.No, I’m not okay.”
He knelt beside me, gently pulling the napkin away. “You got your chin good. It’s bleeding.”
I moaned and closed my eyes. “I swear I was not this accident-prone until this trip.”
“I don’t know that I believe you,” he said, his lips twitching suspiciously. “It sounds like a tall tale to me.”
“No one says tall tale anymore,” I grumbled.
He bit his lip and dabbed my napkin into some ice water, then tried to clean the blood off my chin.
I watched him closely for a moment to see if my bleeding affected him, but he seemed fine.
“I’m not going to attack you, Grace,” he murmured.
“I wish you would,” I said, with absolutely no filter whatsoever.
He threw his head back and laughed, and I smiled and shook my head at myself. Maybe Mama being extra crazy after ten p.m. was a thing I’d inherited. My lips became loose. My brain stopped sending caution signals to my mouth.
“You’re charming.”
“I’m a train wreck,” I corrected him. “But thank you.”
That night at my door, even though I was giving every kind ofproceedsignal known to mankind, I got another hug. It was a great hug, don’t get me wrong, but it was a hug.
Well, a hug was better than a handshake. I was moving up in the world.
The next fewdays onboard were uneventful. Micaela stayed as my protection detail, with Gray filling in when she needed breaks. Rafe and Sebastian were really busy during the daysat sea, but we were going to see a Broadway show later at theKamariaTheater, and I was really excited about it. I hadn’t ever been to a live Broadway show; I’d just seen a few of them on television.
Mama and I were wandering through the onboard gift shops while Micaela watched from the entrance, saying that knickknacks gave her hives.
