“Nope, you didn’t wake me,” he says, his eyes still closed as he savors his caffeine fix. “This is actually a perfect way to wake up. Nothing beats a handsome man bringing you coffee in bed as a wake-up call.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Really, nothing?”
A smile pulls at the corners of his lips, and he cracks his eyes open slowly before making an obvious show of deliberately looking me up and down. “Alright, so maybe I can think of a couple of things that might beat the coffee. But the handsome man thing still works.”
“So, today’s a sea day, right? What should we do?” I ask.
It’s his turn to raise an eyebrow at me. “You mean other than lying in bed and fucking like rabbits all day?”
“Don’t get me wrong; I want to do that too. I’m very ambitious. I want to do all the things. More fucking like rabbits is definitely high on the list, though.”
He giggles, and finally, unable to resist him for even one more second, I lean over and take his mouth in a kiss that takes my breath away.
“Well, there are about ten million options on this ship," he continues after we break apart. "But I’m sort of leaning toward a lazy pool day,” he says a few moments later after we’ve broken apart. He settles back into his pillow, cradling his coffee in both hands. “I’m seeing fruity umbrella drinks, juicy romance novels, and naps in the sun. Oh, and I almost forgot, I have a massage booked this afternoon.” He pauses to take another sip. “Want me to see if they can fit you in? We could do a couples one.”
“I’ll pass on the massage; they have a tendency to give me migraines. But the rest of the activities on that list sound pretty fucking perfect to me.” I say truthfully.
“Mmm. Maybe later you can read to me from one of your juicy romance novels.” He waggles his eyebrows.
My cock jumps at that idea. “I like that plan. A lot.” I lean in and kiss him again. Because I can.
Less than an hour later, we’re on the pool deck, settled into a couple of perfectly situated lounge chairs. We’re facing the activity of the pool but far enough away from the action that it’s easy to ignore the raucous laughter and loud steel drum music reggae band if we want.
We spend the morning hanging out, snacking, dozing, and soaking up the sunshine. Our Pacific Northwest winters are notoriously dark and rainy, and it’s not uncommon to go well over a week without seeing sunshine. This weather is like a 100-proof shot of vitamin D, right from the source.
Heh. I guess both kinds of vitamin D are good for my mental health.
Chapter twenty-one
Penn
“Hunter, are you sure you don’t want to see if we can do a couples massage?” I ask as I stretch and haul myself out of my lounge chair. It's time to take a little break from all this relaxation with a massage.
He chuckles. “No, Penn, it’s honestly fine. Like I said, I sometimes get a migraine after a massage, so I’m not a huge fan. But I want you to go get pampered. I’m going to stay here for a bit and then head back to the room. Maybe take a nap.” He smiles up at me from the lounge chair.
I waggle my eyebrows at him. “Mmm, maybe I’ll join you when I’m done. A ‘nap’ sounds delightful.” He chuckles at my use of air quotes around the word “nap,” and I wink at him before walking away.
The spa is located on one of the top decks, and when I walk in, I’m surprised to see Jesse standing at the check-in desk. “Hey, Jesse!” I say, standing next to him. “You getting a little pampering?”
He grins. “Yeah, Danielle made the appointment for me. She says the massage therapists are so amazing that I’ll come out ofhere with a brand-new perspective on life.” He smiles, his eyes crinkling up at the corners, although he’s still wearing that cloak of sadness.
I laugh. “Yeah, I was just trying to convince Hunter to come with me by telling him the same thing. Danielle’s right, though. You’ll feel amazing.”
We make idle chitchat while the receptionist finishes up with the person ahead of us, and then Jesse steps up to check in. The girl behind the desk smiles at us both. “Hello, Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Thompson. Would you like to be in the same massage suite?” she asks. “The room we use for couples massages has one of the best views on the entire ship, and it's not booked for the next couple of hours, which is quite unusual. It’s yours if you’d like."
“Oh, we’re not a couple,” I say.
The girl smiles. “Oh, that doesn’t matter. Lots of times, friends use that suite. Honestly, I’d highly recommend it.”
Jesse looks at me hesitantly. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he says. My mind jumps to Hunter, and I wonder if he’d be bothered if I did a couples massage with Jesse. I mean, it’s not like anything would happen; the massage therapists will be in the room with us the whole time. But then I think back to our conversation from last night. Hunter was the one who brought up the idea for the deal we made, making sure our vacation fling ends when the cruise does. I'd say it's pretty clear where his head is at, and he's got me placed firmly in the friend zone.
“Sure, why not,” I say, and the girl smiles.
“You guys will love it, I promise.”
She shows us to the private massage suite, and she was right, the view is nothing short of breathtaking. The Caribbean Sea stretches out like a vast expanse of liquid sapphire, shimmering under the tropical sun.
“Beautiful, isn't it?” Jesse murmurs as we take it all in. The sky is a flawless canopy of azure, cloudless and perfect, and the brilliant afternoon sunlight reflects off the water, creating a dazzling display of sparkles that dance and shimmer with every gentle swell.
