“Or you’ll be sorry.” He pointed his finger at me. “I mean it, Jameson. I don’t stand for men putting women in bad positions.” His cheeks flushed with emotion as he said it. “You’re leaving, and she’s young. If I find out you’re taking adv—”
“I’d never hurt her, I swear,” I said quickly. “And if I did, I’d want you to do whatever you’re threatening.”
With a hesitant nod, his eyes drifted to the floor before he shuffled away.
12. ALI – WE COULD
The next morning was a rainy one. When the cruise docked in Scotland, JP and I both threw on raincoats and jeans and quickly exited the boat to explore the city of Edinburgh. As we walked to a cab that would drive us up to the city, JP grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. His rough hand squeezed mine, making my heart flutter in my chest. It was such an easy act of intimacy, and it was one that I didn’t have to argue for or even ask for. He just did it because he wanted to. Taking it a step further, I hugged his arm. That seemed to make him stand about two feet taller. The way he grinned down at me, it was like I made his whole day, and right then, something clicked in my brain.
Thiswas what reciprocated love felt like.
Thiswas what a healthy relationship was supposed to be like.
Not one person walking way out in front or way behind the other, not one person rolling their eyes while the other talked.
Nope.
It wasthis: walking together, experiencing the moment together, simultaneously getting butterflies over the prospect of touching each other.
As we wandered through the early morning fog, we sampledpretty much every chocolate croissant and coffee we could find, and we took over-the-top selfies all throughout the city.
“That’s a keeper,” I said, smiling at a photo of JP kissing my cheek and me squealing in surprise with the Scott Monument stretched up in the background. “We should send this one to the group.”
“Ah.” He reached up to scratch his cheek. “I mean, go for it if you want, but they’ll probably blow up our phones. I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t tell anyone I was coming.”
I raised a skeptical eyebrow. “They didn’t have a clue? Kappy is sneaky perceptive if you haven’t noticed.”
He cupped the back of his neck and laughed. “Kappy? As in Richard Charles Kappers the Third?”
"That's the one.” I smiled proudly. “He really is. He notices things.”
“Yeah? Like what things?”
Not wanting to get into it, I just shrugged. “He’ll probably figure it out.”
He scratched his head. “Maybe. But I think Hans would be the one to piece it together. He told me to take a vacation.”
“Aww, I miss Hans.” Thinking of the old man with bright blue eyes, a supercut of memories played in my brain, making me smile: Him chasing after the boys in the rink, yelling at them to come back and clean up the mess they made, him giving me stern advice after I had a screaming match with my coach, him giving words of encouragement when I was forced to sit in the stands and watch my parents and sister on the ice while I was nursing yet another injury. “You should’ve brought him with you,” I said, elbowing him.
JP cracked a grin as he took in the sight around us. “Yeah, I should’ve. He probably would’ve loved this.” His grey eyes met mine. “I just didn’t want you to feel pressured. I really would’ve left the ship if you didn’t want me here, I was serious about that.”
Taking in his sharp jawline and soft eyes, I was filled with so much love and happiness that it felt like it was bubbling out of me. Going up on my tiptoes, I smoothed my arms around his neck to kiss him.
I felt his smile at first, but then he teased my lips apart and deepened the kiss, making a breathless little noise pop out of me.
“Fuck, Ali,” he whispered before pulling back and resting his forehead against mine. His eyes darted all over my face, like he wastrying to read me. “I’m loving this city, but wanna get back to the boat?”
Giddy with a mixture of excitement and attraction brewing inside of me, I grabbed his hand and twirled away from him before letting go and darting down the stairs. “Thought you’d never ask,” I called over my shoulder.
His grey eyes blazed with heat. “Damn, baby,” he whispered as he quickly caught up and pulled me against him, making me giggle.
_________
Each night ended with us dancing together, and we’d spend the whole time teasing each other. He was constantly grabbing my hips, pulling me against him, swaying with me, having the most fun.
Tonight, as we danced, I grabbed his hat and turned it backwards, then trailed a nail down his neck, making his whole body shudder. He looked at me with glazed over eyes, then gave his head a little shake. When he caught me giggling, he dipped down to whisper, “Trouble, Ali, you’re trouble.” I giggled more, despite the way his gravelly voice sent an electric current straight to my core.
The whole night, he made me feel sexy, beautiful even, as his heated eyes and rough hands trailed over my body. And then as soon as I gave him permission, he threw me over his shoulder and darted back to my room, making me laugh. And what’s more shocking—for once, I wasn’t nervous about that part of the night. Actually, I couldn’t wait.
