“I was just looking… checking out the, uh?—“
I step backwards and my butt bumps into a button on the instrument panel. Three little beeps trill behind me and Caleb lunges forward. I jump out of his way.
“Oh god,” I say, “I’m so sorry! Did I mess something up?”
He presses something on the screen and the beeping stops. What if I just sent the ship into self-destruct mode? Now he’sreallygoing to hate me.
Caleb turns around, squaring his hips to face me for the first time since our horrific encounter in the elevator.
“Sorry to be the one to tell you this, Stella, but you’re going to have to try a lot harder than that if you want to sink this ship.”
My heart is pounding with equal parts panic and humiliation. I was so caught up with the Jules drama, I almost forgot how royally I messed up with Caleb. How doable it would be to hide under my King-sized bed for the remainder of the trip? Would Gia and Allie deliver me food?
“Look, Stella…” he starts, at the exact same time as I say, “We should?—"
“We don’t have to talk about it,” I say rapidly. “Whatever that was earlier was a mistake. A temporary brain aneurysm. It could have happened to anyone.”
“Right. A mistake,” he says, voice lowering. “You’d be surprised how often women fall into my mouth in elevators.”
I feel my cheeks reddening. Is it possible for your whole body to blush?
“This isn’t funny,” I scold him. “Did you even think about what would happen if we got caught?”
“Honestly, Stella, I don’t remember a lot ofthinkingon either of our parts.”
I’m instantly transported back to the scene of the crime, where I practically threw myself at him. For what may have been the first time in my adult life, I was totally impulsive in that elevator. No thought for consequences; only the blinding desire to have my body pressed up to his. One that I’m going to have to shove down deeper than the Marianas Trench if I’m going to survive this next week on board with him.
“I know this may come as a shock to you, Caleb, but I’m not here for a hookup. I’m here for my sister,” I remind him sternly. “The last thing I want to do is compromise her chances at happiness.”
And I still mean it. Even if shewasa complete jerk tonight.
“You don’t have to convince me,” he says. “That absolutely cannot happen again. Do you think I want to lose my job?”
“There are few things on this planet I knowlessabout than what you want, Caleb,” I growl. But even though I mean it as a jab, it comes out in a sort of breathy purr that makes both of us tense up. We both stand frozen for a few seconds, avoiding eye contact.
“Let’s just agree to pretend this never happened, alright?” he finally says. “Clearly we’re both under a lot of pressure right now.”
“Should be easy enough for you,” I say playfully. “You’ve had plenty of practice pretending not to know who I am.”
He raises his eyebrows, and I don’t think I’m imagining it when he leans forward, just a little.
“Well,youmight want to keep your eyes to yourself,” he warns playfully. “Even bat-blind Arthur can see you ogling me on the aft deck.”
“Ogling?” I protest. “There has certainly beennoogling.”
“No? Because a little birdy told me you thought I was the sexiest man you’ve ever seen…”
I’m going tokillJules. If she ever wants to speak to me again.
“Ineversaid that,” I seethe.
“Please, Stella.” Caleb smirks, and my insides do that annoying treacherous thing where they feel like they’re going to combust. “You’re worse at lying than you are at kayaking.”
“Whatever I said is irrelevant,” I tell him. “From now on, we’re going to stay away from each other.”
I’m not sure if I imagine his voice catching when he says, “Fine by me.”
I stand frozen for a moment, not sure what comes next. What does it look like to have a mutually agreed upon, if ill-begotten, truce with Captain Conceited?
