“You must not see very good lingerie, my friend, because this is a beach cover-up.” She hits me with a blatantly fake smile.
“I’ve seen plenty of lingerie, thank you very much.” I sound way too offended right now, but my pride is relentless.
“Whatever,” she huffs, bending slightly to search for the outlet against the wall. “You can close your mouth now, darling,” she drawls once she’s plugged her adapter into the wall and connected her phone to it. “You’re drooling.”
I reflexively swipe a hand across my mouth, but it’s dry. “Ha ha. Very funny. Get in bed.”
“Ooh, so demanding,” she quips. “Are you always this dominating in bed, or is it just for me?” She bats her lashes.
She actually fucking bats her lashes.
I bend over and rummage through my backpack. In truth, I’m not looking for anything, but I don’t want her to see the semi she’s got me sporting.
Josefine seemed so sweet and innocent on the dock, but now I’m wondering what I’ve gotten myself into. Maybe I’ll go to the front desk one more time. There’s a chance someone has checked out in the last hour, right? Or maybe they’ll let me sleep in the lobby.
This girl intrigues me, though. She’s the opposite of Hayden, who never asked me to be dominating in bed, despite my interest in it. She would always tell me to go slower or be more gentle. It’s not like I wanted to hurt her, but I wouldn’t have minded if she let me throw her around a little. Not that it matters anymore.
Was Josefine’s comment a hint about what she likes? Does she like men to take control of her in the bedroom?
Blinking out of my trance, I stand upright. “Yeah, all good. Just trying to find my toothbrush.”
“You carry a toothbrush on day trips?”
“Actually, no,” I admit. “I don’t remember what I was looking for.” This girl has got me flipped upside down and I don’t know a thing about her.
“There’s an extra one in the bathroom,” she offers, thumbing over her shoulder.
“Thanks.” I stride across the room, giving her a wide berth, and close the door behind me.
Resting my palms against the chipped Formica countertop, I commence a staring contest with myself in the mirror.Yes, the woman on the other side of the wall is beautiful, but you’ve got to pull it together.It’s one night.
I remove my contact lenses. Thankfully, I did bring their case and a travel-size bottle of solution. My eyesight isn’t so bad that I can’t see without them, but if I go too long, I get a headache. Even though I flipped the switch Katerina pointed out, the watercomes out way too cold, forcing me to take the quickest shower of my life. For being a rundown B&B, the bathroom is surprisingly well stocked with basic hygiene essentials.
Thank my lucky stars I threw a change of clothes into my bag before disembarking the ship this morning. I exit the bathroom in gray sweatpants and a long-sleeve black cotton shirt and find Josefine sitting up in bed. I half expected her to be conked out, especially after two glasses of wine at dinner. But no, the duvet is draped around her waist and she’s finger-combing her damp and tangled hair.
“You know, there’s a plastic comb in the bathroom,” I say, rounding the bed to where I left my bag.
Josefine looks up at me, her dark eyes filled with sadness. “I know. Nervous habit.” She shrugs. “Did you figure out how to get us back on the boat?”
I get to work spreading a blanket out on the floor. It won’t magically make this concrete ground comfortable, but I can survive one night.
“Yes, I did. As long as the storm has passed, a ferry is going to meet us at the dock in the morning.”
She tosses me an extra pillow from the bed. “How much is that gonna cost?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
She opens her mouth like she’s going to argue but snaps it shut again. Instead, she presses her lips in a tight smile and nods.
“All right, good night, Josefine.” I flip the switch on the wall and park myself on the makeshift mattress. A curse escapes my mouth when I come down too hard on my elbow.
“It’s Joey,” she says.
“Huh?”
“My name.” Her voice is soft in the dark of the room. “I go by Joey.”
That’s cute.“Okay, Joey. Night.”
