“And now think about your feet. What are they attached to?”
“My ankles?”
“Really?”
“I…”
“Just kidding,” he laughs gently, dropping his hands. “What are your ankles attached to?”
“My shins?”
“You’re maybe being slightly too specific now,” he says, a smile in his voice. “Let’s go from legs. What are your legs attached to?”
“My torso?”
“And then?”
“My neck. Then my head…”
“Correct. Open your eyes,” he says as if I’ve passed a test.
I blink them open slowly. My limbs and fingers feel like they’ve been filled with lead but my breathing is noticeably calmer.
“What can you see?” he asks. I blink rapidly, wiping the tears from my eyes and allowing my vision to clear. I meet a pair of warm light brown eyes, a sturdy straight nose and a defined, neatly shaven jawline. But his most noticeable feature is the wild, dark-gold curls that tumble down over his forehead.
Oh, holy fuck.
“You,” I say.
“Good. What else?”
“No, I mean, it’s you!Again!” I’m too mortified to do anything other than cover my face with my hands. “You can leave now, thank you.”
He’s quiet for a second. “Ok…? I feel like I’m missing something here.”
“I’ve got this,” I say, looking up at him through bleary eyes and attempting to dismiss him with my hand. I can barely raise it.
I very much haven’t got this.
And it’s clear by his concerned frown that we both know I’m lying.
He tilts his head almost sympathetically. It only sets me off again. I quickly wipe at my eyes with the balls of my hands. “Hey, come on. It’s alright,” he says, rising to his feet and shoving his hands into his pockets, giving me ample space to escape if that’s want I want. “Can I at least help you to your room, or something? I can’t just leave you here. It wouldn’t sit well with my conscience. Or I can find a female attendant if you’d prefer?”
I press my face into my hands again, curling forward. I muffle, “No. That’s even more embarrassing. I just want to hide.”
“Ok, sure. Where?”
I let out a ragged breath. “My room would be good.” I look up at him and he nods, offering me his arm.
“Great, then let’s get you to your room.”
It takes me a minute to steady my wobbling knees, but when I finally do, he gives me a reassuring smile.
He’s steady. He’s also very tall. I’m five foot nine, five eleven in heels, and he’s still a few inches taller than me. I peek at his face discreetly – he’s handsome.
I clasp his bare forearm, a splatter of light hair and tanned skin under my fingers. He leads me towards the cabin lift and asks for my room number.
I hesitate. “You’re not some cruise ship murderer, right?”
