A Royal Christmas Cruise (Stonewall Investigations Miami 2.50)

Not anywhere. Luna was a friend, but it became murky when her literal job was taking care of my life. She got paid to be around me twenty-four seven. In fact, I could spot her from the corner of my vision, standing with a cup of water and a straw to her lips, sunglasses and hat on.

Shiro looked me up and down. He crossed his arms, making them look even bigger. The buttons on his shirt pushed apart, giving me a look at his chest, letting me see the curve of muscle, the hint of a nipple.

“Fine, let’s be friends.”

A smile spread over my face. I switched my hat so that it wasn’t throwing a shadow over my face. I had initially freaked out over the fake-boyfriend question as images of me and Shiro holding hands flashed across my face, splattered over every newsstand and grocery store aisle. It would also hit the internet in rapid-fire time, but the Spaniards did love their magazines, and I had no doubt I’d be front-cover material for months.

When I declined the offer, it didn’t fill me with any kind of relief. Instead, I had a major what-if moment. The exact kind of thing I was trying to avoid by breaking up with my girlfriend and taking this spontaneous trip.

But friends? That we could definitely do. If, on the small chance there was someone who recognized me on this cruise and was the type to sell photos, then they’d have nothing except for a prince hanging out with his American friends, cruising through the Caribbean for the holidays.

How scandalous could this possibly get?

“So, friend,” I said with a grin, “what’s one thing I should know about you?” I wanted to get as big a rundown on him as I could before his friends returned and the charades officially began. The air, aside from having a fine ocean mist in it, was also beginning to crackle with excitement. This would be fun; I could already tell. In fact, I was willing to bet that doing anything with Shiro would be fun.

“Well… friend. Let’s see—I’m twenty-five, I’m a Pisces, I work for a detective agency called Stonewall Investigations. I hate long walks on the beach and love to watch sunsets from places that are high up.”

I filed away all that information. “Should a friend know that last one?”

Shiro seemed to have caught himself. He chuckled, his cheeks flashing pink. “Your turn.”

“I’m twenty-three. I’m a Virgo. I work with a lot of charities in my spare time. I too hate long walks on the beach, but I also hate heights. So no sunsets from the top of a mountain for me.”

Also I’m a closeted prince running away from his life back at home.

“Noted.” His face cracked into a smirk. “You’re not really into astrology, are you?”

“I’m lucky I even remembered my sign. I thought you were.”

Shiro shook his head, the two of us laughing, the sounds mixing well together. “Full disclosure: I am googling whether or not Virgos and Pisces are compatible.”

“As friends?”

He nodded, lips pursed. “Only as friends.” He spoke confidently, but the rosy flush at the base of his neck told me his thoughts went past the boundary of friendship. I imagined what it would feel like to trace the rose-colored flesh with my tongue.

“So you’re a detective?” I asked, trying to stop my mind from going rogue and my cock from going rigid.

“Yup. I’ve been working at Stonewall for three years now. Started right out of college. Got my degree in criminology and interviewed with their Miami branch. They luckily took a risk on hiring me, but I don’t think I’ve made them regret it. I’ve closed about ninety percent of the cases that come to my desk.”

“That’s a damn good number.”

“It is. I’m proud of it.”

I could tell he was by the way he held his chest up when he spoke about his career. There was a glint in his eyes, too, something I didn’t often see when people brought up their jobs.

A faint red flag flew up in my brain. If Shiro made a living by uncovering secrets, then he very well could uncover mine. Out of the thousand people on board this ship, of course I had to bump into and fall for the one keen-eyed and incredibly attractive detective.

Except no one’s falling for anyone.

“And you?” Shiro asked. “What kind of charities do you work with?”

Thankfully, he didn’t dig into my “current” employment. Was he throwing me a bone? I didn’t think he’d leave that thread untouched unless he wanted to.

“I work a lot with children,” I said, taking whatever bone Shiro gave me. “I have a therapy dog back at home. Eli. A big ol’ baby. We go in almost every weekend, if not every other weekend, and we spend time with the kids staying at the hospital. It really brightens up their day, and I feel like Eli gets a lot out of it, too. Hell, I know I do.”