Alex grinned. “Saying stuff like that is a good way to convince me that you hit your head.”
Now was the time to walk him to the door and then spend an hour berating herself for her carelessness in getting drunk like that. So drunk she needed a near-stranger to take care of her. At least none of her friends had been there to witness it, but somehow that didn’t make it better. This whole trip was supposed to be to reconnect with them, and they’d managed a single dinner and drinks before they scattered to the winds.
Just like after college.
It wasn’t their fault, not really. The excursions and stuff didn’t start until tomorrow and they all had things they wanted to do on the ship. Begrudging them for doing those things instead of spending time with her was selfish. When the ground felt a little steadier under her feet, she’d stop feeling so bad about the whole thing.
Probably.
“What’s put that look on your face, sweetheart?” Alex frowned down at her, his perfect dark brows drawn together in a way she shouldn’t find charming, but she most definitely did. “You’ve got nothing to feel bad about. You’re on a party cruise, so getting a little tipsy and having the sun go to your head is to be expected. It was a little harmless fun, and you’re safe.”
He’d gone out of his way to ensure she was safe. Even now, when she was far too sober for her current thoughts, Alex wasn’t looking to press his advantage. He wanted to reassure her so she didn’t have a boatload of regrets for her shitty choices.
This guy really was something else. Something rare. Something she’d be an idiot to pass up, even if it was only a once in a lifetime kind of thing.
Kendall licked her lips, suddenly nervous. “Alex?”
“Yeah?” He still frowned at her like he was afraid she’d burst into tears or something.
Was she really going to do this? She opened her mouth to thank him and tell him to please leave, but those weren’t the words that rose in her throat. No, her id had fully taken over, and instead she said, “Take me to bed.”
He froze. She was pretty sure he stopped breathing entirely. “What?”
“Take—Take me to bed?” She couldn’t close the distance between them, wasn’t brave enough to use more than her words to put this offer on the table. Kendall might be feeling adrift and reckless, but even now, there were lines she couldn’t quite make herself cross. She took a shuddering breath. “I… I want you.”
Still, he looked at her as if he wasn’t sure she hadn’t downed a bottle of tequila in the few minutes she was in the bathroom. “Kendall—”
“Shut up and kiss me!”
They stared at each other in shock. Had she really just yelled at him like that? Anxiety rose in a wave, quickly followed by regret. She knew better than to put herself out like this. Alex had shown himself to be a legitimately not horrible person and here she was, demanding that he kiss her like some kind of monster. She opened her mouth to apologize.
Alex didn’t give her a chance to.
He closed the distance between them and slid his fingers through her hair, tilting her face up to his. She got a glimpse of something like agony in his blue eyes and then his mouth was on hers and she couldn’t focus on anything but the slow slide of his tongue unraveling her completely. How could he do more with a kiss than some of her past boyfriends had done with their entire bodies? She didn’t understand it.
That was almost enough to have her pulling back despite being the one to instigate this. She cautiously ran her hands up his chest. He wasn’t one of those men who possessed carved muscles and an unreal body. No, Alex was all too real. Her knees went a little weak and he caught her around her waist with one arm. The shock of skin on skin had her pulling her mouth from his. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Alex gave a wry smile. “You don’t do this kind of thing. I remember.”
God, she’d said that, hadn’t she? Kendall gripped his shirt and tried to think past the wild pounding of her heart. “That sounds really slut shame-y and I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t … let go. I don’t know how to.”
Instantly, his expression softened. “We don’t have to do anything, sweetheart.”
If she didn’t do something drastic, and do it soon, he’d walk out of her room because of misguided honor. Kendall tightened her grip on his shirt. “I didn’t mean it like that, either. I want to do stuff. I’m just going to be awkward and probably talk too much and ruin the moment.”