They walked side by side back to their cabins and it wasn’t until Kendall had her hand on her doorknob that Benjamin spoke. “Thanks for this trip, Kendall. I know it’s not what you planned, but I think it’s good for us. All of us.”
“Me, too.” She didn’t know what else to say. She and Benjamin had been friends for a long time, but it wasn’t the kind of friendship where they shared dirty details about sexual exploits. Part of that was because Kendall never had dirty details to share before now. She tried for a smile. “See you on the excursion today?”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Easy enough to read between the lines there. Yeah, he’d be there, if his hookup didn’t entail doing something else the same way hers had yesterday. Her skin went hot and she pushed through the door and shut it softly behind her. There were hours yet before they needed to report to the deck for the excursion into Cocoa Bay, so she’d be smart to get some sleep.
Except when she laid down, her brain refused to settle. Instead, it kept flashing memories from the last two days with Alex. His voice in her ear, encouraging her to tell him exactly what she wanted so he could give it to her. His hands and mouth on her, driving her pleasure to new heights. The way he watched her when she rode his cock, as if he couldn’t believe this was happening any more than she could.
As if he wanted to memorize every moment.
Maybe she should have stayed in his bed a little longer before she rushed off. Now that she had a little distance from him, she felt silly for bolting. It wasn’t like he planned on chaining her to his bed. She shivered. Though that wasn’t an entirely unpleasant thought.
To distract herself, she showered and took her time getting ready. Kendall hesitated in front of her suitcase. She’d bought the bright pink bikini on a whim, but it covered far less than the others she owned, and she’d never worked up the courage to wear it. She wasn’t even sure why she’d packed it at all.
She picked up the suit and pressed her lips together. If ever there was a time to wear this suit, it was now, while she still rode the high from Alex’s presence. Imagining his reaction to seeing her in it was enough to have her pulling the suit on and adjusting it as much as she could. She pulled her wrap around herself, still feeling downright decadent, and opened her door.
Grace stood there, her hands on her hips. “Oh good. You’re not dead.”
“Um, what?”
“Kendall, you’ve been missing in action for twenty-four hours. If I hadn’t seen you leaving dinner last night, I would have organized a search party.” She cast a critical glance over Kendall. “You look good. Glowy.”
Now that she mentioned it, Grace did, too. Kendall frowned. “Is that a hickey?”
“What? No. Of course not.” Grace pulled at her top as if that would make a difference. “We’re not talking about me right now.”
“Um, maybe we should be.” Kendall propped her hands on her hips. “You found a vacation hook-up!”
“No, it’s not like that.” But Grace was blushing. “I’m just playing a game.”
“Whatever you want to call it.”
“Kendall!”
She held up her hands. “Sure, sure, I’m supportive. This is me being supportive of your ‘game.’” She grinned. “Are you doing the day trip today?”
“That’s what I came to ask you. The others are around.” She waved a hand vaguely at the other cabins. “They all seem to be enjoying themselves.”
“Some more than others,” Kendall murmured. She wasn’t about to gossip about Benjamin, but the questions about him and Alex’s friend burned the inside of her lips. Not her business. It so wasn’t her business. She’d just keep the whole thing to herself.
“You never answered my question. Where have you been?”
“There’s a guy,” she started, but stalled out almost as soon as she’d begun. How could she explain to Grace what being with Alex felt like? She and Grace had always been really similar in how they approached certain things; it was part of the reason they’d stayed close over the years. Kendall lifted her hands and let them fall.
“The bathroom guy?”
“Yeah.” She laughed. “He makes me feel like I don’t have any responsibilities. Like that’s okay.”
“I think I understand.” A strange expression flickered over Grace’s face before she gave a tight smile. “How about breakfast?”
“That would be great.” Even though she hadn’t really planned to seek Alex out, not yet, she couldn’t help the thread of disappointment that twined through her as she fell into step next to her friend. It was only day four. There were still four days left to spend however she chose. She’d be an idiot if she spent the entire cruise locked in a bedroom with a man, no matter how sexy he was.