Reunited (6 page)

          “Here
you go madam.  Sorry it took so long, the line was crazy.”

          “Thanks
Paul, you didn’t have to do that.”

          “No
problem, Lauren.  Well guys, it was great catching up with you today but I am
beat.  I think I’m going to turn in; it’s been a long day.  I’ll see you both
tomorrow.”  Paul took off and once again we were standing there alone together.

          “I
think Paul had the right idea.  It’s getting late.  I’m going to find Amy to
let her know I’m turning in for the night.  It was good to see you Jake.”  I
was emotionally exhausted.  It was obvious that he wanted nothing to do with me
and I just wanted to crawl into my bed and bury my head under the covers.   He
didn’t say anything as I walked away and that made me feel even worse. 

          I
found Amy chatting with some of our old friends and let her know that I was going
to bed.  She could see the stress written all over my face and pulled me aside
out of ear shot of the others.

          “Are
you okay?”  Her blue eyes were full of concern as they searched mine.

          “It’s
just been a long day and I need to start over fresh tomorrow.”  I didn’t want
to get into the way Jake was treating me because I didn’t feel like reliving
it.  “I’ll probably be sleeping when you get back to the room so wake me for
breakfast in the morning if I’m still sleeping, OK?” 

          Amy
smiled at me.  “Sure thing.”  She gave me a big hug.  “Sleep well.”

          I
was walking toward the door when Jake quickly rushed over to me, his dark eyes
focused only on me.  I rolled my eyes at him, not wanting to hear anything he
had to say.  I didn’t have the strength to endure his nasty demeanor.

“Let’s
go talk somewhere else.”     

          He
didn't even wait for me to reply, he just started walking.  And he kept
walking.  My head was telling me not to follow him, but my heart had more
power.  

          “Jake,
where are we going?”  He was walking clear across the ship to the other side. 
He didn’t answer me and just kept walking.  I reluctantly followed him and then
he headed down to the secluded lower level. 

He was
a few steps ahead of me and when he hit the landing he rounded the corner.  As I
went around the corner Jake grabbed me and pinned me against the wall, his body
pressed against my chest, both hands on my waist.  I didn’t have time to react
as he leaned in to whisper in my ear.  I felt his warm breath on my neck and
intimate feelings came flooding back to me as I savored his familiar touch. 

          “I
don’t hate you Lauren.”  That deep sexy voice caused my stomach to flutter.  He
pulled away a bit to search my eyes as a finger gently caressed my cheek.  “I
could never hate you.”  His hands gently cradled my face.

          My
heart was literally pounding.

          He
looked down at my mouth and the next thing I knew, his lips were touching mine,
softly, gently.  I parted my lips to let him in, our tongues teasing each
other.  I let out a soft moan as I basked in the bliss of his gentle kisses.  I
felt the heat surge between my thighs and my arms crawled up around his neck
and he pulled me closer.  His hand grazed my breast over my dress, teasing my
nipple as his kiss became more urgent.  I could feel his stiff member through
his pants as he pressed his body even closer.  He let out a soft groan as my
fingers combed through his thick hair.  My panties were soaking as I thought of
how it would feel to have him inside me.  One hand slipped under my dress and
lightly brushed over my panties and I let out a soft moan.  His finger dipped
inside the waistband of my panties and I pressed into him wanting to feel more
contact.  We were in the hallway and anyone could see us if they happened to
pass by but I was oblivious, I just wanted to feel his touch.  His fingers
grazed my wet core and started to manipulate my folds, sliding around the
tender area.  His thumb pressed against my sensitive bud as his fingers delved
between my folds.  I grabbed onto his arms, writhing under his touch but trying
to stay quiet so as not to call attention to us.  His touch and his mouth were
so sensual and I shuddered as he started rubbing my bud harder.  He planted a
deep, long kiss on me as his skillful fingers teased my tender opening before
pressing inside.  My fingers dug into his arms as my tongue slid over his,
wanting to inhale all of him.  His thumb was furiously rubbing my clit as he
now pressed two fingers inside me stretching the wet, tender skin.  I was
panting now and I could feel the pressure in my body build, I was almost there.

          “Come
for me Lauren.” His words were rough as his thumb rubbed in hard tiny circles
against my slippery bud.

          I
let out a muffled cry into his shoulder as my orgasm rocked my body, my core
pulsing and tightening around his fingers.  I collapsed against the wall,
panting and gasping for air.  I had not meant to allow this to happen but my
body betrayed my mind.  I looked at Jake and he had a look of pure sex on his
face as he started to unbuckle his belt and my core was aching to be filled by
him.  We heard a noise at the end of the hall and we quickly composed ourselves
and straightened our clothes.  Doing so gave me a moment of clarity.  I was not
going to have sex with Jake, after 10 years, in a hallway on a packed ship. 
What
are we doing?

          I
stepped away from him.  “We can’t do this.”

          He
seemed to be yanked out of his reverie by my abrupt movement away.

          “Why
not?”  His breath caught as he glanced down the hall to make sure no one was
around.

         
Um,
Vivienne.  You have a girlfriend Jake, or at least you claim to.
  I didn’t
want to say the words out loud because that would give them power and make them
real.  I didn’t feel like facing that reality tonight.  If he really did have a
girlfriend he shouldn’t be here with me.

          “Can
you just walk me back to my room, please?”  My voice was small and I felt
defeated.  I was so exhausted I didn’t have the strength to dissect what
tonight meant. 

          He
looked confused, but obliged.  When we got to my door I said goodnight.  

          Jake
kissed me on my cheek.  “I’ll see you tomorrow Lauren.  Sleep tight.”

I was
so confused when I crawled into bed. 
Sleep tight.
He used to say that
to me years ago every night before we went to bed.  My mind was racing as I
relived the night in my head.
  What did the kiss mean?
 

Thankfully
Amy wasn’t in the room yet, because I was sure she would have questions about
tonight.  I wasn’t up to rehashing anything.  I was going to keep this to
myself for just a little while.

CHAPTER
4

          The
following morning I awoke to gorgeous sunshine and smooth, crystal clear blue
waters.  Amy was in the shower so I stepped out onto the deck to inhale the
fresh ocean air.  I was nervous about seeing Jake today.  I still couldn’t
believe what had happened the night before. 
His hands, his lips!
  He
was all I could think about but I had to remember that we were not the only two
people on this ship.  I hadn’t spent much time with Amy or any old friends, so
today I wanted to catch up.  If Jake wanted to see me, he would have to wait
until it was convenient for me.  I went back into the room and Amy was brushing
her hair.

          “Sooo…what
happened last night?”  She sat on the bed, eyes wide, waiting to hang on to my
every word.

          “All
I will say is he is definitely not the same Jake Hunter we knew years ago.  We
talked before I went to bed and cleared some things up.”  I didn’t want to go
into any more detail than that.  Not yet.  I felt that I would be betraying
Jake if I did.  How silly is that? 
What am I protecting him from?
 
Maybe I was protecting myself.  I wanted to see where things would go with this
new, sexier Jake, if anywhere at all.

          Amy
peered into my eyes, searching.  “There is something that you are not telling
me, but I’ll let it go, for now.”  She winked as she grabbed her purse and
opened the door.  “I’ll meet you in the dining room when you’re ready.  The
class breakfast starts in 30 minutes.”

          I’d
chosen to wear a simple, but pretty, pale blue summer dress and I was just
putting the finishing touches on my makeup when I heard a light tapping at the
door. 
Amy must have forgotten her key. 
“What did you forg…”, as I
opened the door Jake stood there leaning against the doorway, catching me
totally off guard. 
Is it possible that this man looks even more gorgeous
today than yesterday? 
His dark good looks were unnerving and I quickly
tried to compose myself.

          “Good
morning Lauren.  Did you sleep well?”  He had a slight smirk on his face.

          I
refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing how he had affected me even
though I wanted him to take me right then and there.  I wasn’t going to let him
know that I tossed and turned all night thinking about him.

          “Good
morning.  Yes, I slept very well, thank you.  How about you?”

          “Like
a baby.”  Again, that sly little smirk.  “I was just getting ready to go to
breakfast and thought I would walk over there with you.”

          “OK,
let me just grab my purse.”  I tried to suppress my excitement that Jake
actually came to get me for breakfast.  Clearly I was on his mind if he was at
my door first thing that morning.  I didn’t really want breakfast.  I lost my
appetite the second I saw it was him at the door.  What I really wanted was for
him to throw me down on the bed and make mad, hot, passionate love to me.  What
I really wanted was to feel his strong arms around me.  What I really wanted
was to be with him forever and ever. 

But I
couldn’t let that show.  I had to be very careful not to screw things up and
push him away.  I knew he was hurt by me and he probably resented me on some
level.  I didn’t want to do anything to make things worse.  I wanted the old
Jake back who wasn’t so cold and distant.

          We
arrived in the dining room just as everyone was sitting down to eat.  The class
breakfast was fun.  I made it a point to catch up with people I had missed
talking with the night before.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jake talking
to Arianna.  The way she was hanging all over Jake was starting to piss me off,
but what made me even angrier was that he let it happen.  The way he was acting
toward her made me think he might have eyes for Arianna also.  They sure looked
chummy over there by the window.  I was so hoping she wouldn’t even come to the
reunion.  I’d heard that her fiancé dumped her a couple of years before because
he’d met a younger, richer girl.  I didn’t want Jake to get distracted by
anyone else, and then I remembered Vivienne. 
Vivienne! Did he really have a
serious girlfriend?  If he did, why was he flirting so openly with Arianna and
why did he seduce me last night?  
The Jake I knew was not a cheater, and
the fact that he kissed me last night convinced me even more that Vivienne was
a figment of his imagination.  There was no way she was real, but just to be
sure I was going to ask him about her the next chance I got. 

          Looking
over at him with Arianna I thought,
what a jerk if you really do have a
girlfriend
. 
Flirting with her, kissing and seducing me…you really might
just be a scumbag now.
  Maybe he was giving all of that attention to
Arianna to make me jealous.  Well it was working.  I decided to get some fresh
air before I made a fool of myself.  Seconds after I stepped onto the deck,
Jake was by my side.

          “Walk
with me.”  He grabbed my arm and didn’t let go.  I tried to snatch it away but
his grip was firm.  We went to the second level of the boat and stood by the
railing.  He turned blazing eyes on me.  “I saw you watching me talk with
Arianna.”

          I
looked at him, indifference written all over my face.  “I don’t know what
you’re talking about.”

          “Oh? 
So you weren’t watching me talk with her?”  There was that damned smirk again.

         
What
did it matter?

          “I
don’t know, so what if I was?  I didn’t say anything or do anything, did I?  I
didn’t make some sort of spectacle of myself, did I?”  My hand was on my hip
and I was clearly annoyed and didn’t try to hide it.

          “I
like this feisty side of you.”  He leaned in to whisper in my ear.  “It’s a
huge
turn-on.”

          That
deep, sexy voice of his caused my stomach to flutter.  I was tongue-tied once
again.  I just looked at him.  I couldn’t believe what an effect he had on me. 

          “So
what are your plans for today Lauren?”

          I
cleared my throat and was finally able to put two words together without
sounding like a bumbling idiot.  The first day on the ship we were at sea so I
had made plans with Amy.

          “Amy
and I are going to explore the ship and then a little later we’re going to a
lecture from the spa staff about beauty tips.  Then we’re supposed to play bean
bags and just hang out.  There’s a martini tasting this afternoon that we’re
going to do also.”