Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 70574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Oh, shit. This was it. Was this it? I frowned. I was pretty sure I didn’t want him to be it. On the other hand, I needed to stop being such a pussy and just get it over with. Step off the ledge, so to speak. If I waited for the person I really wanted—the only one I’d ever wanted—then I’d die of old age before I got laid. Eli wasn’t for me. He never had been and never would be.
“Okay,” I heard myself say. “Sounds fun.” I sat my empty glass on the small table next to my chair and swung my legs over to the side, bumping up against Mr. Stubble again. It was strange; one second I was doing the inward moan over his stubble-covered legs and the next second, the entire boat pitched over onto its side—a lot like I had imagined the Titanic did. Rolled completely onto its side. My stomach rolled to the other side.
Strange. Nobody else seemed to notice that we were obviously sinking. They partied on all around me, laughing, drinking, and dancing. The music kept blaring some Jamaican song I’d never heard in my life but fit really well for a cruise.
The boat pitched over and landed on the opposite side…as did my stomach. My hands gripped the edges of my lounge chair. Sweat suddenly covered my upper lip. The liquid contents in my stomach rolled round and round like the tumble cycle on the washing machine. Had I eaten anything that morning? I couldn’t remember eating but something was sure the hell rolling around inside me.
“You okay, kid?” the man asked. “You don’t look so good.”
Even in my state of dizziness, I could see him inching away from me, slowing, like I was a lion about to pounce and eat him for a snack. How could everybody else be standing up straight when the boat was tilted one way and then another. Oh, fuck. My stomach pitched, and I knew what was about to happen. There were several things I could have done to try and save myself the humiliation barreling in my direction. The deck railing was probably only a couple yards away from me. Running in that direction would have been one solution, but my ass stayed glued to the lounge chair. The only one moving was Mr. Stubble. He’d managed to completely disappear. I stared at my cocktail glasses, seeing that each one still had a little bit left over before I’d started a new drink. In my mind, I started combining those glasses, so I could have a nice empty one to heave the rolling contents of my stomach into. In reality, I sat there…doing nothing. In the next instant, every ounce of liquor I’d consumed since I’d stepped onto the boat spewed from my mouth, splattering the wooden decking with wave after wave of grossness.
The dizziness amped up several levels and to my ears, it sounded like everyone around me was suddenly far, far away. The loud music from seconds earlier sounded muffled. From somewhere, deep in the hell of my humiliation, I heard Javier telling me he was going after some Ginger Ale. A towel was shoved roughly into my hand before he disappeared. My hand trembled with weakness and my pride cowered with mortification as I wiped my mouth. I knew people were staring. They had to be laughing. It was my own fault, but it still hurt. Once again, I was on the outside, looking in—surrounded by people, but still alone. I hung my head and stared at the mess I’d made. On the bright side, if there was one, I hadn’t eaten anything, so it was just a wet mess of stinky alcohol.
I would have run to the railing and jumped overboard if I’d thought my legs could carry me, but there was no such luck. They felt like limp noodles. Just as I accepted there was no escape, I felt a cool rag being gently placed on the back of my neck and then another one placed against my forehead. A hard-muscled chest suddenly served as a backrest.
“Easy, babe,” a familiar voice whispered in my ear as strong arms encircled me and pulled my head back until it rested against him. The cool, wet rag gently wiped at my face. “It’ll pass in a few minutes—just too much to drink on an empty stomach—maybe a touch of motion sickness.”
Both horror and relief washed over me.
He’d found me.
He’d saved me.
Knowing I was at least safe from any type of physical harm, I leaned back against him and allowed him to keep bathing my face with his cool rag. Yes, I was safe from physical harm. Emotional harm was an entirely different question. No, there was no question about it. With Eli on the boat, my heart was in serious danger.