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)
“Here,” he whispered as he placed a straw against my lips, “take some slow sips of this. It’s your Ginger Ale from Javier. It’ll help calm your stomach.”
Cautiously, I sipped the liquid. I’d never been a fan of the drink before, but it was, this one time, deliciously refreshing. After a few sips, I waited to see if my stomach would rebel, but nothing happened. Thank goodness.
“Will that be all, sir?” Javier asked Eli, no longer even acknowledging my presence.
Bastard.
“Yes, he’s fine now. Thank you, Javier. I’ve got things covered from here.”
When Javier disappeared and all eyes on deck finally determined that the freak show was over, so they could return to their party, I relaxed enough to ask, “How did you find me?”
He laughed softly, his breath tickling my ear. “I never lost you, babe. I know how your mind works and I know that you never, ever give up so easily. The minute you agreed, I knew I couldn’t let you out of my sight.”
I sighed, frustrated that I hadn’t counted on him seeing straight through my lie. Because of my own stupidity, here he was on the boat with me and he’d just witnessed one of the most humiliating, disgusting moments of my life. Perfect. I could practically hear the voice inside his head singing hallelujah to the fact that he’d walked out on me three years ago.
“You’re so fucking annoying,” I muttered. My inside of my mouth felt like shag carpet from the back of a 60’s hippie van…and tasted even worse. “Go away. Jump overboard. Disappear. Just leave me alone.”
“No can do, Pukeahontus,” he answered, humor dancing in his voice over my new nickname. “You’re stuck with me. Seven fun-filled days of your ex-boyfriend and current bodyguard, Eli Wallace.” He tugged me closer against his chest and asked, “Whatever will we do to pass the time?”
There was no lying about two things—I loved how my body felt relaxed against him, caught in a tight embrace…and that he’d damaged my heart with the nonchalant ex-boyfriend remark. My body, touching Eli, felt like it was home. My heart, near Eli, started cracking. I pictured it inside my chest—a lot like the window in your car. It starts with one tiny crack and then slowly splits until it finally completely shatters.
“We could ignore each other,” I suggested. “You’re an expert at that, so it shouldn’t take any kind of learning curve or DIY to get you on board. I mean, you’ve completely ignored me for three years; what’s another seven fucking days, Eli? Go the fuck away.”
I heard him huff out a frustrated breath. Awwww, too fucking bad for him if the truth made him uncomfortable. I’d been uncomfortable since the day he walked out of my apartment, dropped out of school, and completely disappeared from my life. At the moment, I didn’t give two fucks about his comfort.
“Come on, sassy mouth,” he finally whispered. “Let’s get you to your room so you can brush your teeth. It’s kinda necessary right now, especially if we’re going to go toe to toe with insults and arguments over the past.”
With more grace than a large man should ever have, he stood up, lifting me with him, and held us in a standing position while I tried to make my legs work again. The deck of the ship swayed for a few seconds before settling down again. Having him hold me shouldn’t feel so perfect and knowing that, I forced myself to step away from him.
“Please, Eli,” I whispered. “Just leave me in peace. I don’t need a bodyguard, babysitter, or whatever the fuck you’re calling yourself these days. I’ve done fine on my own for the biggest part of my life. I can handle it now.”
With one hand, he gripped my upper arm and with the other, he reached down to retrieve the small backpack I’d carried on board. “See, that’s your problem, Arizona,” he murmured as he physically forced me away from the lounge chairs and toward the staircase that would lead to the elevators. “You’ve never allowed yourself to need anybody. We’re going to the room. Now.”
I dug my heels into the wooden deck, but it was a pathetic waste of time and energy—and I was short on both. I tried, unsuccessfully, to snatch my arm out of his grasp. When that didn’t work either, I considered screaming for help.
“Don’t even think about it, Ari,” he warned, reading my mind like he’d always been able to do. “If you do something to make a scene, I’ll turn the tables on you so fast your head will spin worse than it was minutes ago.”
I didn’t have a clue what he meant by “turn the tables,” but I suspected the threat wasn’t empty. Unwilling to draw anymore unwanted attention to myself, I allowed him to propel me down the stairs and toward the elevator doors. Even though I’d put forth an Olympic worthy effort, the alcohol wasn’t completely purged from my system, so the tight grip he kept on my arm actually served another purpose other than pissing me off. It kept me from kissing the floor. The motherfucking rocking of the ship wasn’t helping one damn bit either.