CHAPTER 8
RHETT

I woke up the next morning with my stomach growling. I hadn’t eaten much at dinner after seeing Chanel sitting with that guy last night. I saw how she was trying to scoot away from him as he continued to put the moves on her. I was waiting for Ana to step in because I knew Chanel would never get aggressive with anyone. It wasn’t in her nature. She was always so sweet and kind. She never wanted to see or acknowledge the bad in anyone because she thought people were always more than their parts. When someone was mean to her, she would brush it off as them having a bad day and needing someone to take it out on. She prided herself on being there for people – good or bad – because, in her mind, it meant she was providing them with an emotional release they needed.

But it burned me to watch him get close to her.

I quickly got dressed and headed to the breakfast gathering. I had no intentions of waking Tommy after all the drinking he had done. He was pissed that I wouldn’t let him go sit by Ana last night, but I wanted him at my side as I perched and watched, as I analyzed the situation from afar.

And I acquired all the intel I needed to know that Chanel had not initiated the encounter with that guy.

I walked into the breakfast room right as Chanel’s eyes looked around for me. They fell on me and she smiled, and something in my chest leaped to life. I got my plate of food and went to sit next to her, and as I sat down, Ana’s eyes went to town.

“He’s still sleeping,” I said.

“Who?” she asked.

“She’s not good at playing stuff off like that, is she?” I asked.

“Not at all,” Chanel said with a giggle.

“You guys are dicks. I’m not looking for anyone,” Ana said.

“Don’t worry. He was pissed that our table with you two was already taken last night,” I said.

“Well, my side wasn’t taken,” Ana said.

“Who was that guy, by the way?” I asked.

“You remember Luke, right? Luke Thomas from my chemistry class?” Chanel asked.

“The one you always had to work on those projects with?” I asked. “No way. That was nerdy little Luke? The guy who had a crush on you?”

“He didn’t have a crush on me,” Chanel said.

“Yeah, he did,” Ana said. “Everyone knew it.”

“Well, that’s a bit of a relief,” I said.

“Why?” Chanel asked.

“I figured it was some random guy you picked up here on the ship,” I said.

“Hardly. He was being a creep,” Ana said.

Chanel tried to shrug off her friend’s statement, but my mind was focused on the conversation I wanted to have.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“It was nothing,” Chanel said. “Just some harmless flirting that wasn’t reciprocated on my end.”

“He was fucking pulling her chair closer like he owned her or some shit,” Ana said.

“Could you shut up?” Chanel asked. “You’re making it a way bigger deal than it was.”

“Well, he was! Trying to feel up on you like that. He put his hands on her at the pool yesterday too,” Ana said.

“He did what?” I asked.

“Oh, good God. He rubbed some oil on my back. It was awkward, yes, but nothing more.”

Ana snorted. “Why the hell are you still pissed?” Chanel asked.

“Because he fucking followed us around last night,” Ana said.

“Chanel, is she being serious?” I asked.

“Yeah.. He was annoying, and I was the one who had to step in and tell him to back the fuck off,” Ana said.

“It really was nothing,” Chanel said. “Just some miscommunication and some misread signals. Don’t get so worked up about it. I’m not.”

“Yeah, sure. But if he shows up again today--” Ana said.

“Are you done?” Chanel asked. “Because I’m ready to go rock climbing if you’re done.”

“Rock climbing? Shit, girl. I’ve got a massage scheduled. You have fun, though,” Ana said.

“I’ll go climbing with you,” I said.

“I’m sure he’ll climb something,” Ana said as she got up. “You two have fun. I’m gonna go get my massage and hot tub on.”

“Have fun,” I said.

“Stay away from assholes, Chanel. Even if he turns into one,” Ana said, pointing at me.

“I’ll be the least asshole-y of all of us,” I said.

“You better. She’s gonna have a good time on this cruise. Chanel, I’ll see you for lunch?”

“Maybe. But I will see you tonight for dinner,” Chanel said.

“Good. Love you, girl.”

We watched as Ana disappeared into the crowd of our peers before Chanel turned to me. The two of us finished our breakfast and headed to where the rock climbing was supposed to be, but nothing was set up. We walked around the back deck looking for any staff or workers who could direct us to where we were supposed to go.

But there was no one to be found.

“The schedule said it was on the open deck toward the back of the ship,” Chanel said.

“I didn’t look at it, so I wouldn’t know,” I said.

“I mean, where else could there be rock climbing?” she asked.

“Is it possible it’s indoors? Maybe at the dance club or something?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I guess we could go check it out, but the rock climbing was only supposed to be for an hour or so. By the time we check even a fourth of the ship, it’ll be done anyway.”

“Want me to go find someone?” I asked.

But when Chanel didn’t answer me, I turned around. She was gazing out toward the ocean, her hair blowing in the wind. The horizon was receding from our view, constantly changing as we parted the waters of the ocean. Chanel was standing tall and strong in a red and blue dress. Her calves held up her wonderful frame as the sun draped over her bare shoulders.

I might have been her little secret but seeing her like this made it all worth it.

I walked up behind her and took a chance. I slid my arms around her waist, settling my chin on top of her head. I expected her to push me away, especially since we were on an open deck. But there was no one around, and I could feel her melting into me.

Her hands wrapped around mine, threading our fingers together. She pulled me closer to her back as she nuzzled underneath my chin. Her body began to sway, and I kept time with her, moving to whatever song she was humming. I pressed a small kiss into the top of her head, and she moved in my arms, turning herself around as her eyes rose to meet mine.

Everything fell into the background as I approached her, our faces growing closer until our lips connected.

It was soft. Smooth. A slow burn that crept up my back and pushed me deeper into her body. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to me, my tongue swiping over her lips for entrance. She opened them willingly to me as our bodies sank to the deck floor, her legs straddling me as our tongues battled for dominance.

We rolled around on the floor in the shadow of the cruise ship. My cock pressed against my pants. I ran my hands over her body, grazing her thighs with my fingertips. She was panting as her lips swelled under my attack, and I knew then I had to have her.

I had to feel her wrapped around my cock.

“Would you like to come back to my room?” I asked.

Chanel reared up from me, her hands planted onto my chest. I watched her dazzling eyes search mine as her pussy radiated a sweltering heat against my pelvis. I ran my hands up her legs, making her shiver on top of me as her eyes fluttered closed.

“Yeah,” Chanel said breathlessly. “I would enjoy that.”

We made our way back to my room and barreled through the door. Thank fuck Tommy wasn’t there, because the thought didn’t even cross my mind. The door closed with a thud, and I pressed her back against it, sliding to my knees. She slid her dress off her body as I spread her legs wide, her pussy glistening for me, begging me to taste it.

I pinned her hips to the door as I dove into her depths, causing her to shake with delight.

Her hands wrapped into my hair as my tongue found her clit. I flicked it and sucked it, relishing how her juices dripped onto my skin. Her knees were growing weak as I tossed her legs over my shoulders, holding up her body weight while I ate my fill of her. Her moans and gasps were filling the room, and soon, she was begging me for more.

“So close. Please. Lick harder. Lick harder. Let me come. Please let me come.”

I pressed my tongue into her body, and she unraveled for me. I looked up and watched the pleasure cascade over her face. Her lips were puckered, and her chest was heaving. Her neck was tinted with a flush I wanted to kiss. Her juices dripped down my neck, and her thighs clenched my cheeks. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever beheld.

But I wasn’t done with her yet.

I picked her up from the door, my face buried in her pussy as my hands grasped her ass. She held onto my head, a startled giggle falling from her lips. I crashed her onto my bed and ripped my clothes off, my dripping cock springing free for her to see.

She settled back on my bed and parted her legs for me, her throbbing pussy begging for my cock.

I dipped in between her legs and grabbed my length. I ran it up and down her slit, marveling at how her arousal looked on my skin. My eyes traveled over her supple curves, taking in the light brown of her glorious nipples and the silky softness of her toned stomach.

“Should I get us a condom?” I asked.

“I’ve been on the pill for years,” Chanel said. “Take me, Rhett.”

I slid my cock into her pussy as I grabbed her thighs. I groaned with her, tossing her legs over my shoulders. If this was the only time I was going to get to feel her, then it was going to count. I was going to feel all of her. I was going to get as deep into her body as I could.

I bent her in half as I sank myself to my balls. Her hands wrapped around me, gripping onto my back, her nails raking down my skin. I encompassed her lips with mine, drawing moans from her as I allowed her to get comfortable. She formed to me so beautifully as her walls fluttered around me.

It was where I had wanted to be for years, and now I finally had her how I had always dreamed of having her.

I drew back and slammed into her, causing her tits to jump against me. I did it again and smiled as her eyes rolled back into her head. I grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head, rendering her motionless as my eyes connected with hers.

Then, I set a relentless pace.

Chanel was moaning and writhing, trying to move but pinned beneath the strength of my body. I pounded into her, feeling her juice coating my pelvis as she moaned my name. It dripped from her lips like a steady prayer. I crashed my lips back on hers as I ground against her exposed clit, forcing myself deeper into her body. Her tongue raked across the roof of my mouth, stuttering my movements as my balls pulled up into my body.

I was going to fill her the way I had always wanted to in high school, and I wasn’t going to hold any of it back.

I felt her body unleash, and she bit down on my lower lip. Her pussy massaged my cock, drawing me deeper than I ever knew possible. She trembled and gasped, my throat catching her string of obscenities as I spilled into her. My toes curled, and my hips stuttered. My legs grew taut, and my thighs shook. I could feel pump after pump spraying along her walls, coating her in my scent as her legs slid off my shoulders.

She wrapped her arms around me, her chest heaving for air as we both came down from our highs. I stayed buried between her legs, relishing the feeling for as long as I could before I pulled out of her. Our juices trickled onto the bed, but I didn’t care. I slid off to the side and held her close to my body as her eyes gazed into mine. They were clouded with a hazy passion I knew she hadn’t felt in a long time, and I took pride in the fact that I could give that to her even after all these years.

“If I’m a secret, then that’s okay,” I said.

She sighed and closed her eyes as I drew her lips to mine.

“Just promise me something,” I said.

“What is it?” Chanel asked.

“Promise me that if we cross a line you don’t feel you can come back from, you’ll tell me. Just be honest with me. That’s all I’m asking.”

She nodded as her hand came up to cup my cheek, the roar of the ocean backdropping our lust. I could feel my body weakening against her. I could feel my guard dropping. I hadn’t come with that type of fury since I took her that night so many years ago. No woman I had been with since her had ever compared. Chanel was the girl who set a standard in my life, and no woman I had attempted to date had ever come close.

And now, Chanel had taken that standard to new heights.

I knew I was in trouble, but I didn’t care.

All I cared about was having her in my arms for as long as I could, no matter what that meant for me after this cruise.