Below Deck

Everything Brooke says to me is true, yet every word she says breaks my heart into a million pieces. I did give up my dreams after college for my father. I did stop living six months ago when his company started falling apart at the seams. And he hasn’t even noticed or cared.

“Alright, that’s enough heart-to-heart for one evening,” she declares, lifting her wine glass to her lips and finishing off the rest of it. “I’ve been watching Mr. Hottie Pants over there stare at you all night when you weren’t looking and, sweet mother of God, the looks he’s been giving you were enough to make me have an orgasm. Get over there and get yourself some.”

The tears that had been prickling the back of my eyes just seconds ago immediately disappear, and I let out a quiet laugh. I subtly glance back over my shoulder, pretending like I’m looking out at the ocean, even though it’s pitch black and I can’t see anything. Declan has his head down and is busy washing drink glasses in the sink attached to the bar. Instead of the navy blue polo he had on earlier, tonight all of the crew changed into white polos. The white cotton material brings out the tanned skin of his muscular arms and, once again, I’m stuck in a lust-filled daze staring at the full-sleeve tattoo on his arm, wanting to run my hand over it and feel his muscles tighten under my fingers.

Maybe Brooke is right. I just need to relax and have some fun. I’m not the kind of woman to have a one-night-stand, though. Maybe some harmless flirting is just what I need to forget about the stress of the last six months and remember what it’s like to have some fun and live a little.

“I think maybe I’ll go get another glass of wine,” I muse, turning my head back around to wink at Brooke and grab my empty glass from the table.

Her entire face lights up with a huge smile as I push my chair back and smooth the skirt of my sundress down with my free hand.

“Go get ’em, tiger!” she whispers, slapping my ass when I turn away from the table, making me let out a little yelp. “And find out where that other hot guy, Ben, disappeared to!”

I shoot her a dirty look over my shoulder and she just grins at me.

Declan is still busy washing glasses and doesn’t notice me walking up to the bar, so I move around to the back and reach for the bottle of Pinot Grigio he uncorked for me earlier that’s still sitting on top. As soon as my hand wraps around the neck of the bottle, it’s quickly snatched away from me.

“What are you doing?” Declan asks in a low voice, so close to my ear that I realize he’s standing right next to me. I can feel the heat from his body right through the thin material of my sundress.

“I, uh…getting more wine?” I ask in confusion, holding up my empty glass between us, pretending like the close proximity of his body to mine isn’t affecting me in the least.

He stares down at me with a frown, and all I can do is focus on his lips and wonder what they’d feel like against my skin. He smells like soap and a subtle hint of spicy cologne, making my mouth so dry that I have to wet my lips with my tongue. His eyes flash down to the movement of my tongue swiping across my bottom lip and I watch the green orbs darken, making me want to roar with the newfound feminine power I didn’t even know I had.

“It’s not your job to pour your own wine, princess.”

Even though the rough, gravelly sound of his voice makes me tingle in all the right places, his words quickly douse the fire and make me take a step back from him in irritation.

He grabs the empty wine glass out of my hand and sets it on top of the bar, turning his body away from me to refill it. Without looking at me, he slides the glass across the bar top and gives me his back as he recorks the bottle and sets it aside.

His words sting in a way that never has from anyone else before and it pisses me off. I know I’ve had a privileged life that most people dream of. I know from the outside looking in, it seems like we have it all and don’t have a care in the world. But I’ve never taken anything for granted. I’ve never acted like a princess or gotten something that I didn’t work my ass off for. And this man, who doesn’t even know me, has no right to judge me.

Angrily grabbing the glass, I tip it back and down the entire thing, wishing I had the balls to tell him to go to hell. Too bad he’s still the hottest damn guy I’ve ever seen, and even his poor judgment isn’t enough to make me completely immune to him. I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge, and Declan McGillis just moved to the top of my to-do-list.

That thought makes a little giggle bubble up and out of my mouth and I realize I might have had a little too much wine, a little too quickly, and it’s pathetic I’m such a lightweight.

“Uuuugghhh I’m so BORED. Hey, waiter! I need a refill over here!” Arianna shouts from the table, holding her empty glass up in the air and shaking it, making the ice cubes tinkle against the glass.

My anger with Declan quickly dissipates when I hear him sigh. No wonder he was so quick to judge me. Look at the people I’m surrounded by.

“Declan!” I yell over to Arianna as I see him start to make her another drink out of the corner of my eye.

“What?” she replies in irritation, her eyes narrowing as they stare me down.

“Dec-lan,” I repeat, sounding out his name slowly. “His name is Declan, not waiter.”

She rolls her eyes and slams her glass down on the table. “Jeez, mega-bitch much?”

“Jeez, mega-stick-up-your-ass much?” I fire back, which earns me a wide-eyed, jaw-dropping laugh from Brooke when she turns around to give me a thumbs up.