Page 10

I wasn’t completely wrong. Cruising with the guys was probably the most fun I had ever had. My parents hadn’t regularly taken the family on vacation when I was a kid, and when we did go it was always to boring places—like mountainous campsites with no other kids, or grandma’s house. Sipping margaritas poolside with four incredibly hot athletes was nothing like grandma’s house.

“You up for dinner tonight, Jamie?”

I jerked as a somewhat familiar voice called out to me from across the pool. Lifting my shades, I sat up and scanned the area. Dex’s brother—Stephan—was heading straight for me. I lifted my lips in welcome.

“Hey, there’s a dinner planned?” I asked as he came over and popped into a seat alongside my lounge chair.

He leaned back on his hands and looked around. “Yeah, Dex said he’d come have dinner with me and Mother again before we hit the island tomorrow. Speaking of my brother, where is he—oh and his entourage, of course. I assume they’re with him?”

I shrugged and lowered my sunglasses once more to block the fiery sun rays. “I think the guys wanted to go figure out what expeditions they’re doing when we hit the island.”

“Hmmmm.” Stephan’s gaze moved down my floral sundress. “Thought I’d find you in a swimsuit up here. What’s with the dress?”

I frowned, but I supposed it wasn’t a strange question. Nearly every other woman in the area was wearing less than me. “Cody and I were planning on going to the ship’s theater to catch a movie. Movie theaters are always cold.”

“Ahhh, I see,” he said, but he didn’t stop his slow perusal. I shifted uncomfortably. “So, you and Dex’s friends are close, too, then, huh?”

I shrugged without answering. I didn’t know what to say to that considering I more than knew them and I couldn’t tell him that, but I also didn’t like the tone he was using. “I suppose,” I finally answered. My voice was so quiet, it was practically swallowed by the surrounding sounds of people playing in the pool and talking at the poolside tables.

“You have to be if you hang out with them as much as I’ve seen you hang out with them—sans Dexter.”

I turned my head and stared at his face. His expression was odd. He smiled, but the pleasantry didn’t meet his eyes. They were cold, calculating.

“I guess I am,” I replied. “I’ve known them all for around the same amount of time. Yeah, you could say we’re friends.”

“And how does Dex feel about that?” Stephan asked.

I frowned and sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the chair. “He’s fine with it,” I said tersely. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find Cody. I don’t want to be late for our movie.”

I didn’t give him a chance to respond as I grabbed my purse and bolted away, walking briskly towards the interior of the ship. I could feel Stephan’s eyes following me as I went, and as my feet tapped impatiently while I waited for the elevator, I nearly jumped out of my skin when a pair of hands landed on my shoulders.

“Hey, I was just coming to get you,” Cody said brightly. When I whirled around, he backed up and then frowned. “Hey, what’s up? What’s with the face?”

I shook my head and looked over his shoulder but Stephan was no longer where he had been. My fingers itched to reach for Cody’s hand—to feel his palm against mine—but I didn’t dare. I waited until we boarded the elevator, thankful that it was just the two of us before I spoke.

“Stephan was just here,” I started. “He was asking me a bunch of questions—about my ‘friendship’ with you and the guys.”

Cody frowned and reached up, rubbing a thumb across my cheek before dropping his hand away. “What exactly did he say?” he asked.

“Just asked me what Dex thought about me being friends with you all.”

“Hmmmm.” He hummed a noncommittal reply. “We should tell Dex when we see him,” he finally said.

I nodded in complete agreement and then something that Stephan had said registered and I grimaced. “I forgot,” I said as the elevator doors opened and we stepped out. “Stephan said there’s going to be another dinner tonight.”

Cody frowned. “I haven’t heard anything about it.”

“Yeah, neither have I. Do you think Dex is going alone?”

“It’s not a bad thing if he does,” Cody said. “It is his family. They weren’t all that bad last time.”

“Yeah,” I said as I looked away. “I guess you’re right.” But still, something was niggling in the back of my mind as Cody led me towards the theater.

It was actually set up much like a showroom, where people sat together at tables—ate and drank and watched live entertainment. Instead, the employees of the cruise ship had pulled down a large white backdrop while someone worked a projector in the back of the room. We found our seats towards the very front.

I tried to relax as the movie started. Ironically, they were playing Titanic —not my first choice of movie, but it would do to get my mind off of things. By the time Jack stumbled across Rose just as she was about to throw herself off of the ship, I was well immersed into the love story, sighing dreamily every time Jack looked at Rose. Beside me, Cody chuckled and under our table, he reached for my hand, and I sighed for a completely different reason.

After the movie, Cody led me back to our suite, where we found the others waiting for us. Taylor was stretched out across the sofa bed, shirtless, as he flitted through the channels. Darren was on the balcony flipping through a magazine. But Dex—Dex was straightening a tie around his neck.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

He grimaced as he adjusted the cuff of his sleeve. “I have a dinner planned with my Mother and Stephan.”

Cody and I exchanged a look. “Are you going alone?” I asked, returning my gaze to him. Cody squeezed my hand and then let go, moving around us and leaving us to speak privately as he headed for Taylor.

Dex finished fiddling with his shirt and nodded. “Yeah, unless you want to join us?”

I bit my lip. It was clear that Dex’s mother couldn’t stand me. His brother, on the other hand, seemed far too interested. Interested—at least—in what I was doing with Dex’s friends.

“Baby?” Dex’s finger found my chin and lifted. I hadn’t even realized I let it drop. “What’s wrong?”

I released my lip and sighed. It was better to just get it out, I decided. “I ran into Stephan today and he started asking me about my ‘friendship’ with the guys,” I blurted.

Dex blinked and dropped his fingers away. “What did you say?”

I shrugged. “That we were friends and I’d known them for several years.”

I watched as Dex’s face morphed. He went from confused and concerned to angry. His brows puckered as his lips turned down into a scowl.

“Dex?” I tilted my head as I tried to figure out what I had said. Was he angry with the way I had handled the situation? “What’s wrong?”

Instead of answering, Dex shook his head, his eyes glaring past me at the door. He turned me around and urged me further into the suite. “Stay with the guys tonight,” he ordered. Then, before he left, he turned and glanced back at us. Behind me, I heard the guys shifting and Darren opening the sliding glass door that led out onto the balcony. “I’d prefer it if you stayed inside tonight. I’m not going to demand it or anything, but I need to speak with my family first and I’d rather you not run into them until I do.”

No one spoke. Dex looked at me, the anger swirling in his irises calming ever so slightly. “I’m sorry, Jamie,” he said. And then he was gone, the door closing behind him with a quiet, anticlimactic snick .

“What the fuck?” Darren blurted.

If only I fucking knew.