Page 8 of Rock of Stages (Moonlight Siren #4)

NAIYA

S tay with Caleb, in his cabin… Sleep in his bed.

Was this mad? We’d only just met that night.

It was now the quietest part of the night, just before morning, when the sea held its breath. The hours had zipped by as I’d spent them with Caleb, but I wasn’t ready to return to the ocean.

And I wasn’t ready to leave Caleb. That kiss was…

unreal. The echo of it lingered with a warm tingle on my lips.

I’d never been kissed like that before, with a heat that bloomed through me like sun warming the ocean’s surface.

The way he’d held me in his muscular arms felt as secure as a stone cave protecting me.

He looked at me from those gray-blue eyes like I was a treasure found in the deep.

He was still looking at me like that now, his intense gaze imploring me to stay.

“Yes,” I whispered, a slight breathy tremble in my voice.

Caleb’s face broke into pure joy, and my insides fluttered like sea kelp. He took my hand in his large one. “Come on.”

We headed down the stairwell to the lower deck.

Although my legs were steadier now that I’d adjusted to them, my mind floated like we were walking through sea foam.

Every aspect of the ship fascinated me earlier—from the dazzling chandeliers to the elevator—but now the tether tugged at me and my senses were solely attuned to him.

The way he moved—his massive body with a lithe grace.

The veins in his powerful arms. The chiseled contours of his cheeks and jaw.

His scent wrapped around me—like moonlight on mountains, something earthy and ancient that stirred my awareness.

We didn’t speak as we walked down the hallway lined with doors, but the silence wasn’t awkward. It pulsed with anticipation, like a hush before a wave crested.

When we stepped inside, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Shoot, I didn’t get you any”—he scanned me from my head down—”pajamas.”

I motioned to the dress. “This is fine. Very comfortable. Thank you for getting it for me.”

“You’re welcome.” His storm-gray eyes locked on mine for a few burning seconds. He cleared his throat. “All right, the bed is yours. I’ll—uh—find a spot on the floor.”

I blinked. He wouldn’t truly try to squeeze into that tiny space beside the bed, would he? There was more room in the bed than on the rug. “You’re not serious?”

He gathered a blanket from a shelf near the small TV and one of the two pillows on the bed. As he made a makeshift bed on the floor, he said, “Yes. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” He removed his jeans, stripping down to a pair of black boxer shirts.

My eyes traced the muscular definition in his massive thighs as he lowered his large body into the tiny space.

“Caleb,” I said, half-laughing. I climbed onto the bed and patted the space beside me. “You look like you’re stuck inside a clam shell. Get up here before you hurt yourself.”

His eyes met mine in question. “You sure?”

“Yes.” I smiled softly.

He hesitated, then unfolded himself from the floor with a grunt. “My body thanks you.”

I scanned him from head to toe, cheeks warming slightly, then I turned away and rolled onto my side with my back to him. The mattress sank as he climbed in, leaving a tiny space between us.

“Good night, Naiya.” He rolled to his side.

“Good night, Caleb.”

I’d never been in a bed like this on a ship, let alone share it with someone else.

The ship rocked in a lulling motion, and the low hum of the engine sounded muted below.

Caleb and I lay back-to-back, and that tiny sliver between us crackled with heat.

How I longed to nudge backward, feel the warmth of his body.

I closed my eyes and listened to his breathing, slow and deep, and let it carry me to sleep like floating on the waves.

When I stirred on the fringes of waking up, I grew aware of a heavy arm slung across my waist. Warm and protective. At some point during the night, Caleb had turned over and held me. His body radiated heat like a sun-warmed rock. I leaned into it. Relishing his warmth.

And then felt something hard and long against my rear.

Oh…

A low rumble rolled from deep within Caleb’s chest, and he pressed himself tighter against me, his erection unmistakable.

I didn’t move away. Didn’t want to. Not when every cell in my body burned with heat and sudden awareness.

His breath slowed again and deepened. He’d fallen back asleep.

And me? Painfully awake, with a yearning growing within me. Sweet coral, I’d never felt desire like this before. So… intense .

What would it be like to be with Caleb? Have him touch me with his large, rugged hands. Feel him inside me. I tried to ignore the urge to wiggle against him, rub against his erection, wake him up…

Maybe coming back to the cabin with Caleb was a mistake. Because now I had all these heady sensations I couldn’t ignore, dominating my mind and intoxicating me, and I didn’t know what to do about them.