“You’re damned right I didn’t, but like everything else, I went along with what you wanted and paid for a trip I had zero interest in taking.”

  “Exactly.” All at once, he seems to notice me. “Who’s that?”

  I’m not sure what possesses me… “I’m Milo Giordino, Gianna’s boyfriend. And you are?”

  I’ll never forget the stunned expression that overtakes Jared’s face or the way he looks at her with utter surprise. “What the hell, Gi?”

  “You dumped me, Jared. The day of our wedding, the same wedding you pushed me to have and then left me holding the tab. I’ve moved on. I’d suggest you do the same. Come on, Milo. We don’t want to miss a minute of our trip.”

  I happily take hold of the hand she extends to me. “Later,” I say to him as I follow her inside while he watches us go, seeming speechless.

  “Thank you so much for that,” she whispers the minute we’re far enough from him that he can’t hear her.

  “It was entirely my pleasure.” I tighten my grip on her hand ever so slightly, just enough to let her know I have no plans to let go.

  “I can’t believe he had the nerve to show up here like I’d be fine with going on a trip with him after everything he’s done.”

  “I’m extremely aroused by the way you told him off.”

  “Stop it,” she says, laughing. “You are not.”

  “Am, too. That was hot.” I fan my face with my free hand as we wait in a very long line to check in. I fear it’s the first of many lines we’ll be in this week.

  I see a woman holding a sign over her head that says Mr. and Mrs. Jared and Gianna Allen.

  “Uh, Gianna, is that for you by any chance?”

  “Oh my God! I told her the wedding didn’t happen. What the hell?” She takes hold of my arm so we won’t get separated as we make our way toward the woman with the sign. “I’m Gianna. Please tell me you got my email about the change of plans?”

  “I did,” the woman says, “but I already had the signs made, and there wasn’t time to get new ones. Handwritten signs are against company policy. I’m Diana.” She shakes hands with both of us. “If you follow me, I’ll expedite your boarding process. Do you have your passports?”

  I hand mine to her as Gianna does the same.

  “Right this way.”

  In less than thirty minutes, we’re welcomed on board the Fun in the Sun and brought to our cabin on the concierge deck. I have no idea what that means, but I find out soon enough that it comes with complimentary rum punch as a welcome beverage and a charcuterie board waiting in our surprisingly spacious cabin, where there’s a heart on the bed made of rose petals.

  “Wow,” I say to Gianna as Diana throws open the curtains to reveal a balcony. “This is awesome.”

  “Nothing but the best for you, hubby,” she says with a grin.

  I’m glad that she seems happier now that we’re on the ship and in our very nice room.

  “I’ll be back to check on you when we’re underway,” Diana says. “Is a seven thirty dinner seating all right with you?”

  Gianna glances at me.

  “Works for me.”

  “That’ll be great,” Gianna says. “Thanks, Diana.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll meet you back here after we’ve left port and take you on a tour.”

  “Sounds good.” The minute Diana leaves the room, Gianna scoops up the rose petals and drops them into a trash can. “Sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be. It’s no big deal to me.”

  “I’m also sorry we had to deal with Jared. I just can’t believe he had the nerve to come here thinking he was going on this trip.”

  “In a way, I feel sort of sorry for him.”

  She gives me an incredulous look. “Why?”

  “He had you, and he screwed it up. That’s got to be eating him up inside, especially now that he knows you’ve moved on with me.”

  I’m nearly shocked speechless when she comes over to me, goes up on tiptoes and kisses me square on the lips. “You’re a very nice man, and I’m so glad you’re here with me.”

  Never one to look a gift kiss in the mouth, I hook an arm around her to keep her from getting away. “I’m very glad to be here, and if you wanted to do that again, I’d be all for it.”

  “Do what?” she asks with a grin. “This?” She kisses me again, and this time, she lingers a bit, just enough to give her no doubt what her sweet kisses are doing to me.

  “Hmm, that. More of that.” The stupid neck brace is impeding my ability to kiss her the way I want to, so I reach up to release the Velcro straps holding it in place. It falls to the floor behind me. When she starts to protest the removal of the brace, I stop her with a tongue-twisting kiss that she responds to with the same level of enthusiasm I’ve given her.

  “This is the best honeymoon ever,” I whisper against her lips, which curve into a smile.

  Her eyes are closed, her cheeks are flushed, and she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, which I decide to tell her.

  “You don’t have to say that.”

  “I never say anything I don’t mean.” I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and run the tip of my index finger over her cheek. “From the first second I saw you, I thought you were stunning.”

  “You were high on pain meds then.”

  “And still I saw you, Gianna, and was dazzled by you.”

  She leans her forehead against my chest, but she keeps her arms around my waist. “I told you I wasn’t ready for any of this, and then…”

  “And then you kissed me, and it was the best kiss of my whole life.”

  “Mine, too,” she says softly.

  That’s the best news I’ve ever heard.

  * * *

  GIANNA

  I can’t believe I just kissed him like that, or that he kissed me back like he’d been dying to. As our first day on the ship unfolds with delicious food, potent cocktails and breathtaking scenery, I feel myself begin to relax in a way that I haven’t in years. Milo is great company, as I knew he would be when I invited him to come with me.

  After our kisses in the cabin, there’s a low hum of tension between us that only adds to the enjoyment of our first day at sea. I’m so happy to be away from work and home and Jared and the mess of our breakup that I don’t even mind being surrounded by strangers on the deck where we settle to get some late-afternoon sun.

  Milo is wearing red swim trunks that sit low on narrow hips.

  Other women are checking out his chiseled chest and arms as well as his six-pack abs. They give him hungry looks that he doesn’t notice. Or if he does, he doesn’t let on to me that he notices the attention. I’m wearing a white bikini I bought for the trip. I thought it was somewhat conservative until I saw Milo’s wide-eyed reaction to it.

  I’m acutely aware of him on the next lounge chair. A low hum of desire has settled between my legs and is keeping my nipples at full alert, which makes me feel even more exposed. It’s my own fault. What was I thinking when I suddenly kissed him? I wasn’t thinking. Strangely enough, I have no regrets. Kissing him was the nicest thing that’s happened since the Jared disaster upended my entire life.

  Although, I’m starting to think that Jared dumping me wasn’t a disaster at all. In fact, it could turn out to be the best thing to ever happen to me, as preposterous as that would’ve seemed at the time.

  I look over at Milo, whose handsome face is tipped up toward the sun. With sunglasses hiding his eyes, I can’t tell if he’s awake or dozing. He’s got a towel rolled up behind him to prop his head at a comfortable angle since I made him put the brace back on before we toured the ship with Diana.

  I’m such a mess. How many times did I tell him I’m not ready to start something new, and then I kiss him like that? I run my fingers over my lips, which are still tingling from the sexiest kisses of my entire life. Yes, you heard that right. Kissing Jared was nothing like kissing Milo. Sex with Jared was pleasant, but I never felt electrified like I did just from kissing Milo.

  What would it be like to—

  No. Stop it. You invited him on this trip because he needs rest and relaxation after his ordeal. Not to be objectified.

  Sometimes my inner voice is a real buzzkill.

  “What’re you wound up about?” Milo asks in a gruff, sexy tone.

  “I’m not wound up.”

  “You’re not going to start lying to me on our honeymoon, are you?”

  He’s cute, amusing, sexy and sweet. He’s the real deal and the full package. Ha. Full package. He’s definitely that, too, judging by the erection I felt pressed against me while we were kissing.

  “I’m a jumbled mess.”

  “No, you’re not. You’ve been through a lot, but you’re doing great.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because you came on this trip despite the disappointment. You invited a new friend to come with you. And you cooked for the PICU parents before you left. That doesn’t sound like a mess to me. That sounds like an amazing, strong woman who’s ready to move on to the next stage of her life.”

  “Damn, I look good to you.”

  “You have no idea how good you look to me, especially in that bikini. You’re so beautiful, you nearly stopped my heart.”

  “It wouldn’t take much for a girl like me to get addicted to the way she feels when you say things like that.”

  “Feel free to get addicted. I’m already there, especially since you kissed me.”

  “Yeah, about that…”

  “No regrets, Gianna. I’ve wanted to kiss you since the second I first saw you.”

  “We’ve already established you were whacked out on pain meds then.”

  He turns onto his side and raises his sunglasses, revealing gorgeous brown eyes. “And still I wanted to kiss you and hold you and know you. I’ve never felt that kind of immediate attraction to anyone before.”

  I bite my lip as I study his handsome face. “If I’m being honest…”

  “I always want you to be honest with me.”

  “I experienced the same buzz of attraction, and then I felt guilty about thinking my new patient was hot.”

  Oh, that smile… It’s lethal and devastating and all the other things, and when he directs it at me, I can’t for the life of me remember why it was that I thought I wasn’t ready for this or for him. I’m so ready. Whether I still will be once we return to dry land and reality is anyone’s guess.

  He extends his hand to me.

  I reach out to link my fingers with his as he gazes into my eyes.

  “I know the timing stinks for you, with this being your honeymoon and everything, but I’m crazy about you, Gianna, and I’m so happy to be here with you.”

  “I’m glad you’re here, too, and I’m starting to think the timing might be perfect after all.”

  * * *

  MILO

  Something has changed since we kissed earlier. She seems lighter, less burdened and maybe a little bit uninhibited, which is fine with me. I want her to relax and enjoy her vacation in every possible way. She’s had so much weight on her shoulders, and she’s carried it admirably. I can only imagine how difficult it was for her to step up for her younger brothers, sacrificing her own plans to care for them after their parents died.

  It makes me crazy to think how that bastard Jared treated her, especially knowing what she’d already endured.

  “What’re you thinking?” she asks. “You look awfully fierce all of a sudden.”

  “I’m thinking about how I wished I’d met Jared for the first time when I was capable of punching his lights out for how he treated you.”

  “I bet you could’ve done it, even with your neck in a brace, but I’m glad you held back.”

  “It wasn’t easy.”

  “I still can’t believe he showed up expecting me to take him on this trip after he canceled our wedding and got me sued by the venue.”

  “He’s got some nerve, that’s for sure.”

  “I loved the way you stepped right up and floored him by saying you were my boyfriend.”

  “That might’ve been my finest moment.”

  “Thank you again for thinking fast.”

  “My pleasure. You know he didn’t deserve you, right?”

  “I do now, but enough about him. I want to talk about us.”

  “Are we an us? I’d like us to be. Would you?”

  “I think maybe I would.”

  “And you feel ready for that?”

  She thinks about that for a few seconds before she replies. “I wouldn’t have thought so as recently as a few days ago. It’s been a year tomorrow since everything blew up with Jared, but the minute he told me he couldn’t go through with the wedding, it was like everything between us was gone. Even though I was devastated, I didn’t love him anymore.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “It was so strange, though. The day before, I expected to love him for the rest of my life, and the next day, it was just… gone.”

  “He hurt you and disappointed you. Of course you didn’t love him anymore.”

  “And he embarrassed me. Having to face everyone after he called off the wedding was the worst thing ever. Thank God for my friends, who stepped up that day to handle the details, because I was too shocked to function.”

  She takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. “And then when he refused to settle up with the venue, and they were threatening me… That’s when I started to actively hate him, which is terrible, too. I’ve never hated anyone in my whole life. Well, except for the person who took my college friend Skylar from us, but that’s a whole other story.”

  “I want to hear about Skylar.”

  “I’ll tell you sometime,” she says sadly. “Not here, though. It’s too heavy for a vacation that’s supposed to be fun.”

  “Another time, then. And Jared gave you good reason to hate him.”

  “I know I’ve already said it, but I really am over him. Everything but the anger, anyway.”

  “You certainly have a right to the anger.”

  Her gaze connects with mine, and it’s all I can do not to gasp from the punch of desire.

  “I really liked kissing you,” I tell her.

  “I liked kissing you.”

  “We should do more of that.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “Uh-huh. What’re you doing right now?”

  “As in right this minute?” she asks with a smile pulling at her sexy lips.

  “As in right this minute.”

  “Hanging with my new guy.”

  Hearing her call me that does it for me like nothing else ever has. “I could use a nap. What about you?”

  “A nap sounds good to me.”

  I sit up as quicky as I’m able to and give her hand a gentle tug. We gather our belongings and head back to our cabin two decks below the pool. In the elevator, we don’t say a word to each other, but I curl my hand around hers to keep her close. My heart is beating so fast, I worry I might pass out or something equally embarrassing.

  Chapter 14

  MILO

  She uses the keycard to get us into the cabin, where we both drop our stuff right inside the door and reach for each other.

  Once again, I rip the stupid brace off my neck so I can kiss her properly.

  Since she never bothered to put her coverup back on, I have unfettered access to the softest skin I’ve ever felt, and I take full advantage of the long-awaited opportunity to touch her. “God, Gianna. You’re so fucking sexy, you take my breath away.”

  She runs her hands over my chest and up to link her fingers behind my neck. “So are you. When I saw you lifting weights in your room that night…”

  “What?” I ask in a gruff tone.

  “I couldn’t stop staring.”

  I kiss her again, and as her mouth opens to my tongue, my knees go weak under me. That’s never happened before. Nothing like this has ever happened. Not to me, anyway. As her tongue rubs against mine, I’m aware of my life changing forever, and I’m totally fine with that if it means my life will include her.

  We land on the bed in a graceful move without missing a beat in the best kiss of my entire life. I keep waiting for my neck to protest the movements, but the only ache I feel is coming from an erection that wants in on this party right now. Being wrapped up in Gianna is as amazing as I thought it would be. In fact, it’s even more amazing than I could’ve imagined, especially when I feel her hands sliding down my back and over my ass to pull me closer to her.

  That puts my hard cock in direct proximity to the heat between her legs, and the moan that escapes from me surprises us both.

  “Did that hurt your neck?”

  “It’s not my neck that hurts.”

  I love her smile and the way it lights up her soft brown eyes. As I rock against her, those gorgeous eyes seem to roll back in her head.

  “Is this too much too soon?” I ask, only because I want to be sure she’s as into this as I am.

  “No, it’s not too much.”

  “Would this be too much too soon?” I ask as I tug on the tie to her bikini top.

  “No,” she whispers as she licks her lips.

  The movement of her tongue sliding over her lips makes me harder than I already was as I untie the knot behind her neck and draw the top down to reveal her breasts. For a second, all I can do is stare. She’s beautiful everywhere. In a matter of seconds, I already know I could spend days, weeks, years worshiping her full breasts and the pretty pink nipples that go tight against my tongue.

  She buries one hand in my hair as she grips my shoulder with her other hand. When she tightens the hand in my hair, the tingle travels straight down my spine.

  “Tell me to stop,” I whisper against the slope of her breast.

  “Don’t you dare stop.”

  I raise my head to meet her gaze. “Are you sure?”

  She nods. “I’m very sure, as long as you aren’t overdoing anything.”