What happens when you find your One True Pair + 1?
Recent college grad Lexie Cambridge is *notoriously* indecisive. Gifted with a luxurious two-week cruise with her crush, she enlists her down-to-earth best friend for help determining when and how t...
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Decompressing in the stateroom later, I had no idea what to expect of my upcoming bonding session with Lexie. But after the eventful singing bowls lip-lock with Devon, the minute Lex reentered the room, I was struck by confused emotions. Nothing lovey-dovey, per se. Maybe infatuation? It felt like meeting her for the first time. My heart started racing, my palms sweating. Nerves.
"You good?" She smiled and quirked a brow at me. I nodded, gulping, as she turned away and flipped a coin. It landed on the back of her hand with a smack. "Heads," she sighed.
"Hm?" I sat up straighter.
"What, the coin? Oh, it's nothing. A trick Amber suggested earlier. Anyway, where's Devon? How'd your one-on-one go? Are we still in the running to win?" Her bright, guileless smile illuminated me as she plopped on the queen-size with a romance novel, crossing her feet at the ankles. She was dressed like a million bucks and was way out of my league. I struggled to snatch my gaze from her attractive body, especially with her nestled amongst the sumptuous pillows like a reason to never leave the bed.
"Oh, he's, um. . . the casino." At least I didn't have to face her with him—and the evidence of our illicit chemistry—out in the open.
I wanted to blurt out the kinky agreement he and I had about getting physical. I wanted her to ask to be included. At the same time, I wanted to keep my mouth shut. I wanted to kick myself for being too bold and moving too fast, agreeing to it in the first place. Would I even be able to live up to Devon's shocking fantasies? Or would we both figure out that messing around meant disaster for our friendship? And how long would my ridiculous libido keep seeking ways to get Lexie back into the sack?
"Well?" She laughed; a hand outstretched as if waiting.
It dawned on me that she had asked further questions. I scrambled to replay her last words and said, "Winning, yes. Definitely."
"Yeesh, was it that bad or that good?" She waggled her eyebrows.
I was saved by Devon's timely entrance. "Guess who hit the jackpot!" he announced. The subject turned to his lucky streak of wins and, thankfully, off whether him and I had gotten lucky during our bonding session. He splayed a handful of hundreds on the bed, to our delight.
Regardless, the fact that Lexie kept trying to corner me off alone as the day progressed complicated matters. I caught her quizzical glances, half-uttered questions. I noticed the extra attention paid to how Devon and I were interacting. Because no matter how intent I was on making things look natural, it was obvious something had changed. It was obvious.
***
The next day, I couldn't avoid her anymore. We had our one-on-one, which meant that if she chose to pelt me with questions once we got alone, there was no stopping her. Strolling from the room behind her at the appointed time, I plugged in my earbuds and pretended to zone into an audiobook. It was a feeble attempt. She grabbed my hand and tugged me along.
