Modern Girl's Guide To Vacation Flings (23 page)

He loved Holly, but he wouldn't wish her wrath on his worst enemy. And even if she hadn't insulted Beth, the last thing Matt needed was Holly's brand of help. God save him from his family.

But by the time he reached the pool, they were both gone.

Chapter 13

Modern Girl Tip #16: It's Still a Relationship—Every relationship, even a short one, will be sprinkled with moments that are perfect, a lot that are okay, and a few that might even be bad. THAT'S LIFE. Don't toss in the towel the second things get complicated. Stop and reevaluate the situation. Is it time to move on or just shake things up?

By the time he made it back down to his cabin, Beth had left a message with instructions for him to meet her back on deck at the main pool for their date. Her message was cryptic, but it's not like there were a lot of options on the boat. He figured they would hit the casual dining restaurant since she seemed dead set against going to Sonnas, as if stepping foot in romantic adults only restaurant would cause her to spontaneously combust.

After milling around his cabin, trying, and failing, to get some work done, the time for dinner had finally arrived. As per his instructions, he dressed in casual clothes and headed to the deck.

But what she had planned wasn't anything like he'd imagined. Out of all the scenarios he'd come up with, finding Beth sitting at a large double lounge chair, with pizza and a bucket of beer, hadn't even make the list.

"Hope you don't mind," she said, waving to the spread. "They show movie on the deck at dusk, and it's so nice out, I thought we could eat right here."

She looked unsure, as if he would walk away disgusted at her efforts. In truth, he loved the idea. Most of the other guests were down in the main dining rooms or watching whatever show the cruise was putting on in the main theater. They practically had the place to themselves.

"I don't know. I reserve my judgment until I see the pizza. You know how we Chicagoans are about our pizza," he said, grabbing a beer and taking a seat next to her on the deck chair.

When she saw he was okay with her choice, Beth visibly relaxed. "Well, it was the best I could do thousands of miles away from the Windy City. You should be happy to get pizza at all. I can't tell you how many times I fantasized about Chicago style pizza while I was in Brazil. When I come home from any project, I revert back to a college kid, eating nothing but pizza and drinking beer. It's kind of my thing. I made the mistake of ordering a slice on one of my trips to Rio. They actually used ketchup instead of pizza sauce."

"Ketchup? Really?"

"Well, not everywhere. Most places didn't even use sauce. And don't even get me started on the toppings. It should be a crime to put mashed potatoes on a pizza."

Matt clutched his chest in mock horror. "And the pizza gods didn't strike them down?" He lifted the lid to the box and saw a fairly sub-par pizza, but at least it had real sauce and no root vegetables. "After hearing about that, I guess I can survive cruise ship pizza."

He grabbed a slice and settled beside Beth. Even though he would have preferred a real date where they could sit across the table and talk, Matt was enjoying the feel of her pressed beside him as they waited for the staff to start the movie.

"So what are they showing?" he asked.

"
Always a Bridesmaid
. It a Romantic Comedy that came out last year."

Beth took a big bite of pizza, and closed her eyes, savoring the flavor. She had a bit of sauce coating her lips and Matt had to fight the urge to bend over and lick it off. Who knew watching a woman eat would be so erotic?

"You haven't seen it, have you?" she asked, breaking the spell.

"Uhm, no. I haven't seen it." At least he didn't think he'd seen it. He'd been so wrapped up in watching her eat that damn pizza, Matt couldn't even remember what she'd said the name of the movie was. He wasn't a big chick flick fan, so it was a safe bet.

"Good," she said and leaned back into the lounge chair, stretching her long tan legs out in front of her. "I don't get many opportunities to see movies because of my work. My sister tried to get me to see it last Christmas, but something came up and we never had the chance. She's been bugging me to see it. She has this vision that her wedding is going to be just like the one in this movie. Evidently, the bride is breathtaking and everyone has a good time. Whatever."

"You don't sound very excited about the wedding. Actually, I'm surprised you're on vacation with your sister's wedding less than a month away. I thought you were close."

Beth looked away and started picking at her pizza. "We are, or we were. A wedding should be about the bride. If I was there, too much focus would be on me. I didn't want that for her. And I didn't want that for me either."

He was sure there was a story behind her statement and he wanted to ask, but he was distracted when she took off her shoes and stretched out beside him. He took a moment to admire the long lines and the toned flesh laid out before him.

She'd changed out of the barely there bathing suit, that was sure to play a starring role in his wet dreams, into shorts and a tank top. She could have been wearing a burlap sack and he'd still be enamored. And maybe that was it. While he didn't know Sophia, he could imagine Beth being the center of attention anywhere she went.

He hadn't realized they'd fallen into an unnatural silence while he'd imagined her at the wedding with her hair piled high, imagined her pretty gown on the floor of his apartment, imagined laying her out on his bed, until Beth finally spoke, breaking his concentration.

"Beer, pizza, and a bad popular movie; it's almost like we're on a date."

Realizing he'd just been caught leering at her, Matt stretched out beside her. "All we need is some inappropriate staring and awkward pauses in our conversation and we'd be all set."

This was what he wanted, but calling it a date changed things. Suddenly, all easy banter and companionable silences they'd enjoyed were awkward and uncomfortable. Luckily, the movie started seconds later, eliminated the need for small talk.

After the opening sequence, Beth started in on her commentary. Normally, he hated it when people talked through a movie, but she was by far more entertaining than the movie.

"Come on. If she's best friends with the bride, how come she's never met the groom's brother? She's known the groom for three years? The brother lives in the same town, they go to the same gym, and somehow they've never met? Only in the movies would two people with lives so parallel just happen to meet at the wedding rehearsal."

She sat there shaking her head and even guffawing at quippy dialog. It was really hilarious.

"Give me a break," she growled at the screen. "Who even talks like that?"

The female lead, some perky blonde Hollywood starlet whom he should have known, was waxing on to her friend about the way the hunky lead made her feel. "What? I thought women shared that kind of stuff all the time."

"Sure, about a longtime boyfriend or even a guy you've been dating. But one stolen kiss and suddenly she's madly in love?"

Love? Maybe not, but he had to admit that after she'd kissed him shyly on the plane, he was intrigued. And then after she'd surprised him with that full on kiss in front of his brother, he was hooked. No, he wouldn't call it love, but Matt could definitely empathize with the whiny heroine. He was hopelessly addicted to Beth's lips.

Deciding it best not to share his opinion on the matter, Matt sat and listened as Beth lambasted love at first sight for the next few minutes. But that wasn't her only complaint.

In the movie the heroine woke the next morning, after a night of passionate lovemaking, and looked runway ready with hair and makeup done. Beth started in on another rant about unachievable beauty standards.

He wanted to argue that even though the blonde was beautiful, he much preferred Beth's sweaty, sex mussed look to the Hollywood perfection. He imagined she'd look stunning the morning after. Maybe tonight would be the night she'd stay, and he could find out first hand.

"And look at the apartment. Why does everyone live in upscale apartments that are never dirty? And they all look as if they were furnished and styled for a Better Homes and Garden spread."

"His apartment isn't so different from mine."

"You'd hate my place. Not only is it small, I have boxes piled everywhere." Fingering her necklace, she smiled. "I can't resist bringing back trinkets from the places I travel. Even though I'm not home much, I've thought about getting a bigger place just so I can display some of my stuff. I'll have to show you this fantastic macaw sculpture I got from a street vendor. It's almost the same shade as your eyes."

He didn't think she noticed her slip. It was the first time she'd even mentioned seeing him after the cruise. Did that mean she wanted to explore this relationship beyond just sex? Wasn't that what he wanted?

When the movie finally ended and they started picking up their mess, Matt still couldn't shake a growing uneasiness.

Unaware of his current state of mind, Beth was still going over the movie's many flaws. "Can we take a moment to talk about their jobs? Does no one in a romantic comedy have a real job? Where's the office manager and the UPS guy's romance? I mean, she's a blogger—like that would pay enough to keep her in that uptown apartment—and he's the editor of the men's style section. Are those even real jobs?"

"If you would have asked me a few days ago, I would have told you hydrology was a made up field of study."

She looked up at him with a smile that might have been teasing, might have been a smirk and gave his shoulder a nudge. "As if creative officer for a marketing firm is any better."

"That's CHIEF creative officer mind you." He nudged back and laughed. And then for some insane reason, he said, "I think two people can have an instant connection. I knew on the plane that you were special."

She looked up and met his gaze. Her dark hair was slightly wind-blown, and her eyes were filled with questions. "I guess it was kismet then." Her voice was little more than a whisper.

Destiny? Fate? He never subscribed to such things, but there was something about her that drew him. Whatever you wanted to call it, Matt couldn't imagine being here without her. He was starting to have a hard to imagining his life back home without her, and that scared the crap out of him.

The air was thick with tension, and Matt wanted to steer the night's conversation back to a lighter subject. "Kismet? For a scientist, that's a pretty unscientific theory," he teased, trying for playful.

"What? Scientists can't believe in the mystical working of the universe?" Her smile became mischievous, causing her eyes to crinkle at the corners, and she leaned in close. "Didn't you invoke a higher power last night when I had my mouth wrapped around—"

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. This wasn't like their other kisses. The desperate ones that lead to them tearing at each other clothes. No, this was a sweet kiss that expressed all the emotions Matt wasn't ready to face yet. It was an unspoken promise. The promise of tomorrow and more, but he wasn't ready break open that can of worms. Not yet. He pulled back and saw the slightly dazed expression on Beth's face. Did she feel it too? It was too much to ask for and he knew it. Beth had made it more than clear she didn't want more. And so had he.

Fuck. From the moment he sat down next to her on the plane, his life had turned into a God damn chick flick.

The kiss ended, and he stood there holding her in his arms. He wanted her. He wanted her so fucking bad he couldn't think straight. But not just physically. He wanted to spend time with her off this stupid cruise ship.

But before he could broach the subject, the wall was back. And this time, it felt as if she'd physically pushed him away.

"I know this is where we usually run back to your room, but I need to chat with my sister tonight. Some wedding details to go over."

Maybe she had the right idea. This whole night was a little too real. He was dangerously close to doing something stupid, like ask her to come home with him. It was time to break and regroup.

"Thanks for planning tonight," he said, trying to keep the anger and disappointment out of his voice.

"Thank you. I haven't had this much fun watching a movie in a while," she said, rubbing her bare arms, already looking at the exit. "Give me a call if you want to do something tomorrow."