Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Pierce

We gambled and drank and gambled some more.

My cheeks hurt from laughter, my head buzzed from the alcohol, and Zariah was the best company I’d had in a while.

I didn’t want the night to end even though it was after midnight. A part of me was surprised my family didn’t launch a search team for me yet, and a tiny bit of guilt rolled through me. But Zariah was worth it. They’d understand.

They were always trying to set me up on dates or play matchmaker, so to see me hanging with a woman and having fun should appease their meddling ways for a while.

“I hate for the night to end, but I’m ready to fall asleep on this slot machine,” Zariah said.

“I know, me too. Alright, let’s call it a night,” I said, my voice full of reluctance. “I’m definitely a better slot player, though. That’s for sure.”

Zariah playfully punched my arm. “No way! I won so many more times than you.”

“Beginner's luck,” I said as we both stood.

“What?” she exclaimed as she giggled and walked toward the casino exit. “That’s a load of horse shit.”

“Horse shit? How ladylike of you.”

“Who said I was a lady?” Zariah burped, and her eyebrows shot up. She threw her hand over her mouth and dissolved into a fit of giggles.

“Point made.” I chuckled.

Our laughter and conversation continued as the elevator took us up to deck seven. As we made our way down the hallway, the laughter didn’t stop and sounded louder, which only made us snort more.

That was until we arrived at our doors.

My parents and all three of my sisters stood there, arms across their chests and faces tight. Shit!

“Uh-oh,” Zariah muttered.

I wanted the floor to simply open up and swallow me whole.

“Pierce! Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick!” My mother, Grace, ran toward me and pulled me into a hug before smacking me on the arm. My father, Bob, stood in place, his disapproval look in full force.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you worry. We went for a couple of drinks, and time sort of got away from us.”

“How could we not worry? You said you were getting us drinks and would be right back. We were going to get something to eat, remember?” Annie snapped.

“I’m going to sleep.” Leah snipped as she rolled her eyes, and Tracy followed her, the door slamming behind them.

Shit. Annie was right. I did say all those things.

But I saw Zariah and got distracted…

“You’re right, my bad. I should’ve come back or gotten in touch with you. I met Zariah and kind of got carried away. This is her.” I snuck a glance at her as I took a step beside her, and she didn’t look happy. In fact, she looked annoyed as all hell.

This whole situation was fucking stupid. What was I, two?

“Listen, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. No need to worry.”

“We’ll talk more in the morning. Good night,” my mother said as my dad nodded, and they both disappeared back into their room.

Annie stood there for another moment and looked between Zariah and me. Then she clicked her tongue against the back of her front teeth and went inside the room.

“I’m going to bed. Good night, Pierce.” Zariah said as she walked to her door. “Thanks for the fun evening.” She quickly slipped inside, the door locking behind her.

I was left standing alone in an empty hallway, an amazing evening now soured.

Dammit!

My meddling family fucked it all up. Again.

The following morning, everyone got up early and left. I pretended to sleep when Annie asked me if I was joining them for breakfast. I didn’t feel like going through the third degree with them, and besides, I barely slept a wink last night.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Zariah.

Our night together…

How badly I wanted to kiss her…

How embarrassing my family was…

I could already hear the questions— How old is she? Isn’t she too old for you? You have your whole life in front of you. You can’t just up and date someone you met on a cruise. How much do you even know about her?

But the funny part was, if they were the ones who found me a girl to hang with, even one on this very ship, they’d be all in. If I chose not to, they’d say I was being too picky. But I find a girl on my own, and there’s always chaos. Why couldn’t I decide my own happiness for once?

After tossing and turning for another hour, I finally pulled myself from bed, took a shower, and got dressed.

Zariah made me feel good inside, and I’d be damned if I couldn’t enjoy that. I loved my family, but they needed to let me forge my own path. Enough was enough.

Hopefully, Zariah still wanted to hang out with me.

I knocked on her door and waited for an answer, but only silence followed. Ignoring the tug deep in my stomach, I hoped I’d catch her at some point. In the meantime, I needed some coffee and food to help my hangover. Maybe I’d sneak a nap in later while lounging in the sun.

I headed down to the grand foyer lobby and followed the signs to the main dining room. I’d heard the breakfast buffet was amazing, and from the smell of bacon and eggs in the air, I didn’t have any doubts.

As I expected, there were rows and rows of buffet tables lined up with endless types of food. Along the back wall was a coffee bar, juice bar, and several chef stations. One was for omelets, another for waffles, another for pancakes.

As I walked from table to table, I filled my plate with all of the breakfast goodies and stopped at the coffee bar. I found a quiet table in the corner and dug in.

“How come the guy with the largest family on this cruise is eating breakfast alone?”

Zariah stood before me with her own plate full of food. Gone was the annoyed look from last night, and in its place was her beautiful smile, which I’d grown so fond of. A weight lifted off my chest at the sight, and I couldn’t help the shit-eating grin that spread across my face.

“Good question. Sit down, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Do I want to know?” She placed her food down and pulled out a chair next to me. Today, her hair was piled on top of her head, with a few stray wisps hanging down. My eyes traveled down her bare neck and shoulders, her strapless top revealing a lot more milky skin and supple cleavage. When she sat beside me, her floral perfume tickled my nose and sent shivers up and down my spine. My dick twitched in my pants, and I thought about the hard boner I couldn’t rid myself of last night. Why didn’t I get my own room again? Fucking torture.

I shoved more food in my mouth before I took a bite out of her. After swallowing, I finally answered. “It’s not bad. I wanted to sleep longer, that’s all.”

Zariah grinned as she bit a piece of bacon. “Hungover?”

“Yep. I didn’t sleep well, either. I swore I felt the boat rocking.” I quickly said the first thing I could think of because there was no way I was admitting the real reason I couldn’t sleep—thoughts of her all night.

“Really? I was afraid of that, but thankfully, I didn’t last night. You wore me out. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.”

My mind fell straight into the gutter. “I wish I really did wear you out.”

Zariah’s eyes sparkled, and she did her lip-biting thing again, and my dick hardened more. Damn, this woman. She was too damn sexy.

“Got any plans today?” I blurted out.

“Besides exploring the ship? Not a one.”

“Feel like having a partner in crime?”

“If it’s you, the answer is always yes.”