Chapter 2

2

AUSTIN

I f the hottie at the bar wanted a Long Island tea, I’d make her one.

I felt her eyes on me as I pulled out my phone and tracked down the recipe. I was no professional bartender, but how hard could this be? Pour a bunch of liquor into a glass over ice, add some sweet and sour mix, and cocktails were served.

Instead of a glass, though, I found some to-go cups under the counter and came up with the best idea I’d had all day. I made both our drinks, added lids and straws, and came around the bar. When I emerged on the other side, she’d turned on the stool until her knees were pointed in my direction.

Damn, that dress was hideous, but the woman inside it was stunning. Whoever forced her to wear it should be punished. But maybe I’d find a way to get her out of it by the time the night was through.

“Follow me,” I said.

“Wait, we can’t take that out of here,” she called out.

Her voice came from right behind me, which meant she was following. I considered that a success.

“Who’s going to stop us?” I shrugged. “For all they know, these are non-alcoholic beverages.”

I waited for her outside the door to the bar, a drink in each hand. I didn’t hand the drink over to her yet, though. If we were going to get in trouble for this, I’d take the fall. Did they have a jail cell on these floating cities? I was guessing no. Maybe they’d toss me overboard and write me off as shark food.

“Where exactly are we going?” the gorgeous curvy woman asked as she fell into step next to me.

She was shorter than I was, so I had to slow my steps to help her keep up. “I’m Austin, by the way,” I said when I realized I still didn’t know her name.

“Lexie.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her glance over at me, and it made my heart skip a beat. I didn’t even know my heart could still do that over something like a beautiful woman.

“Are you traveling alone?” she asked.

I shook my head. “My brother had the idea to get us all together, and then my mom’s siblings and their families joined in and they brought spouses, so we have more than twenty in our party.”

That brought her gaze back to me again, just when my pulse had started to slow down to almost normal. “No wonder you needed a drink,” she said.

I laughed. “So why did you need one?”

“One of the bridesmaids is a butthole.” She sighed. “I was thinking about jumping in the water to get away from her.”

“That sounds like an interesting story. But if you want to hide out, you don’t have to jump in the water to do it.”

“Good point.” She nodded. “We’re not getting in the elevator with these, are we?”

I’d led us around to a group of elevators that wasn’t quite as heavily traveled just in case an employee decided to bust my balls about carrying around alcohol. Hell, maybe it wasn’t even against the rules. I never even saw any rules. My sister booked the tickets and we all sent her the money when she asked for it.

“Are you worried about getting in the elevator with me?” I asked.

The words were meant to be teasing, but I knew I could come across as menacing sometimes. In the silence that followed, I worried I might have scared her off. But when she looked at me, I saw confidence mixed with a little of that same innocence I’d had in my early twenties—before life had beaten me around a little.

“Do the elevators have cameras?” she asked.

She was flirting, that was all. Nothing meant by it. I shouldn’t get my hopes up that she was thinking of getting down and dirty with me in an elevator. But my mind was still going there, picturing me holding her up against the wall, shoving up that skirt and pulling down her panties, then fucking her against the wall.

I tried the fantasy out in my head, but I knew what I really wanted was to make love to her. To claim her as mine, while also treating her like the lady she was.

Ding!

The elevator announced its arrival, making me aware we’d been locked in a stare for at least half a minute. She jerked her gaze to the elevator doors, which slowly slid open, revealing an empty car. We’d have the whole elevator to ourselves.

Once she was inside, Lexie turned and stared at the panel. Was she looking for the button to stop the car? Once it got going, she’d stop it, then reach for my pants. I’d better plan out what I’d do with the drinks.

But instead, she asked, “What floor?” in a business-like tone. Her mind wasn’t going where mine was, obviously.

“Upper deck,” I said.

She stepped forward and studied the buttons for a long moment before finally pushing the right one. I still wasn’t ready to hand over her drink, though. We could be busted as soon as we stepped out of the elevator on the top floor. Or on the walk from the elevator to the destination I had in mind. A place where we could drink without being bugged about it.

When she stepped back, we both faced the doors, not saying a word. I didn’t dare move, but my eyes were scanning for a camera. No sign of one. Those things could be hidden, though, couldn’t they? Experience told me that even if there were cameras, the people manning the cameras wouldn’t give a damn if we made out, fucked like jackrabbits, or downed these drinks between now and reaching our floor.

“You ever done it in elevator?” she asked.

I was so surprised by the question I nearly dropped one of the drinks. Maybe I’d misjudged her as a sweet, innocent type. She clearly had a naughty side.

“Can’t say I have,” I said. “I’d probably plan something like that in advance, though. Scope out the situation, practice stopping the car and seeing how long it would hold. Some of these elevators have safety mechanisms now.”

Shut the fuck up. I sounded like the world’s most boring lover. Something like that should be spontaneous.

“Planning it kind of takes the fun out of it,” Lexie said.

“So does getting caught.”

Maybe I should cut out my tongue. Or bite it so hard that it left a mark, reminding me every time I moved it what a damn fool I was.

Ding!

“That wouldn’t be nearly enough time for what I’d want to do with you,” she said, staring at the doors as they slid open. “We’d definitely have to stop the car.”

And then she headed out, leaving me standing there, gaping after her.