Braving the Waves (Cruisin’ With Curves)

2. Isaac

CHAPTER TWO

ISAAC

“What the hell was all that about?” Luke asks, tossing the ball to me.

I duck the other guy on his team before taking the ball to the hoop. I was hesitant about asking Luke to join the basketball game, but since Ashley decided to take some time off and go back to school, we’ve been one player short, and Apollo decided he wanted to invite Luke, a guy I don’t know super well. But now, I kind of wish he would butt out.

“Nothing,” I tell him, passing the ball to Apollo. “I was just making sure she was okay is all. She’s out alone at night.”

Luke snorts. “Yeah, she is. Bet she was out looking for a hookup.”

I think of the way her hand trembled as she held that box out over the water.

I should have asked for her name. We've only been on the water for a day, less than twenty-four hours, and if she’s shaking like that now, I’m worried what will happen to her over the course of the next four days. Maybe a day on the beach will do her some good, a chance to say goodbye to whoever’s ashes are in that box.

Luke gets the ball and tucks it under his arm, stopping the game and turning to me. “Tell me the truth,” he says with a gleam in his eye. The wind sweeps his hair across his forehead. The wind on the deck at night is always brutal. “Have you ever fucked one of the passengers?” If anyone else had asked me this question, I might have thought it was funny, but there’s something about this guy that’s making me want to sock him in the mouth.

Before I can answer, Apollo speaks for me. “Isaac is a rule follower. He would never sleep with a guest.”

Luke rolls his eyes. “Come on, that’s boring. Have you seen the bikinis that some of these women are wearing around the pool? Plus, I’m pretty sure someone was getting a handjob in the hot tub earlier. What about swingers? You guys ever run into one of those swinger parties?”

I’ve seen pretty much everything happen on this ship in the few years I’ve been working for the cruise line. I’ve seen more naked people in places where they weren’t supposed to be naked than I would care to admit. I’ve never turned anybody in. And I’ve certainly never slept with anyone. I would get fired in a heartbeat if anyone found out, and beyond that, there are always gorgeous women on the crew, so why would I bother putting my job at risk when there are always people who want to hook-up?

I throw the ball at Luke. “Can we just play, please?”