Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
“ENOUGH!”
Captain Gary’s voice cracked through the room like a whip.
Every head turned to where he was in the doorway. I knew with one glance that he’d yet to even have his coffee. His eyes were wide, jaw locked as he slammed that authoritative glare into each one of us.
When it landed on me and Finn, it softened — just marginally, enough for his true feelings to slip through the façade.
Disappointment.
Again.
It was the final rock on the pile of rubble, and suddenly I wasn’t just struggling to breathe.
I was crushed.
“What the hell is going on here?” he asked, voice booming as he tore his gaze from us and back to the crew still gathered at the foot of the bed.
“Pretty easy to see, isn’t it, Cap?” Gisella fired back, throwing her arms toward me and Finn. “That’s our chef and chief stew — also known as my boyfriend and roommate.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing this was a nightmare I was going to shake awake from any second. I didn’t miss the frustrated flare of Finn’s nostrils at Gisella’s accusation.
They weren’t together anymore, but no one knew that except the three of us.
No way was Gisella going to admit that now.
And if it was our word against hers, I had a pretty good feeling who everyone would believe.
“Right,” Captain said, severe. “Everyone, get to work. We have charter guests in six hours and this boat is in shit shape. We’ll talk about this when our guests are satisfied and gone, understand? And not a word of it until then. I expect professionalism.”
“You’re going to let them stay?!” Gisella gaped at Captain, but when he arched a brow into his hairline, her mouth snapped shut.
I knew she wanted to argue, but to her credit, she fought it. Because while Captain may have wanted to get more of this story before he made any decisions, we all knew he wouldn’t stand for even one second of insubordination.
No one moved for a breath, but then slowly, everyone started to shuffle. Palmer released his grip on Cameron, who immediately ran off — I assumed to find Leah. Bernard smirked at me with a wink on his way out, like we were best buds and he approved of my scandal.
Lovely.
Palmer waited for Gisella, trying to usher her out of the room with a hand at the small of her back. But she jerked away from him, muttering something under her breath with a glare that had Palmer’s lips flattening as he chased after her.
Captain Gary stayed behind, the tension left in the room once it was just the three of us so thick I could have choked on it.
He looked at us, expression unreadable. His voice, when it came, was low and cold.
“You two. Get yourselves together and meet me in the bridge. Ten minutes.”
He turned without another word, and I dropped my head into my hands.
My ribs ached with the struggle of my lungs trying to fill, my chest on fire like I was having a heart attack. My hands and feet went numb. My vision darkened at the edges.
Distantly, I was aware that Finn was trying to talk to me, that his hands were framing my face, his concerned eyes searching mine.
But his voice was muted, muffled by the ringing in my ears and the thrumming of my racing heart.
There was movement behind him, a camera duo adjusting to better see my face.
And that was it.
Like a caged animal who realized someone had forgotten to latch the door, I threw the covers off me, shoved Finn away, threw on my pajamas, and bolted.
I didn’t know where I was going — just that I had to move.
I rushed through the hall, bare feet slapping against the stairs as I flew down them toward the crew quarters. I nearly ran into Palmer and Gisella on the way down. I heard Gisella scoff, heard someone call my name — maybe Finn, maybe Leah, maybe a producer — but I didn’t stop. Didn’t look back.
I took the corner too fast and slammed into a wall. Pain bloomed in my shoulder, but I kept going, sucking in oxygen like I was drowning and clinging to each sip of air I could catch when a wave receded. My cabin door was cracked open, and I all but dove inside, slamming it behind me and twisting the lock with shaking fingers.
Then I collapsed onto the bed, gasping.
Oh my God.
Oh my God.
Oh my God.
It’s over.
It’s all over.
Everything I’d worked for. Everything I’d dreamed of. Everything I’d sacrificed — all gone.
Because I’d let myself get lost in a moment of desire.
I cringed at the reality, shame washing over me at the same time I felt fists beating on my chest from the inside. I almost heard the voice screaming over the rattling of my breath, a distant cry that I shouldn’t be ashamed, that I loved Finn and what happened between us wasn’t wrong.