AllFreeNovel
Share Us
In a way, it was liberating.
All she had to do was be herself, and if it worked, great, and if it didn't, then it wouldn't be a failure.
She couldn't fail without knowing the rules of engagement, right?
Except, her pragmatic nature refused to just let go and allow her to enjoy the moments of intimacy with Peter until the end of the cruise. Marina had a hard time accepting that she had no control over the situation and was powerless again to direct her own future.
Now that she thought about it, her plan to have him fall in love with her and invite her to live with him was like wishing for Prince Charming to come bearing the glass slipper or some other fairytale combination that even young girls didn't believe in.
She was supposed to be her own savior, and she was working on it. Significantly improving her English skills had been the first step, and the next was to enroll in an online school that would teach her something she could do online, like website design or maybe even translation work, but that was still far in the future.
With a sigh, she finished packing lunch into two cardboard boxes, put them inside a paper bag, and added two cold bottles of water before remembering that Peter was stationed on the Lido deck and could get all the drinks he wanted from Bob.
As she recalled their first meeting at the outdoor bar and how nervous she'd been, a smile lifted the corners of her lips.
Marina hadn't expected things to progress so quickly, but she didn't regret spending the night with Peter, even for a moment.
The sex had been phenomenal, but the memory she cherished the most from last night was how he had looked at her. It was as if he could see beyond the façade she was putting up for the world. How could a male she'd just met see her so clearly when the guy she'd dated for nearly two years hadn't?
It was also possible that she had imagined it.
Peter had figured out her kink without her having to tell him anything, but that wasn't difficult to do, and he also knew that she'd been held by the Kra-ell, but that was the extent of it.
Hefting the bag, she stepped into the elevator and leaned against the side wall. The thing stopped nearly on every floor as it ascended to the Lido deck, and more people got in until she was pushed to the very back of the cab.
Some of the immortals were casting her curious looks, but no one said anything to her or inquired why the human was riding the passenger elevator and not the service one.
Still, she couldn't help but feel like a trespasser, and as the elevator reached its final destination and all of its occupants spilled out, she took her first deep breath since the first stop.
When she walked out through the glass doors, the humid heat enveloped her, and for a moment it felt pleasant after the cool air-conditioned environment inside, but as she made her way through the deck searching for Peter, sweat gathered on the top of her lip and the back of her neck, and she used her hand to wipe it away.
Thankfully, a light breeze began, brushing against her face and cooling it.
When she spotted Peter, her heart skipped a beat, and as he turned to look at her and smiled, the beat accelerated.
"Hey," she greeted, extending the bag with the lunch she'd packed. "I didn't see you at lunch, and I thought we could eat out here."
He surprised her by pulling her to him and planting a kiss on her lips in front of everyone. "Thank you." His eyes danced with mirth as he took the bag from her. "Let's find a table."
56
PETER
No one had ever packed lunch for Peter before, and Marina's gesture warmed his heart. It was such a thoughtful thing to do.
Not even his own mother had done that for him.
Back when he was a kid they had been still living in the Scottish Highlands, and schooling was done by the mothers, who had taken turns teaching the clan kids. Classes had never lasted for more than a couple of hours a day, so there had been no need to pack lunch for school.
"Are you allowed to sit down?" Marina asked as he put the paper bag on the table.
"Of course."
The truth was that Peter had forgotten to signal Mathew that he was taking a break, so he pushed to his feet and waved at the guy. When he got a nod of approval back, he pulled out a chair for Marina and then sat down himself.
She glanced at Mathew, who was standing next to the railing on the other side of the pool. "I should have thought about bringing lunch for all the guards. Now I feel bad." She frowned. "I can give him mine, but then it wouldn't be fair to the others."
"Relax." Peter put a hand over hers. "They all ate already. They packed lunch during breakfast."
