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“You must.” His jaw flexed as he turned to the door. “There are alphas onboard. We don’t know what might trigger another… heat event. It would be inconvenient.”
Tears sprang to my eyes. “You mean it would be inconvenient for you.”
“That too. It’s better for us both for now if we don’t spend any more time together.” His head moved in a jerky nod, and then he was out of the room.
“Just leave, then. And stay out of my life,” I yelled at the door.
All the energy that I’d funneled into building the nest came rushing back to me now as I tore it all apart. In a half hour, I had it bundled up outside my room, had called the maid, and was texting Rain while ignoring the messages from my mom, my dad, and… oh shit. Tarquin. I’d missed seven messages from him.
Shit.Unfaithful.I suppose, technically, I had been. And I couldn’t let that stand.
My friends and I had ruthlessly mocked the guys we’d known who had been too chicken to break up with their exes in person.Rain in particular felt like ghosting was a killable offense, and she had good reason to feel that way, since her own mysterious true mate, who she’d met on a trip years before, had done that exact thing to her.
But breaking up via text was almost as bad. I needed a bestie consult, stat. Quickly, I typed out the most vital information about the past day, then went back to organizing my horrific wardrobe. Rain didn’t text back, which worried me. She would never ignore my messages.
So I was on my own. I needed a plan. I would stay put for the rest of the day, get myself cleaned up and under control. But I was not going to be stuck in my cabin for the rest of this cruise.
And when I went up on deck, I was going to make certain the alpha who’d rejected me got to appreciate just howinconvenienta pissed-off omega could be.
But first, I had a confession to make.
Mustering all the courage I had, I walked over to the window, watching the ocean pass by while I dialed Tarquin.
Chapter12
Sunshine
“Soleil, I missed you all day yesterday!” Sylvia shouted from the pool as I stepped onto the main deck the next day. I’d considered staying in my cabin, but Rain had finally replied to my texts and insisted I leave my room. If I let some “random alpha” keep me from enjoying a week on a luxury yacht, she’d said, she would give me infinite shit when I got home.
“Thanks, Miss Ennui! I wasn’t feeling my best, but I’m fine now,” I replied. Sylvia waved and went back to playing water volleyball. I smiled at her black swimsuit. It exposed her sharpie tattoos, and if I wasn't mistaken, two of the other kids also had written something on their arms and shoulders.
“My little trendsetter,” I murmured, then almost stumbled when I remembered I wasn’t her betasitter anymore.
But that didn’t mean I couldn't be her friend.
The deck chairs were mostly taken, and I waved at the people I knew best as I crossed to the pool’s edge.With no clouds in sight, the sunlight was almost too bright, and the breeze was the tiniest bit cool, but I spied an empty lounger next to a couple of betas I hadn’t met before, and sat down. I pulled off my t-shirt, exposing the daisy-printed bikini top, and ignored the eyes I could feel on me as I lay back and untied my improvised cover-up skirt. I had on the gold bikini bottoms again, and this time, more than one person paid attention.
“Can I get you a drink, omeg—I mean, Soleil?” The redhead alpha’s voice was soft as honey, and her scent of tart cherries and cloves wasn’t nearly as overwhelming out here on deck. When I accepted, she waved the waiter over.
“Good morning, Miss Soleil,” he said. “What will you have today?”
“Oh, just fizzy water, please. I wasn’t feeling great yesterday. Have you heard anything more about your sister? Rebecca, right?” He’d been the crew member who took my suitcase to my room on the first day, and he’d told me a few things about his younger sister who had recently been diagnosed with leukemia.
“Mum texted. She made it through her second round of chemo yesterday, Miss Soleil. Thank you for remembering.”
“Don’t forget to text me your folks’ address. I’ll send her one of those fruit bouquets when we get back to Georgetown, too. I know when I’m sick, pineapple and strawberries are all that tastes good.”
He took our drink orders, and I turned back to the alpha with a smile. The breeze had shifted direction slightly, and I subtly covered my nose as she asked where I had been the day before.
“Oh, I um… I wasn’t feeling well,” I said, shifting on the lounger. My ass was still sore, and I couldn’t get comfortable. “Probably too much sun?”
“Or too much heat,” she mused with a smile. After our drinks came, she stared at me for long enough that I felt distinctly uncomfortable, like a bug under a microscope. “What are you doing here, Soleil? You’re no more a betasitter than I am.”
“I promise I really am,” I replied. “Or at least I was before today. I even owned an agency.” I took a gulp of fizzy water and burped softly. “Of course, I may not even be able to keep the business once I get home.”
She hummed. “Care to tell me how you ended up on Giovanni Grantham’s yacht?”
“I can’t. I signed an NDA.” I held up a finger. “Which is probably unenforceable, now that I think about it. But still. It’s the principle of the thing.”
