of his voice, the way he conducted himself simply mesmerized them—and me. I was torn with which Marco I thought was hotter: the casual polo shirt and khakis Marco, or the tuxedoed, exceptionally debonair Marco. I’d tried to imagine what the naked Marco would look like. I’d seen him shirtless. I’d seen the smattering of hair he had on his chest and the hot as fuck trail that led into his swimsuit. I think I would pay money to see the rest of him. I could have Ricky set up a hidden camera in Marco’s stateroom and…
“Rebecca, can you tally up the points?” Marco asked into his microphone, interrupting my daydream.
“Um. Sure.” I glanced down at my clipboard and quickly added up the scores. “It looks like our winner is Harry from Michigan.”
The kids all hooted and clapped. Of course, Harry was the biggest contestant who made the biggest splash. Marco held the belly flop trophy as Harry proudly sauntered over to the stage, high-fiving the panel of judges on his way. Once he was crowned victor, he promptly belly flopped into the pool, soaking the very judges who had just declared him the winner.
Marco thanked the crowd for their participation, gifted each judge with a prize pack for their hard work, and reminded everyone that bingo would be held in the Riptide Theater at three p.m.
“That was fun,” I said to Marco once we retreated to the small staging room that doubled as a storage closet.
“It was. I love this day.” He smiled widely, voicing my own sentiments. “It’s my favorite of the week.”
“I agree.”
We quietly worked side by side, stowing our microphone equipment and the props used for the contest. The familiar tension started to fill the air, making the small, cool room feel stifling. Being in that room alone with him both thrilled and terrified me. I’d never felt such deep-rooted desire for another human in my life. My vivid imagination conjured up a scene right out of a romance novel.
Marco pushed me up against the two-way glass mirror, affording me a perfect view of the pool deck. I stared out at the passengers, knowing they couldn’t see my boss pressing up behind me. He shamelessly pushed his hardness into my lower back. His scent permeated the air. His grip on my wrists commanded my body to submit. The imagery in my mind was so real that I could practically feel his lips travel from my earlobe to my neck. Dizziness hit me full force, forcing me to reach out and palm the window with a shaky hand to stop from falling over.
“Rebecca,” he said behind me. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. It must be the heat.”
He placed his large hands on my upper arms and turned me to face him. “You have the chills.” He skimmed the goose bump-riddled skin on my bare arms with the pads of his thumbs. The more he did, the more goose bumps would appear. “Yet you’re flushed. Are you coming down with something?”
“Um…no. I don’t think so.” My cheeks further reddened from embarrassment. I was mortified. I needed to learn how to control my response to his presence.
We were inches apart. He watched my face with utmost concern, while I looked up at his, trying desperately to fight the urge to kiss his full lips. Short pants replaced my normal breathing, making me feel like I could pass out from lack of oxygen. What the fuck was happening to me?
Time suspended as we stared into each other’s eyes. Slowly, I watched as he furrowed his brow in confusion before it turned into something else. Fire then smoldered in his deep brown eyes as he stared intently into mine.
The way he bent his head had me lifting my chin. He paused for a heartbeat, and then closed the distance, fusing his lips to mine.
“Marco, you’re late,” Ricky announced, barging in and stopping in his tracks.
We pulled apart so quickly that I stumbled backward and landed right against Ricky.
“ Figlio di puttana! ” Marco mumbled while running a hand through his hair.
Ricky closed the door with a wide
“Rebecca, can you tally up the points?” Marco asked into his microphone, interrupting my daydream.
“Um. Sure.” I glanced down at my clipboard and quickly added up the scores. “It looks like our winner is Harry from Michigan.”
The kids all hooted and clapped. Of course, Harry was the biggest contestant who made the biggest splash. Marco held the belly flop trophy as Harry proudly sauntered over to the stage, high-fiving the panel of judges on his way. Once he was crowned victor, he promptly belly flopped into the pool, soaking the very judges who had just declared him the winner.
Marco thanked the crowd for their participation, gifted each judge with a prize pack for their hard work, and reminded everyone that bingo would be held in the Riptide Theater at three p.m.
“That was fun,” I said to Marco once we retreated to the small staging room that doubled as a storage closet.
“It was. I love this day.” He smiled widely, voicing my own sentiments. “It’s my favorite of the week.”
“I agree.”
We quietly worked side by side, stowing our microphone equipment and the props used for the contest. The familiar tension started to fill the air, making the small, cool room feel stifling. Being in that room alone with him both thrilled and terrified me. I’d never felt such deep-rooted desire for another human in my life. My vivid imagination conjured up a scene right out of a romance novel.
Marco pushed me up against the two-way glass mirror, affording me a perfect view of the pool deck. I stared out at the passengers, knowing they couldn’t see my boss pressing up behind me. He shamelessly pushed his hardness into my lower back. His scent permeated the air. His grip on my wrists commanded my body to submit. The imagery in my mind was so real that I could practically feel his lips travel from my earlobe to my neck. Dizziness hit me full force, forcing me to reach out and palm the window with a shaky hand to stop from falling over.
“Rebecca,” he said behind me. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. It must be the heat.”
He placed his large hands on my upper arms and turned me to face him. “You have the chills.” He skimmed the goose bump-riddled skin on my bare arms with the pads of his thumbs. The more he did, the more goose bumps would appear. “Yet you’re flushed. Are you coming down with something?”
“Um…no. I don’t think so.” My cheeks further reddened from embarrassment. I was mortified. I needed to learn how to control my response to his presence.
We were inches apart. He watched my face with utmost concern, while I looked up at his, trying desperately to fight the urge to kiss his full lips. Short pants replaced my normal breathing, making me feel like I could pass out from lack of oxygen. What the fuck was happening to me?
Time suspended as we stared into each other’s eyes. Slowly, I watched as he furrowed his brow in confusion before it turned into something else. Fire then smoldered in his deep brown eyes as he stared intently into mine.
The way he bent his head had me lifting my chin. He paused for a heartbeat, and then closed the distance, fusing his lips to mine.
“Marco, you’re late,” Ricky announced, barging in and stopping in his tracks.
We pulled apart so quickly that I stumbled backward and landed right against Ricky.
“ Figlio di puttana! ” Marco mumbled while running a hand through his hair.
Ricky closed the door with a wide
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