The Halo Series Boxed Set Read online

  “Just tap into your teenage years and make her be on top,” he said, slapping me on the back.

  Since when did I take sex advice from Avery?

  “Your bags will be here shortly,” Alex said, giving us a knowing smile. “If you need anything, just use the phone there,” he pointed to a phone on the small desk below the tiny ass TV that hung on the wall in a corner, “and have them page me. I’ll bring whatever you need.”

  “Thanks, Alex,” Avery said, pulling out his wallet and handing him a ten. “We will.”

  I felt claustrophobic as I looked around the room. It was tiny with twin beds, miniature side tables, and a miniature TV. There was a miniature desk at the end of one twin bed and a loveseat at the end of the other. They’d packed so much furniture in the room, there was barely space to walk. The bathroom had a walk-in shower that was so small, I was sure my six-foot-two frame would hit the shower head. New York apartments were small—but not this small—and I had to bunk with Avery for seven nights. Fuck me.

  “I’m going to laugh so hard when you fall off the bed in the middle of the night.” I laughed at him.

  “Fuck you! Like you’re used to a twin.” He paused and motioned towards the beds that lined the walls. “I was thinking we could push the two twins together when one of us brings a chick back.”

  “I’m not sleeping in a bed that you just fucked a girl in,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Fine, here’s the deal. There is housekeeping twenty-four/seven, so we’ll just have them change the sheets and push the beds back, or the other one can sleep up there for the night until the sheets are changed,” he said, pointing to a piece of the wall that stuck out. “You just pull it down and it’s a twin, too.”

  “What if we both bring a chick back? We need rules. I don’t want to see your dick.” I had seen his dick before. We’d been best friends since we were practically in diapers, and we played sports together, so it was bound to happen. “We should just work it so we go back to their room, and then we won’t have to worry about kicking them out or anything.”

  “Good plan.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at me.

  “Let’s do this—”

  The Captain’s voice played in a speaker in our room. “Hello, this is your captain speaking. I hope everyone has found their rooms and are ready to meet some single people. We only do this cruise once a year, and it’s my favorite one …” I gave a sarcastic laugh toward Avery, wondering if El Capitan ever got lucky on the singles cruise. “Before we start the fun, there is a mandatory safety briefing on Deck 7 on the Promenade in twenty minutes. Again, this is mandatory for all passengers. Once it is completed, you will be free to roam the ship and hopefully meet that special someone.”

  “You fucking owe me big,” I said to Avery.

  “Dude, you’re going to get laid. What are you complaining about?”

  I was still feeling kind of guilty to be out having fun without my peanut, but really, I needed this vacation. Working long hours at the bar and raising Cheyenne was tough.

  “Nothing. Let’s go.”

  I scoped out our playing field as we made our way to the Promenade, but I didn’t see anyone who was our type. When we first got to the ship, I’d seen plenty of hot chicks. Where they had gone was beyond me. Our cabin must have been located by all of the old people because I didn’t see anyone our age walking with us.

  “You really fucking owe me,” I said to Avery—again.

  “Dude, relax. Trust me.”

  “Do you see these broads? They’re Ma’s age.”

  “They have activities for our age group. Fucking relax.”

  I had a funny feeling in my gut. I didn’t have anything against older women, but when Avery told me that we were going on a singles cruise, I envisioned hot chicks in bikinis—not grandmas in a one-piece.

  We were ushered and packed like sardines into the promenade as we listened to the captain’s voice through the speakers. He gave us the rundown on safety as we watched the staff mimic what the captain was saying—like on an airplane.

  People were pushing, stepping on toes and not paying attention. I tried to listen, but it was just a clusterfuck of drunk people who were not interested in hearing a lecture on safety. I silently prayed that we didn’t hit an iceberg (unlikely on the way to Mexico) when I was pushed to my right, trying not to hit the person next to me.

  “I’m sorry, they keep pushing me,” I said to the brunette beside me. I was just about to point to my left when she looked up at me. The most beautiful emerald green eyes I had ever seen stared back at me.

  A smile spread across her face. “It’s okay. It’s a clusterfuck.”

  It was like she had read my mind—or had a sailor’s mouth which I fucking loved. Either way, I wanted to keep talking to her. There was finally someone around my age, and if she was the only one, then Avery and I would have to fight to our death for her. Okay not really, but I saw her first and well … hook, line, and sinker.

  “It is,” I replied, glancing to my left at the people slightly pushing each other to fit on the side deck. “Is this your first time?”

  “Yeah, you?”

  “Yeah, my buddy dragged me here.”

  “My friend dragged me, too.” She smiled again.

  Fuck, that smile.

  The captain finished his spiel—that I wasn’t paying attention to—and we were dismissed. People started to push again like we were herds of cattle being released. It was fucking crazy.

  “What’s the plan now?” I asked her.

  We scooted down the hall, Avery in front of me, the hot brunette to my left. “I have a boyfriend, so I’m just here for my friend. I can introduce you if you want?”

  “You have a boyfriend and you came on a singles cruise?” I laughed slightly. For some reason, this girl was making me nervous. Usually, I had no problems telling a girl what the plan was, but now, I was asking.

  “Like I said, my friend dragged me. Nicole, this is …”

  “Easton,” I replied, giving a little nod. We made it into the open lounge area. The grand piano started to play in the background as people lined up at the bar. “And this is Avery.”

  We shook hands. I noticed Avery and Nicole’s hands lingered on each other a little longer than necessary. “I didn’t catch your name …”

  “Oh, Brooke. Sorry!”

  Even though Brooke said she had a boyfriend, I still wanted to get to know her. The moment I saw her, I forgot about all the possible hook-ups on the cruise. Her smile was like … well, her smile made my dick hard and my pulse race. Period.

  It had been a long time since I’d had an instant hard-on when I met a chick. Usually I would watch them on the dance floor, their legs glistening from the sweat as they moved to the pounding beat, and then as they leaned over the bar to order a drink, I felt a little twitch in my pants as I stared at their chest. But this—this was fucking instant. I didn’t know what it meant, but I was going to find out.

  And I had seven nights to do it.

  I’ve read a lot in romance novels about how, when you touch the one, you have an instant spark, like electricity running through your body. I’ve never felt that way with anyone before. When Jared and I met at a house party that Nicole dragged me to, I’d felt nothing as I talked to him and kissed him goodnight.

  I still think that spark is fiction, but as I looked into the cornflower blue eyes of this stranger, my heart felt as though it skipped a beat. I didn’t feel the spark when our shoulders smashed into each other as we listened to the safety presentation, but holy fuck, he was fucking hot. And tall—at least nine inches taller than me. His five o’clock shadow was growing in, and I had the urge to reach out and run my fingers down his cheek, feeling the prickly stubble.

  When he smiled at me the first time, I couldn’t look away from his dimples and the way his mouth curved upward, causing faint lines to crease by his eyes and around his mouth. It was like I’d never seen a smile before. There was just something abo
ut the way he smiled that drew me in and made me want to look at it all day.

  As we moved down the deck of the Promenade toward the foyer, I wished silently that it wouldn’t be the last time I would see his gorgeous face.

  “What’s the plan now?” Nicole asked, looking at Avery.

  I was too busy looking into the mystical eyes of Easton to realize that Nicole was already in lust with Avery.

  “Our dinner time isn’t until the late seating—” Avery started to say but was cut off by Nicole.

  “Us too!”

  “Perfect. Do you ladies want to grab a drink with us then?”

  Easton and I were both looking at each other … but not looking at each other. I’d catch him stealing glances, and he’d catch me as well.

  “I’d like that,” Nicole replied, eyeing me and silently telling me that we were going with them even if I didn’t want to.

  “Sounds good to me.” I smiled, looking over at Easton again.

  He smiled back with a nod. “Perfect.”

  Nicole and I sat in the lounge area, listening to the piano in the background and people watching as we waited for Easton and Avery to return with our drinks.

  Nicole leaned into me. “Avery is fucking hot, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, he’s cute,” I agreed.

  “What about Easton? Are you interested in him?”

  “Nic, remember Jared? My boyfriend?”

  “Whatever,” she huffed, waving her hand to brush off my statement. “Remember, I won’t tell if you hookup with someone—especially Easton.”

  “I’m not hooking up with anyone. I’m here to get a tan and a massage and to be your damn wing-woman. So, if I have to sit here and talk to Easton while you and Avery flirt, fine. But I already told Easton that I have a boyfriend, and he was cool with that. I’m sure he’s going to want to find a single chick—not hang around with me.”

  “Your loss.” She shrugged. “Easton is much better looking than that loser you call a boyfriend.”

  “I know,” was what I wanted to say, but I didn’t. Jared was slender with no muscle and had shaved blond hair. Easton was cut and had broad shoulders and dark blond hair that I wanted to grab while his head was buried between my legs. In the twenty minutes that I’d known Easton, I had already pictured him in several different positions, but I’d never been a cheater and I wasn’t going to start now.

  After Jared’s lack of help while my shoulder had been bothering me, and his flirting at my birthday party, my gut was telling me to end our relationship. But we had been together for four years, and during those four years, he had shown me that he loved me—he just wasn’t good at it.

  Easton and Avery returned with our drinks before I could respond to Nicole.

  “So, do you two come on single cruises often?” Nicole asked, but only looked at Avery—again.

  “No, this is our first time.” He smiled.

  “Ours, too. I heard we should sign up for activities before they book up. Maybe we should do that after this drink?”

  Easton and I both sat and watched them talk. I didn’t know how any of this worked. I figured that once I told a guy that I had a boyfriend, he would move on to the next girl on the cruise—not sit with us and have a drink. I sipped my margarita and he sipped his beer. I shouldn’t have been drinking because of my medications, but I figured one margarita wouldn’t hurt. Plus, Nicole would tell me to loosen up and have a good time.

  And I was having a good time.

  We continued sipping our drinks and making small talk as Nicole and Avery practically made footsies under the small cocktail table. Now that I was paying attention, I realized Nicole was glowing. She didn’t have that look about her when she was crushing on Mike from work. This was different. Her eyes were twinkling as she talked to Avery, occasionally touching his arm and laughing.

  Jared and I had never experienced that. The night we met, we were both drunk as we made out at the party Nicole dragged me to. The only flirting on Jared’s part was telling me that I was hot and then going in for the kill.

  The more that I thought about my relationship with Jared, the more I realized that being with him was convenient. Before we met, I was single and lonely. I’d always had boyfriends throughout high school and for a few years afterward, but when I met him that night, I had been in a dry spell and he had shown me the time of day. Before I realized it, he’d practically moved in with me.

  After months of him paying rent elsewhere, we figured he should officially move in and help me pay rent. We had things in common, did things together at first, but lately we were more like roommates than lovers. As I sat watching Nicole and Avery flirt, I felt jealous.

  I missed that. I wanted that. I needed that.

  I was starting to think that maybe this singles cruise wasn’t a bad idea after all. I wasn’t thinking of cheating on Jared—even though I was daydreaming about Easton, but a girl can look, right?

  Being away from Jared was already opening my eyes and making me realize that we needed to talk. I was starting to think that there was someone better out there for me. Someone who would give me butterflies. Someone who would want to cuddle with me and watch movies on rainy days instead of cuddling with a game controller. Someone who wanted me and not a mother figure to take care of them.

  “So tell me why you have a boyfriend but came on a singles cruise again?” Easton asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

  “Oh, um—Nicole wanted to come, so she dragged me along. She tried to tell me it was a birthday present.” I laughed slightly.

  “What does your boyfriend think of you coming on a singles cruise?”

  “He doesn’t know that it’s a singles cruise.”

  Easton raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

  “Yeah, but it’s not like that. I’m just here for the vacation aspect, not to meet anyone.”

  “I see … Well, maybe you can help me scope out the hot babes since these two won’t be leaving your room anytime soon.” Easton motioned to our friends who were too wrapped up in their conversation to socialize with us.

  “Sure. That sounds like—fun.” I hesitated on the word fun, thinking about finding other girls for Easton.

  Fuck you, Jared, and my morals!

  I kept weighing the pros and cons of meeting Easton and being on the cruise. Part of me wished that I would have broken things off with Jared months ago since I hadn’t been happy for a long time. The other part was telling me to just explore things with Easton and then break up with Jared when I got home. And the third part of me kept reminding myself that I had been with Jared for four years and that he did love me and I loved him.

  “Hey, we’re going to go sign up for a few mixers. They serve free drinks at those,” Avery said, finally remembering that Easton and I existed.

  “Sounds good,” Easton replied, taking my hand to help me stand.

  I’ve never had someone offer me their hand before. We were living in a time where men rarely opened doors for women. “Thank you.”

  “You look—your boyfriend doesn’t do that for you?”

  “Um—no,” I said flatly.

  “His loss. I would do it every chance I got just to touch you.”

  I could feel my face flush. It had been a long time since someone flirted with me. I forgot how simple it could be and how good it felt to be desired.

  Easton gave me a knowing smile; a smile that meant he knew he was getting under my skin. There was something special about him. Something that felt right.

  After we’d signed up for the ten o’clock mixer, which wasn’t long after our dinner, we all walked the cruise ship, looking out at the open sea and trying to determine where everything was. The pools were on different levels than the rooms. Several restaurants and bars were scattered throughout, and the fitness center and spa were on different levels, but connected. I knew I would get lost multiple times a day trying to find everything.

  We ended up by the pool, sipping on drinks and people watching;
some laughing and drinking while others were already making out and probably on the verge of going to one of their rooms to hook-up. Nicole and Avery continued their private conversation, so I decided that it was time to get Easton a girl.

  “What about her?” I asked him, motioning towards a blonde sitting alone at the bar near the pool.

  “No, she looks frumpy.”

  “Frumpy?” I laughed.

  “Yeah, you know—frumpy. She’s by the pool with a baggie T-shirt on. Next!”

  I laughed. This may be harder than what I bargained for. “Okay, moving on.” I scanned the candidates. “Her?” I pointed to a redhead, who was laughing with a group of girlfriends.

  “No, her hair is too poofy. If she can’t tame the hair on her head, imagine the hair between her legs,” he said, shuddering with disgust.

  I burst out with laughter. “I thought the rule of thumb was that if a chick doesn’t keep her toes manicured or at least clean, then she has a jungle growing between her legs?”

  Easton looked down at my manicured feet. “That too.” He smiled and we both laughed until I realized he knew I kept my hair trimmed.

  “All right, well maybe we should start with you telling me what your type is then.”

  “Well …” he said, looking directly into my eyes. “She has to have brown hair—I have a soft spot for brunettes—green eyes, a killer smile that lights up her eyes, and someone who isn’t afraid to drop the F-Bomb.”

  I groaned silently; this man was trying to get the better of me. Trying to break me down and make me rip off his clothes.

  “Really? Is that all? I’ll be on the lookout for her then.” I chuckled.

  Avery and Nicole returned from their walk—or at least that was what they told us they were doing. I didn’t even realize they’d left our table. They motioned for us to follow them, mentioning it was time to get ready for our dinner.

  The boys waited for us to meet them at the lounge bar so they could walk with us to the restaurant. The sun was setting over the endless sea of blue as we approached The Aqua Room, where we would be dining during our whole cruise. All cruises, especially this one, were set up to place strangers at the table with you so that you could mingle. Nicole and I would be placed at a table with two other people that we didn’t know.