Caribbean Cruising by Rachel Hawthorne
Authors: Rachel Hawthorne
Tags: Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Social Issues, New Experience, Dating & Sex, Adolescence, Dating (Social Customs), Cruise Ships, Caribbean Area
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weightless, high.
"Cool!" I called out.
I had a bird's-eye view of the island and the ocean. It was incredible.
"Look down," Ryan ordered.
I obeyed, and my stomach did a little somersault. I hadn't realized how high we'd ascended in such a short time. I was even more amazed by all that was below me. The Caribbean waters were so clear that I could see the outline of coral reefs.
Gorgeous. It was so gorgeous. I was totally in awe.
I looked back at Ryan. "Oh my gosh! It's amazing!"
"It's completely different looking down on it from here," he said.
"No kidding." I couldn't wait until we got to the Cayman Islands, where I planned to do some snorkeling. "Thank you for inviting me."
Then he did the most remarkable, unexpected thing. He cupped the side of my head, kept my face turned toward him, leaned forward, and kissed me.
CHAPTER 13
R yan kissed me.
Dangling high above the water had been a total rush, but add to that his hot, slow kiss…I'd felt as though I could actually touch the clouds.
I hadn't wanted the kiss or the parasailing to end. But both had to eventually. Sitting in the boat across from him, I wondered why he'd kissed me. Had he simply gotten caught up in the wonder of being near the clouds—or was there more to it?
Was he interested in me? Or was I still only someone he was supposed to look after? Surely he didn't think Walter expected him to kiss me.
So why had he?
He certainly hadn't given any impression that it was a big deal. As a matter of fact he was acting a little as though he was embarrassed by what he'd done. He simply sat there in silence as the boat headed back into shore. How interesting.
And wild Lindsay was too shy to ask him why he kissed her. Maybe because a part of me feared he'd done it out of some sort of misguided obligation or some sort of male one-upmanship. Michael had kissed Brooke, so Ryan had felt a need to kiss me.
I should ask him. I really should. Yeah, right. Like that was going to happen.
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4/6/2009
Page 65 of 146
The boat pulled up to the dock. Everyone scrambled out, except for Ryan, who was talking with Rick. I thought maybe he was discussing the payment arrangements.
"Thanks, Ryan," I called out.
He nodded and waved. "I'll catch up with you later."
I wondered if he really would. Brooke hooked her arm through mine, and started marching us away from the dock.
"Come on. We need to get back to the ship so we can get ready to hit the bars," she said.
"What about Ryan?" I asked.
"He said he'd catch up."
But once we'd moved beyond the dock and down the shoreline a ways, she pulled me aside, moved her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose, and glared at me over the top of them. "What aren't you telling me about you and Ryan?"
I stared at her. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"That kiss. What was up with that kiss?"
"You saw it, huh?"
"It was a little hard to miss. And it went on forever."
I'd felt that way at the time—that it was going on forever—but I'd also thought that maybe my senses were skewed because we were up high where the oxygen was thin.
"I didn't think you were interested in him," Brooke said, impatiently as though she'd given up on my answering her question.
"I'm not." Much.
If only he weren't Walter's godson….
"Well, you sure could have fooled me," Brooke said.
I was beginning to think that maybe I was fooling myself as well.
* * *
"I can't believe Mr. Stick-In-the-Mud kissed you," Brooke said.
Brooke and I were strolling through the gaily lit streets of St. Thomas. We'd returned to the ship, and changed into tank tops, loosely flowing skirts, and sandals for our night on the town. And she was still talking about Ryan's kiss. Not that I could blame her. I was still thinking about it myself.
mhtml:file://C:\Program Files\eMule\Incoming\+ Hawthorne, Rachel - Caribbean Cruising....
4/6/2009
Page 66 of 146
"Ryan isn't a
"Cool!" I called out.
I had a bird's-eye view of the island and the ocean. It was incredible.
"Look down," Ryan ordered.
I obeyed, and my stomach did a little somersault. I hadn't realized how high we'd ascended in such a short time. I was even more amazed by all that was below me. The Caribbean waters were so clear that I could see the outline of coral reefs.
Gorgeous. It was so gorgeous. I was totally in awe.
I looked back at Ryan. "Oh my gosh! It's amazing!"
"It's completely different looking down on it from here," he said.
"No kidding." I couldn't wait until we got to the Cayman Islands, where I planned to do some snorkeling. "Thank you for inviting me."
Then he did the most remarkable, unexpected thing. He cupped the side of my head, kept my face turned toward him, leaned forward, and kissed me.
CHAPTER 13
R yan kissed me.
Dangling high above the water had been a total rush, but add to that his hot, slow kiss…I'd felt as though I could actually touch the clouds.
I hadn't wanted the kiss or the parasailing to end. But both had to eventually. Sitting in the boat across from him, I wondered why he'd kissed me. Had he simply gotten caught up in the wonder of being near the clouds—or was there more to it?
Was he interested in me? Or was I still only someone he was supposed to look after? Surely he didn't think Walter expected him to kiss me.
So why had he?
He certainly hadn't given any impression that it was a big deal. As a matter of fact he was acting a little as though he was embarrassed by what he'd done. He simply sat there in silence as the boat headed back into shore. How interesting.
And wild Lindsay was too shy to ask him why he kissed her. Maybe because a part of me feared he'd done it out of some sort of misguided obligation or some sort of male one-upmanship. Michael had kissed Brooke, so Ryan had felt a need to kiss me.
I should ask him. I really should. Yeah, right. Like that was going to happen.
mhtml:file://C:\Program Files\eMule\Incoming\+ Hawthorne, Rachel - Caribbean Cruising....
4/6/2009
Page 65 of 146
The boat pulled up to the dock. Everyone scrambled out, except for Ryan, who was talking with Rick. I thought maybe he was discussing the payment arrangements.
"Thanks, Ryan," I called out.
He nodded and waved. "I'll catch up with you later."
I wondered if he really would. Brooke hooked her arm through mine, and started marching us away from the dock.
"Come on. We need to get back to the ship so we can get ready to hit the bars," she said.
"What about Ryan?" I asked.
"He said he'd catch up."
But once we'd moved beyond the dock and down the shoreline a ways, she pulled me aside, moved her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose, and glared at me over the top of them. "What aren't you telling me about you and Ryan?"
I stared at her. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"That kiss. What was up with that kiss?"
"You saw it, huh?"
"It was a little hard to miss. And it went on forever."
I'd felt that way at the time—that it was going on forever—but I'd also thought that maybe my senses were skewed because we were up high where the oxygen was thin.
"I didn't think you were interested in him," Brooke said, impatiently as though she'd given up on my answering her question.
"I'm not." Much.
If only he weren't Walter's godson….
"Well, you sure could have fooled me," Brooke said.
I was beginning to think that maybe I was fooling myself as well.
* * *
"I can't believe Mr. Stick-In-the-Mud kissed you," Brooke said.
Brooke and I were strolling through the gaily lit streets of St. Thomas. We'd returned to the ship, and changed into tank tops, loosely flowing skirts, and sandals for our night on the town. And she was still talking about Ryan's kiss. Not that I could blame her. I was still thinking about it myself.
mhtml:file://C:\Program Files\eMule\Incoming\+ Hawthorne, Rachel - Caribbean Cruising....
4/6/2009
Page 66 of 146
"Ryan isn't a
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