Upside Down (Breaking the Rules #3) - A.M. Madden Page 0,14

the kisses came more frequently, touches more daring. With each day that went by, the intimate moments we shared behind closed doors became more heated. Even though he still played an entirely different role outside our apartment door, inside we held nothing back.

He was my first everything, and I fell hard for Corey.

It saddened me that we had to hide our true selves. Still, I’d never been happier. For that blissful month we’d been intimate, I convinced myself that in time he would be ready to take our relationship out of the closet. He never said as much, but I knew he was falling just as hard as I had.

My euphoria was short lived when the shit hit the fan. An asshole who hated Corey, for whatever reason, suspected we were gay.

Corey denied it, called him and me a nasty epithet in front of a large crowd, and made the decision to move out. In the blink of an eye, I went from being his lover to a complete stranger.

He made sure to be seen with a different girl on his arm at every social event he attended during the days that led up to our Christmas break. He’d made sure I knew he wanted nothing to do with me and had broken my heart.

Deeply lost in those memories, I startled at the blast of the ship’s horn. Meanwhile, it silenced our guests before the excited chatter resumed, knowing we were on our way.

Party time.

As the gentle whirring of the engines kicking in cued our steel band to begin their calypso serenade, I proudly scanned the deck. If I had to pick the best part of our jobs, it was departing. That moment when our magnificent vessel slowly pulled away from port, guests smiling in anticipation, onlookers watching in awe and maybe even jealousy… simply the best.

Rebecca, Marco, and I had accomplished so much the past two years, and I pinched myself daily to be sure it wasn’t all a dream. Career-wise I had everything I wanted. If only my personal life would catch up, then I’d be truly content.

Referring to the clipboard in my hand one last time, everything was ready to go, every minute detail perfectly orchestrated for the next five days. Even the weather would cooperate at sea and when we’d be docked for two days in the Bahamas.

Usually our cruises went for seven, but the Stantons wanted to be back in five to continue their celebration on land.

This journey was important to Rebecca. As maid of honor, she wanted everything to be perfect for Sam and Lydia, and what Rebecca wanted I made sure she got. Our relationship was an unexpected surprise. Who could’ve suspected the instant bond we formed the day she walked into Sunset Cruises corporate headquarters to interview for Marco’s assistant cruise director position?

Even more surprising was their instalove story, one I pushed hard for. Beneath my sarcastic facade was a hopeless romantic, and if I couldn’t find that eternal love, at least my best friends had. Marco was family to me, and Rebecca has easily become the second-most-important female in my life… after my mother.

As Bella Viaggi continued to slowly pull away from the port, Rebecca’s eyes caught mine from across the deck. Her cheesy grin and cheesier thumbs-up forced a laugh. “Dork,” I mouthed to her, to which she shrugged.

And then, when I slid my attention to Cooper, I caught him staring at me. Our eyes met for a nanosecond before he cut his gaze away. I had no interest in pursuing another man who was deep in denial, but having gone through it myself, I knew he’d be so much happier if he just admitted to that part of himself.

I also had no interest in being with a bisexual. Cooper clearly enjoyed women, and that kind of history ran deep. It usually reared its head during a new relationship, when all the insecurities ran rampant. And if one came with so many confusing emotional ties shackled to it, it’d be doomed before it started.

But the more Cooper fought what I already knew, the more I wanted to help him… as a friend.

Sure, in a perfect world Cooper Stanton would be gay as the day was long, and I’d be on him like white on rice. We all knew such a world didn’t exist for people like me. I had plenty of failed attempts at finding my person. After Corey, wanting to avoid ever being in that predicament again had me

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