After he’d finished taking my photos, I’d tried to keep myself as far away from him as possible. It seemed easier to keep my composure with him on the opposite side of the boat. Unfortunately, none of the girls on the boat were volunteering to be my friend (shocker), which meant I was at the mercy of Dean’s guy friends if I didn’t want to be a loner. One of them in particular had taken a quick liking to me.
Eric was a manager at one of Dean’s restaurants, and while his beefy look wasn’t my usual M.O., beggars can’t be choosers. He was nice and didn’t set off my standard “BACK UP THIS GUY IS A CREEP” alarm.
“I think we need another drink,” Eric said, waggling his eyebrows playfully.
“More drinks?” I asked, trying to gauge how drunk I was. We still had a few hours on the boat and if I didn’t pace myself, I knew I’d be in trouble. I’d already had three margaritas, which was more alcohol than I’d had in a few months. Another drink and I’d be three sheets to the wind.
“Just a shot,” Eric said. “C’mon.”
There was loud music blaring over the speakers of Dean’s boat so that I could hardly hear myself think, much less listen to my logic. Why couldn’t I have a shot? It was free, and I was on a freaking boat.
“Yeah, Jo, why don’t you take a shot with Eric,” Julian said from right behind me. I’d never heard him so angry.
I braced myself before turning around, but it didn’t help. My stomach dropped when I spun to take him in. He was right there, less than a foot away after a morning of staying away from me. I held my breath as he leaned in close, his breath hitting my cheek as he tried to whisper in my ear.
“He wants you drunk so he can fuck you.”
His whisper was loud. Loud enough that I knew Eric had heard.
“Julian!” I leaned back and narrowed my eyes, annoyed with him for acting like a drunk asshole.
I cringed and mouthed “sorry” at Eric. He shrugged and smiled, not even denying the accusation. Well then…
“You’re such a tease. Such a fucking tease,” Julian said, swaying slightly as he spoke.
He reached out to steady himself on my arm, gripping tighter than necessary.
Eric stepped forward, but I shook my head.
“It’s fine. He’s a friend,” I said to Eric, trying to keep the situation from getting any worse.
“A friend?! Ha!” Julian laughed as if I’d just said the funniest thing in the world.
“Er, I’m going to go grab those shots,” Eric mumbled, backing up as if realizing he didn’t want to mess with any of my craziness.
“Grab us all one, Eric. C’mon, we’ll all take a shot. You, me, and Jo. Oh, I’m sorry, you probably don’t know that’s her name. Josephine. J-O-S-E-P-H-I-N-E.”
“Julian,” I whispered, reaching out to grip his arm to hold him steady. “You’re being ridiculous.”
He stared down at where I was touching him as if mesmerized by the connection.
“What the hell has gotten into you? You’re being an asshole,” I hissed, dipping my head down so no one else could hear me.
“What’s gotten into me, Jo?” he asked with an incredulous tone.
He took a step closer to me, pulling my body flush with his. His hands gripped my upper arms and his mouth met my hair, just above my ear. His chest pressed against mine so that I could feel his wild heartbeat hammering a crazy rhythm.
“You,” he bit out.
I’d never heard the word uttered with so much anger.
I leaned back, trying to catch his eye to see if he was serious, but he moved at the same time, jostling the beer bottle from his hand. It slipped between us, landing with a thud in the center of my big toe.
SHIT.
“Ow! Fuck, Julian,” I groaned, angry that the damn thing had landed on my foot and not his. I picked up my foot to relieve the ache, but it didn’t do any good. When I glanced down, I saw a trickle of blood dripping onto the deck from where the glass had cut my skin. I could tell the cut wasn’t deep, but I still squeezed my eyes shut, trying to calm down. I hated the sight of blood.
“Jo, are you okay?” he asked, bending down to touch my foot. “We need to get a bandaid for this.”
I shook my head, too annoyed to listen to him. I pulled out of his grasp and headed for the door to the cabin, praying Dean would have some kind of first aid kit stored away down there. Even just rinsing it with water would be better than nothing.
I limped to the stairs, thankful that no one seemed to be privy to our little argument. The cut was bad enough, I didn’t need embarrassment piled on as well. I unlocked the door and slipped down the stairs, careful not to drip blood anywhere.
Thankfully the cabin was empty and I was able to find the bathroom just off the main room to the left. It was small, but functional. Dark cabinets hid toiletries and towels. Beneath that, I found a small first aid sack.
I reached to unzip it just as a hand wrapped around mine, halting my movements. I jerked around to see Julian hovering over me with clear intent.
“I’ve got it. I don’t need your help.”
“Stop,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes.
“You’re being ridiculous. Take a seat on the sink and let me help you,” he said, jerking the first aid kit out of my hand before I could protest. My blood was still boiling. Who did he think he was? He’d caused the damn cut and now he had the audacity to boss me around like a child?