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Chapter 6: A Cruise To Love (Story 6)
publish date:
2026-07-10 14:44:55
Latest chapter
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 10: A Cruise To Love (Story 6)
The rain tapped softly against the high glass windows of my art studio. Back home, everything felt exactly the same, yet completely different. The room was filled with the familiar, comforting smell of turpentine, wet paint, and old paint. Canvases of all sizes were stacked against the brick walls, showing paintings of arts that i did.I sat on my tall wooden stool, staring at a blank, white canvas resting in front of me. I held a paintbrush in my hand, but I could not bring myself to dip it into the pools of colors in my paint palette. For the past two weeks, since the cruise ship had docked and I had practically run away from the port, I had not been able to paint a single stroke. Every time I tried to choose a color, all I could see was the deep, green of Finn’s eyes.I was completely miserable. My heart felt so heavy in my chest.I looked down at the messy desk in the corner. The red eviction notice was still sitting there, a bright, painful warning that I had only a few days lef
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 9: A Cruise To Love (Story 6)
The sun was already high in the sky when I woke up, casting a bright light across our cabin. I stretched beneath the bed sheets, my body feeling comfortably tired and deeply relaxed from night we had shared. I rolled over, reaching out my hand to feel for Finn, but my fingers only found the bed sheet fabric.I sat up, brushing my tangled blonde hair out of my eyes. A folded piece of stationery was resting on his pillow, I picked it up.Penelope — Alice called an emergency morning meeting with the estate attorneys regarding the trust paperwork. I didn't want to wake you after last night. Meet me on the aft deck at 6:00 PM for the final formal family dinner. Tonight, we tell her the truth. No more contracts. I am yours. — Finn.I held the note against my chest, a foolish grin spreading across my face. I am yours. The words repeated in my mind. He wanted to tell Alice the truth and stand by my side for real, even if it meant risking the inheritance he had worked so hard to secure.I sp
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 8: A Cruise To Love (Story 6)
The door of the cabin clicked shut behind us, sealing away the chaos of the ship’s ballroom. The sudden silence wrapped around us, broken only by the distant hum of the ocean against the hull and the rapid thud of my own heart. I stood in the center of the room, my gown sweeping across the thick carpet, and stared at Finn. The adrenaline from the evening still surged through me, every pulse echoing the moment he had risen at that formal auction table like a storm, defending me with a ferocity that left Richard speechless and the room stunned. Finn lingered near the small desk, his broad shoulders tense beneath the tuxedo. He loosened his black bow tie with fingers, yanking it free and tossing it aside. Two buttons of his white shirt came undone next, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of tanned, muscled chest. He dragged a hand through his usually neat dark hair, leaving it tousled, the strands catching the low lamplight like ink. “I’m sorry about Richard,” he said, his deep voice ro
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 7: A Cruise To Love (Story 6)
The walk back from the hidden island cove to the main beach felt entirely different from the walk there. Before, we were two people bound by a contract. Now, as we walked hand in hand along the winding dirt path, the heavy burden of the fake engagement was completely gone. Finn did not hold my hand just to put on a show for his wealthy family. He held it this time, because he actually wanted to. His large, warm fingers were laced perfectly with mine, and every time I looked up at him, it felt different. He was smiling—a real, genuine smile that made his eyes crinkle at the corners.When we finally returned to our cabin on the ship, the atmosphere in the room had completely shifted. Now, the room felt like a shared space, a warm sanctuary away from the prying eyes of Cousin Richard and his Grandmother.Tonight was the ship’s Grand Auction, a highly exclusive, formal event that Alice considered the most important night of the entire cruise."We need to get ready," Finn sighed, runnin
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 6: A Cruise To Love (Story 6)
The cruise ship slowly dropped its heavy metal anchor into the clear waters of a private tropical island. This beautiful piece of land was owned entirely by the cruise line, meaning there were no crowds of tourists. There was only pure, soft white sand, bright green palm trees, and the wealthy guests of the ship. It looked exactly like a perfect picture from a travel magazine. However, standing on the sunny pool deck and looking at the island, my chest felt incredibly heavy. I could not enjoy the amazing view. Ever since the morning after we had sex, Finn and I had been trapped in a terrible silent. He had built this thick, unemotional walls to protect whatever he was feeling. In the eyes of his grandfather, he held my hand and smile, playing the perfect partner. But the moment we were alone in our cabin, the everything vanished. He treated me with this cold, formal politeness that absolutely broke my heart. To make the entire situation much worse, his cousin Richard had turned
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 5: A Cruise To Love (Story 6)
The bright morning sun streamed through the large glass balcony doors, flooding the cabin with harsh light. I blinked my eyes open slowly, my mind groggy from sleep. The very first thing I noticed was the weight of a heavy arm missing from my waist. The bed next to me was empty, the white sheets cold and pushed aside. I sat up, pulling the thick blanket up to my chest. I looked down at the floor. The fluffy white pillows we had used to build our border wall were still scattered carelessly across the carpet, exactly where I had thrown them the night before. Seeing them like that made my heart give a sudden, nervous thud. Last night had not been a dream. We had actually crossed the line. A wave of intense confusion washed over me. I wrapped my arms around my knees, staring at the empty space on the mattress. I had always been a person who followed her heart and her emotions. When I painted, I threw colors onto the canvas without a plan, letting my feelings guide the brush. But t
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 7: Off Limits (Story 1)
Dominic doesn’t ask me to go to Venice. He tells me. “Wheels up at 6 AM,” Marcus says, dropping a folder on my desk Tuesday morning. “Venice. D’Angelo account. You’re on the pitch team.” I look up. Dominic’s office door is closed. It’s been closed since the gala. Since Are you in this with me?
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 6: Off Limits (Story 1)
I don’t see Dominic for three days. Not in the office. Not in meetings. Not in the elevator at 7:00 AM where he usually exists like a very expensive, very pissed-off fixture. Marcus runs the Meridian stand-ups. His eyes linger on me for half a second longer than necessary. He knows. Of course
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 5: Off Limits (Story 1)
The power dies at 8:17 PM. Not flickers. Not a brownout. Dies. One second I’m arguing with Chicago’s CMO over Slack about font weights — because apparently billion-dollar deals hinge on whether “Meridian” is bold or semibold — and the next, the entire 47th floor goes black. The emergency light
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 4: Off Limits (Story 1)
I find him in my chair. It’s 11:34 PM on a Tuesday. The 47th floor is a graveyard of dark monitors and empty coffee cups. I came back because I forgot the Meridian deck on my desk and Chicago’s CMO emails at midnight like a sociopath. But Dominic is at my desk. In my chair. Asleep. Or not asle
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