Garrett’s Destiny by Anna Blakely

Chapter 7

Garrett opened the door to find his real-life dream staring back at him.

Lord have mercy.

Dressed in black, Avery was an absolute vision. Her long hair had been clipped up into a loose mound of curls on the crown of her head. A few delicate strands fell softly around her gorgeous face.

She’d done something different with her makeup. An added layer on her eyes, cheeks, and lips.

Moving lower, Garrett couldn’t help but notice the way the garment’s lace-covered halter pulled her breasts together. The low neckline created a deep crevice that made his fingers itch to rip the damn thing off, just so he could catch a glimpse of what was underneath.

A wide satin banner showcased Avery’s tapered waist, and the knee-length skirt flared slightly at her hips, stopping mid-thigh in the front and just above her knees in the back. Peeking out from beneath the skirt was a single layer of blood red satin that reminded him of sin.

And then there were her shoes.

Black, strappy numbers with thin leather that hugged her dainty ankles and heels that went on for days.

Garrett’s mouth went dry, his heart pounding the hell out of his chest when the image of her in nothing but those shoes seared his mind’s eye.

Everything about this woman—from the sleeveless black dress to the fuck me heels—looked exactly like the image his subconscious mind had conjured up the night before. Only better.

“Wow.”

As far as compliments went, it was lame as shit. Avery must have liked it though, because her cheeks turned rosy and her ruby lips curved.

“I was about to say the same thing about you.”

He would’ve argued that fact had her chocolate eyes not melted as they ran the length of his body.

It was a damn good thing he’d already put on his suit jacket. Otherwise, she would’ve gotten more of an eyeful than she’d bargained for.

Down, boy. It’s just dinner, remember?

Yeah, it was just dinner. But fuck if he didn’t wish it was more.

“Are you ready?” he rasped.

“Yes.”

Avery’s whispered answer was innocent enough, but her molten stare and rising chest held a deeper, more intimate meaning. Or maybe it was simply wishful thinking on his part.

I’m more than ready, baby. Just say the word, and I’m yours.

Stepping out into the hallway, Garrett closed the door behind him, offering her his elbow like a gentleman should. With a shy smile, Avery accepted. Her small fingers curling around his arm in a way that made his heart swell and his zipper tighten.

Less than an hour later, with their main course only half-eaten, he was already trying to come up with a way to keep their evening together from coming to an end.

“Ohmygod.” Avery took a bite of her buttery lobster tail. “This is incredible.”

Garrett’s steak and shrimp meal was great, too. But he was enjoying the woman sitting across from him even more.

She took another bite, releasing a moan that made his brain—and his crotch—immediately turn to sex.

“I’ve never tasted anything so delicious.”

I bet you taste better.

Aaaand just like that, the image of Avery lying on his bed, completely naked—except for those damn shoes—flashed before him. With her hair flared out around her shoulders and her knees up and spread wide, Garrett’s mouth watered as he pictured himself leaning in for that first taste of heaven.

“Garrett?”

The concern in Avery’s voice brought him back to the present.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Her eyes sparkled with humor. “I asked if you were enjoying your steak.”

“Oh.” He shot her a quick smile. “Uh…yeah. It’s great.”

But not nearly as great as those sweet lips of yours.

Garrett hadn’t stopped thinking about that kiss, and how it had damn near knocked him on his ass.

He’d locked lips with many a woman in his day, but holy hell. He’d never felt a jolt of pure electricity like the one that had zipped through him when he’d kissed Avery.

“I should stop.” She tore through his scattered thoughts again. “Save room for dessert.”

A drop of butter had fallen on her bottom lip, and he nearly came unglued when she caught it with her forefinger, and then wrapped her lips around that finger, sucking it clean.

Later, by the time dessert had come and gone, Garrett’s cock was aching to the point of pain, and he was certain his zipper had already caused permanent damage.

The woman savored her food like great sex. The satisfied moans escaping her throat, and the innocent licks of her luscious lips tempting him in ways he’d never known.

Yes, Avery Webb was a temptress of the worst kind. Because she had absolutely no idea the effect she had on him.

“That was amazing.” Her sweet voice caught his attention. “So rich and chocolatey. I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.”

“That good, huh?”

“Mmm hmm.” She gave a solemn nod. “I’m not usually a big dessert person, but I’m going to have to learn how to make that.”

The tip of her tongue met with some leftover chocolate glaze on her spoon, and Garrett clenched his fists resting on his lap. It was all he could do not to swipe the table clean and take her right there, in front of God and everyone.

“You don’t like sweets?” He forced a casual tone.

Avery shook her head. “Not typically. Vanilla ice cream is my usual go-to. Chocolate chip if I’m celebrating something or drowning my sorrows.” She patted her mouth with her napkin. “But that was incredible, and it fulfills my one new food experience quota for the day.”

The odd comment left him intrigued. “You have a limit?”

“No.” Avery’s feminine shoulders shook with laughter. “I just have this…you know what? Never mind.”

“Tell me.”

A blush he was becoming familiar with filled her cheeks. “You’ll think it’s stupid.”

“Sweetheart, I can promise you there isn’t a single thing about you that I’d think was stupid.”

Biting her bottom lip—Good God, the woman was killing him—Avery thought for a moment before letting him in on her little secret.

“Do you remember when I told you my sister dared me to take this trip?”

“I do.”

“Well, our first day on the ship Alex texted me. Alex is my sister,” she clarified. “Anyway, she told me about this list she made and how she’d snuck it into my purse when we were at the airport that morning.”

Doing his best not to sound judgmental, Garrett had to ask, “Why did your sister make a list of things for you to do on your vacation and then sneak it into your purse?”

She rolled her pretty eyes. “To help nudge me out of my shell.”

“Sounds like she and Colt could be related.”

With a smile, Avery relaxed into her cushioned chair. “Alex means well. But ever since our parents died and her fiancé cheated on her with her best friend, I’ve become her pet project.”

Garrett’s chest tightened. “I’m sorry you lost your parents. I know how hard that is.”

“I meant to tell you earlier, I’m sorry about your mom.”

“Thanks.” He offered her a tight smile. “My dad, as you know, is still alive and kicking.”

“And screaming for grandkids, apparently.” Avery grinned.

“Apparently.” Garrett rolled his eyes. “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened with your parents?”

Instant sadness poured over her in waves. “Car accident. It was the middle of January, and the roads were slick with ice. There was a winter storm forecasted for the next day, so Mom and Dad decided to make a grocery run to stock up so they wouldn’t have to get out in the bad weather. But the storm moved in much faster than the weather center predicted, and a group of teenagers took a curve too fast. They crossed the center line and hit Mom and Dad’s car head on at a high rate of speed.”

“Jesus.”

Avery’s throat worked as she swallowed a pain he was intimately familiar with. “Dad was driving. He died instantly, but Mom held on for about an hour and a half after the crash. At least that’s what the doctor who treated her told Alex and I when we got to the hospital.”

Ah, baby.

“Alex lives in Charlotte, too, and with the inclement weather, it took us a lot longer than normal to get to Lillington. Mom was already gone by the time we got there.”

Damn. Losing one parent was hard enough. He couldn’t imagine losing them both in one fell swoop.

Burying his mom was the hardest thing Garrett had ever lived through. But at least he’d known what was coming. He and his dad both had time to prepare and had been blessed with the opportunity to say everything they needed to before she passed.

“I’m so sorry,” he said again.

“Thanks.” She rewarded him with a small smile. “Most days, I do okay. But it was really hard at first.”

Several seconds passed with neither saying a word. Needing to salvage the evening and return to a more upbeat topic of conversation, Garrett finally said, “Tell me about your sister.”

“Alex?” Avery barked out a laugh. “Well, let’s see. She’s pretty much the exact opposite of me.”

“In what way?”

“Uh…every way.” She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. Scrolling through her pictures, Avery apparently found the one she wanted and held the screen up for him to see.

“That’s me and Alex last Christmas.”

Garrett studied the picture closely. He recognized Avery immediately; her long, dark hair flowing around her shoulders from beneath a knitted stocking cap. The attractive woman next to her shared the same, wide smile, but her hair was cut into a straight bob, her features were sharper and more defined, and her eyes were a tad smaller than Avery’s.

Pretty, for sure. But as far as Garrett was concerned, Alex didn’t hold a candle to the woman sitting across from him.

“We both have my dad’s dark hair and eyes,” Avery explained. “But I definitely look more like our dad, and Alex took after our mom.”

“You said you and your sister were opposites. How so?”

“Alex is a free spirit, and I’m more of a homebody. She’s the social butterfly. Me, not so much. Alex likes going out dancing with friends on the weekends, and my idea of a fun night is to cuddle up on the couch with a good book and a glass of wine.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” And he meant it.

In fact, Garrett rather liked knowing Avery didn’t spend her nights in bars or night clubs surrounded by a bunch of drunken, horny assholes.

Not ready for the evening to end, he rested his elbows on the table and linked his fingers together. “Tell me more about this list Alex made for you.”

Avery snorted. “You don’t really want to hear about that, do you?”

“Sure, I do. And who knows…maybe I can help you cross off a few things.”

Garrett wasn’t sure what he’d said to make her blush, but Avery’s neck and cheeks turned almost crimson at his suggestion.

Now I really want to know what’s on that list.

“It’s nothing big.” She seemed to read his mind. “I checked off the first three things before we’d even left the port. And, as a matter of fact, you did help with some of those.”

“I did?”

“Yep. The first thing was to get on the damn ship.” Avery giggled. “Like, literally…that’s exactly how my sister wrote it.” She shook her head. “But after that, there was talk to someone I didn’t know, which I did when I met you and Colt. Another was to share a drink with someone I didn’t know. You bought me my first drink of the trip. Let’s see…” She thought for a moment. “Then there’s the food. I’m supposed to try at least one thing new to eat every day.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard since there’s food everywhere you turn around.”

“Right?” Avery agreed.

Finding himself more and more interested about this list, Garrett asked, “Was there anything else I was able to help you with?”

Aaand, there it was again. That flushed, flustered look that made him think of sex.

“Um…you went swimming with me, so that sort of counts,” she answered with a bit of a rush. “Number six was to swim in the ocean, so…”

“Yeah, but you’d already did that before we met up.” He playfully narrowed his gaze. “Not that you bothered to tell me that…or that the water was as cold as a freaking icebox.”

Biting her lip, Avery shot him an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re not,” he scoffed with a smile.

“No.” She shook her head and laughed harder. “I’m really not.”

Staring back at her, Garrett realized the more time he spent with this woman, the more time he wanted to spend with her.

So he kept the conversation going.

They discussed the list further, Avery sharing more of the items she had yet to check off. Things like singing karaoke, dancing a slow dance, making a new friend, trying something scary…

With karaoke being the exception—no one in their right mind wanted to hear him sing—he had the sudden urge to help her do all those things…and more.

“Come on.” Garrett stood and pushed in his chair.

Following suit, Avery did the same. “Where are we going?”

“You want to knock out that list, right?”

“Well, yeah, but—”

“No time like the present.” He grinned. “What do you say? Wanna see how many we can check off in one night?”

With a smile that lit up her eyes, she nodded. “Let’s do it.”

And they did.

First, they hit the karaoke bar. After three drinks and a lot of prodding on Garrett’s part, Avery got up the nerve to put her name on the list. And when they called her up to the small stage, she fucking nailed it.

Would she hit it big or win a Grammy? Probably not. But when she’d loosened up and let herself go, she was good. Better than good.

And most importantly, she’d had fun.

Grabbing the list from her purse, she’d crossed off both the karaoke line and the thing that terrified her. She’d told him getting on that stage had been one of the scariest things she’d ever done, so it could count as both, and he’d agreed.

After that, they went to a piano bar. It had nothing to do with the list, but they’d enjoyed listening to the live, impromptu music anyway.

Later, as they left that bar to head to another part of the ship, they heard more music coming from up ahead.

He glanced over at Avery. “Want to check it out?”

“Sure.”

Taking a chance, Garett reached for her hand. His heart sang as she looked up at him and smiled before linking her fingers with his.

They found the source of the music near one of the ship’s three spiral staircases. Neon green lights glittered the entire open area, which consisted of a small bar attached to the staircase. Above that was a second-level balcony overlooking a tiled dance floor, and opposite that was a set of glass elevators that seemed to go on forever.

Right on cue, the fast-paced song that had been playing, slowed to a romantic ballad he recognized.

Without a word, Garrett led Avery onto the dance floor. Weaving in and out of the crowd, he found a spot that would give them enough room to move without making her feel as though she were suffocating.

“I like this song.” She moved in closer as he put a hand around her waist.

Keeping one of her hands in his, Garrett began swaying to the music’s soft, gentle beat. “Me, too.”

The longer the song played, the more relaxed Avery seemed to become. She rested her head on his shoulder, pressing a hand against his lower back.

Closing his eyes, Garrett gently laid his cheek against the top of her head as he soaked in the moment…and this woman. The delicate perfume he’d been smelling all night filled his senses in the most incredible way.

Hints of vanilla and berries combined with a sweetness he could only describe as Avery. The intoxicating fragrance burning a permanent place in his memory as his new favorite scent.

Of their own accord, his arms pulled her closer to him. There was no way she could miss the hard bulge pushing against the crotch of his dress pants. But if it bothered her, she didn’t show it.

It wasn’t like he could control it. His body knew what it wanted, and the woman in his arms was it.

Lifting his head, Garrett looked down at her. She looked up at him. Time stopped, and everyone around them vanished as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

Avery lifted on her tiptoes as they worked together to deepen the kiss. Her lower body meeting with his, igniting a spark of need that raced through every nerve ending.

They were moving fast. He knew this, yet he couldn’t make himself stop.

I never want to stop.

Praying he hadn’t misread the signals she’d been sending all night, Garrett pulled away just enough to ask, “You wanna get out of here?”

He held his breath as he waited for her answer.

With a tilted chin and eyes that stared into his soul, Avery parted her swollen lips and whispered, “Yes.”