The Cruise 2 - She is Alive

A rough scream full of pain called her attention. When she looked up, a pair of the most beautiful eyes glared at her, smoldering with anger, but as cold as black ice. They froze staring at each other. She wouldn't dare even breathe since the air was crackling with tension, and a storm raged in those eyes. His gaze slowly traveled throughout her body stopping in every curve. Those same eyes turned to a shade of midnight blue, and Ella had the impression of seeing glimpses of fire burning in the back of them, promising hell and heaven altogether and for a minute there she thought she was naked, thus a warm wave spread throughout her body. She bit her bottom lip and her neck and face turned crimson red, making her eyes brighten up.

Justin froze in the middle of the corridor with his head pounding in pain, looking down to the woman sprawled on the floor. He wasn't sure about what had hit him, but he was sure of one thing, he was hallucinating. He stared at her like he'd seen a ghost, or the devil had just showed up right in front of him, while his blood flushed out of his face, and as much as he wanted to avert his eyes away from those bright green ones, he didn’t have the power to do so. Oh… how he remembered those evil eyes…

‘She is dead, this fucking little thief is dead for more than nine years! How could she be here on this very floor?’

A warm, viscous liquid started dripping on Ella's face, neck and shirt. She wiped them off and to her surprise it was blood, his blood, and that was enough to get her out of her stupor.

“Oh, my gosh… you're bleeding. What have I done?” Ella muttered more to herself than to him. She heard an anguished yell of pain and got up quickly. Without giving him any time to think, she pushed him inside her cabin and sat him on the armchair in the small room. 

He blinked and shook his head like getting out of his own daze. He grabbed her wrist with little care and Ella heard a low growl between his teeth.

“What are you doing?” his mouth twisted, and she saw when a muscle clenched in his jaw. 

“Taking care of your forehead?” her voice came out husky, and she mentally kicked herself for that. “And I need to do it soon, you’re wasting in blood. If you let… Let go of my… wrist, so I can get the first aid kit?” she stuttered and jerked her arm. He had such strong hold it was almost bruising her. She looked at his huge hand, and her heart skipped a beat. Not a chance to escape that grip.

Justin felt like a cornered wild animal once more betrayed. He became a ticking bomb ready to go off, and he had to gather all his strength and self-control not to shake the shit out of her, and break her neck right there, but he felt something off, something made little sense. She didn't know him, or she was the hell of an actress! He has never forgotten those full lips and what they used to do to him. In the middle of his anger, he felt a familiar painful need to start at the bottom of his stomach and run down to his groin making him shiver. ‘NO! Not again, she’s not worth it!’

Ella licked her parted lips and swallowed hard, when she saw his eyes slipping from her own and focusing on her mouth. She kept observing him and waiting for his next move, and she sensed how troubled he was. The puzzlement all over his face was real, maybe the door had hit him too hard, and he got a bad concussion on his head, making him disoriented. He watched Ella for a few more moments and then let go of her.

She went to the adjacent room and with shaky hands retrieved the kit and a wet towel. She attempted to control herself, but she was aware of him, and he knew it by his intense gaze. Feeling her cheeks burn she blushed again avoiding his gaze, and settled herself in front of him. She worked on his wound cleaning up with the cloth, then she saw it. It was a nasty gash.

“I’m so sorry for what happened. It wasn’t entirely my fault. The door jammed,” she pleaded with him in the most apologetic way. Her stomach churned and she felt sick.

“And you didn’t think of calling for someone?” he barked at her taking him out of his wild thoughts, and flinching when she poured some peroxide on his forehead.

“Are you trying to kill me!” he got a hold of Ella’s wrist again forcing her hand down.

Ella winced at his unexpected reaction and the harshness of his touch. He was mostly quiet the whole time, watching intently her actions, just like a hawk would do to a mouse.

“Hold on. It’s just some peroxide. Shish, men are such babies! I’m almost done.” She sounded calm and witty, but on the outside, and for a second there, she thought there was a hint of shock and amusement in his eyes. He let go of her, but kept Ella at arms length the entire time.

He watched her in every detail, everything she did, and he noticed how efficiently she cared for him. It was like she had done that her whole life, countless times before.

She felt those eyes burning holes on her, and that itself made her hot. ‘Why was he so good-looking?’ 

Tending to his wound Ella felt the strands of his dark brown hair between her fingers. They were so soft she could caress them forever, and they smelled like the bright blue sky in a winter day. And those eyes staring at her so sad and cold could ignite a fire within herself, spreading from her core to her whole body, his intense eyes looking at her create tiny blazes on her skin, and she blushed under his fiery scrutiny.

“I’ve tried calling someone, but nobody listened to me. The intercom didn’t seem to work,” and she pointed to the gadget. “I hit the door and yelled for a long time, but no one showed up. I’m so sorry again to cause you all of this trouble,” she sighed and sweat beaded on her forehead.

She let her hands fall defeated, and with a sigh she got some butterfly closures and put on his cut. Ella let her eyes wander through his face. An angular face with a strong and tightened jaw, thick kissable lips that now were strained in a thin line of annoyance and something else, straight-edged nose flaring once in a while, and those lost puppy shaped eyes so cold and merciless promising hell. She felt a dark and heavy shiver run unchecked on her body bringing goosebumps all over her skin.

“Done. As good as new,” she whispered, trying to give him an amicable smile to which her intent failed miserably, since he kept looking at her with his disgusted face on. Ella observed him, trying to understand what was going on there. She apologized already. What else could she do?

Without a word he stood up. They were too close to each other, and that whole time he could smell her; she smelled of sweet vanilla and cinnamon. ‘God help me! She smells so good’. He moved a little closer to her and by instinct Ella stepped back, and that made him snap out of it. He was tall, about a foot taller than her, and she wasn’t a short woman. Knowing he wouldn’t endure much longer, he just pivoted on his heels and left. Just like that. 

Suddenly, the adrenaline wore off and Ella felt her legs turn to jelly, her body shivered, and she dropped herself on the bed. 

“Holy crap, so much for a peaceful vacation!” she sighed, glancing at the mess in her cabin.