Chapter 20

She took in his confused expression. "I'm not rich," she admitted. "Wesley is. He paid for this trip."

Gio nodded quietly and Sidney realized how it looked. "I'm not being kept or anything!" She inhaled. "Wesley married another woman. That's why we're exes. He told me that I could have the honeymoon since it had been intended for us." She paused, shaking her head to herself. "At first I didn't want to take it. I didn't want to be reminded…" She stopped talking again but this time she looked away. Tears were building back up in her eyes. How could she still be crying over that lying, cheating asshole? And yet it hurt all over again just like the first day.

She felt Gio grip her hand.

"Don't cry. And you don't have to be afraid. He's not going to hurt you," Gio said adamantly. He'd get the man kicked off the ship so that she could try to find some enjoyment for the rest of the cruise. But Sidney was shaking her head.

"I'm not afraid that he'll physically harm me. He won't." She tried to give him an appreciative smile but it was crooked and broken. "You see I'm the rebound girl." Her voice was thick with tears and her eyes were once again swimming with them. It broke Gio's heart to see her fighting so hard to control her pain.

"It's why this hurts so much, because I wanted it so badly. I thought that once and for all I would have somebody. And I'm…scared that I'm not going to be strong enough to keep saying no." She shrugged and swiped away the tears that had settled beneath her eyes. "I'm always the next girl, never the first choice, but I know that I deserve better than that!" She shook her head in embarrassment.

Gio frowned and gently gripped her chin, lifting her head so that she looked at him.

"I can not speak for other men, but this man sees nothing but an amazing woman. You're strong, Sidney, much stronger than me. You were just able to speak about your deepest fears and I cannot even force myself to think about mine.

"I see people together with family and loved ones everyday," he looked deeply into her eyes, his expression moving from many different emotions. "I've taught myself to pretend not to see them so that I won't feel the hollowness. People think that I'm ice, and maybe I am. But I know what it feels like to be hurt. I don't…" he shook his head without finishing.

She stared into his amber eyes and saw in them something that she recognized.

"Hollow," she said. "That's exactly how I feel, only I call it loneliness."

He nodded. "Yes," he whispered. "But you're so vibrant and full of life. When I watch you experience something new, even something that I have seen a million times before, I relive the experience through you. You instill in me a need that I've kept buried. I'm alone. And I hate it."

"I hate it, too," she whispered. She leaned forward to kiss him, to complete the connection that was evident between them, but his eyes darted away from hers before settling back on her darker ones. She sat back quickly. "Sorry! You didn't sign up for this-"

He leaned forward. "What did I tell you about apologizing to me?" She opened her mouth to speak but Gio spoke first. "I want to make something completely clear because in this moment I am not your Superior Genie or your butler. Right now I am just a man that really wants to kiss you, and only you, Sidney Wyatt." Gio placed his lips lightly on hers in a kiss that was so gentle that it was almost chaste—except for the zing of excitement that ran between them.

He pulled back slightly. "Don't be like me, too afraid to express yourself. Live, Sidney. Travel and make friends and expose yourself to new things so that you can keep that joy that's fighting so hard to stay alive in you. And then share it-"

His words were so impassioned that she felt it like a mantra in her soul. Sidney pushed forward and kissed him. Her lips parted and his followed and soon their tongues met. Gio's quiet moan reverberated into her mouth, but didn't end until it had reached the pit of her stomach where it swelled out and up to join with her own soft moan.

Gio's cock sprung to life at the sound she made. She came up on her knees and placed her hands on his strong shoulders, finally giving in to an urge that she'd had since first setting eyes on him. Gio gripped her ass and moved her to his lap where she easily straddled him even though she was still wearing the formal gown.

How was she doing this? How was she kissing the most gorgeous guy that she'd ever set eyes on? He had pulled her close and she could feel how hard he was so it was obvious that he wanted her just as badly as she wanted him.

Gio felt Sidney's hands move urgently over his chest and shoulders as they kissed. He moved quickly to remove his tuxedo jacket and then he had her back in his arms where he undid the zipper on the back of her dress.

She looked at him with need, her parted lips swollen before she stood and slipped out of the dress.

Gio stood just as quickly and he pulled his shirt over his head without unbuttoning more than the top three buttons. They watched each other, neither able to move fast enough to strip out of their clothing.

When Sidney's dress was pooled at her feet, Gio paused long enough to take in her curves. She wore sheer black panties and a strapless bra. Her full breasts nearly spilled over the top of the bra as her chest heaved in need. He could see the outline of her nipples through the sheer material and not just the shape but the deep blackberry hue. He strained against his pants, which gave him no room to accommodate the size of his erection.