A North Carolina Autumn - Chapter 38: Chapter 38

I wake just before 10:00 the next morning to Rylie's arms slipping away from me as she rolls over in her sleep. I stretch quietly before sitting up to stare at her perfect, sleeping face.
All of the bad feelings from the dream last night are gone, and I only feel the good and calm reassurance Rylie had given me. I study her for a moment longer before slipping out from beneath the covers and padding over to the balcony door to slide it quietly open.
The sound of wind and the crashing waves below spill into the room, but Rylie doesn't stir. I step out onto the balcony and shut the door quietly before leaning against the railing.
The sun is slowly getting higher in the sky, with no clouds to block its warm rays. The deep blue water of the gulf stretches out endlessly as far as I can see, and I smile softly. This really was a view I could never get tired of. I lean over the railing slightly and glance down, scanning my eyes over the cabins below. There's not much to see, only a few hands and arms as people take in the morning view, some holding cups of coffee or books.
Then, I glance up and to my left at the deck above. I can't see too much of the deck from this angle, but I can see more people, some leaning against the railings, some walking in the direction of the lido deck with trays of food, or towels and sunscreen.
I turn as I hear a noise behind me and smile as Rylie steps onto the balcony. "Good morning, love."
"Good morning." Rylie returns my smile before kissing me softly. Her breath smells minty, and I wish I'd thought to brush my teeth before coming out here.
"Sorry I don't taste like toothpaste." I say with a laugh.
"I don't care." Rylie grins before kissing me again. "Can we go get breakfast?" She asks after only a moment.
"You don't want to admire the view?"
"Wow," Rylie says suddenly, turning quickly towards the water. "Stunning. Beautiful view. Nice!" Then, she turns back to me. "Okay, it's been admired. Can we go eat now?"
I let out a loud laugh. "You call that admiring?"
"I'm so hungry, Aspen! We did a lot last night. I gotta build my energy back up." Rylie whines, only making me laugh more.
"Okay, let's go. But you're putting on pants." I tell her, tugging up the hem of her t-shirt to reveal her panties. Rylie only grins at me before following me back inside.
Rylie and I get breakfast at the buffet, and even though I really try not to go overboard, I still get too much food. Luckily, Rylie expects this and I roll my eyes at the smirk on her face as she helps me eat most of it.
The moment I take the first mite of my grits, I know that's the main thing I'll be getting for breakfast each morning. My bowl of grits had just the right amount of cheese and salt, and I'd thrown in eggs, sausage, and bacon. Add in all of the fruit and Danishes I'd gotten as well, and it was the perfect breakfast. And by fruit, I mean mainly watermelon.
Once done with breakfast, Rylie and I quickly change, and I throw a few snacks and drinks into a small cooler bag before grabbing a towel and leading Rylie down to the lido deck. We luckily manage to find two chairs right outside and with a decent view of all the activity of the lido deck.
Loud, upbeat music plays over the speakers, mixing with the sound of chatter and laughter as people swim and enjoy the sun. I lay out my towel on top of my chair, knowing that the blue material of the chair is already heated from the mid-morning sun.
Once I'm comfortable, I roll my head to the side and lift my sunglasses to watch as Rylie rubs sunscreen onto her exposed skin. And I definitely let myself enjoy the amount of that exposed skin, while occasionally taking a moment to glare at everyone that walks by, feeling that they seem to be enjoying it as well.
A little too much. I think as a young guy walks by, not even bothering to conceal his wandering gaze.
"Watch it, you." I say this under my breath, but the temptation to growl it is nearly overwhelming. Rylie hears, and her eyes meet mine before following my gaze and stopping on the guy as he takes a seat a few rows away. At least this time he has the decency to look away until Rylie's eyes are no longer on him. She knows his eyes are still on her though, and she turns back to me with a slow smirk.
"Can I get your back, baby?" She asks slightly louder than normal, knowing that Wandering Eyes is right in earshot. It takes all of my self control to hold in my laugh when I see him sit upright in his seat.
I turn in my chair so my back is to Rylie, and I hear her shift behind me. I didn't have to look at her to know she'd arranged herself in a way that would block the view for Wandering Eyes. Using my phone, I angle the screen until I can see him in the reflection, and I swallow another laugh as I see him craning his neck.
"He's desperate for a show." I say quietly to Rylie, and I hear her chuckle.
"Some people's children." She murmurs, and I can't hold back my laugh this time. "Here," Rylie keeps one hand on my back, rubbing the sunscreen in, while using the other to slip me her big, floppy hat. "I'm going to kiss you once we're done, and I need you to use the hat to block him from seeing. Then put the hat on me afterwards so that he doesn't suspect anything."
"Got it." I grin, hearing the smile in my own voice. When Rylie finishes, I turn around to face her, using my peripheral vision to make sure Wandering Eyes is watching. I slip my arms around Rylie's neck and hold the hat up to shield us as I press my lips against hers. I have to force myself not to get lost in the kiss, trying to remember that we're on a mission. When we break apart, Rylie keeps me close for a second.
"Give him one of your looks." She instructs with a grin. A slow smirk slides onto my face and I nod before placing the hat on Rylie's head.
My eyes meet the guys a moment later, and I make sure he can feel what I want him to feel. I raise an eyebrow for emphasis, feeling satisfaction when his face reddens in embarrassment. I knew the type of person this guy was, and I knew he wouldn't change when it came to his wandering eyes. But hopefully his embarrassment now would teach him something about subtly for the future. Judging by the look on his face and the way he tears his gaze from mine, there was a good chance he learned just that.
Rylie and I spend the next couple hours in the sun, and I make sure to reapply sunscreen anytime I see even a hint of red. I refused to let this trip be ruined by a sunburn.
When we've had enough of the sun, we go back to the room to change before making our way to the sports deck. I was excited to show Rylie this deck, it was one of my favorites.
"We've got options," I tell her as we head towards the middle of the ship. "There's a track around the outside, and inside we have basketball, volleyball, tennis, and my personal favorite, mini golf."
"They have all of those on a cruise ship?" Rylie's eyes are wide.
"Yep." I nod, feeling like an expert on the subject. "There's a net around the whole area so nothing gets out, don't worry."
"Oh. That makes sense." Rylie laughs. "But volleyball isn't your favorite?"
"Nope." It's a close second. And anywhere else, it's my favorite. But there's just something about mini golf on the top of a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean that can't be beat... you'll see." I laugh. We reach the sports deck then and I slide the latch on the gate before stepping through, latching the gate behind us.
A group of six people play a rather intense looking game of basketball, looking sweatier than I would've thought possible. Two people stand on either side of the volleyball net, hitting the ball back and forth quickly, trying to get it to touch the ground on the other side more aggressively than you would in a normal volleyball match. No one is at the tennis courts, and I hope it's still that way by the time Rylie and I finish with mini golf and volleyball. That was another fun one to play on the ship.
I lead her along the edge of the tall net and up a set of stairs leading to the second level where mini golf was located. We grab two clubs and balls before turning towards the course.
"Oh, wow. This is bigger than I was expecting!" Rylie says, slightly in awe as she stares out at the expanse of green fabric and obstacles that make up the course.
"Yeah," I laugh. "I think it's pretty common to assume everything on a cruise ship is small. Even the cruise ship itself. I guess you just have to see it in person to be able to understand how big things can be."
"Yeah, pretty much." Rylie agrees with a grin. We head over to the first hold to begin and even though we're not technically keeping score, I'm determined to finish every hold faster than Rylie. And, knowing how competitive she is, I know she's thinking the same exact thing, which only increases my determination.
By the time we reach the sixth hole, I'm incredibly frustrated. This was no longer a playful, fun game of mini golf. Rylie and I were both set on winning, therefore putting all of our focus and effort into getting the balls into the holes in as little hits as possible. Anytime it took me more than two hits, I only got more irritated. And I think Rylie could tell.
"Are you frustrated with me, baby?" Rylie asks sweetly, but I can hear the smirk in her voice.
"No." I reply in an unnecessarily short tone.
"Hmm..." I can't make out her tone this time, and she doesn't continue. It wasn't that I was mad at her, and I didn't want to be mad at her, but she was making it so hard.
Why am I so competitive?
By the time we finish all the holes, I'm in an awful mood. Since we didn't keep score, we have no way of knowing who actually won, but we both feel like we'd done better than the other.
I don't say a word as we put our clubs and balls away, and my silence continues as we walk down the stairs towards the main area of the sports deck. When Rylie suddenly grabs my arm and pulls me around a corner and down to a more hidden area of the deck, I don't have a chance to make a single noise before my back is against the wall, and her lips are inches from mine.
"I kind of like it when you're angry with me." She murmurs, her breath soft against my lips.
"I'm not angry with you." I grumble.
"No? Maybe a little bit upset?" Rylie counters, and I shake my head. "Hmm..." She purrs. "That's a shame because if you were upset, I would offer to make it up to you."
"To make what up to me, exactly?"
"Me winning at mini golf." Rylie says, and I narrow my eyes as she quickly continues. "It was really close, so I understand why you're upset. But... I'm willing to make it up to you so you're no longer mad at me..." Her voice is distracting me, and I force myself to focus on why I was mad in the first place. "I don't want to play volleyball with an angry wife." Rylie says, and the word 'wife' nearly ruins my resolve to stay mad.
I still say nothing, but my eyes betray me by flicking quickly down to Rylie's lips, giving away my desire to taste her. Rylie doesn't miss this, and a smirk grows on her face before she closes the distance between us.
It wasn't fair that my body reacted the way it did to any touch from Rylie, especially her kisses. I am impressed with my ability to keep my legs steady as Rylie kisses me in a way she usually reserves for the bedroom.
My hands, however, refuse to listen to me. As her hands move to cup my cheeks, her thumbs brushing gently across my cheekbones, my hands slip to her waist, pulling her body against mine.
I can feel the smirk grow again on her face, but I didn't care. I just needed her. To touch her, taste her, feel her. As the kiss deepens, I'm suddenly really glad we're out of sight of any other passengers.
Rylie's hands soon slip beneath my t-shirt to explore my bare stomach, and I struggle to hold in the moan that is desperate to escape. "I'm sorry I made you mad. Both of us being competitive was bound to backfire at some point..." Rylie murmurs against my neck before her lips begin kissing my skin. I shiver at the touch, feeling the rest of my resolve slip away.
"We tied." I force the words to stay steady, and Rylie's amused gaze meets mine.
"Sure. We can say that. Although on hole nine, I definitely got it in one less move than you did."
"Maybe. But how about we have a rematch on the next sea day, and this time, we keep score?" I challenge with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't want..." I cut Rylie off, knowing what she's going to say.
"I won't be mad if I lose, because it'll be fair since we'll keep score." I promise with a grin, feeling the last of my frustration and unnecessary anger towards Rylie slip away.
"Okay." She laughs. "I promise not to be mad either if you win."
"Great! It's a date, then." I smile before kissing her again, forcing myself to pull away after only a few moments since my body needed to calm down after the intensity of our little make-out session.
"I think it's lunchtime. Those burgers are calling my name." Rylie grins, patting her stomach.
"I think you're right," I agree. "We've worked up quite the appetite." I laugh, and Rylie joins before pulling me back into the public part of the sports deck and out the gate towards the food.