Why Cruise

by Amy Nova

Chapter 1 MACKENZIE PEREZ

“There’s only one bed.”

I stared at the omega across the cozy space. The bed’s navy comforter looked inviting and crisp, topped with white pillows and something that looked like an elephant made out of towels. The omega shook a blond curl out of his eyes, and my heart did a weird flutter. I was pretty sure it was a nervous gesture and not the coy flirtation we omegas always got accused of. But if it was? It probably would have worked.

My heart was already beating fast, and now it was fluttering. Great. Confrontation was not my strong suit.

“What do you mean, there was a mistake with my reservation?” I said to the beta steward, tearing my eyes away from the omega. My voice came out smaller than I intended.

“Ma’am, I’m sure guest services will have this all sorted out for you, but it clearly states you and Mr. Evergreen were booked into this stateroom together.”

“How is that possible? We don’t even know each other.” I tugged on the strap of my tote bag, giving the bed with its plush pillows a scowl.

“Yes, it does seem irregular, given this is the Bond Voyage Matchmaking Cruise.”

I blinked at the steward.

Matchmaking cruise?

“The what?”

The steward and the omega traded glances.

An awful realization slid down my spine.

I was going to kill Jillian.

“Ah yes, the premier event of the Dinghy Races. Port Haven’s matchmaking season? As we are fully booked for this cruise…”

I snapped back to the conversation, ready to stomp my feet and pull off one hell of an entitled omega rant. But I couldn’t make my mouth form the words.

“I don’t mind sharing. I could use the company, actually,” the omega said, his voice low and soothing. He put his hands in his pocket and rocked on the balls of his feet. I would bet money his purr was divine. The scent of coconut filled the room, competing with my own orange blossom scent. Not competing. Complementing. They went really well together. I’d have to make a note of that. But it was still a little much in the small space.

They both looked at me expectantly. I could feel my cheeks flush red. The thought of standing at the customer service desk to sort this out made me feel dizzy. I couldn’t even stand here with an omega and a beta doing their best to make things right.

The steward seemed to finally get that I was stuck. His face softened. I could practically read his mind. Silly little omegas can’t do a single thing without their alphas. I’d have to learn how to do… everything.

“I’ll check with guest services to see if there is another suitable room. TK In the meantime, why don’t you join the Sail Away party on the upper deck? I’ll convert the bed into two twin beds.”

I dug my nails into my palm, holding onto my bag like a life preserver. The steward said some other things, which I was sure were very important, but all I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears.

I hadn’t wanted to take this trip. Jillian had cajoled and then threatened me with a clinic visit and a grippy socks vacation, rather than a luxury one. It was perfectly natural to hide in your nest after a breakup. Wasn’t it? But Jillian insisted. She’d even packed the bags for me. But this had begun to feel like a punishment and not an all-expense paid tropical cruise vacation.

The door clicked softly behind me. The omega fiddled with the key card, flipping it around and around in his hands. A little “oh” came out of his mouth, and his face brightened with a thought. He took a step forward, then hesitated before scooting past me. His shoulder brushed my back, making me shiver.

When he slid the balcony door open, fresh air tasting of saltwater and a faint hint of gasoline blew into the room, muting our scents and pheromones. My shoulders slumped, and my fingers went slack on my bag. I hadn’t realized how tense I’d been until that moment.

“I can’t stand being closed up with strange scents either,” he said, like he knew exactly what was stressing me out. “They have state-of-the-art scent dampeners, but, you know, fresh air…” I shrugged a little, not wanting to admit that scents were the issue, and I hadn’t realized it.

“I’m Theo. Evergreen. Theo Evergreen. But you already know that part.” He smiled and held out his hand.

When I put my fingers in his, his scent and his aura seeped into me like Jillian’s rainfall shower head turned to the perfect temperature. Now that he had touched me, his scent seemed different. Not the overwhelming assault from a moment ago. Theo stepped closer as his thumb traced my knuckle. He was maybe an inch taller than me in my platform sandals. His touch was soft, his hair was soft, everything about him was soft. Theo traced his fingers up the back of my arm.

Something in me started to crack. I blinked and pulled my hand from his before I threw myself in his arms and just cried. He gently took the tote bag off my shoulder and placed it on the bed.

“How about we explore the ship? It will be a while before they bring our bags up.” Even Theo’s voice was full of that warmth, like he actually cared what I wanted to do.

“I didn’t know they take your bags away from you.” I said absently.

“Me either. This is my first cruise, so I read practically every ‘cruise 101’ blog on the internet.”

“It’s my first, too.”

“Perfect. We’ll both be fumbling about together.”

I fluffed out my hair and dug in my tote bag for my clutch that had all the essentials. Theo handed me my key card, and I zipped it into my wristlet.

“We’ll just have to fake it till we make it.” I inwardly cringed at the cliché.

Theo stepped past me again, his fingers trailing across my lower back, leaving tingles behind. He held the door open for me. As I stepped into the hall, Theo shut the door and jiggled the handle to make sure it locked. I looked up and down the passageway, unsure of which way to go. Everything had been a bit of a blur when I boarded.

“Smaller numbers to the front of the ship. Bigger numbers to the back.” He tapped a directional sign.

Theo loaded a ship map on his phone and angled it toward me so I could see too, before nodding to the left. He stopped me after three steps.

“Hey, I don’t know your name.”

“Oh fuck,” I said, covering my mouth with my hand like cursing around Theo was a no-no. Daryl hated when I cursed. Said it was unbecoming of an omega. But Theo’s eyes just danced with amusement. “Mackenzie,” I blurted out.

“Mackenzie.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me down the hall. “We are going to have a great time.”

I leaned into him and his coconut scent, like his confidence and optimism would surround me like an aura.