The Cruise 5 - What is Happening to Us?

When Ella came back to her cabin, the sun was already setting. She was restless, and her mind was chaotic. She was happy that Justin left her alone for a while, but she didn’t know he went to her cabin several times in the afternoon and didn’t find her there. At the same time something inside her ached for him, her senses were telling her that something bad had happened between those two and the way he looked so much in love in the picture he was the one who got the short end of the shit. She didn’t know what to think of the whole situation and who the girl from the picture was. Ok, it was her in that picture, but; it wasn’t! Her eyes were so cold that it gave her the chills! No, not me at all, so who was she then! With all these in her head, Ella got ready and went to a diner at the far end of the ship to have dinner. She left, looked around suspiciously and sneaked mingling with the other guests. She was feeling like a criminal sneaking around and to tell the truth she just wanted to stay away from her cabin, she was without appetite. Getting at the diner she got some fresh juice, pulled out a book from her bag even though she couldn’t concentrate on it, and after some good time she walked back. Early in the morning, the ship would dock in Marseilles, France. She could go for some errands, nice touristic sightseeing and relax a bit before they continue to Italy.

Ella stopped in front of her door again, looking around. Her biggest fear was one of her father’s associates found out about her and with the last events she was very cautious about it. She unlocked the door and quickly went inside, turning on the lights. Justin was sitting on the armchair facing the door.

“How did you get in here?” Ella took her hand to her throat, and her heart started pounding in her chest.

“Are you trying to avoid me, Ella?” Justin asked in such a serious tone and staring at Ella’s eyes so intensely she felt she could catch on fire at the spot. 

Ella gave one step back, gluing her body against the door and looking for the doorknob to escape, seeing her intention Justin was on her before she could do anything. “What are you doing? How did you get in here?” 

“I have my ways, and you’re trying to avoid me,” he said, seeing fear into her eyes. “Don’t be afraid of me. I came to apologize for my earlier behavior. I had no right to talk to you the way I did and...”

“Justin, please…” she was nervous and put her hands on Justin's chest trying to keep a distance. 

“Wait, hear me out! I know I acted like an ass, and I’m so sorry about that. But you saw the pictures, you two are so much alike I thought I was losing my mind. Please forgive me!” Justin apologized in a deep voice full of regret and moved closer, towering over her. 

“Justin, I don’t know what to make of all of this, it’s not me in those pictures,” Ella said in a low thread of voice desperately trying to decide if she believed or not in him.

“I know, I know,” he sighed.

“If this is some setup…” Ella whispered, looking up at him.

“No! No setup at all, far from it! Not even I understand what’s going on here,” he gently caressed her face and touched her forehead with his, looking straight into her lively green eyes.

“There must be an explanation somewhere,” she said nervously licking her lips and staring at his mouth.

“There must be, Ella…” he said in a hoarse voice.

“What is happening to us, Justin? We barely know each other…” she said in a husky voice, looking intently into his eyes.

“I don’t know, but I’m willing to find out…” and then Justin didn’t waste one more minute. He descended his mouth on hers and right there, she knew she was lost. 

Ella’s hands traveled to his neck and the other to his waist slowly, feeling his muscles underneath her fingertips. He smelled so good, the spicy scent of his aftershave was doing wonders to her senses, and he was gentler this time, more careful with her. His hands were all over Ella. He was kissing her senseless, her head tilted back and Justin was trailing kisses all over her neck down her throat into her collarbone and Ella pulled him closer, sneaking her hand inside of his t-shirt, She naughtily slid her nails through his back muscles making him shudder. She got the hem of his t-shirt and pulled off of him, wanting to feel him beneath her palms. Justin pressed her against himself and the wall even more. She had no clue what was going on with her, she just felt this force toward him like an object caught by a gravitational pull of a star and was trapped for eternity. She traced the tribal tattoo that started on his right shoulder, going up to his neck. It mesmerized her. She kissed his neck, making little swirls with her tongue following the path of his tattoo. Justin shivered, and a low growl escaped from his mouth. Ella held on to his neck getting hold of his mouth with hers again, feeling how aroused he was, she clung to him wrapping her legs around his waist and Justin cupped her butt holding her there. She was breathing him in and kissing him wildly. Without stopping kissing Ella, Justin walked to the bed, both falling on top of each other. 

“Are you sure about this?” Justin asked Ella with anxious eyes and breathing hard.

Ella pondered for a second. “Yes.” 

That was enough for Justin to take her lips again, the kiss was so gentle taking Ella in a hot sweet possession. Justin pulled Ella closer, deepening the kiss and becoming more and more possessive and wild. His mouth started traveling down her throat and collarbone stopping for a minute just to check the intricate golden cord around her neck that held some pendant, he didn’t even notice the first time, but he couldn’t see it since it fell in the back of her neck in between her hair sprawled all over the pillows. His hand slid it up to Ella’s side brushing the outside of her breast making both of them gasp, in one skillful motion Ella’s blouse was gone and his hot mouth was giving full attention to her breasts, his tongue swirling over her nipples, lazily sucking and kissing them making her tangle her fingers into his hair pulling him to her wild with pleasure. Ella arched back, offering better access to him. “Justin…” she moaned. “What are you doing to me?” she said in ragged gasps. Ella’s hand traveled down his chest in a soft caress, feeling his muscles, slowly going for his pants, a naughty smile appeared in her mouth, and she touched the hard bulge there restrained by the jeans, and making it harder. 

“You’re driving me insane…” Justin panting whispered in her ear. “You smell so good, cinnamon girl, I like that,” His warm breath sent a lightning streak of ecstasy all over her body. She opened the button of his jeans and unzipped him, putting her hand inside, feeling him pulsing in her palm and making him groan against her soft and sensitive skin. Ella felt him grow harder on her hand, and she wanted him out of his jeans. Justin let go of her breasts trailing kisses down her ribs making her writhe underneath him, his hot and moist tongue taking its time playing with the teardrop-shaped piercing in her belly button. Suddenly, an interesting fun-shaped mark caught his attention, it was a crescent moon very close to her belly button. He started trembling and froze on the spot. He traced her mark with his fingertips and blinked several times to make sure what he was seeing was real.

“What’s wrong, Justin?” Ella asked with glazed eyes and breathless, suddenly she felt a cold wave wash all over her and a shudder ran up her back.

He raised his head, staring at her, his beautiful shiny bluish gray eyes icy black. “Do you take me for a fool, Claire?” he growled furiously between his teeth.

“What are you talking about?” Ella started trembling underneath Justin when she realized she was in a vulnerable situation. “You’re scaring me…” she breathed slowly to keep her calm and thinking quickly.

“This mark… This mark doesn’t lie, Claire!” he looked at it gently passing his finger over it getting lost at the moment remembering something that was better left in the past.

“I was born with this birthmark, Justin,” Ella said in a very low and tender voice, gently stroking his hair trying to bring him back to the moment they were in.

Justin started laughing and shaking his head. “Oh, you’re good! I think I always underestimated you. You almost fooled me, Claire, but you forgot this here,” and he pointed to the mark. “This mark does not lie, I got you.”

Ella’s blood flushed out of her face, and she became as pale as a ghost. She got his face with both her hands, holding tight and looking straight into his eyes. “Justin, look at me. Listen to me. I’m not Claire! I don’t even know who’s Claire! Believe me, please…” 

“Stop with the act, Claire. It’s over. This is proof enough,” there was such hurt in his voice. He lowered his head and kissed her mark so gently that Ella thought she would scream in such agony. “All these years I thought you were dead, I blamed myself for it all this time… and now you’re here. Why did you come back? Why are you doing this? Why?” he was repeating in a low hurtful voice nuzzling her belly, and then he rested his head on top of her stomach closing his eyes while Ella was holding him to her and silent tears were streaming down her face.

“I’m so sorry, Justin. I’m so sorry…” that was everything Ella could say at that moment. Abruptly he got off of her, grabbed his t-shirt and left, slamming the door of her cabin. It startled Ella, inside her head she was screaming nonsense. After a long while, she pushed herself out of her numbness and checked the clock. The ship would dock in Marseilles in about an hour. It was close to dawn. She got up, put some jeans, sneakers, a tank top, and a jacket on, tied up her hair in a ponytail, got all her documents, her bag and left her cabin. She didn’t even take the rest of her clothes. When the cruise ship docked, she got off quickly, took a cab and went straight to the airport.