Rocks Below

Lily smiled coyly, "Sometimes, Cor, the danger is half the fun. Life without spice can get bland quickly. Sometimes you just need to burn your mouth, instead of stuffing your face with chocolate."

"Uhm... Are you craving curry?"

"God, yes." Lily said, "But that was not my point. I am definitely stuffed. Spice tomorrow. Luxury, tonight. My point was... Danger isn't all that bad. Sometimes when you stand right up on the edge of a cliff, you just need to... Jump."

Corey frowned, feeling like they weren't talking about staff hitting on him anymore, but wasn't entirely sure what it was that they'd moved on to. "Even if you don't know what's at the bottom of the cliff? Could be sharks or rocks."

"Even if you do know there's sharks waiting." Lily fixed her eyes on him seriously, "Especially if you do. Some things aren't just worth the risk, they're worth the damage as well."

He nodded, completely lost.

Lily pulled their dance to a stop, and grabbed his tie, wrapping it around one hand smoothly, and tugged his head downwards, touching their heads together, "Just... Jump."

He hesitated, feeling like a moron after all the hints that Lily had been dropping. She'd been telling him how to romance her, throughout the date. There was no describing it another way. This was a date.

"God, damn it." She murmured and leaned up, planting her lips on his. He tasted the champagne on her lips, the liquid courage she'd adopted. The vinaigrette from her salad. Her tongue quested at his teeth, asking for permission, telling him to give in and just kiss her.

Corey's hands moved of their own accord, moving up to hold her cheeks as his tongue found hers. Gently sliding back and forth over each other. Exploring and questing, a long-lasting and slow kiss that had both of them breathing warmth through their noses onto each other's cheeks.

There was one or two wolf whistles, followed by angry shouts to shut the fuck up. It didn't disturb the two of them as they connected.

He was feeling dizzy when Lily's feet finally descended back flat onto the deck, and his mouth parted from hers. They both wiped a saliva strand away in embarrassment, hearts thundering loudly.

She spoke first, "That... Makes things harder."

"Huh?" Corey was feeling like he'd stumbled into a dream.

Lily smiled up at him, "Well... You might hate me... But I still haven't quite made up my mind? You're not even getting a repeat of earlier. The kiss is it. If you were perfect tonight, I was going to kiss you, and then sleep on it."

"I was perfect?"

She rolled her eyes, "Close enough."

"We... Shouldn't do that, again." Corey said seriously, "I... I can't afford to fall for you, Lils. Once we get home and wake up from this dream -"

She put a finger to his lips, "Ssh. I haven't made up my mind yet. No need for your panic, 'kay? Let's go to bed. A perfect kiss, to end a perfect night. Don't spoil it."

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Going to bed was a little bit more involved than just diving under the covers. Lily claimed the bathroom to take off her make-up, leaving Corey in a quandary about his own sleepwear. Usually, he'd wear either some lightweight pants or some trackies, and that was it.

However, the thought of lying topless, waking up with Lily's head on his chest... What he wanted to do was lie beside her, arms around her, as they repeated that kiss beneath the starlight. He'd had passionate kisses, quiet kisses, brief pecks and hungry pashes, but he had never had a kiss like that. One that had stripped away all time, all sense of being in a place.

What he had shared with her easily surpassed even the sex he'd had with some girlfriends. The connection it had created, the longing for more that it had forged, had taken his doubts and hesitations and ruined him.

When he had said he couldn't afford to fall for her, it was a lie.

Corey was now completely head-over-heels in love with Lily. Beyond the intensity of a wild crush. Beyond the intimacy of a love blossomed over years of being tended. His heart had betrayed his mind, telling it that he was never waking up from this dream, the madness was taking over.

He could wait in the dark, far from her light, holding on to his rules and what he knew was right. But in the shadows, every feeling was magnified. He wasn't going to be able to deny it. Right or wrong, his heart was writing the memories, now. His motivations were clear as day.

He could run from her, or lay down the law. Hurt her, as he stabbed himself in the heart in an attempt to be her shield. But he could not deny that the walls he hadn't realised were protecting him from her were crumbling into dust. He could see a horizon with the two of them, hand-in-hand. Never to be broken apart.

Lily exited the bathroom, causing him to gasp in surprise.

She was wearing a sheer nightgown. The pink-tinged material did not a single thing to conceal what lay beneath it, which was nothing at all. He could see the two freckles by her left nipple, her little areolas. Travelling down, he could see twisted curls of brown instead of the fuzzy bush he had expected. Even just the top of her slit.

Corey squeezed his eyes shut, trying to breathe and not ruin the night by sporting a tent in his pants. None of tonight had involved anything along those lines. And the humour it'd invite didn't feel right, either. Tonight had been all about love, sex in absentia. Even the word, fuck, felt crass after their date.

Lily slipped under the covers beside him, lying down and putting one hand on his chest. She kissed his cheek lightly, "Sorry. This was... Kinda what I had. For... Reasons."

"You look amazing." He replied, not daring to open his eyes. "So... Straight to sleep? Or do you want a movie?"

She gently turned his head by his chin, "L... Look at me?"

His eyes sprang open, "Oh, Lils. Geeze. That's not why I..."

Her chin was trembling, pain written across her face. She gave the tiniest little unhappy smile, "I... I know. But it just... Hurts."

He didn't think it through. Corey simply kissed her. Both their arms went around each other, pulling themselves close. He felt her chest pressing into his, the texture of the nightie concealing nothing. She lifted one leg, going around his waist. His hands tangled in her hair.

Lily pushed her head back, breathing hard, "Wait... Wait..."

"Sorry." He winced.

She playfully batted his chest, "No, that's not it. If you kept kissing me, we'd end up... I still want to think. I'm not thinking straight. Not in your arms. So... We should sleep. I want to wake up in the morning, a new day. 'Kay? But... Wow. Ignore me if I look like I want a kiss, please? I... I'm going to break, if we do that again."

He kissed her forehead, "Okay. But... One warning, Lils? I can't protect you. Right now, your will is stronger than mine. I know I'm supposed to be your strong big brother... But I can't be."

"I love you." She whispered, leaning towards him again. Just as he cracked and went to move, she rolled over. Lily snuggled backwards, holding his arms. "Goodnight Cor. I... I love you."

"I love you, too." He whispered, almost hoping she wouldn't hear it.

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"Hey. You awake, yet?"

Corey half-groaned, "Mmm... Almost."

He blinked his eyes, and felt a shot of adrenaline burst through him as he found the not-quite naked girl lying on him. She was leaning with her chin against the middle his chest, half-draped over him and smiling with the same contented happiness she had during their dance last night.

"Morning." He said slowly, noticing her knee resting against the side of his morning wood. It could have been accidental, but he doubted it. "How'd you sleep?"

Lily grinned and kissed his chest, "Better than I have in seven years, thanks to you. Last night was... Perfect. You were the perfect gentleman. Even if it took you a while to notice I was flirting with you. Need to up your game."

"Aha... So you gave it some more thought." Corey said uncomfortably.

She nodded, "I did. And I got nowhere. My hangups and my doubts haven't shifted one single iota. Everything is exactly the same. I'm in love with you, Cor. I don't know how long I have been, but I am. I would have hated this trip, if I was here with anyone else. So, after breakfast we're going to do something, that you probably won't like, but I don't care."

"Lils..."

She giggled, "Not that! Get your head out of the gutter, Cor. What kind of brother thinks about his sister masturbating? Honestly."

"Sometimes, I hate you." He sighed.

She kissed his chest again, "Nope. You looove me. I heard you. You love your little sister! Corey loves his little -" She cut off giggling as he rolled her over, tickling her, "Stop it! Stop it! I need to pee!"

Corey stopped, "So, any other hints about today?"

"I've planned everything. Every. Thing." Lily replied proudly, ducking under his arm to sit up, "Melon on the table."

She headed to the bathroom, and he sat on the edge of the bed, thinking. Despite what she'd said, it seemed to him like Lily had come to some sort of a decision. Maybe it was just to tease the hell out of him for falling, keeping their relationship somewhat in the realm of siblings, but blurred.

He sighed and crossed to a breakfast hamper that suggested Lily had got up before waking him. There was a bunch of different kinds of melon, some bananas and grapes. He popped some rockmelon into his mouth, "So... Miss Planner, how should I dress for today?"

"Nothing!"

He laughed and popped another grape, "That sounds like it'd be really awkward. My free pass for staring was only yesterday, wasn't it?"

Lily opened the bathroom door, the sound of running water and steam spilling out. She shrugged, leaning on the doorway in her nightie, "The lady grudgingly grants him an extension. Grab the fruit, we're hot tubbing."

"Boardies?" Corey asked hopefully, but Lily just glared.

He picked up the fruit and walked over. By the time he'd completed the short couple of steps it had taken, Lily had already shed her nightgown and was stepping down into the water. He felt his morning stiffness return with a vengeance.

Lily let out a little moan as she slid down, her breasts not falling beneath the waterline, "That's the ticket."

Corey hesitated, and then shed his clothes and got in opposite her. As he did, Lily floated onto her back and pushed over to him, arms going around his neck. She opened her mouth wide, "Roman me."

He rolled his eyes and hung the grapes over her. She picked one off with a couple of tugs, and munched on it, "That's harder than it looks in the paintings. Annoying. So... How are you?"

"Awkward."

She grinned at him, and a hand went under the water. It just barely brushed at him, almost light enough not to feel it. Then she hugged onto him again, "Feels nice to be appreciated. I had to actually work to make Cal pay attention. So... I did a lot of thinking this morning. And I got nowhere. So, like I was saying last night... Sometimes, when you're looking at a cliff, you just need to jump off it."

"You waited until I couldn't run to say this, didn't you?"

She grinned innocently, "That was the plan. You like?"

"Feeling very awkward, a little ambushed, and incredibly guilty about last night." Corey replied, "I... We..."

Lily looked at him boredly, "So, when are you go to stop protesting and kiss me? You've got a hot girl in a hot tub. I don't think I actually know how to make a bigger hint."

"How... Far are we going to take this? We can't. The risk of doing something we're going to regret -"

Lily put a hand over his mouth, "Already said I know the risks. And I'm not offering to screw you. We're in bloody water. Sex, and water, do not mix. At all. But... I wanna kiss you. A lot. All day. In public, and no one will care and no one knows us. I love you. So... I'm going to show it. Jumping right at the rocks, here, Cor."

He moved his arms around her, balancing her waist and helping her to sit up slightly, onto the edge of his lap. "I... Rocks. Yeah. There's no coming back from this, for me. You can dump me. But... This is it. Do you want to be my girlfriend, Lils? Really?"

"Shut up. And. Kiss. The fucking. Girl!" She twitched.

He leaned down to her. Unlike last night, this time she was passionate. Lily grabbed at him, pulling him forcefully against her. She didn't tantalise his teeth, she thrust her tongue into his mouth with a growl.

Corey's heart thundered away, and he felt himself instinctively respond to her in kind. Holding her head tightly in place and kissing her back just as hard. Twisting and tangling their mouths together.

She pushed him back, and gave a shuddering breath, "Wow. Well, fuck me. Uhm... Wow. Okay. That was... A test."

"Oh, shit."

Lily smiled and shook her head, putting one hand to her chest, "No. You passed. Holy shit, did you pass. Uhm... Last night was amazing. Sweet. And I mostly want sweet. But sometimes... Like when you caught me... I just want something... Furious. Apparently, you can do both. Whew..."

Corey brushed her cheek, "I prefer sweet, with you."

"Mmm." She smiled and nuzzled his nose, "Good. Now... Hang out in the tub and get pruny. I'm off to... Well, duh."

Lily jumped out of the tub, showing him her perfectly sculpted butt as she grabbed a towel. She wrapped it around him, and looked back, "Stay. Good boyfriend."

"Oi! I'm not a dog!" Corey called after her.

She laughed from the other room, "Nope, but I'm a bitch!"

He sighed and put some more fruit in his mouth as he tried to figure out exactly what had just transpired. It felt like, despite Lily saying she was jumping into things, that the rest of the day was probably going to have a lot more of her... Tests.

He didn't really mind. Dating life was always a lot of anxiety fuelled moments, making sure you had the right response at the right time. However, being tested by his sister for... Compatibility? That was going to be hell. Being teased by her was bad enough, most of the time.

"You're seriously going to sit in the fucking tub!?" Lily yelled at him, "I told you what I was doing!"

He laughed softly, "Uh... You also told me to stay, if I remember correctly. What was that about consent being sexy?"

"Holy. Shit." Lily exclaimed, "Wow. So your stupid iron will... That's not going away, is it?"

"No?"

Lily's voice changed to nervous, "What if... I asked you to... Help me?"

"I... Uh..." Corey thought for a moment, "I think I'd ask if we can do something first. Make a date of it. You're special, Lils. Important to me. I don't... Want to just... Risk screwing it up."

She stepped into view of the doorway, fully dressed in a white leather skirt, a lightweight silk shirt, and the necklace from last night. She put one hand on her hip, "Okay. Tests, over. You, legitimately, are now my boyfriend. If you'll have your annoying little sister, that is."

"What the hell was that?"

Lily shrugged, "Me not being as horny as fuck. So I could actually think things through? Though... If you'd woken up a little earlier..."

"Did... Did you masturbate in the bed?" Corey asked cautiously.

She nodded, "Yup. It was... Well, um... We're dating. So you should know the things I like... Remember that I like being... Watched? That goes to being... Caught, too. Thinking you were going to wake up with me next to you... I didn't take two hours, this time."

"You seem happier, for it."

Lily sighed, "Get out of the tub, and get dressed."

"Privacy?"

"No." She shook her head and grinned, "I wanna see what's mine. And it is. If you go putting it anywhere near any of the women who keep fucking hitting on you... Well, I don't just cry when I get upset."

Corey frowned, "You... Want to see me?"

"That's half the excuse of making you jump in the hot tub." Lily smiled innocently. "Oh, come on. I'm not offering anything, really. I just want a peek."

"You are acting... Different."

"I'm happy!" Lily yelled in annoyance, "Geeze. Is that such a big deal? I'm happy, Cor. I have you, and you have proven that you can be trusted to put up with my crap, to show respect, and to stick to my boundaries even when they don't make sense. Why wouldn't I be over the moon?"

He nodded, "When you put it that way... And we do have a massive ship full of fun things. Oh, we were doing something after this, weren't we? That would annoy me? Was this it?"

"Not it." Lily shook her head, "So... Can I watch you get dressed, yet?"

Corey frowned, "So... The watching thing... It goes both ways? You like watching as much as being watched?"

She nodded quickly, her eyes taking on a hungry look.

He didn't really have the self confidence for it, but he doubted that Lily was going anywhere. So he stood up with a heavy splash of water. She looked at him pointedly, mouth pursed, and then smiled, "Mind pulling the plug?"

"Mind watching my ass?" Corey retorted as he turned away from her.

Lily gave a small whistle, "Nooope. That I don't."

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His sister sat in a chair by the table as he got dressed. She'd set out some clothes for him on the bed, when she'd been pretending to be taking care of herself, earlier. A simple jeans and t-shirt set, casual and comfortable. So they probably weren't doing surfing or jetski things, today.

Corey held the door open for her again. As Lily got up from the table, he couldn't help but notice her slip one of the heart-patterned packets into the little black purse that she was carrying, which filled his head with all kinds of the wrong thoughts.

She had made up her mind, and he wanted her, but... He was still struggling with the idea of anything carnal. He loved her, she'd stolen that. However, he was still terrified of hurting her. Memories of Lily's blissful face when she had cum for him weren't quite enough to ease the panic.

Lily stopped in the doorway, and leaned up on her tippy toes. Her lips met his, and her arms snaked in under his to hold him as she did. Corey used his free hand to hold the back of her neck, revelling in the return of her gentle and perfect touch. Like a butterfly touching down, or an angel crossing the threshold.

She smiled at him proudly as she went back down onto her heels, "Not as fun without the tie. But... You know what it means, right?"

"I love you." Corey replied, knowing exactly what she wanted him to say. Her nose crinkled in excitement, and she took his hand in hers.

Lily led him towards the back of the ship, away from most of the public entertainment and past some of the more adult things. Like a couple's massage that apparently guaranteed a simultaneous happy ending, which left Lily with a fit of giggles thinking about how they'd achieve that.

There was only one other couple right at the back, further along than the two of them.

Lily went up on the railing, and Corey hugged her from behind, kissing her neck, "So, what part of this is going to piss me off?"

"Maybe this. Maybe?" She sighed and dropped back. His sister pulled an unexpected object out of her purse, holding up a small silver ring. "This... This is something Caleb gave me. Four years ago. Not an engagement ring. A promise to get engaged, ring. I believed him, then."

Corey frowned, "Isn't the point of a ring that you can sell it, if everything falls apart? A way to protect the widow, and so on?"

"Said you wouldn't like it. You're too practical." Lily replied, and then lifted her arm right back, before socking the ring into the ocean like a baseballer. She yelled after the instantly disappearing object, "I'm never coming back!"

He kissed her neck again, "Feel good?"

"You, or the ring?" She leaned her head, giving him better access, "Mmm. Both is good. I love it, being held like this. Appreciated like this. Not quite as much as I like you looking at me like I'm the main course, because I don't get to see you, but it's still a favourite."