Addicted to Love: Brits on Board, #4

By Gemma L. Perfect

Logan has never forgotten his first love, Darcie.

 

Darcie thinks she's forgotten him, and with six ex-husbands and as many ex fiancés, nobody could say she hadn't tried to get over him.

 

But when they come face to face with each other, the years roll back and Darcie is sixteen again. Madly in love and ready to be with him forever.

 

But meeting him again also means the secret she's kept for twenty five years has to come out too, and Darcie isn't sure she's ready to face the past in order to give Logan a second chance.

 

* please note this story makes reference to a sexual attack in the past which could cause readers distress *

 

* All the books in the Brits on Board series are stand alone books with Happy Ever Afters, zero cliffhangers, and recurring characters I know you'll grow to love. They should be read in order to avoid spoilers *

• Language: English
• Publisher: PERFECT INK PUBLISHING
• Release date: Sep 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201599584

Book preview

Chapter 1

Darcie throws her arms around Pip and then Barney.

I couldn’t be happier for the two of you, but if I don’t take this dress off, I’m going to explode. Good night darlings.

She kisses them both and squeezes Pip’s hand before sashaying to her dressing room. She’d love to walk like a normal human, but the dresses she performs in all have one thing in common – they are tight. Okay, more than one thing – they are spangly as well. Glittery, sparkly, sequined, shimmery.

And as much as she loves them, and oozes glamour and sex appeal in them, when she takes them off, it’s always a relief.

Outside her dressing room, she calls Dennie, one of the floor guys, and he unzips the top part of her dress for her.

She pinches his cheek and then goes into her dressing room and locks the door.

Pulling the zip down the rest of the way and peeling off the dress, she sighs with pleasure. They look incredible on her, but breathing is so nice. She wraps a silk dressing gown around herself and uses the phone to order food.

She’s afforded luxuries many staff members aren’t; her own dressing room, a cabin she doesn’t have to share with anyone else, and the ability to phone and order food and drink after her shows, as though she was a passenger.

As always after performing, she’s starving, and with the show running on for longer tonight for Pip and Barney, it’s even later than usual.

It was a grand night – she loves singing with Hudson; they have definite chemistry – not in that way. Robyn doesn’t have to worry that Darcie might be after her man; she’s not, but it’s exciting and exhilarating to perform with someone like Hudson.

She pours a drink and knocks it back. The only downside to performing with Hudson, is that if she’s in the right mood – a low mood, a blue mood, a little bit not herself mood – then she feels even more miserable that she never ‘made it’.

She scoffs and blows out her cheeks. What does ‘made it’ even mean?

Does it matter that she’s not a billionaire like Hudson? That she never got a number one? That she never performed on Top of the Pops back in the day, or headlined a concert at Wembley, or won an award?

Most days it doesn’t. She loves her life on the ships, and she has a certain type of fame because of what she does. So many people come to see her shows, and she’s always a passenger favourite. She gets to do what she loves, every day – except Sundays – and she gets paid to see the world. It’s not all bad.

But when they make cruise ship singers an insult on talent shows, suddenly what she does is cheesy or cringey or lame.

She closes her eyes. She doesn’t feel cheesy or cringey or lame. When she performs, she feels like a Celine or an Adele or a Madonna. Her voice is incredible, she won’t try to be coy about it, and she looks the part, and she loves the banter with her audiences; she knows many of them stay for all three shows – it’s hard to get a seat when she’s performing, and that makes her proud.

Then she sings with Hudson, and wonders, how come he’s a legend, known all over the world and instantly recognisable and lauded over, and she’s, well, she’s just Darcie.

The knock at the door interrupts her melancholy mood, and she plasters on a smile; nobody will ever know the secret thoughts she has about her life and her lack of success.

The waiter brings everything in and places it on the table for her, and she thanks him with a warm smile.

She eats a chip, sighing at the hot, salty deliciousness and then there’s another knock.

Just in time, she says, smiling at Ryan and stepping out of the way, so he can come in.

He steps towards her and kisses her hard on the mouth and then takes a seat.

She sits beside him and eats her ham, egg and chips.

You have the same thing every night, Ryan says, taking hold of his burger.

I’m a creature of habit, you know.

I know. I’m just glad I’m one of your habits.

Darcie laughs and waves a chip at him. That’s a terrible line,

Ryan looks bashful, but then he grins.

I know. You make me tongue tied. I’m not usually.

She rolls her eyes but doesn’t answer him. He might be too attached; it might be time to cut him loose; she’s not sure yet. He’s not great in bed, but he’s getting better; he’s open to learning.

She licks her fingers when she’s done, enjoying the last hit of grease and salt. Ryan is watching her, hunger in his eyes.

Come out with me this week?

Darcie tuts. No, Ryan. You know it’s not like that between us.

He crosses his arms. What if I want it to be?

We don’t always get what we want, Darcie says, and doesn’t make a move to touch him.

He shifts closer to her, lifting her hair out of the way and kissing her neck.

Just a date. One date?

She sighs, enjoying his lips on her skin. Ryan...

She won’t go on a date with him, or out for a drink or a meal; this is a strictly behind closed doors deal for her. And he knows it; she’s made it perfectly clear. She could send him away, but the way he’s kissing her neck is too good, making her tingle and sigh.

Darcie?

Not now, Ryan. Just kiss me.

She doesn’t want to spoil what could be a good night. She wants to sleep with him. She likes the way he adores her.

He kisses her mouth, hard, demanding, clearly still miffed, but she doesn’t care. She won’t give in.

She throws her arms around him, pulling him closer, shifting position, so they’re lying in a tangle on the sofa, still kissing.

He’s a good kisser – always has been, but not good at much else. Typical bloke. The first time they slept together, he pumped and squirted and seemed so damn proud of himself, despite the whole thing lasting less than seven minutes from start to, very frustrating for Darcie, finish. She didn’t have a single tingle of pleasure and was nowhere near orgasm herself.

Slowly, gently, without embarrassing him too much, she’s taught him to slow down, please her, touch her, kiss her, wind her up and bring her to the brink. Then, when he pumps away with the vigour and stamina of a bloke in his early twenties, he pushes her over the edge, time and time again.

He touches her breasts through her silk wrap, slipping a finger inside the material, and just grazing her skin. She sighs; this is what she wants, the touching, the teasing, the tantalising.

She’s also doing a service to the other women he sleeps with – and she knows he does. She’s taught him how to please a woman and to always wear protection.

Nibbling on her shoulder, he reaches around and unhooks her bra. Darcie sighs again. She could just lie there all day while he plays with her boobs. It’s heaven. The first time they slept together, she was still wearing her bra at the end. He hadn’t touched her once.

Ryan?

He looks up, and she kisses him. She’s proud of how much better he is in bed now.

The desire in his expression makes her sigh, and then she lays back, hands behind her head, offering her breasts to him, and he takes them. First in his hands, touching, caressing and massaging them with almost an expert hand. He grazes her nipples with his thumbs, just teasing and playing with them until they are rock hard and ready for his mouth.

When he sucks on a nipple, just taking it between his teeth gently at first, and then sucking on it hard, she sighs. He keeps his other hand on her other boob, just gently feeling it, rubbing it, squeezing the nipple now and then. Then he swaps sides, and she lets out a moan.

It’s divine and the ache between her legs is growing as he laps away at her breasts.

He kisses her again, the length of his body hard against hers, his erection digging into her, and she runs her hands through his hair, kissing him harder, letting him know that what he’s doing is working.

He’s thrusting against her, pushing his hard-on against her, getting ahead of himself; he’s always too eager just to get to the final act.

She takes his head in her hands and kisses him softly, deeply, and undoes her wrap, letting him see her body, her lacy knickers. He groans and reaches for his trousers. She holds his hand, slowing him down.

She kisses his neck and licks his ear. Let me.

She traces her fingers across his stomach, feeling the smattering of hair on his chest, and pinching a nipple, before undoing his jeans, and slipping her hand inside his boxers. He’s rock hard and thrusts up to meet her hand. He’s impatient. She rubs her finger across the top of his cock, feeling the wetness. Then she locks eyes with him and licks her fingers. He groans again, and she smiles at him.

Undress, she says, and he does, standing up and hopping around in the rush to get his jeans off and his boxers off. He pulls his top off and grins at her, his cock at the ready. Socks off, she says, smiling at his enthusiasm.

He pulls them off and then lies down on top of her. This time there’s only the thinnest, laciest bit of fabric between his dick and her. She loves it.

Thrusting again, he takes her breasts in his hands, playing with them, kissing them and licking them. She knows he’s desperate to fuck her, and normally she’d want to go slower, but the push of his erection against her, the feel of the wetness in her knickers, the ache between her legs. It’s too much.

Now? he asks, and the desperation in his voice fills her with lust.

She’s definitely too old for him, and he’s definitely too much of a player for her, but the hunger in his eyes, the hardness of his cock pushing against her, desperate to go inside her, makes her forget all of that.

He looks at her, pleading with her, mouth open, desire written all over his face. She loves the power she has over him. He wants her so badly.

She gives him the slightest nod, and he growls with pleasure, pulling her knickers off in one practised move. He’s already got his condom on, and when he plunges inside her, she bucks up to meet him. She was wetter than she thought, more turned on than she thought, and as he thrusts, hammering away at her, hands on her breasts, mouth on hers, hard and hungry, she knows she’s going to come.

And she does. Quickly.

He’s got some stamina, and she loves it; the waves of her orgasm don’t get the chance to die down because he’s thrusting, grinding, pushing his cock into her, harder and harder, faster and faster until she’s panting, helpless, gripping onto him, fingernails digging into his skin, repeating his name as he slams his dick into her over and over.

She locks eyes with him, and she can tell he’s loving it; loving the feeling of power over her for a change, loving her shouting out his name, frenzied with desire, and coming over and over until she’s exhausted.

He finally comes with a shout of exhilaration and lowers his sweat soaked body onto hers.

She kisses him and wraps her arms around him. That was good – probably the best yet. Maybe it’s not time to cool things off – maybe it’s time to heat things up.

Do you want to come to my cabin? she asks him, and his head snaps up, his mouth open with surprise.

Really?

She laughs. Really. I like you, Ryan, you know that. I love spending time with you, and the sex is amazing.

But you don’t want to be seen in public with me?

I don’t want to be seen in public with anyone.

What does that even mean?

It means that I’m not dating right now, but I enjoy spending time with you. Is it so bad?

No. I just don’t like the way you hide our relationship.

I don’t hide it, Ryan, because we don’t have a relationship. Not a real one.

He untangles himself from her arms and gathers his clothes. When he’s like this, she’s reminded of his age and it’s a turnoff. There’s a twenty year age gap between them. He’s twenty one, and she’s forty one, and when they’re naked, they’re equals. When he’s acting like a sulky kid, she can’t bear it.

She tightens her robe around her and pulls on her knickers. The room is filled with tension now, and she can’t stand it.

I feel like you’re just using me, he says, turning to her, hands raised up in a shrug, a defeated look on his face.

Darcie sighs and pours herself a drink, taking a sip before answering him. She’s enjoyed their dalliances, but if he’s going to be sulky and awkward, then she can live without them, without him.

She steps towards him, takes his hands and kisses him.

Ryan. I’m not using you. I like you. I like the time we spend together. For now, this is all I want. If you’re happy, great. She kisses him again, snakes her hand down to feel his crotch. His dick springs up immediately. But if you’re not happy, if this isn’t enough for you, then we can end it. No hard feelings.

He puts his hands on her backside, squeezing.

It’s enough, he says with a sigh.

She looks at him, a question in her eyes. Is it? I won’t make you miserable.

You don’t make me miserable. You make me horny as fuck. Nobody compares to you.

She smiles at him. He’s so sweet and sexy.

Although you keep trying, just to check, she says, her tone light. She knows he sleeps with other women – only ever passengers; he has a reputation, and a few of the staff tease him about it.

Darcie, if you’d have me here every day and night, I wouldn’t be trying anyone else.

She smiles and kisses him. She doesn’t care what he does when he’s not with her, as long as he’s careful. They don’t have an exclusive relationship.

They kiss again, and he slides his hand under her wrap, touching her bum, slipping his finger under the fabric to stroke her butt.

Can I still come to your cabin?

Let me just get dressed, she says, and he helps her find her clothes.

Chapter 2

She’s never asked him to her cabin before; she’s never wanted him to stay the night, but they had great sex tonight, and she’s not fully satisfied. Not yet.

He’s like a puppy dog, eagerly following her along the corridor. It’s late enough that they don’t pass many other staff, and the ones they do, she doesn’t know.

She wouldn’t care if someone saw them, anyway. She doesn’t use him or try to keep him a secret. She’s just happy with things the way they are. She doesn’t advertise the fact that she sleeps with him; only Pip and Wyn know, but she’s not actively hiding it, either, no matter what he thinks.

She unlocks the door to her cabin, and Ryan steps inside, almost nervously, and she takes hold of his hand again. Her cabin is lovely – and she knows it’s bigger than the one he has, and that he more than likely shares with someone.

They treat her well on the ship. She’s got her own cabin, a double bed, and a larger than normal bathroom, with a bath instead of the standard shower.

This is nice, he says, and she leans in to kiss him.

It is, she says, reaching for his cock, rubbing him through his jeans.

He pushes her into the room, shutting the door and steering her to the bed.

She laughs and wraps her arms around him, falling onto the bed, and immediately feeling his erection dig into her.

He’s not slow and careful this time; he’s horny as hell and Darcie wonders if being in her cabin has given him a thrill, made it sexier than usual. Who knows, but she likes it.

He peels off her trousers and knickers in one go, and she shivers. He kneels on the floor at the foot of the bed, and she shuffles down so he can reach her. Not her sexiest move, she reckons, but when his tongue touches her clitoris, she doesn’t even care.

And when he slips a finger inside her, gently thrusting and teasing her, she cares even less. She’s quick to come with a shudder and then she closes her legs.

He grins