AN:

The Premise of This Story

Who...

Marian: A slightly neurotic, twenty-something, self-employed, London based photographer.

Robin: Famous athlete who won, not one but two, gold medals in Archery for Great Britain at the Beijing Olympics.

Plus a bunch of other people that for now remains nameless.

Where..

Onboard m.s. Princess Scandinavia, in the middle of the North Sea

When..

Takes place during a 48 hours cruise.

PROLOGUE

04.00 AM, 01-17-2002
Onboard ms Princess of Scandinavia / Pacific Deck / Cabin 202

"Will this miserable night ever end?" I grumbled to myself as I woke up for what seemed like the millionth time in less than an hour.

The ship rolled constantly and sleeping comfortable was just about impossible. However this time, I don't think it was the thunderstorm or the rough sea that had awaken me…No, this time it was the goosebumps forming on my upper arms that had caused me to stir.

Shivering from cold I huddled deeper under my blanket and with my eyes still shut I instinctively moved closer towards the warmer side of the bed...

"Wait a minute!" My eyes snapped open when realization hit me. Deep down, underneath the blankets, there was another body … pressing against mine!!

"Ohhh, that's right... My bed companion…" For a moment there I had totally forgotten about him... It took me a few seconds to adjust to the dim darkness around me. "Was that his arm I felt wrapped around my waist?!" I squinted, struggling to make out the details of the almost naked form next to me.

He was lying facedown on his stomach. His head was resting in the curve of my shoulder, his eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly open. The sensation of his warm breath against my skin was causing the hair on my neck to stand on end. But his exhales were slow and rhythmic which hopefully meant that he was still in deep sleep.

"Please let there be a way out of this..." I silently prayed as I carefully began to wriggle myself out from underneath his arm. BAD MOVE! Suddenly, without any warning, the man beside me began to stir. "Oh crap, he's waking up!" I thought as panic flooded through me..

But my worry was soon put to rest… Sure, he did make a discontented sigh and he did move around a bit, but I think he was merely shifting his body into a more comfortable position because other than that he showed absolutely no sign of rousing anytime soon.

Which would have been a good thing… Only now my chances of getting out off there had been reduced to pretty much non-existing. Because instead of escaping his embrace, I had somehow ended up even more trapped underneath his warm solid body. We were now as intimately tangled as two people can be with out being...uhem.. you know…

Sigh Let's just say that a change of tactics was clearly called for... Truth be told, I would rather chew of my arm than risk waking him up…. So that left me with only one option -to be patient and wait…Wait for him to roll off me, hopefully by himself and hopefully still asleep... .

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and tried my best to block out his presents…. Out of sight, out of mind… But of course that was not an easy task as I lay there in the dark cabin, listening to the mixture of his rhythmical breathing and the raging storm outside. I couldn't concentrate, instead I found my mind spinning in circles...

The absurdity of the situation was just too much… I mean this man, who was laying next to me, was practically a complete stranger so what the hell was I doing there… in his company…in his cabin… in his bed?

Ohh, and I know what you all are thinking, but NO he is not some nameless guy I picked up in a bar. This has nothing to do with sex. He is NOT my lover and he never will be because I don't even like him. But still, he is the reason why I ended up in this mess… Ok, I can see I have some explaining to do…

So, where do I begin… I guess you could say I'm a girl on a mission, well that's how it all started anyway. But believe me, getting in his pants has never been part of the plan. Although he looks kind of cute when he's a sleep….

But let's not get side-tracked here… He may look sweet and innocent right now but when he is awake he's stuck up, self absorbed, loud and obnoxious. Basically, he's a diva and a flirt and definitely not my type. Actually DIVA is a description that is pretty close to the truth… It so happens that the man laying next to me is famous, a real celebrity, he is Robin Locksley.

Ok, so if that name doesn't ring a bell his achievements as an athlete surely ought to. I guess you're more likely to recognize him if I tell you that he is the mixed martial arts champion that won, not one but two, gold medals in Archery for Great Britain at the Beijing Olympics. I'm not completely sure what the champion is doing here in Scandinavia right now though, but I guess it must have something to do with his train-...

What was that?! A sudden noise made me jump. I froze for a second but released my breath in relief when I realized where the sound came from. There it was again, another loud snore that sounded like a jet flying by... Apparently the medallist himself thought it was time to remind me of his presence. Geez, even in his sleep he has a need to be the absolute center of attention…

Now, where was I?? Oh yeah, Robin and his medals… Hmm, I hope I don't strike as the type of girl that spend every waken hour obsessing over some famous athlete… Cuz I'm not. I'm not even into sports that much. The only reason I recognized him in the first place is because my thirteen-year-old sister is crazy about him. She has pictures of him posted all over her bedroom walls.

OK, I must admit, those pictures of hers don't do him justice. He is actually quite a looker. I mean if you like the type... He is average height, nicely built and definitely in good physical condition. I'm not sure about his age but he looks like he is in his mid twenties. He has dark blond, somewhat curly hair, deep blue eyes and of course a killer smile. In my opinion it's that cheeky grin of his that gives him away as being both overly confident and cocky. But sure he IS good looking there is no denying that.

And there is nothing wrong with his achievements either for that matter. It's not like I don't appreciate the skill, talent and practice involved in the sport of archery. I guess it's more his attitude and the size of his ego I can't stand…. Not to mention all the other annoying crap that seems to come along with being a Olympic medallist; instant stardom, endorsements deals, tv appearances… and so on….

He's got a wicked grin and an attitude to match, that's for sure. But, okay, maybe I'm being just a tad bit unfair here, considering I hardly know the guy...

Besides, none of this explains HOW and WHY I ended up in his bed in the first place. So I think I might need to rewind a little and start this story from the beginning.

Shifting uncomfortable in the bed I closed my eyes and let the memories of the previous day wash over me…