AN: For anyone who's getting confused, this is an entirely new boat that these guys are on. Everyone's room is different than their old ones because the boat itself is smaller. Just thought I'd point that out. =)

A Girl Like You

Chapter 6

It'll Be Like A Game

Mark woke first, finding himself lying on his back in a tangled mess of sheets with Abby lying beside him. Her body faced the wall, her hands hidden underneath the pillow. He smiled as he looked at her; her dark hair tousled, her cheeks still pink. He saw her limbs exposed, her soft, peachy skin as inviting as it was only a few hours before. He heard her sigh in her sleep, and then saw a small smile slowly appear on her face. His heart gave a large thump in his chest as he languorously remembered the details of last night.

Abby was not inexperienced, he soon found out. In fact, she made him downright sweat, but in a good way. He remembered her moans, the taste of her and the smell of her hair as he buried his face in it. Vanilla, he thought dreamily. He marvelled at how their two bodies seemed to move together perfectly, like they were made from the same mould. And she was completely different than other girls he had been with; she knew where to touch and when, and he actually enjoyed the fact that he got to make love to her, instead of the other way around, which is what he was used to. He wondered if the Count knew that his seemingly innocent baby girl was secretly a devil in the sack.

The Count, he thought with a jolt. What the hell would he do if he found out what happened? Kill him, probably. He wasn't sure he wanted to find out. Abby sighed again, and Mark's thoughts of the Count tying him to a barrel like he had vowed soon disappeared. Sod the Count, he thought as he wrapped his arm around Abby's waist and pulled her closer to him. If he kills me, at least I'll die a happy man.

Abby squinted as she opened her eyes, trying to block out the sun that peered through Mark's dark curtains. She smiled as she felt his breath at the nape of her neck, and the feeling of his rising chest against her bare back. Memories rushed to her as she remembered the night before, and a blush travelled along her entire body. His hands were everywhere, exploring, caressing every inch of her, skilfully examining her like she was a piece of art. She had never been with someone as...experienced as he was, and the end result was mind-blowing. Now she knew why he had girls practically throwing themselves at him; the guy was amazing in bed.

When she turned her head, she was surprised to find Mark smiling back at her.

"Good morning," she said sleepily.

"It certainly is," he returned, and kissed her nose. He smiled wider when she turned around and snuggled close to him, placing her head in the curve of his shoulder. He felt her shiver slightly. "Are you cold?"

She nodded and he reached down to grab the tangled sheet, pulling it over them and running his hand lightly along the curve of her side as he did so. She shivered again and smiled.

"If you keep doing stuff like that, I'll never leave."

"Do you think I want you to?" he asked silkily. She huffed and sat up, wrapping the sheet around her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to my room." She hopped over him and stood and the end of the bed, trying to ignore his nakedness (to which he obviously showed no shame). "My dad's going to come looking for me, and plus you probably want me to go..." she faltered when she saw him sit up and grab her wrist.

"You're not going anywhere, now get back here" he said playfully as he pulled her back down beside him. Abby giggled as Mark fell on top of her, kissing her gently.

"No, seriously. What if my dad finds me in here with you?"

"I'm too busy right now to worry about that," Mark said, his voice thick as he trailed a line of kisses down Abby's neck and onto her shoulder. She moaned and ran her fingers through his hair as his hands roamed over her body. "Christ, you're beautiful."

"Yeah. How many girls have you said that to?"

"Hundreds." She smacked his head lightly, but he saw she was smiling when he looked up. "But this is the first time I've actually meant it."

"You don't have to keep using lines on me. You've had me already, and you're well on your way to having me again," she said breathlessly.

"Oh, really?" He smiled against the skin near her navel. "What if I told you that they're not lines? What if I said I mean every single word I'm saying and that last night was the best sex I've ever had?"

"Coming from you, that's like getting a standing ovation plus a parade," she said, surprised. She pulled him up so her eyes were level with his, his hands inches away from her breasts. "And you certainly lived up to your reputation. And then some." He laughed when she winked at him. But then he noticed that her face grew serious.

"What's wrong?"

"What happens next, Mark? I mean, it took forever for us to get here. Now what? I don't know about you, but I can't leave here and pretend like what happened last night didn't mean anything." He took her face in his hands and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"Abby, you're like no other girl I've ever known. I think of you of the best friend I never had. Oh sure, the guys on the boat are great, but..."

"You don't get to shag them because they're not girls."

"I'm being serious here, and you're making jokes," Mark said, laughing. He stared at the hollow base of her neck, trying not to meet her eyes. "Remember when I said I like you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I think those feelings have developed into something a little more serious." Abby sat up and stared at him, holding her breath.

"Mark, you mean-"

"No, it's not love." He saw her exhale, but her eyes were still fixed on him. He instantly felt terrified about the next words on his tongue. "But I'm pretty sure that's the direction that I'm headed in." He felt Abby go incredibly still, as if she suddenly became a statue. He even waved his hand in front of her face.

"Midnight Mark is falling in love with me," she stated softly.

"No. Just Mark." He could hardly bear the silence between them; it seemed to last forever. But words couldn't describe how he felt when she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him then, her cheeks suddenly wet with tears. "I hope this means you're happy!"

"More than happy. I think, no, I know I feel the same as you do," she said, smiling.

"Now we have another problem."

"What's that?" Abby said absently. She was distracted at the moment by the lines of muscle on his torso, which she began tracing with her fingers.

"Do we tell anyone? About us?" He made a growling noise that rumbled in his chest, and she put her hands flat against him so she could feel it.

"There's only one person who knows," she said, lightly running her fingernails down along his arms. "Gavin."

"How does he know?" Mark asked, surprised. To his knowledge, everybody assumed that Abby hated him.

"He took a wild guess one day. Apparently I'm not too good at hiding my feelings." Mark growled louder now, unable to contain himself any longer. Abby was driving him mad with her touch. Before she knew it, she was back under him, his athletic frame completely covering her.

"So what's the plan?" he asked while burying his face in her dark hair and gently biting her earlobe.

"Let's see how long it takes for people to figure it out. It'll be like a game for the two of us. Plus, how exciting is it thinking that at any moment, someone could walk through that door and find us," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, "like this?"

"Or like this," he said with a smile as he pulled the sheet over them once more.

2 weeks later.

"Gavin, are you busy right now?" Gavin looked up from a stack of records he was planning to play during his show to find Abby.

"Abby, love, you know I'm about to go on air in 20 minutes."

"It won't take long, I promise." Gavin took note of the slight plea in her eyes and sighed. He got up and followed her, realizing that she was leading him to her cabin. A smirk appeared on his face. Interesting.

She pushed him into the small room and locked the door behind her.

"Just wait a second," she told him, and held her finger to her lips to hush him before he had the chance to speak. He looked at her, puzzled as they stood in silence. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. She opened it, and to his surprise, Mark stepped in.

"What are you doing here?" He was further surprised when Mark placed a quick peck on Abby's lips. "That's like asking for a swift execution, mate!"

"Relax, Gavin. We, uh...settled things?" Abby looked at Mark for reassurance. He nodded and smiled down at her.

"He finally got his way with you, did he?"

"Yes, he did."

"And you haven't killed him yet?"

"Nope."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised; what with the sexual tension that's been surrounding you two lately. But what exactly does it mean?"

"She's my girl now," Mark stated simply, putting his arm securely around Abby's waist. Gavin was obviously taken aback.

"Midnight Mark has finally hung up the leather slacks, eh? Well, it was good fun while it lasted. And may I just say that you have superb taste. Good on you, mate," Gavin said as he headed for the door.

"Hold it. We're not done yet," Abby said, her eyes holding a look of dead seriousness. "You have to promise not to tell anyone. Mark and I want to have a bit of fun first before anyone finds out."

"Abby, dear, you can always trust Gavin with your deepest, darkest secrets," he said while giving a slight mocking bow. When he saw she wasn't laughing, he cleared his throat. "I won't tell a soul," he said sincerely.

"Good. Now get back to your microphone," Abby ordered, waving him away. Gavin gave a little salute and slipped out the door, closing it firmly behind him. Mark locked it and turned to face Abby, a mischievous look on his face.

"Now, how about showing me those polka-dot pajamas?"