Sebrina hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until he entered his bedroom and closed the door behind him.
CHAPTER TEN
MONICA
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE are now docked in Brisbane where we will remain for the next two days. Everyone is asked to be back onboard ship by midnight tomorrow night. Enjoy your time in Brisbane and please stay safe.
Monica stepped out on the balcony and glanced around. She had awakened early that morning and ordered breakfast. Now she was dressed and ready to start her day touring Brisbane with Landon. Already her mind was running through the things she’d planned for the day ahead. First stop was Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, and she couldn’t wait to get there. Rae’jean and Ryan had gone to Australia for their honeymoon and had brought them all home souvenirs. Hers had been a stuffed Koala bear that she had named Frisko. For years, he had been her constant bedtime companion. When she had left home for college, she figured it was time to give Frisko a rest, so now he was packed up somewhere in her parents’ attic. Today she would get to see a real live Frisko.
She had walked back into her cabin when she heard the knock on her door. She quickly looked into the full-length mirror—she was wearing a pair of shorts and one of her blouses that bared her shoulders. Although she had been tempted to wear a pair of her cute sandals, she knew by the end of the day her feet would hate her for it, so she’d put on a pair of Nikes.
Satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed her shoulder bag and headed for the door. When she opened it to Landon, she had to grab the door jamb for support. Why did he always have to look so good?
“Ready to go, Monica?”
His sexy voice made her blink. “I’m ready,” she said stepping in the hall and closing the door behind her.
“You look nice,” he complimented her.
“So do you.” She had wondered how he would look in a pair of jeans and now she knew.
“Thanks. I understand there is a crowd of people getting off the ship, so we might be in a long line.”
She nodded. “I don’t mind.” They had made it to the elevator and when he reached out to press the button to call one up to their floor, she couldn’t help admiring his hands, something she always seemed to do. They looked so strong.
“Did you rest well last night?” he asked.
“I did. What about you?”
“Like a baby.”
Monica would have loved to have seen that. Just the thought of him in a bed, stretched out or curled up, had her heart racing. She glanced down at his shoes. “You’re wearing Nikes, too.”
“Hey, you gave me fair warning that you intended to walk me to death today.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “I did not.”
“Sure, you did. Sort of. Where to first?”
“The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.”
He tilted his head and looked at her. “You sound excited about going there.”
“I am.” Then she told him why. “I guess you think I’m crazy, right?”
“Of course not. You have every right to be excited. And I appreciate you sharing your story about Frisko with me.”
At that moment, Monica couldn’t help but smile. She had taken a chance in telling him about Frisko, but she was glad she did. The last guy she had told, that asshat Dusty, had made fun of her. He’d said he couldn’t imagine a teenager getting hung up on a stuffed animal when she could have had a real live guy in her bed. Seriously? At her parents’ house? Then he’d bragged about all the girls who’d snuck him into their rooms after their parents went to sleep. The guy thought about sex 24/7. But she’d refused to be rushed. And when she had finally given in, she had been horribly disappointed. Talk about false advertising.
“I have a feeling the elevator will probably be crowded,” he said. “Everyone is anxious to disembark.”
Landon was right. It was.
“I had so much fun, today, Landon. Brisbane is a beautiful place.”
Landon glanced over at Monica as they headed toward the ship’s elevator that would take them back to their cabins. Even after all the walking they’d done, she still looked great. Not a strand of hair was out of place and her clothes looked as fresh as they had that morning. “It definitely is. And I think we covered a lot of it.”
“I loved that we were on our own time and weren’t rushed. I’m so glad we didn’t join a group.”
“Me too.” More than once, they had passed groups from the ship who had signed up for the sightseeing tours. The organizers had them on a schedule to visit as many places as they could within a short time frame. When he and Monica returned to the ship, he’d heard a lot of complaints about being hustled from site to site, with no time to really see anything. Landon was really glad Monica had suggested doing their own thing.
“What was your favorite part of today?” she asked.
He was tempted to say ‘spending it with her’. But neither of them was ready for that yet. Instead, he said, “Watching your reaction when you got to hold a live koala bear. I thought you were going to cry.”
She laughed and playfully jabbed him in the shoulder. “I couldn’t help it. I told you he looked like Frisko.”
“Yes, you did.”
Not surprisingly, the elevator was full. It was quite obvious that a lot of people had returned to the ship about the same time. The line to board the ship had been almost as long as it had been to disembark that morning. And once again, they found themselves squeezed together on the elevator. But Landon didn’t mind—both times, he’d had Monica plastered to his side. More than once he’d had to wrap his arms around her to keep her from being crushed.
“And you, what was your favorite part of the day?” he asked.
“The botanical gardens. I’ve been to others, but the flowers I saw today were so different from anything I’ve ever seen in the States. The place was so beautiful.”
Landon had to agree with her. It had been something to see.
Finally, the elevator emptied, leaving just the two of them. He released her and she moved away from his side, but they were too late. In the time it had taken for them to reach their floor, as they’d stood there, hip to hip, breathing the same air, sexual tension had overwhelmed them both. At that moment, he wanted her so badly, he could barely think straight. “Do you still plan to do room service for dinner?” he asked.
“Yes, after I take a long soak in the tub. My feet are aching.”
“I can imagine,” he said. “It’s a good thing you’ll get a chance to rest up tomorrow. Dinner reservations aren’t until six.”
“Good. That will also give me a chance to get some work done.”
“I had a good time today, Monica,” he said, when they stepped off the elevator.
“I enjoyed your company, Landon. And I think our ruse has worked. People are keeping their distance. That’s a good thing, right?”
“Definitely,” he agreed.
“When we don’t show up at dinner, can you just imagine what they’ll be thinking.”
He nodded, knowing exactly what they’d think. “Will that bother you, that they’ll think we’re somewhere making love?”