There, he’d voiced the thought that had crossed his mind more than once today—the two of them naked, wrapped up in each other’s arms…making love.
“Heck no. What others think doesn’t matter to me.”
They had almost made it to her cabin door. Would she invite him in? Damn, he hoped so.
“Well, we’re here,” he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
Landon had made up in his mind—he was going to kiss her. He wasn’t going to go through another sleepless night wishing he’d gone for it. Sighing deeply, he continued to look at her. The temptation was killing him to reach out and place his arms around her waist, then lean forward and zoom in for her lips. If only she knew how hard he was fighting for control.
He moved closer to her, but when a couple passed by, he stepped back, deciding he wouldn’t kiss her out here in the hall. He respected her more than that. “Monica?”
“Yes?”
“May I come into your cabin for a minute?”
“Yes.”
She hadn’t asked why. Landon figured with all the sexual energy flowing between them, she had to know he wanted to kiss her. In all honesty, he wanted to do more. A lot more.
She opened her door, and he followed her inside. He reached out for her and she came to him without hesitation, surprising him when she placed her arms around his neck. And when she pressed closer to him, that was all the invitation he needed. Lowering his head, he captured her mouth.
This is what he wanted, what he needed…what he had desired from the moment he had first laid eyes on her that night in St. Paul. She had been angry with that guy, and she’d been frowning. But Landon had wanted to kiss that frown right off her mouth. Like he was doing now. When he felt her response, tentative at first and then with more vigor and enthusiasm, he felt weak in the knees. This young wisp of a woman was actually doing that to him, making him want to devour her, claim her, in a way he hadn’t wanted to claim a woman in a long time.
Landon knew her room had the same layout as his, which meant he could find his way to her bedroom blindfolded. But that’s not what he wanted. At least, not yet. When he felt himself losing control, he broke off the kiss and pulled back, dropping his hands to his side. The raw need in her gaze almost made him pull her back into his arms, but he didn’t yield to temptation.
“I look forward to our evening tomorrow, Monica.”
“Me too, Landon.”
He drew in a deep breath. Monica Bennett brought out a passionate side of him that he’d thought long dead, a side that he needed to control better. It had been years since he’d had to worry about losing his head when he was with a woman, but that was definitely a problem now.
Landon took a step back and smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then he turned and left.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE NEXT MORNING, MONICA stood on her balcony while enjoying a cup of coffee and watching a ton of people leave the ship, obviously not wanting to miss their last day in Brisbane. Now she was glad Landon had suggested they not leave the ship until later, when they went to dinner, followed by a night of dancing.
A smile touched her lips when she thought about how enjoyable yesterday had been, and all the sights they had seen. She had told Landon her favorite place had been the botanical gardens; however, her favorite part of the day had been holding that little koala bear. But nothing could top the kiss Landon had given her when they’d returned to the ship. It was hard to be in her cabin and not remember it.
She drew in a deep breath as she tried to control the rush of pleasure she felt whenever she thought about that kiss. It had been unlike anything she’d ever experienced, and she was glad Landon had been holding her so close, because she’d definitely felt. His kiss had been thorough, and when he’d released her and walked out the door, she’d had to sit down on the nearest sofa to try and pull herself together.
Then she had done what she’d said she would do, taken a leisurely soak in the tub. And while there, she had thought about Landon—the man, the kiss. She had gotten so carried away reliving that moment in her mind, that she had stayed in the tub longer than she’d intended, and likely wouldn’t have noticed it if the water hadn’t become cold. While drying off, she had noticed how sensitive her skin was. Landon’s kiss seemed to have sensitized her body all over, making it tender to the touch.
If she’d had more nerve, she would have strutted across the hall after her shower, wearing almost nothing under her housecoat, and asked if she could come inside his cabin for a minute. Then she would not only kiss him but invite him to sample something else.
Of course, there was no way she could do something like that. It was only wishful thinking on her part.
Even after her bath, she was too restless to do anything other than sit out on her balcony with a glass of wine, reliving that kiss. It has been closed to eight before she felt hunger pangs and ordered room service. She wondered if Landon had done the same, or if he’d decided to go to the dining room.
Now it was a new day, and she was ready for another adventure. She glanced at her watch and saw it was close to ten in the morning. She was well rested, since she had gone to bed after dinner and had enjoyed the best sleep ever, dreaming of Landon. The man could kiss her good-bye anytime.
She heard the cabin phone ring and left the balcony to answer it. “Hello?”
“Good morning.”
Monica’s stomach spiked at the sound of the sexy voice. “Good morning, Landon.”
“I came down to the food court to grab a breakfast sandwich and saw they had just put out those banana nut bagels you like. I wasn’t sure if you’d eaten yet and wanted to know if you’d like me to grab you a couple.”
She licked her lips, thinking not only about the bagels, but him. If she said yes, she would see him again and she definitely wanted that. But in her present state of mind, she would probably jump his bones the minute she opened the door to him. “Thanks, Landon, but I had room service earlier. But thanks for thinking about me.”
“I’m always thinking of you, Monica.”
She felt a pull in her lower extremities. “That’s a nice thing to say, Landon.”
“I meant it. If you don’t want anything, I’ll head back up to my room to finish reading. It’s a good book and I plan to be through with it by dinner time,” he said.
“Then you can tell me all about it over dinner.”
“Okay. See you then.”
She hung up the phone and sighed deeply. She couldn’t contain the smile that broke out on her face at the sound of his voice. Her cell phone rang, and she recognized the ringtone—it was Sebrina. “I have my time zones figured out now, Bree. If I’m not mistaken, it’s nighttime there.”
“You’re right, but I’m at work. I thought I’d use my break to let you know we have a housemate. He arrived yesterday.”
They both knew Parker Stanhope was supposed to arrive this week, so it wasn’t a surprise. Was there another reason her sister was calling? “And?”
“And he’s gorgeous, Monica. A Chris Hemsworth look-alike.”
“Umm...but does he have Chris Harmsworth’s body?” Monica asked.