“Maybe even better,” Sebrina gushed.
Monica couldn’t help but laugh. Bree had never been this excited about a guy. “Get a hold of yourself. We don’t want him to move out before I get home.”
“Why would he move out?”
Was that real panic she heard in her sister’s voice? “He might not appreciate living with a hot-and-bothered woman.”
“I am not hot-and-bothered, Monica.”
“Then horny, perhaps?”
“I am not horny either.”
“So you say.”
“So I know. Goodbye.”
Monica laughed again when her sister ended the call. Then she heard a text message come through—it was from Bree.
Just so you know, Parker helped me decorate the Christmas tree. We did a great job. It’s beautiful and I am NOT horny.
Monica chuckled and was about to head back out on the balcony when she heard a sound outside her cabin door. Crossing the room, she walked over to the door and peered out the peephole. Her breath caught when she saw Landon walking away from her door.
Had he been about to knock, but changed his mind? She felt a deep stirring followed by a gush of heat when she saw what he was wearing—a pair of jogging pants and a muscle shirt. OMG! Had he gone to the dining area dressed like that? How had he managed to return in one piece?
Should she open the door and make him aware that she knew of his presence? The more she peered out of the peephole, the more she knew that wouldn’t be a good idea. Once he entered her cabin, she probably wouldn’t let him leave.
She shook her head. Hadn’t she just teased Sebrina about being horny? Then again, she’d never really been horny before. She’d been almost oblivious to sexual attraction. But Landon definitely had her mind racing…and her motor running.
Monica watched him hesitate before opening his door and going inside. Was he having second thoughts? Should she make it easy on him? Could she be that bold? Should she? She pulled her face from the door and drew in a deep breath. When she peered back, he was gone.
She suddenly felt hot, like she needed a cold shower or better yet, a dive into a swimming pool. Umm...that might not be such a bad idea. Going for a swim. Given the number of people who’d disembarked, the pool area would be fairly empty. There wouldn’t likely be a better time to take a swim. She had purchased several swimsuits for this cruise, and she might as well start using them.
Before she could think about it, she’d changed into her two-piece canary yellow bikini. This was one of the outfits Victoria had picked out for her during their shopping trip. Of course, it was Victoria’s favorite color. That was why Kennedy and Victoria’s wedding colors had been blue and yellow—blue for Kennedy and yellow for Victoria.
Monica glanced at herself in the full-length mirror and had to admit the bikini looked good on her. It wasn’t any more revealing than a normal bikini, and her girls didn’t look as if they were ready to jump out of her top. It was a perfect fit.
She’d thought about calling Landon’s room to see if he wanted to spend time by the pool but remembered him saying that he wanted to finish his book. Besides, he was the reason she was overheated in the first place. Why torture herself?
Slipping into her cover-up, then placing her pool bag on her shoulder and sliding her sunglasses over her eyes, she left her cabin and headed toward the elevator. All was quiet, which meant most of the people on her floor wouldn’t be back until much later.
When she got to the pool, she was relieved to realize it was as she’d thought—empty. Placing her bag beside the lounge chair, she pulled out one of the books she’d brought with her to read a little of, before taking a swim.
Before long, she was so totally engrossed in the story she was reading, she didn’t notice someone had come to stand beside her lounge chair until he spoke. “I see we both had the same idea, Monica.”
She didn’t have to look up to see who was there. She was getting used to the deep, husky timbre of his voice. Yet she lifted her head anyway and brought him into focus through the lenses of her sunglasses.
Landon stood there, a book in his hand. He was bare chested and wearing swimming trunks. At that moment, her book was forgotten, and his presence claimed all Monica’s attention…and senses.
“Looks like it.”
“May I join you?” he asked.
“Sure. I thought about calling you before I came down, but I didn’t want to disturb you.”
He smiled over at her as he slid into the chair beside hers. Her eyes followed the movement, appreciating the view. “You can interrupt me anytime. I needed to get out my room so housekeeping could do their thing. When I went out on balcony, I saw a number of people getting off the ship and figured this would be the best time to check out the pool.”
She nodded, forcing herself not to lick her lips. “Great minds think alike. I’d figured the same thing.”
Monica’s mind started to whirl with other things they might think similarly about—erogenous zones, positions… She took a deep breath, trying to calm her suddenly racing heartbeat. She really needed to get a hold of herself.
Through her sunglasses, she watched him stretch out beside her. This was the first time she had seen him shirtless, and her libido ramped up again. He had such a beautiful chest. It looked muscled, hairy, powerful and sculpted. The man was so well-built, she had to forcibly keep herself from drooling. He had massive shoulders, a muscled chest, and powerful thighs. His stomach was as flat as a washboard and so well defined, she could feel her own stomach muscles clenching in feminine appreciation. When he suddenly stood up, her gaze drifted to his black swimming trunks. Final verdict—Landon Chestnut’s body was a work of art—pure male perfection.
“I’m thinking about taking a swim. Want to join me, Monica?”
Her gaze moved to his face. He was staring at her with an intensity that made another crackle of sexual energy flow between them. She had no doubt that he’d noticed her checking him out, but she couldn’t help herself. Besides, what had he expected? She was a woman who appreciated a fine masculine body when she saw one.
Knowing he was waiting for her answer, she said, “Sure.” She had come to the pool to cool off anyway. Now because of him, she really, really needed to.
Easing off the lounger, she slid the cover-up off her shoulders. Did she hear his sharp intake of breath when she’d revealed her bathing suit? She wanted to look over at him but forced herself not to. Instead, she kicked off her sandals, raced to the pool and dived in.
Landon felt a deep, sexual hunger stir to life the moment Monica removed her cover-up to reveal that sexy yellow bikini. He was shaken to the core. Women with nice figures had caught his attention before, but Monica, in that bikini, held him spellbound. All he could do was stand there and stare at her. Total awareness of her flared up in every pore of his body.
He had thought the dress she’d worn two nights ago was an attention-grabber, but her bathing suit had his heart racing in his chest. Now, as he watched her move gracefully through the water, he couldn’t help but stand there and stare, entranced. It was obvious that she was an experienced swimmer. When she’d done a few laps, she swam to the middle of the pool and treaded water. Pushing wet hair from her face, she said, “The water feels good, Landon. Are you going to be a participant or spectator?”