“She was. Duan and Kim eventually married and a year later, Kim’s mother has since married someone else. A real nice guy this time.”
“Kim is the one you told me about who’s pregnant and a doctor, right.”
“Yes. Dr. Kimani Cannon Jeffries. We call her Kim for short.”
“I’m glad both mother and daughter had a happy ending and Villarosas was brought to justice. Did you ever find out what happened to the other two women? His wives?”
“Yes. Just as I suspected, he’d killed them. We were able to locate the bodies for their families.”
At that moment, the waitress returned with their meals and Landon was glad. He was ready to talk about more pleasant things. Just from the time spent with Monica, he had discovered a number of things about her. In addition to being a very beautiful woman, she was smart, intelligent, goal-oriented and she had a good head on her shoulders. He also knew she had a soft spot when it came to elderly people.
On several occasions yesterday while off the ship touring, they’d run into several older couples who were sightseeing. Monica had been solicitous of them, asking if they needed any help. She’d even volunteered to go to one of the water stations to bring back a bottle for one couple. When he had asked her about it, she replied that she did it without thinking. There were many generations of her family still around, and she’d been taught to look out for the older ones.
Over dinner, they talked about a lot of things. She told him about her bucket list of places she would like to visit one day, and he told her of places on her list that he’d already visited, almost always on business. They also talked about their favorite movies, the recent election and her views on the NFL season—specifically, who she thought would end up in the Super Bowl this year.
Then he had smoothly moved the topic of conversation to focus on her. She told him about her and her sister’s new housemate—that he was a friend of her cousin, and how anxious she was to meet the guy. He also knew she had learned to swim as a child and was on the swim team while in college. He also discovered that she volunteered most weekends at a seniors’ center, loving the time she spent with people who would be around the same age as her great-grandparents, had they still been alive.
Then she told him about those beloved great-grandparents—Ethan and Idella Bennett—and the positive influence they’d had on her life. She shared fond memories with him of her sleepovers at their home in Macon with her other cousins, and how her great-grandmother Idella’s love of roses was something they all shared.
“Will you be wanting dessert?”
The waitress’ question reined in Landon’s thoughts. “I don’t want anything else. What about you, Monica?” he asked, glancing across the table at her.
She shook her head. “I am stuffed. Dinner was delicious.”
He nodded and smiled. He thought so, too. Glancing at their waitress, he said. “No dessert for us, thanks. You can bring me the check when you have it ready.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“ARE YOU ENJOYING THE evening so far, Monica?”
Monica glanced at Landon as the limo made its way through the streets of Brisbane, heading for the nightclub Landon had chosen that offered an evening of entertainment and dancing. She was getting excited just thinking about it.
She was even more excited, though, about the man sitting just inches away from her in the back of the limo. Intense male sexuality seemed to radiate off of him. It was like a physical force that she could actually feel in every part of her body.
“The restaurant was wonderful.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. It was my pleasure.”
His pleasure.
She couldn’t help wondering what else would please him. Although neither one of them mentioned it, the sexual tension between them was turning into an almost tangible thing. When he hadn’t been looking, she’d glanced across the table at him, appreciating his broad shoulders and just how well his jacket complimented all those muscles. It didn’t help matters that she knew exactly how good those shoulders looked, after seeing him shirtless at the pool.
More than once, he had caught her staring when he’d glanced up from his meal and snagged her gaze with his dark penetrating stare. She would always be the first one to break eye contact and look away to start eating again.
For the remainder of dinner, he had intentionally kept the conversation on her, so she hadn’t been able to ask any more questions about his work, hobbies...or his pleasures. Now sitting in the back seat of the car, she was once again aware of just how intimate the situation was.
She actually found some relief in the size of the limo’s back seat. Although they were sitting together, there was a decent distance between them, so there was no chance that their legs—or thighs—would touch. Although she was incredibly tempted to slide over, closer to him and have her way with him, she suddenly realized that she might be getting in over her head.
After all, she had no experience in seducing a man. Look at her track record! Still, if there was a guy she wanted to seduce, it would be Landon.
He had become quiet and without conversation flowing between them, her stomach began to stir, and her mind started filling with naughty thoughts. She wanted to blame it on his cologne. The manly fragrance smelled so good on him. It was as if it was pulling her into a hemisphere where Landon Chestnut dominated.
Forcing that thought from her mind, she tried to think of something else to talk about. During the car ride to dinner, he had told her that, even with the pain in his past, he would consider marrying and starting a family. She was glad to hear that.
He came across as the type of man who would adore his wife and cater to her every whim. He and the woman he chose as his forever mate would have a good marriage because he knew, all too well, how fragile life was, and he would make every minute count. There was no doubt in her mind that the woman he married would be incredibly lucky. They would do things together and their marriage would be strong. Landon would make sure of it.
She leaned back in her seat wondering why she was envying that woman—the one he would choose to share his life? Instead, she should be happy that someone would end up with a man like Landon. He was driven in his work and she could see him pouring that same drive into making his wife and children happy. Not every woman would deserve him, and she hoped he’d be careful when selecting a mate. But then, she had a feeling he would know the right woman when she crossed his path.
She needed to think of something else, because she was starting to feel disappointed. Not for him—she would be happy for him—but for herself. Wasn’t that just her luck? A nice guy finally comes along, and it’s at the worst possible time for her. He was almost nine years too early. But then, what if, when she was ready to get serious with someone, all the nice guys like Landon were all taken?
She refused to think about that. Her mother used to say that there was someone for everyone. She had to believe that, just like there was a perfect mate in Landon’s future, there would be one in hers as well.
Time to change her thoughts again. She suddenly remembered something he had told her during their first dinner date—he loved to camp. Were there other things he liked to do? Now was a good time to ask.
“Landon?”