It had been, but Sebrina wasn’t sure that the two of them spending more time together was a good idea, so she didn’t answer him. Instead, she said, “Good night, Parker.”
She desperately needed some space, if she was going to avoid making a fool of herself. The sexual tension between them had only grown through the evening, almost overwhelming her. There was no way he could have missed it…or her reaction to it. Even now, a distinct warmth was flooding her core.
“Goodnight, Sebrina. And enjoy your day off tomorrow.”
“Thanks. I will.” Then she turned and hurried up the stairs to her room.
Parker watched her go, even though a part of him was tempted to call her back, then pull her in his arms and kiss her, the way he’d longed to do all night. Still, he knew that if he did such a thing, it would ruin the friendship they’d started tonight. Even with all the stirrings of sexual chemistry that just wouldn’t let them be, they had managed to enjoy each other’s company, not as sexual beings but as two people who’d gone out to have a good time.
And he’d had a good time. The movie was great, and the company had been awesome. He’d loved her reactions to certain parts of the film, especially when she’d hidden her face during the scenes she really hadn’t wanted to see. Yet she would peek through her fingers, watching them anyway. He also loved how she discussed the film with him once they’d left the theater, telling him the parts she had liked, as well as mentioning the moments she’d wanted to jump into the movie and help the superhero fight his battles. He had found it amusing because several times, he had felt the same way.
He also enjoyed how they had wound up the evening with cheesecake. They had pretty much managed to ignore all that sexual energy surrounding them and simply engaged in good conversation. He couldn’t recall the last time he had felt so relaxed with a woman. He had felt comfortable with her—something that didn’t happen to him very often, at least, not in a woman’s company. And he had laughed. When was the last time he’d done that, other than when he’d been hanging out with a few of his male friends?
Parker had always thought he dated to fill the time, not fill a void. He was human after all. But every once in a while, he would sit back and wonder what it would be like to have a special woman in his life—a woman who could be a life partner. One who shared his dreams, the way he would share hers. Hanging around Rae’jean and Ryan, as well as Sean and Liz, had shown him that some marriages really could work. They weren’t all as dysfunctional as his parents’.
He would never forget the day he’d discovered that his parents had had an arranged marriage, thanks to their parents. When Parker had questioned his father about it, his old man had admitted it was true. In fact, his dad had even gone farther to say although he and Parker’s mother loved each other, they never actually fell in love. After learning that, he was glad his uncle Grady and Rae’jean had recognized the difference between those two things when they had and broken their engagement.
Once he was in his bedroom, with the door closed behind him, he tossed his car keys on the nightstand and began removing his clothes. One thing he didn’t want to think about was the fact that Sebrina would be going out on a date Saturday night, and the guy was someone from her past. He should be happy for her, since he had a date as well. After all, they’d agreed that dating others would help combat the desire they felt for each other. However, it bothered him to know that some guy would probably get to do the things with her that he had wanted to do tonight but couldn’t—like hold her hand in the movies, feed her some of his cheesecake from his fork…or kiss her goodnight before she’d raced up the stairs.
Parker frowned. He had to accept there could never be anything between him and Sebrina, although he sure wished otherwise.
Spending time with Sebrina tonight had shown him how much he enjoyed her company. In a way, he found that fact disheartening. Because instead of using the things they had in common to advance a serious relationship between them, they had to keep each other at bay.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Monica
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LANDON,” MONICA said, easing out of the chair on the balcony to cross the floor and curl up in his lap. His arms went around her and held her close. She liked their closeness, and she definitely liked him. More than anything, she had wanted to make sure his birthday was one he would always remember.
After the ship left Brisbane, they were at sea for two days before finally reaching New Caledonia, France. From there, they spent three days traveling to other islands located a few miles from each other.
She and Landon had enjoyed all the sightseeing they’d done, the exotic foods they’d eaten and the activities they’d participated in. Now they were back at sea and headed for Arlie Beach. They were scheduled to make landfall tomorrow morning and would be on the island for three days.
Today was Landon’s special day, number thirty-seven. They had been celebrating since midnight last night. Tonight, at dinner, she had arranged for a birthday cake to be brought to their table, and the cruise dining staff had sang happy birthday to him. He appeared to have enjoyed everything for him today and she was glad she’d been able to make his birthday special.
“Now I’m eleven years older than you,” he said throatily, close to her ear.
She chuckled. “Just for a few weeks. Remember? My birthday is January fifteenth. Then you’ll only be ten years older than me again. So don’t try to get carried away with this age thing.”
She heard him chuckle and cuddled even tighter into his lap. She’d never known she could find such peaceful bliss in a man’s arms, just like she hadn’t known she’d ever experience such mind-blowing pleasure in this man’s bed. Landon was opening her eyes to a lot of things.
“Monica?”
“Humm?” She lifted her head to look up at him.
“Thanks for making my birthday unforgettable.”
Then he leaned in and kissed her. It must have taken Landon years to perfect his kissing technique, and though she didn’t want to think about how he’d gained such expertise, she was very glad he had. Every time his lips met hers, she melted in his arms, the way she was doing now.
And he didn’t just claim her lips when he kissed her—he used his hands to possess other parts of her as well. Even now, he was moving his hands to the part of her thighs not covered by her shorts, caressing her with soft strokes while slanting his mouth more greedily over hers.
She knew what was coming next and was ready when he deepened the kiss and began sucking on her tongue in earnest. Landon’s mouth was so addictive. Whenever he kissed her, it felt as if he wasn’t just kissing her mouth, he was branding it. But that couldn’t be true. They both knew that whatever they shared was not meant to last beyond the cruise. There was no reason for him to mark her in any way.
His hand was on the move again and when it slid beneath the waistband of her shorts, she knew his intent. She placed her arms around his neck to let him know she was ready for whatever experience he wanted to give her. Since their last night in Brisbane, he had made it a point to introduce her to passion, to show her just what the right man was capable of. And since that night, he’d introduced her to ways of making love that she’d never dreamt of. And still, she wanted more, was already anticipating more, whenever he pulled her into his arms.