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Reuben pointed over to the corner. ‘Over there? That’s the former cabaret stage where George Gershwin and Frank Sinatra performed.’
She sucked in her breath as the barman slid some orange-coloured drinks towards them. The drinks were just as glamorous as the place. Served in stunning, long-stemmed crystal glassware, she was almost too afraid to even take a sip.
The peach-flavoured icy drink was delicious. A few more of these and she would drift off into a world all of her own. And from where she was currently sitting, she would take the sexy Irish man right with her.
No. She shook her head. Silly thoughts. Ridiculous thoughts. It was just...she couldn’t stop focusing on those lips. Those lips that had kissed her earlier like she’d never been kissed before. Was that what kisses were meant to be like? How come it had taken this long for her to find out?
She took another sip of the peach cocktail. It was gorgeous, just the right amount of sweetness with a little bit of tartness. It was so easy to get carried away in a place like this, with its decadence and splendour. Particularly when she was dressed like this and had the handsomest man in the room on her arm. It was almost like being in a movie. Time for a reality check.
She owed Reuben a huge amount of money. And in spite of the glamour and ambience of a place like this, that made her feel distinctly uncomfortable. He didn’t give her controlling vibes at all. But she wanted to be in charge of her own life. She wanted every decision she made to be based only on what she wanted—no more outside influences. She really needed to clear the air about this before she could move forward. And there was no time like the present.
She looked over at him and took a deep breath. ‘So, tell me, Reuben. How am I going to pay you back?’
* * *
Reuben was relaxed. He was feeling chilled. And it was the first time he’d felt like this in weeks—perhaps months.
Lara looked absolutely stunning. She’d pulled her blonde hair up in some kind of silver clasp, leaving little tendrils around her ears. She’d found some pink lipstick somewhere and it matched her dress to perfection. She looked as if she’d spent all day getting ready when the reality was he knew it had only taken ten minutes.
Another thing he liked about her. Along with a whole host of others.
He couldn’t understand why she wasn’t more confident about herself. It was one of the reasons he’d suggested she test-drive her new clothes. He’d known just how stunning she looked in them. And so did every other guy in the room. All eyes had been on Lara from the second they’d walked in here. Only she didn’t seem to notice.
It had come to him in a blinding flash exactly how he should play this. There was chemistry between them. No one could deny it. And after one taste of her lips he was sure he wanted to taste a whole lot more.
He got it that she was proud. He got it that she didn’t want a handout. And while he admired that—and he certainly wasn’t used to it—it put him in a bit of a difficult position.
Then she’d made the suggestion herself. Reuben should have a holiday.
The idea had never appealed before.
But the idea had never had a blonde-haired, pink-dressed beautiful woman dangling before his eyes. Maybe a quick fling would get Lara Callaway out of his system?
Sure, Caleb might kill him. But from where he was standing it would be worth it.
More than worth it.
And maybe some time together would instil a little more confidence into this gorgeous woman? Maybe, if she had the holiday she’d always dreamed of, and didn’t have to worry about money, she’d be able to see herself the way he saw her. A sexy, gorgeous woman with the world at her feet.
She was still waiting for him to answer as she sipped at her straw through those delectable lips.
‘That’s easy.’ He gave her one of his dazzling smiles. ‘You’ll pay me back by letting me go on the cruise with you.’
She blinked, then her brow furrowed. ‘Wait a minute. I’m lost. Want to run this by me again?’
Maybe he should buy her another cocktail. ‘It’s simple. You told me I need to take a holiday, and you don’t want me to pay to replace your clothes. This is the easy solution. I come on the cruise with you—and instead of refunding your cash for my share, I buy you a new wardrobe.’ He let his eyes roam up and down her body in the glittering pink dress. Boy, did she wear it well. ‘That way you don’t feel indebted to me because you’re officially buying your own clothes.’
She made a noise. Maybe it was a whimper. ‘But...but...’ The words just wouldn’t form. ‘But you don’t do holidays,’ she finally squeaked.
He lifted one eyebrow. ‘It seems like I do now.’
She lifted up her hands. ‘But you hardly know me.’
She looked panicked and it made the edges of his mouth curl up in amusement. ‘Then clearly that’s about to change.’
She wasn’t talking. Her mouth was hanging open. It was the first time he’d really seen Lara lost for words. It made him want to laugh.
He walked smoothly behind her, pressing his chest against her shoulders and looking into the glass in the gantry ahead of them. He bent down and whispered in her ear.
‘Stop panicking, Lara. Let the rational side of your brain kick in for a few seconds.’
She was staring straight ahead, watching their reflections in the glass gantry. It was the first time he’d really seen them together—seen what the rest of the world must see when they looked at them.
He smiled. He was absolutely doing the right thing. Two weeks on a cruise with this woman? He’d have to be crazy to let her go alone.
She was staring right back. Watching him, with his head at her shoulder and his arm slipping around her waist. She still looked pretty stunned.
‘You know it makes sense,’ he said smoothly. ‘Technically, you’re paying for your own clothes. I’m just refunding you for the half of the cruise that I’ll be taking in Josh’s place.’
It seemed almost reasonable. If she jumbled it around in her head for long enough she could find arguments and counter-arguments everywhere.
The cruise was days away.
She really, really wanted to go.
And she really needed something to wear.
Did she want to spend two weeks on a cruise ship alone?
None of this was normal. None of this was rational. That kiss must have driven her crazy because she couldn’t think a single sensible thought.
She took a huge sip of her cocktail. ‘Okay,’ she said quickly, as she felt his fingers at her waist. She lifted her cocktail glass towards him. ‘Two weeks on the cruise of a lifetime.’
Reuben walked around to her side and picked up his glass. His fingers hadn’t left her waist. He clinked his glass against hers. The look on his face was almost predatory.
He gave her a wicked smile. ‘My first holiday in four years. This could be fun.’
CHAPTER SIX
LARA HADN’T STOPPED chattering for the last thirty minutes. All the way on the transfer from the airport to the cruise-ship terminal.
Reuben pushed his credit card towards the red-lipped hostess who’d just given them the hard sell. ‘Yes to the drinks package and yes to the excursion package.’
The woman beamed at them both and swiped his card in the blink of an eye.
‘Reuben,’ hissed Lara. ‘That’s probably way more expensive that it ought to be. I’d already prepaid a few excursions.’
He shook his head and put his arm behind her back, pressing gently to urge her to move forward. He wasn’t going to argue about this. ‘Why come on a cruise and only go on a few excursions? Let’s just enjoy them all.’ The ship was gleaming next to them.
‘Didn’t you say you wanted to do the excursions to Monaco, Rome and Pisa?’
She nodded.
‘And don’t you think it’s likely we’ll drink a couple of glasses of wine with dinner each day?’
She pressed her lips together and nodded again.
He gave her back a little push again towards the embarkation point. Her footsteps faltered as she tried to push her passport back in her bag. Her hands were trembling.
