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He shifted on his bar stool. That single thought had sent an imaginary cool breeze over his skin and blood rushing to places it shouldn’t. Strange how these things sneaked up on you.
Lara gave him a smile that almost made him sigh with relief. She clinked her glass against his. ‘You’re right. I know you’re right. This year is the end of all ratbag boyfriends. And the start of something new entirely.’ She tipped back her head to swallow some of the champagne.
He gulped. Her scent was drifting around him—the same scent she’d worn that day he’d kissed her in the café. And right now he had a prime view of that soft skin at the bottom of her neck...
What was wrong with him?
Reuben Tyler didn’t take time to fantasise about women. Normally, he didn’t have the time. Plus the fact he usually just acted on instinct. He could spot a flirtatious glance from a million miles away. All he usually had to do was decide whether to go with the flow or not. But Lara was entirely different.
Sure, there was buzz between them. Sure, her lips tasted like no others.
But most of all he’d actually got to know her a little. He knew what kind of coffee she liked. What kind of cake. He knew the type of wine she liked to drink and what kind of takeout food she enjoyed best. All of these superfluous things usually just passed him by. But living under the same roof as Lara for the last two weeks had kind of imprinted them on his brain in a way he couldn’t really understand.
She reached over and touched his hand. ‘This is great, thanks. Do you want to go and sit back outside? We could look at the information they gave us and decide what trips we want to do at the different ports.’
There was that innocence to her voice. A purity that he’d really never encountered before. Most of the women he met were players. They knew exactly what they wanted and when they wanted it. Lara didn’t even have a sniff of that around her. It was refreshing. It was different. And it was clear that he’d been moving in the wrong circles for far too long.
He resisted the urge to say the words hovering on the edge of his tongue. We’ll go wherever you want.
Maybe it was the nature of holidays that played havoc with the senses. Maybe it was the freedom that he was going to be able to ignore his emails and phone for two weeks.
Or maybe it was the Lara effect.
It made him wary. Was a two-week fling really what Lara would want?
Would that really help rebuild her confidence?
He gave his head a shake. Whatever it was, he had two weeks to figure it out. He refilled the glasses. ‘Sure, why not? Let’s watch the rest of the Venice lagoon go by.’
His hand went naturally to the small of her back as they headed to the door and he resisted the temptation to let it slide further down.
This could be a long two weeks.
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘DO YOU WANT to hit the casino?’
‘What?’ She was sitting on the balcony, reading a book and letting the sun warm her shoulders.
Reuben didn’t do relaxation well. He’d been pacing around the cabin for the last hour. He’d already gone for a couple of walks around the ship and flicked through the various channels on the ship’s TV.
‘Do you want to go to the casino? Put on one of those fancy dresses we bought and let’s live a little.’
She lifted her feet down from the table they were resting on and leaned forward, watching Reuben as he paced the room, trying to use up some of his nervous energy. What on earth was wrong with him?
‘I’ve never been to a casino before. What do you actually do in them?’
He looked stunned. ‘You’ve never been to a casino before?’
She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. ‘The only casinos I’ve seen are the ones James Bond is usually in.’
Reuben walked out and grabbed her hand. ‘Well, the casino on board might be quite small, but it’s a perfect start. Come and get changed.’
She let him pull her to her feet.
‘It’ll be the perfect start for the mother of all casinos, the one in Monte Carlo.’
Her eyes widened. ‘We can’t possibly go there.’
‘Why not? We’re mooring at Monte Carlo overnight. There’s no curfew on the ship. We can be out as long as we like.’
She wasn’t sure if he was conscious of his movements but as he said the words he stepped closer to her. Other people might be intimidated by a guy moving into their personal space but things were getting odd with Reuben.
They weren’t in a relationship. They weren’t actually anything to each other. But from that first stormy meeting every day just seemed to step up a little notch. There was almost expectation now. That waiting...for something. She wasn’t quite sure what.
