He remembered he needed to sign up for the tour in Jamaica and glanced down at his watch. Leaving the deck, he retraced his steps and searched out the tour desk, hoping it hadn’t closed. Luckily it hadn’t, and there were three spaces available for the eleven o’clock tour. He was too wound up to sleep and made his way to the piano bar, where an up-and-coming artist was playing. Damian claimed a stool at the circular bar, signaled the bartender and ordered a Coke.

“Thanks,” he said, accepting the glass. Although his body had calmed considerably, his mind continued to race with thoughts of Karen.

“Excuse me. Is this seat taken?”

His head came up. A woman stood next to him wearing a white low-cut skintight bodysuit and offering a come-hither smile.

“Be my guest.” He gestured to the stool, then went back to his drink.

She slid onto the stool, purposely leaning close enough to brush her breasts against his arm.

Damian pretended not to notice. He didn’t want to give the woman any indication he might be interested. She tried making small talk, and he remained courteous, but after a few minutes began to think he should have gone to his room.

“So, does that empty left hand mean you’re not married?”

He stared down at his hand. He’d finally stopped wearing his ring a year ago, and the tan line had faded completely, as if nothing had ever been there. “No, I’m not.”

She scooted closer. “Are you looking to be?”

“No.”

“Are you sure? A handsome guy like you looks like he should be married.” Her hand skimmed his thigh, sliding upward. He clamped his hand down on hers and jumped from the stool. “I think I’m going to call it a night.”

Her gaze raked over him. “Want some company?”

“No, thanks. Enjoy the cruise.” He turned on his heel and strode out of the lounge. Damian scrubbed a hand down his face. While he didn’t mind an assertive woman, overaggressiveness turned him off. He hadn’t gone far when a hand touched his shoulder.

He groaned inwardly, thinking the woman had followed him. Glancing over his shoulder, he was relieved to see his friends.

“Well, well. For somebody who didn’t want to come on this cruise, you sure have been busy,” Kyle said.

“What’s up?”

Troy folded his arms across his chest. “That’s what we want to know about you. We haven’t seen you all day.”

Kyle laughed. “My man D has jumped back into the game at full speed. I saw the woman in the catsuit. Hot! Curves for days. She basically handed herself to you on a platter.”

“I wasn’t interested.”

“Is that because you’re more interested in the woman you were dancing with earlier?” Troy asked.

“Damn, were you guys following me around or something?”

Troy shook his head. “No. We went looking for some fun and just happened to see you while we were dancing. She’s the same woman you were staring at the first day?”

He nodded. “We’re spending the day together in Jamaica tomorrow, then going to Monte’s performance tomorrow night.”

“I guess you didn’t need our help after all,” Kyle said with a laugh. He lowered his voice. “Those condoms are in the small inner pocket of your duffel bag...in case you were wondering.”

Yeah, he had wondered. “Are you guys going into Jamaica?”

“Yeah,” Kyle answered. “You think you can tear yourself away from your new friend long enough to hang with your old friends once we get to the Bahamas?”

He really wanted to spend as much time with Karen as possible since they had limited time together. However, even though they worked together, he had neglected his friendship with Kyle and Troy, and they did pay for the cruise. “Yeah, man.”

They said their goodbyes, and Damian continued to his room. Once there, he showered and crawled into bed. An hour later, he lay awake with thoughts of Karen filling his head. Where was she from? What did she do? Did she feel the chemistry between them as strongly as he did? He planned to get the answers to those questions and more. Turning over, he made himself comfortable and closed his eyes. Morning couldn’t come soon enough.

* * *

Karen untangled herself from the sheets and groaned. Another dream. Her pulse raced, and her breathing came in short gasps. It was the second one she’d had tonight, and seemed so real she would swear Damian lay beside her with his lips pressed against the hollow of her neck. She hadn’t been able to get his kisses out of her mind, or the feel of his hands sliding over her bare back and hips.

Tags: Sheryl Lister Billionaire Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net