Page 20 of Cruising for Christmas
His rich laugh rang out. They ate their desserts in silence while watching the flying fish.
Once they both finished their desserts, they sat on the balcony in silence for several minutes before Ian spoke.
“Let’s go out.”
Her heart rate quickened, and she looked over at him. “What?”
“Tonight. There’s no point in sitting in our room all night. Let’s go check out that club.”
Her eyes searched his, which were still hidden in the dark. “Okay.”
“Great. I’ll get changed first.” He stood up and went back into the bedroom, sliding the balcony door closed behind him and pulling the curtains over the door.
After their first night debacle with the smallest bathroom on the planet, she didn’t blame him for changing in the bedroom. It was a lot easier to take turns, even if the person who wasn’t changing just waited inside the tiny bathroom.
Norah glanced toward the door, and she immediately stopped to stare. A tiny gap was left between the drapes, allowing a small view of Ian with his bare back to her. She gulped.
The muscles in his back flexed with his movement as he dug around in a bag for a shirt. He turned and his abs about made her weep. They were so beautiful she damn near foamed at the mouth.
But her mouth instantly dried up when she snagged his eyes, staring back at her. He raised an eyebrow and her face flamed. Busted.
She whipped back around in her seat and stared out at the sea. The balcony door opened only a minute later, and he stepped outside.
“Your turn,” he said.
She clenched her eyes, waiting for a sarcastic remark to follow, but none came. Maybe he hadn’t seen her. Maybe it had been dark enough outside that the contrast of the bright room and the dark balcony made it hard for him to see her.
God, she hoped so.
She stood up and smiled timidly at him before stepping into the small room. Before the door clicked shut, he murmured, “Close the gap in the drapes if you don’t want to put on a show.”
His low chuckle was cut off when the door slid closed, and she just about died. Norah immediately yanked the drapes shut and changed as quickly as she could into a black dress that flared at the waist and came to her knees and paired it with a pair of black heels. She looked in the mirror and put on a little lip gloss and ran a brush through her hair before deciding it was good enough.
Then she pulled open the sliding glass door.
“Ready.”
He stood and walked toward her. His eyes dropped down the length of her body before traveling back up to her face. A slow, sexy smile spread across his face.
“You look beautiful.”
Heat crawled up her neck. He stopped in front of her. Norah’s head dropped back to look up at him and her heart rate sped up. What was happening right now?
He leaned forward, and on instinct, her eyes closed, but he never touched her. Instead, his breath brushed across her forehead.
“Are you going to let me inside?”
Her eyes snapped open, and she stepped back hastily, catching her heel on absolutely nothing before falling backward. Ian quickly moved and caught her before she could hit the floor. He wrapped his muscular arms around her waist and held her close, their faces mere inches apart.
“Are you okay?” His breath feathered over her lips. It was minty, and she had the sudden urge to press her lips to his. Instead, she scrambled and nearly fell on her ass, trying to escape his grasp.
Once she was upright, she smoothed her dress down. “Oh yeah. I’m great. Let’s go.”
Then she hurried away, the low rumble of his laugh following her.
They arrived at the club where a comedian was on stage and easily found seats before ordering drinks.
“So, what do you do for work?” Ian asked when the comedian stepped off to allow the next act up.
