Page 29 of Cocky Cruiser

My heart hurt for the helpless innocent creature being injured by human thoughtlessness. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Oh, yes. We already treated his wounds and performed surgery to remove the plastic from his stomach. He’ll have some scars, but he’s going to be just fine.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Good.”

Aaron helped me up onto a platform attached to the top of the tank. “He’ll be in this tank for another couple of weeks, then we’ll move him into one of the exhibit tanks with some of the other sea life to get used to a marine environment again before we release him back into the wild.”

“Unlike most sea turtles, green turtles are herbivores. They eat seagrass, seaweed, and algae.” He handed me a clump of grass. “Just put it in the water and shake it around a bit.”

I did as instructed, and within seconds, Mikey came over and started to munch on the grass. I stifled a squeal as he began to eat from my hand. “Oh, my God,” I whispered, watching the turtle in awe. “This is amazing.”

Aaron handed me more seagrass, and I continued to feed Mikey, laughing with glee. “I can’t believe I’m doing this right now.”

I glanced over at Cohen, who was smiling warmly at me. Butterflies filled my stomach as our eyes met, and I felt my cheeks heat. I knew how I would be thanking him once we got back to the suite.

Once I finished feeding Mikey, we thanked Aaron and went back out into the aquarium.

“That was unbelievable,” I said with a giggle. “Thank you so much for doing that for me.”

Cohen draped an arm around my shoulders. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Way better than the interactive exhibit, eh?”

“Definitely. After that, there’s no doubt in my mind that I want to pursue marine biology and help with the conservation of sea turtles.”

A proud smile tipped Cohen’s lips. “Good. I’m sure you’ll be great at it. There was no denying the passion on your face when you were back there with that turtle.”

I looked up at him. “You think so?”

He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “I know so.”

The sweet gesture made my chest tighten. I didn’t want to develop feelings for Cohen, but he was making that difficult with the fantastic sex and romantic gestures.

Don’t fall for him, Adele. You’ll just end up with a broken heart and ruin the memories of this wonderful trip.

I just hoped my heart listened to my head for once.

We went through the rest of the exhibits before meeting the guide at the designated place and time. Once our entire group was together, we exited the aquarium and hopped back on the shuttle van to go to the Sky Tower.

Once there, our guide led us into the lobby of the massive structure. “The Sky Tower is one thousand and seventy-six feet tall, making it the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere. It is the twenty-seventh tallest tower in the world.”

He led us into an elevator and continued his lecture, “The observation deck provides a three hundred and sixty-degree view of Auckland, and on clear days, you can see as far as fifty miles in each direction.”

Once we got to the top floor, the guide let us go our separate ways again as long as we agreed to meet back at the elevators in thirty minutes.

We walked around the observation deck, marveling at the views for a few minutes before Cohen asked, “Wanna check out the cafe? It’s a couple of levels down.”

I nodded. “Sure.”

Cohen grabbed my hand and led me back to the elevators, then we went down a couple of floors to the cafe, which had the same views of the city.

“Wow, this cafe has everything a girl could want: cheese, wine, ice cream, and coffee,” I said, perusing the menu.

“Or tea, in your case,” Cohen added.

I chuckled. After a few seconds, Cohen asked, “So what are you in the mood for? Cheese and wine, tea and pastries, or ice cream?”

Tapping my chin, I pursed my lips in thought. “That’s a tough decision. I love all of those things.”

Cohen grinned expectantly at me, waiting for my answer. “What the hell? Let’s have some cheese and wine. It’s after noon, right?”

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