Page 21 of Veiled Fantasies

So what did she do for a living?

“All aboard!” came the call.

They waited as two sun-burned tourists wobbled over the boarding plank to the converted dhow, clutching the outstretched hands of crew members. Then he crossed with a sure stride and turned to offer Jill a hand, but she was already there, over the gap in two easy steps and practically knocking him over. She grabbed his shoulder to break her momentum. It was only a fleeting touch, so why was he still tingling?

He shook the feeling off and swung up the steep ladder to access the upper level, suddenly remembering the tree house at his grandparent’s cabin. That and the bunk bed. He and Martin had always argued over the top bunk.

He must have been smiling, because Jill looked at him with an expectant air from the top rung.

“Reminds me of—” he started, but was cut off when Jill glanced down at the next passenger and scrambled the rest of the way up. When she looked to him for the rest, he shook it off. No need to bore her with details. But it was nice to find his mind wandering to pleasant memories for a change.

“Over there?” He pointed to four plush benches squaring off a low table.

He slid in along one side and Jill followed. Luckily, the tourists who had been jabbering away about a criminal being held in their hotel had stayed on the main deck. Jill hadn’t seemed to notice them yet, and that was a good thing. He didn’t want it spooking her, not after the encounter he observed on the plane. Why ruin this nice evening with stray gossip?

“Excuse me,” said a newcomer. As more passengers boarded, Erik slid along the bench until he and Jill were mashed together in one corner, her braid just touching his shoulder. He leaned left, away from a sweaty man. Jill leaned right to get a little breathing room from the British couple next to her, and the two of them ended up very cozy, indeed.

A nice view, he decided. And the city wasn’t bad, either.

The ship creaked away from the dock and began a lazy loop along the river. Going nowhere but somehow promising a wonderful voyage of discovery.

“Funny that they call the river The Creek,” Jill commented.

Funny that he’d never noticed any of this before. What had he been doing, all those previous visits to Dubai?

Working. Well, tonight he was off and he would enjoy it. He sniffed. The water smelled reasonably clean. At least he thought it did. Those summer flowers that always seemed to travel with Jill were giggling again. Working boats plied the waterway, skyscrapers glittered in the distance. The only unwelcome distraction was the way their shoulders jutted uncomfortably into each other. Erik eased his arm free and stretched it out along the back of the bench, behind Jill. Much better.

He was liking this cruise thing already.

Chapter Seven

Jill was a smart girl. She always did the right thing.

But man, did the wrong thing feel good.

She found herself leaning back and to her right while settling into his contours, feeling his bulk. When Erik turned to look at the left bank, she could feel his soft breath on her cheek. God, he smelled nice. Fresh, like the air after a cleansing rain. Felt nice, too. Warm but not sticky. Solid but not unyielding. Something she could get used to.

If only she could.

Here on the water, city noise was pushed to the background as her heart thumped in her chest. She tried loosening up a little and nearly chuckled aloud at the realization that she wasn’t creating stories about other people. She couldn’t. Her fantasies were completely preoccupied with him.

A ruddy British woman leaned over with a wink. “Such a nice couple. Are you honeymooners?”

Jill could already feel her face flushing. She wished she could say yes. Yes, we’re Mr. and Mrs. Perfect. Can’t you tell? I’m Mrs. Perfect, and this is my stud of a husband, Mr. Perfect. Give us a few years and we’ll have a couple of perfect children and a blissful home life.

Or maybe she’d say, No, this is a complete stranger I’m indulging in wild fantasies about even though I know it will never work out because nothing I do ever does. Thank you for asking. She steadied herself with a sip of the lukewarm can of Coke that came with the cruise.

“Not yet!” Erik joked, making the Brits chuckle and Jill choke.

“Well, at least let us take your picture!” the woman insisted. “Come on, get a little closer!” And they did, nearly cheek to cheek and probably cherry red.

Click!

“Nice cruise, isn’t it?” smiled the British husband.

“Very nice,” Jill and Erik said in perfect unison.

* * *

---