Page 25 of Veiled Fantasies

She was asking him? “You tell me.”

She considered. “That’s the short way to the hotel,” she pointed left, over a bridge.

“Oh.” He made sure his lack of enthusiasm came through. Why rush this enjoyable night?

She looked straight ahead. “That’s the beginning of the commercial district, a lot like around the hotel.”

“And over there?” He pointed right.

“I haven’t been there yet.”

Perfect. “Shall we see where it goes?”

She smiled broadly, making something in him glow.

Yes, he thought. Let’s find out where this goes.

They wandered unfamiliar streets, winding this way and that. When they emerged back at the Creek, they stopped at another bridge and silently contemplated the river.

He snuck a peek at Jill, gazing into the water. Her braid had worked itself loose and hair cascaded around her face like a flowing frame. The features of her slender face were left to speak for themselves without any make-up to emphasize what was already just right.

She was so natural. Her own person. That was different, too. Some women didn’t know who they were. Others were so much their own people that there was no room for anyone else. Jill was her own person, but she was considerate, too. She had taken care of Louise, and now she was taking care of him, dragging him out and showing him something new.

And there he was, chasing her heels and drooling like a clueless puppy. Not good. But what did he have to lose?

The comfortable numbness, the cocoon. That’s what. It had taken him a long time to construct that shield. Because emotions hurt. It all ended, one way or another. Fate gave and it took away.

Mostly, it seemed like Fate took away.

He contemplated the light playing off the water below, each spark a glimmer of possibility. Maybe there didn’t have to be a risk. He could just spend some time with her. Let her punctuate what was otherwise a blur of time and place.

Just a little fling. Nothing wrong with two single, rational adults letting the natural thing come to pass. A couple of fun days in Dubai and they would each go their separate ways. He could crawl right back into his cocoon. She didn’t need to know how much time he spent in London. It would be a clean, easy break when the time came.

Everything except his better judgment voted overwhelmingly in favor of this idea. A little fun. No strings attached.

Of course, he’d been the one to innocently suggest sharing a room. What would it look like if he made a pass at her now? What would she think? Maybe she’d think he was crazy.

Or maybe she was thinking exactly what he was thinking.

Only one way to find out.

Chapter Eight

“Getting late, huh?” Jill ventured and immediately winced. She never wanted this magical Arabian night to end. Unless, of course, it ended with a long, warm kiss. A safe enough wish, because it would never happen.

“So…what would you like to do now?” he asked.

I want to go back to the hotel and kiss you several hundred times. I want to peel off your clothes and check if you’re for real. I want you to want me as much as I want you. I want…

“Oh, I don’t know,” she mumbled, closing her eyes to reality. She listened to the swish of water, the rumble of worn tires as a car passed. The city slowed to a crawl, giving itself over to the night.

Something brushed her ear. Soft, gentle. Nice.

It was Erik. Erik with the lightest possible kiss. A tiny hint, a question. She leaned into it, eyes shut tight so as not to witness her own crime. Oh, she could go there. She could definitely go there.

Another soft touch, and his body shifted closer. That scent, a heady mix of the woods and the sea; a promise of new horizons. Her hand went up and cupped his cheek, keeping him close. All she had to do was turn a few degrees and lend him her lips, press her body close and let that answer his question. It was so easy, so obvious. So what did she do?

She flinched and spun on him. Never mind that she’d been harboring secret fantasies about Erik betraying wife and family for her. Now that he was ready to do it, she found herself in a sudden rage. How dare he? Mr. Perfect would never cheat on Mrs. Perfect, damn it!

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