Page 130 of Seduction Under the Southern Stars

I giggle and slide my arms around him. “So are you going to tell me what seventy-five percent entails?”

“Nope.” He kisses my forehead.

“Oh, come on. You know that anticipation is almost as good as the thing itself.”

“Not this thing.” He smirks.

God, how does this guy know how to unravel me with just a look?

He opens his mouth to say something but stops as his phone rings in the pocket of his track pants. He pulls it out, says, “Unknown caller,” and answers it, “Hello? Yes, speaking.” He listens for a moment, and then his eyes widen as he meets my gaze, and a smile spreads over his face. “Oh… hello. No, of course I don’t mind, he said he was going to pass you my number. Yes, we’ve just arrived this morning. No, actually, we don’t have anything planned. I’d love to meet you.”

I’m guessing it’s his half-sister, Claire. I’m so thrilled that she wants to see him. I know it’s going to mean a lot to him.

“Four p.m.,” he says, which I know is the time we set sail this afternoon. He then looks at his phone’s screen to check the time, then puts it back to his ear. “Eleven sounds great. Are you sure you can get time off work? Ah okay, cool! Espresso Yourself, great name. Yes, Elora. Okay, we’ll see you then.” He laughs. “That’s true, actually. Yeah, okay. Bye.” He ends the call. “Apparently Edmund said she’ll be able to recognize me because I look like a younger version of him.” He smiles. He likes that.

“How exciting that you’re going to meet her,” I say. “I’m so pleased for you.”

“We,” he corrects, then he pulls an eek face. “I’m so sorry, I should have asked whether you minded doing this rather than sightseeing.”

“I don’t mind at all, but are you sure you wouldn’t rather go on your own?”

“No,” he says immediately. “I like having you there. You’re very good at smoothing over any awkward silences.”

“Linc, honey, there are never going to be any awkward silences when you’re around.”

“Not sure how to take that.”

“It’s a compliment.” I check the time. It’s just gone eight. “So where’s the coffee shop?”

“In the city center.”

“Well if we leave now we can have a look around first.”

“Sounds great.”

I collect my purse and Linc picks up his wallet, and we head out, taking the stairs down to Deck Four, then follow the path off the ship to the mainland.

“See I am a pirate,” he teases, gesturing for me to precede him, “making you walk the gangplank.”

I smile, concentrating on keeping my footing, and trying to stay calm at the thought of walking into a new city.

“You okay?” he asks, taking my hand.

“I can’t imagine doing this in another country. How did you get on a plane at eighteen and disembark in Cairo? Everyone would have been wearing different clothing, speaking a language you wouldn’t have understood. The smells, sights, and sounds would all have felt alien. How did you feel when you walked across the tarmac? Were you excited?”

“Terrified,” he says. “I’d never even been to the North Island.”

“Seriously?”

“Nope. I was trembling when I walked into the airport. But Mona was working for TAG, and she’d come to pick me up, and she was really nice and friendly. And it just got better from there.”

“How old was she?”

“Twenty-two.”

So four years older than him. He would’ve looked older, though, and he’d had the swagger and confidence of an older guy.

I feel a little comforted to think he’d also been afraid of change. Maybe he’s right and being flexible is a skill you can learn, or at least you become more able to adapt as time goes by.

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