Page 15 of Obsession Under the Southern Stars

The dress crosses over her breasts and again below the waist, so where she’s sitting, the two sides have parted to reveal her legs. Her thighs are long, slim, and toned, and the sandals are super sexy. Her toenails are the same color as her dress. Fuck, that’s hot.

She’s determined to keep her distance from me. The fact that she’s turned me down fifteen times is evidence of this, but it’s more than that; I can feel her hesitation and her desperate attempts to keep me at arm’s length. Why? She dated Charlemagne, so she’s obviously not averse to relationships. Why would she date him and not me? I think she’s attracted to me. She reacts as if she is, and her eyes hold desire when I tease her and flirt with her. But for some reason, she’s not going to make it easy for me.

Well, that’s okay. I’m an archaeologist. I know it takes time to peel away the layers of the past and reveal the precious artifact that lies beneath. I have a lot of patience.

“Oh look!” Zoe’s face lights up, and I follow her pointing finger to see a pod of dolphins joining us on our trip to the ship, swimming beside us. One leaps out of the water in a spectacular jump, and everyone cheers.

“Show off,” I say, and Zoe nudges me.

“This is amazing,” she says. “Thanks so much for inviting me.”

“You’re welcome.” As soon as Fraser told me about the Valentine’s Day exhibition, and I realized I could use it to get Zoe to join me in the bay, I’ve been working toward that goal.I’ve pushed the team hard to excavate the Relentless to get to the hold, where the chest is supposed to reside. I have no idea whether we’ll be able to find it, but I’ll do my best for her.

The tender pulls up alongside the ship, a series of temporary steps leading up to the doorway in the side. I hold Zoe’s hand as she climbs from the boat onto the steps, then follow her up and onto the ship.

We find ourselves in a brightly lit lobby, with a waiting guide. We squeeze into an elevator that takes us up a few decks, and then emerge into another foyer filled with people making their way to the restaurant.

“Joel!” A short guy approaches us, beaming, and I shake his hand. Ugh, he’s a little sweaty. “Look at you,” he says. “Don’t you brush up well?”

I grin. “Hey, Alan. Good to see you.”

His gaze skims down Zoe. He’s about six inches shorter than her, and his beard and bald head make him look as if his head is upside down. He’s in his early forties and divorced, and I can’t imagine that Zoe would be interested in him in a million years, but I still bristle at his obvious fascination.

I want to introduce her as my girlfriend just to see the look on his face, but I figure Zoe might clock me with her handbag, so I fight the temptation.

I gesture to Zoe. “Zoe, this is Alan Plant from MOANA’s Christchurch office. Alan, this is my friend, Zoe.”

They shake hands. When she lowers hers, I notice her surreptitiously rub her hands together as if she’s trying to rid herself of his moisture, and I try not to laugh.

“Hope you have a great evening,” he says. “Maybe I can talk you into having a dance later?”

“I’ll think about it,” I say. “I’m pretty good at the twist.”

She coughs, hiding a laugh. He frowns. “I was of course referring to the lovely lady.”

“Aw,” she says, “I turned my ankle over yesterday, so I don’t think I’ll be doing much dancing, but thank you for thinking of me.”

I can’t look at her now or I’ll start laughing. “Best of luck with the awards,” I say to him.

“Yeah, you too,” he says. “Catch you later?”

“Yeah, have a great evening.”

He walks off, heading over to a table in the restaurant near the stage.

“That was smooth,” I say, as we wait in the queue by the entrance to be seated. “You need to hobble now, though.”

She giggles. “I should have bought a crutch.”

“We could just say you’re my girlfriend. That might dissuade a few people.”

She gives me a wry look, but to my surprise then says, “Actually, you’re probably right. Mind you, what if there’s a hot girl here you fancy?”

“There is,” I remind her. “I’m trying to talk her into going on a date with me.”

She laughs and nudges me, then takes my arm as we reach the front of the queue.

I tell the waiter our names, and he checks his clipboard, then leads us across the restaurant to a round table near the windows. An archaeologist from my office is already sitting there, along with another couple from the Bay of Islands branch. They’re all joining us on the dive this week.

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