She smiled at him, her heart pounding. He’d made it perfectly clear that he didn’t do girlfriends, never wanted one, and she was certainly not one. She knew his words were pure posturing, a way for him to lay claim to her and ensure no one else got any ideas. Never mind that the claim was for seven more days.
“Nice to meet you both,” Chris responded, his voice despondent.
“He’s having a bad day, or, uh, life,” Arianna informed Justus.
“Ah,” was Justus’s response.
The bartender set their beers on the counter and walked away as three other customers arrived at the other end of the bar.
Arianna lifted her glass high. “To better days.”
The men flanking her clinked glasses with hers.
“Trying to place your accent,” Justus commented. “You’re not from Australia, right?”
Arianna agreed. Though he wasn’t from the US either. Nor was he from England.
“New Zealand.”
“What brings you to Cairns?” Arianna asked conversationally. He seemed nice enough, even if his eyes seemed to suggest his entire family had recently died in a car crash. He was shorter than Justus, maybe five-ten. Skinny. Dark hair. Pale skin. An ordinary sort of guy that didn’t stand out as being particularly good-looking or otherwise. At least for her.
“I’m on my honeymoon actually, except my fiancée didn’t show up for the wedding, so I’ve come on my own.” He didn’t look at them as he spoke. Instead, he ran a finger around the rim of his beer glass.
Arianna cringed. “I’m so sorry. How awful.”
Chris shrugged. “What can you do? I figured I would make the most of the trip we had planned anyway. Too bad Shelly wiped out the checking account and maxed out the credit cards before she took off, a fact I did not know until I arrived in Cairns and handed my credit card to the hotel desk clerk.”
“Yikes.” Arianna’s first thought was, Hey, a guy we can help! But Justus’s grip on her waist made her hesitate. Something about the way he stiffened made her think he disagreed, so she glanced at him.
He was frowning and subtly shaking his head. Why? Hadn’t they just that morning taken out cash to help out random strangers throughout the trip?
She turned back to Chris. “You don’t even know where she went?”
He shook his head. “No idea. We’ve been together for a year. We already had a joint account.” He ran a hand through his hair, not meeting Arianna’s gaze. “It’s like she swindled me.”
Justus stiffened again.
Arianna spun her head toward him, eyes open wide in question. What? Chris’s story sounded so pitiful. He was just a random guy in a hotel bar. Why the hell would he be lying?
“Dude, that sucks,” Justus offered. He slid his hand from around Arianna’s waist and grabbed her hand, holding it on the bar between them. He didn’t thread their fingers together like he usually did. Instead, he placed his palm over the back of her hand and wrapped his fingers around her much smaller ones. He casually took a sip of his beer.
Arianna took a long drink too.
Chris stared down at his beer, playing with the condensation.
“Can we get a couple of appetizers?” Arianna asked the bartender when he came by.
“Sure.” He handed her a menu.
Arianna ignored the fact that Justus wouldn’t release her hand when she tugged, using her free hand to hold the menu and then point at a few easy things that could be shared between three people. Surely Justus wouldn’t find fault with that.
She was apparently wrong, since he drew in a deep breath only she could hear and held it too long. She didn’t bother looking at him this time. Instead, slightly miffed, she spoke to Chris again. “At least you got the vacation,” she offered, sounding lame. “Might as well enjoy it.”
“Yep.” He sat up straighter, turned to face her, and pasted on a smile.
For a few minutes, they all three sat in silence, drinking their beers. The bartender brought the appetizers and three small plates. He set a pile of napkins on the bar and took away Chris’s empty glass.
“Can we get another round, please?” Arianna asked. Her fingers were starting to hurt from Justus squeezing them over and over, so she finally yanked her hand free and dramatically flexed it. Jesus. What the hell was wrong with him?
“What do you do for a living?” she asked Chris nonchalantly.
“Construction,” he answered quickly.
Arianna swore Justus groaned. It was almost embarrassing. She decided it was best to speed this along and get to their room before Justus said something rude. She’d never seen him like this. It was a side of him she didn’t recognize.
To fill the space, she told Chris about her education and her job in Sydney. She left out anything about Justus since he obviously thought she was loony.
When she reached for her purse, intending to pay the bill, Justus swatted her hand away and gave the bartender a credit card.
Chris pulled out his wallet, took out a few bills, and reached around Arianna to hand them to Justus.
Thank God Justus waved him off. “I got it, man.”
“You sure? I don’t mean to take advantage of you.”
“Not a problem at all.” He slid off the chair and reached for Arianna’s waist. “We wish you all the luck. So sorry to hear about your fiancée.”
“Thanks.” Chris smiled. “You folks have a nice holiday.”
Arianna practically had to jog to keep up with Justus as he ushered her from the room with a hand on the small of her back. It wasn’t until they were in the elevator that she turned to him and put her hands on her hips. “What the fuck, Justus?”
Justus sighed and rubbed his temples. “Arianna, he was full of shit.”
She leaned toward him, eyes widening. “Why the hell do you think that?”
“Because I’m good at reading people.”
She shook her head. “You’re paranoid. That’s what you are. We’ve never seen that man in our lives. We just got to Cairns an hour ago. Why would some stranger randomly sit next to us in a nice hotel hoping to scam us? Not a single person in the entire northeastern part of this country even knows I have any money in my purse at all.” Her voice was rising, and she snapped her mouth shut when the elevator opened.
Justus held the door open with a hand to the sensor while she exited the elevator. He followed her down the hallway and then opened their room with the keycard. As soon as they were inside, he kicked off his shoes as he responded. “I didn’t say it made sense. I said I got a bad vibe from him.”
She dropped her purse on the desk and spun around to face him, hands on her hips again. “And I say you’re being irrationally paranoid.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. But I couldn’t help how the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.” He slowly stepped toward her, blowing out a breath. When he reached her, he set his hands on her waist and tugged her playfully closer, forcing a small conciliatory smile. “I’m sorry. Perhaps I overreacted. The guy rubbed me wrong.”
She set her hands on his chest, wondering if there was significant merit to his intuition. After all, he was a trained Navy SEAL. She was not. Maybe she should listen to him. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to be so contrary. I’m just not nearly as mistrustful as you.”
He lowered his face and set his forehead against hers. “I’m not usually. I swear. Just something about that guy. I doubt his name is even Chris Metz.”
“Well, it’s over now. At least we bought him a few beers. We’ll never see him again.”
“Exactly.” Justus smiled, easing his hands around to her back and then down to cup her ass. “Maybe I can lure your clothes off with the promise of a backrub.”
She slowly grinned. “Perhaps…”
* * *
Justus couldn’t explain his intuition, but his radar had gone on full alert the second that man had settled on the stool next to Arianna. Why the hell had the guy chosen a stool right next to a woman who was clearly with anothe
r man when there were so many open seats in the bar? Right off the bat, that had raised Justus’s hackles. It had gone from bad to worse when he stammered out his sob story.
Maybe Arianna was right. Maybe Justus had been overreacting. But he was not usually wrong when it came to judging people around him even before they opened their mouths.
Several things didn’t add up. Construction? Not a chance in hell. The guy didn’t look fit enough to lift a book, let alone heavy equipment. And who had such a complete lack of knowledge about their personal finances that they made it all the way to the destination before realizing they don’t have funds?
As Justus slowly undressed Arianna, hoping to make her forget the strange guy, he wondered if he had simply been pissed off because it seemed the man was flirting with Arianna who was clearly with Justus.
And where the hell had this jealous streak come from? A random stranger in a bar managed to grab her attention and had him acting like a caveman. No way was Justus threatened by this Chris guy, but he still found he didn’t like other people capturing her attention. As if he had some sort of claim on her.
Arianna had her bottom lip tucked between her teeth when Justus dropped her shirt on the floor and went for the zipper on her jeans. He prayed he could restore the peace between them quickly. He did not want to argue with her for even a single moment.
Their clock was ticking. He wanted to enjoy her. He kicked himself, knowing there would have been no harm in letting her give that guy money. She would have been pleased, and Justus would not now be trying to get her to forget they ever met Chris Metz.
What would it have hurt? So what if the guy swindled Arianna out of a few hundred dollars? Who cared, if it kept the peace?
He crouched down in front of her to tug her jeans down her legs.
She set her hands on his shoulders and lifted first one foot and then the other, letting him remove the denim.
With his face level with her sweet center, he decided not to rise just yet. Instead, he held her hips and pressed his nose against the thin layer of silk that covered her mound. He inhaled her fantastic scent.
She held his shoulders tighter, her fingers digging into his muscles delightfully. Since she didn’t seem intent on denying him, he dragged his tongue along the edge of her panties.
She moaned. There was a god. “I thought there was a massage involved in this…” she murmured.
He chuckled and rose to his feet, releasing her. “There is. Absolutely.” He pulled his shirt over his head and then backed her up toward the king-sized bed.
She’d made reservations everywhere they were planning to go. When they arrived, he’d upgraded them to a much better room on a higher floor. Why not?
When the backs of her knees hit the mattress, he spun her around and swatted her ass playfully. “Up. Lie on your stomach.”
She glanced over her shoulder as she crawled on her hands and knees toward the center of the bed. Her lip was still between her teeth, but she was fighting a smile.
He left her to get situated and padded to the bathroom to grab the hotel lotion. It was the only thing at his disposal, so it would have to do. When he returned, he found her naked, her arms above her head hugging a pillow. She’d discarded her bra and panties.
Again, thank you, God.
Justus removed his jeans, but left his boxer briefs on. He joined her, straddling her thighs as he squeezed the lotion onto his palm. And then he set his hands on her smooth back. Her skin never ceased to amaze him. Her Italian heritage gave her the most gorgeous skin tone he’d ever seen. Against his lighter combination of Scottish and Irish skin, she looked ravishing.
She groaned deeply when he massaged her shoulders, digging his fingers into her tight muscles.
He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she would forgive him for his ridiculous behavior. As he continued, working his way down her back and then her ass, he scooted farther down her body. Eventually he added the backs of her thighs, pressing his fingertips into her warm flesh, while letting his thumbs graze precariously close to her sex.
Her moans of pleasure changed, and he watched her fist her hands in the pillow.
Finally, he smoothed his hands back up her body, giving her one last squeeze at her shoulders, and then he leaned over her, lowered his mouth to her ear, and whispered, “I’m sorry for earlier. I don’t know what came over me.”
She flipped over onto her back between his planted hands and knees. Facing him now, she licked her lips. “Forgiven. Now, please, please, please make love to me.”
“Gladly.” He shrugged out of his briefs, grabbed a condom, and climbed between her legs as she spread them. Knowing she would not need any further preparation, he thrust into her to the hilt.
She grabbed his biceps and cried out. “God, I love it when you do that.”
“Do what? Rough and demanding?” he teased.
“Yessss.” The word came out on a hiss because he’d pulled out and was thrusting back into her as she tried to speak.
Damn, he was into her. Probably too into her. She was everything. The entire package. If he had to make a list of attributes that encompassed the perfect woman, she would easily come out ahead of anyone he’d ever dated.
Lust? Maybe. But he worried it was more than that. And he couldn’t do more. He wouldn’t.
Closing his eyes, he tried to focus only on how good it felt to be enveloped inside her without the added bonus of looking into her eyes or even soaking in her features. The combination was too much for him at the moment.
Every passing day drew him closer to her. Even the naïve way she trusted whoever that man was at the bar endeared him to her.
He was in over his head with this woman. Tony’s sister. Gah.
Chapter 11
They were on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, slowly inching above the Barron Gorge National Park. Arianna hadn’t been to Queensland yet, so she was mesmerized by the rainforest below. “This is so beautiful.”
Justus sat next to her, his body turned toward her, his hand on her back. “It is.”
Another couple sat across from them, equally mesmerized. They’d introduced themselves briefly and said they were from Ohio, but all four of them were too in awe of the scenery to make small talk.
“I’m glad the weather cleared,” Justus continued. It had rained earlier in the morning.
“Me too. Look.” She pointed at the top of a tree as they passed within a few feet of it. A large bird sat on one of the uppermost branches. Regal. Gorgeous.
Justus ran his hand up and down her back. He set his chin on her shoulder. It seemed as though he’d been more attentive since they left Chris in the bar, silently begging forgiveness she rationalized. He didn’t need to. There was nothing to forgive. It was over. Done. It didn’t matter who was right. They would never know.
It took a long time to reach the Kuranda Terminal at the top of the mountain, and then they disembarked and wandered down a long street filled with tourist attractions. Shops that boasted all types of souvenirs.
Justus pointed down a side street. “There’s a wild bird sanctuary. You want to go?”
“Sure.” Birdworld Kuranda. Interesting.
Justus paid their admission, and then they stepped into the most amazing world Arianna had ever seen. Hundreds of the most colorful birds flew all around them under the protective screen dome.
She carried a guide, but she found she was much less interested in identifying the specific varieties of birds, and much more interested in just enjoying them.
As they stepped onto a covered deck, Justus dumped a handful of bird food into her hand from the brown paper lunch sack they’d purchased with their tickets. He poured some into his own hand next, and instantly a stunning yellow bird landed on his outstretched hand.
Arianna pulled her phone from her back pocket to take pictures. She’d taken shots from the bottom of the mountain and the Skyrail too. Justus hadn’t been kidding about photos. He never used his own phone to take pictures.
Luckily, no one from her family had texted or called since they’d started this vacation. The fact that her entire family was in Italy was buying her some time. They were busy with their own vacation. She hadn’t posted anything on social media either, mainly because she had no clear idea what she wanted them to know about this fling with Justus. On the one hand, she had never been one to keep secrets from her gigantic family. On the other hand, they would never understand why she would go on a vacation with a man she didn’t intend to marry.
There was little chance in hell they would buy some story about Arianna and Justus being nothing more than friends, especially not her mother. It sounded absurd even silently in her head. Maybe she would simply ignore any incoming calls or texts. At least until she and Justus had a chat about what her response should be. The clock was ticking, though. She couldn’t ignore her family forever. Eventually, someone, probably her mother, would contact her.
It was possible her parents and most of her siblings weren’t even aware Justus was in Australia at all. If Tony didn’t think twice about hooking her up to help Justus with his travel plans, maybe he didn’t mention it to anyone else in the family. Slim chance, but possible.
Considering Tony was in Rome too, he sure wasn’t going to call and check up on her.
She jerked her attention back to Justus when he ducked his head as a colorful red-and-blue bird landed on top. His movement did nothing to distract the bird, however, nor did it bother the yellow one for a single second. The yellow one continued to dine on the feast in Justus’s hand.
Arianna took a dozen pictures.
Eventually, they extricated themselves from the throng of birds on that deck and wandered through the winding bridge that took them all around the sanctuary. As they rounded the last bend on their way toward the exit, someone spoke. “Arianna?”
She lifted her gaze to find Chris standing two feet in front of her. He beamed and lifted a hand toward Justus. “And Justus, right? We must have had the same travel agent,” he joked.
Hot SEAL, Australian Nights: SEALs in Paradise Page 8