over the man by a good six inches and outweighed him by forty pounds of pure muscle.
The man dropped his arm, muttered something about stuck-up women and took off down the corridor.
Damian glanced at the woman who barely reached his shoulder in her heels. “Are you okay?”
“I... Yes. Thank you. Although I could have handled it.”
He chuckled in faint amusement. “I have no doubt about that. Would you like an escort to your room, or will you be all right?”
“I’ll be fine. Thanks again.”
“My pleasure. Perhaps I’ll see you again.”
“Perhaps.”
Damian followed the sway of her hips until she was out of sight, then made his way back over to where his friends waited.
“Please don’t tell me you made a move on that woman,” Kyle lit into Damian as soon as he returned.
“Give it a rest, Kyle. I saw a guy harassing her and just made sure she was okay. I didn’t even get her name.”
“What do you mean you didn’t get her name? Man, you’re more out of practice than I thought,” Troy said with a laugh.
Damian rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Troy. Like I said before, I don’t know why I still keep you guys around. I have plenty of time to find out her name...if I want to.”
Troy’s eyebrows shot up. “Sounds like you’re interested.”
He glanced over his shoulder in the direction she had gone, then faced his friends. “Maybe.” Up close, she was even more beautiful, and damn if he wasn’t attracted to her. As Kyle noted, everything about her shouted relationship, not fling. But he wasn’t looking for either, or was he? At any rate, things were starting to look up. Coming on this cruise might not have been such a bad idea after all, especially if he got a chance to spend a little time with his mystery lady. Yep, things were definitely looking up.
* * *
Karen felt the heat of her rescuer’s gaze on her back, but she refused to turn around. The man was positively scrumptious with a rich, deep voice that poured over her like warm melted chocolate. From a distance she hadn’t been able to discern the color of his eyes, but with him standing so near, she could see the green flecks in his light brown eyes—eyes that reflected friendliness and something else she couldn’t identify. He didn’t seem like the usual guy on the prowl. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Why did she even care? She didn’t.
Or at least, that was what she told herself.
Karen entered her cabin, locked the door, dropped down in the closest chair and kicked off her shoes. If she didn’t care, why was her heart beating faster? And why did the prospect of seeing him again send a shiver of excitement down her spine? She pushed off the chair and went to change into more comfortable clothing to get ready for the muster drill.
She searched for him at the drill and during dinner, and experienced a twinge of disappointment at not seeing him. Devin and Donovan had invited her to hang out with them for the evening listening to a couple of performances. She particularly enjoyed the performance by Eric Darius. The young saxophonist had a way of infusing jazz and funk that had everyone in the room on their feet dancing, including her. By the time she made it to her room that evening, Karen was beyond exhausted. Rather than take Friday off, she had worked the full day and then taken an overnight flight to Florida. She slept as much as she could on the plane and had taken a short nap this afternoon, but the lack of sleep had taken its toll. She showered and brushed her teeth within fifteen minutes and crawled into bed. The lulling movement of the ship relaxed her, and she drifted off to sleep quickly.
When she woke up the next morning, Karen felt no more rested than she had the night before. Images of a sexy stranger had kept her tossing and turning all night. Instead of going to the dining room for breakfast, she opted for a muffin and coffee from room service. After dressing, she went out on the balcony. Miles and miles of deep blue water stretched out before her, and a slight breeze blew across her face.
She would have to thank Terrence again for the suite. He insisted on paying for her room as a thank-you for bringing Janae to the concert that night. She smiled, thinking about how reluctant Janae had been about dating a superstar, but Terrence had proven himself more than worthy of her love and devotion.
Although happy for her friend, she couldn’t stop the pang of sadness that hit her. Automatically, Karen’s thoughts shifted to her spineless, cheating ex-boyfriend. One minute they had been looking at wedding rings, and the next she was reclaiming her single status. She’d given him her love and almost two years of her life, but obviously, it hadn’t meant anything. The old pain and anger rose to the surface, and she drew in a deep breath. She had given Andre Robertson enough of her time and energy and didn’t intend to waste another second on his trifling behind. She glanced out over the water once more before going inside.
Today was a new day, and she looked forward to all the activities and concerts. And, despite the lecture she had given herself about not getting involved with another man, she couldn’t help hoping she crossed paths with the gorgeous hunk again.
Grabbing her book and sunglasses, Karen left her room. She meandered around the ship for a while, then went out to the deck. She found an empty spot at the railing and braced her forearms on the dark, polished wood. This trip was exactly what she needed to clear her mind. She stood there a few minutes longer and noticed someone vacate a lounger near the pool. She quickly claimed it. Pushing her sunglasses higher up on her nose, she leaned back, closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. Opening her eyes again, she stared up at the cloudless blue sky and smiled. The sun shone and warmed her skin, funky jazz blared from speakers and people all around her danced and laughed. She felt the stress melt from her body as she picked up her book.
Karen was so engrossed in the characters that she jumped when a hand touched her shoulder. Her head snapped up. A man stood next to her wearing swim trunks and holding a drink in his hand. She guessed him to be in his late fifties. He had on an ill-fitting toupee and really should have put on a shirt.
“You look like you could use some company,” he said, leering at her with a gap-toothed smile that made her skin crawl.
Keeping her features neutral and trying not to cringe, she said, “I’m just fine reading my book alone.”
He continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “I think we could have a good time together. I’d be remiss in my duties as a man to let a beautiful woman like you sit here all alone.”
She barely stifled an eye roll. “Thanks for your concern, but I’d like to get back to my book.” She picked up the book and started reading, hoping he would get the hint and move on.
Finally, he walked away. Good grief. I must be attracting every loser on this ship! First the man in the hallway, now this guy. She took a discreet glance around to make sure he was gone. When she didn’t see him, Karen sighed in relief and shook her head. She turned back, and her gaze collided with the man who had invaded her dreams. He stood in the pool staring at her, his hazel eyes twinkling with amusement. The corners of his mouth kicked up into a sexy smile, and her pulse spiked. Someone bumped him and he looked away, breaking the connection. She shook herself and turned her attention back to the
