Hot SEAL, Australian Nights: SEALs in Paradise

by Jameson, Becca

  “This is the place where we get to have our picture taken holding a koala,” Arianna exclaimed as she took his hand and lured him toward the photo station.

  Out of all the things they’d seen and done so far on this magical vacation, Justus had to admit, holding a koala topped his list. The little guys were damn cute, though their claws were shockingly sharp against his chest, and they smelled strongly of eucalyptus.

  The time went by too quickly, and two hours later they were back on the bus heading for Mossman Gorge. Once again, Justus had to endure a rambling conversation between Arianna and Chris while they rode to the next stop, but he tuned it out, closing his eyes and feigning a nap.

  He kept his hand draped around Arianna’s shoulders again, and she didn’t balk but held his fingers where they dangled in front of her breast. Just to torment her, he let the tips of his fingers brush across her nipple every once in a while.

  She squirmed with each contact, causing him to smile, but he didn’t open his eyes to meet her gaze each time he sensed her angling her face toward him.

  The irony in this entire ongoing saga was that Arianna had convinced Chris that Justus was introverted and quiet. Nothing could be farther from the truth, but at least she provided him with an excuse not to engage the man.

  At the next stop, the group from the bus hiked a short distance to the gorge. The view was spectacular from deep inside the Daintree Rainforest.

  Chris stayed on their heels during the hike, but the fact that their tour guide was speaking about the local flora most of the time kept him from yapping away at Arianna.

  “Would you like me to take a picture of the two of you together?” Chris asked when they reached the gorge. Oh yeah, Justus was so totally going to win this bet with Arianna. No way could she deny that Chris was stuck to them like white on rice. All that was left was for Chris to con them into paying for something. It was only a matter of time.

  “That would be great. Thank you so much.” Arianna handed him her phone.

  Justus wrapped both arms around Arianna from behind and held her back flush against his chest for the picture. As Chris handed Arianna’s phone back, Justus considered the fact that most of their photos from the trip consisted of selfies. If Arianna intended to document the vacation in any way or show family members a slideshow of this side trip during her year abroad, she wouldn’t be able to avoid the dozens of pictures that clearly demonstrated she was Justus’s temporary significant other. He wasn’t simply in nearly every picture; he had his arms wrapped around her as if they were married in most of them.

  He took her phone from her before she could slide it back in her pocket.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Let me take a few of you alone in front of the gorge.”

  “Okaaayyy,” she drawled out. “Why?”

  He took several shots and gave her the phone back.

  “What was that all about?”

  He took her hand in his as they headed back down the path. “Thought you might want some shots with just you in them.”

  Arianna said nothing in response until they were back on the bus and seated. She turned her body to face Justus. Her face was serious. “I don’t think I can lie about this trip, Justus.”

  He stared at her a moment and then sighed. “I hear you. I’m not sure I can either.” It seemed impossible. “We probably need to discuss our game plan soon.” He pulled her closer and kissed her gently at the moment Chris boarded and took his seat across the aisle. It was intentional.

  Justus didn’t really think Chris was interested in Arianna romantically. He truly believed the man was a swindler. But just in case…

  She rolled her eyes when the kiss ended. “You did that on purpose,” she whispered.

  “Yep.” He gave her a cocky grin and sat back, holding her hand against his thigh to keep her close.

  After stopping for lunch, the bus took off once more for their final stop, a pontoon trip along the shore of the Daintree River. The bus let them off and continued to the other side of the river by the ferry where it would pick them back up after the tour.

  The afternoon sun was warm as Justus led Arianna to a seat near the front of the pontoon. He was relieved when Chris picked another spot on the boat, and soon they were pulling away from the shore. The guide was hilarious and filled with information about the mangroves and crocodiles. He paused the pontoon several times to point out crocodiles along the shore. Young and old. Small and incredibly large.

  “I think I’ve had my fill of crocodiles for a lifetime,” Arianna declared on the return trip. She shuddered. “They give me the willies.”

  “They should,” Justus pointed out. “The darn things are vicious. I’d rather not die by drowning because a crocodile held me underwater.”

  Chris chimed in from across the aisle again, of course. “Sounds like you’ll be fine as long as you always respect their habitat and keep your distance.”

  “It’s amazing how many people ignore the warnings,” Arianna added. She leaned her head against Justus’s shoulder and closed her eyes. In moments, she was asleep.

  Justus was grateful. For one, he loved watching her sleep. For another, her nap kept Chris from talking nonstop. Justus didn’t give the man any vibe that insinuated he was willing to engage. Besides, there would be no way to avoid disturbing Arianna if they spoke over her.

  Justus didn’t get the feeling Chris had nearly as much interest in Justus as he did Arianna, anyway, which wasn’t hard to believe considering Arianna had presented herself as incredibly kind and outgoing while Justus had spent nearly every moment in Chris’s company scowling.

  When the bus finally pulled up in front of their hotel, Justus was still trying to decide which of them had won the bet. Their encounter with Chris had seemingly been accidental, so Arianna could argue that she won. However, Justus wasn’t willing to consent yet. There was still plenty of time for Chris to worm his way into their evening and score something financial.

  As soon as they stepped into the lobby, Justus was proven right.

  “Would you two like to join me for dinner? It’s on me. I feel bad about taking your money the other day. I have most of it still in my pocket.”

  Before Justus could turn down the offer, Arianna beat him to it. “Thanks, but I’m exhausted. Even after that long nap, I still feel like I could sleep for ten hours. I think we’re going to call it an early night.”

  Chris nodded. “No worries. You two enjoy yourselves.”

  Justus held back a fist pump as he led Arianna through the lobby and into the elevator.

  “Stop gloating,” she said as the doors slid shut. She swatted his chest. “I think that was a draw. We didn’t pay for anything, and the encounter was accidental.”

  Justus turned toward her and stalked into her space until he had her pressed against the wall of the elevator. He cupped her face while he flattened his front against hers. “I don’t care who wins or loses the bet. I figure I win either way. What I do care about is that you turned down dinner with him, and now I get you all to myself in the room for the rest of the night.”

  The door slid open before he had a chance to kiss her, but she was smiling as he snagged her hand and dragged her quickly down the hallway to their room.

  As soon as they were inside, he grabbed her waist, making her squeal as he once again flattened her to the door. This time he kissed her thoroughly, not coming up for air until she moaned. “God, I love that sound.”

  “For the record, there wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to agree to dine with Chris or anyone else on the planet. We only have a few days left together. I’m not sharing them with anyone.”

  Justus slid his hands up her torso and then around to cup her breasts. “Good. You won’t get an argument out of me on that subject. But I do think you need to start thinking about what color teddy you intend to buy,” he teased. He intentionally flicked his thumbs over her breasts as he spoke.

  As expected, Arianna drew in a shar
p breath and rose onto her toes. He was beginning to anticipate her every response, and he liked it. What did it say about them that the sex hadn’t even begun to get old? It was probably too early to make that sort of leap, but they definitely had more chemistry than the average couple.

  What he didn’t know was what the hell he was going to do about it or how it was going to affect their future. The thought of walking away from Arianna and never looking back made his chest hurt.

  The thought of not walking away from her seemed impossible and unimaginable.

  Chapter 15

  Arianna woke up the next morning to find Justus staring down at her yet again. She smiled. “I guess my days of watching you sleep are over.”

  “Yep.” He brushed a lock of hair from her face and pulled her more fully under him. “I noticed you marked today as a lazy day on our itinerary.”

  “I did.” She ran her hand up his chest. “What do you want to do with all this extra time I blocked in?”

  “I think shopping and then an amazing dinner.”

  His words shocked her. “Shopping? I didn’t peg you for a shopping guy. Like souvenirs?”

  He grinned. “Nope. I mean, I made reservations for dinner. You’re gonna need a dress, and I need a tie.”

  She opened her eyes wider. “I thought we determined neither of us really won that bet.”

  He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I still want to take you to dinner.” He trailed a finger down her cheek and then her neck and around her breast.

  It was amazing how her body responded to him no matter how many times they had sex. First thing in the morning, halfway through the day, later in the evening. She was constantly turned on by his touch.

  From the moment they’d stepped over the line and turned this into an intimate relationship, he’d been touching her. In fact, there had been very few instances when they’d been separated for more than minutes. Pretty much only when one of them was in the bathroom. They’d even shared showers most days.

  Arianna stared into his eyes, a sudden sadness making her swallow back the lump of emotion welling in her throat. Had this entire plan been a horrible mistake? Why the hell did she think she could vacation with the man she’d had a crush on for years and flush him out of her system?

  The entire concept was preposterous. This was Justus Kirkland. Her brother’s best friend. A man who’d been to her house hundreds of times while she’d been too young for him to notice her. A man who was considered a part of her extended family by her parents and siblings.

  She was in over her head. She was falling hard for him.

  No. She’d already fallen. For a man she knew she had no future with. He was going to leave her here in a few days and travel to the other side of the earth to fight more bad guys.

  She was going to remain in Australia for two more months and then return to New York to find a grown-up job. Navy SEALs were off limits for long-term relationships. They broke hearts and caused tears.

  Besides, he’d made it perfectly clear that he never intended to settle down with a woman. He was married to his job. He was in it for the long haul. He was a career military man. Not husband material. Not even boyfriend material.

  This relationship that wasn’t even a relationship was finite. Its expiration date was creeping closer. And her chest seized at the idea.

  Justus furrowed his brow. “You okay?”

  She swallowed again and cleared her throat. “Yes.” She forced a smile. “I like this dinner plan. Let’s go shopping.”

  For several seconds he held her gaze, clearly not buying her lie. He was a smart guy, though. He undoubtedly understood perfectly well what she might be thinking and wisely chose to leave it alone.

  After all, it wasn’t as if he wasn’t into her too. There was no way in hell he could hide his feelings for her. He was attentive to the point of smothering. Lucky for him, she didn’t mind his attention one bit. But it spoke volumes. They had a problem, and neither of them was willing to admit it out loud yet.

  * * *

  It turned out Arianna wasn’t the kind of woman who needed to go to seven stores and try on dozens of dresses. As soon as they stepped into the first store, she grabbed about four dresses off the racks and headed to the fitting room.

  He’d also expected her to model for him or something. Instead, she emerged about five minutes later and breezed right by him. “Meet me outside,” she ordered.

  Confused, he stepped onto the sidewalk and waited. When she joined him, she had a solid white plastic garment bag around something he could not see. The hanger was draped over her arm. “Ready,” she beamed.

  He frowned. “Just like that?”

  “Just like what? You told me to get a dress. I did. Now, I’m going to need shoes.” She headed down the sidewalk at a clipped pace.

  He chuckled as he jogged to keep up. “Do I get to see this dress you bought?”

  “Yep. Tonight. When we’re leaving for dinner.”

  He laughed. “How mysterious.”

  She winked at him. “I like to keep you guessing.” She stopped walking and nodded her head toward another store. “You go in here and get what you need. I’ll go across the street and grab shoes.”

  So efficient. “Okay. You want me to carry that for you?” he asked, reaching for the dress.

  She apparently found that hilarious. “Not a chance in hell,” she snickered as she left him standing there in awe.

  Imagine that. A woman who can knock out shopping in less than ten minutes and somehow manage to keep my dick hard while doing so. He watched her enter the store across the street and then shook his head as he entered the one she’d directed him to.

  Black slacks. A new white shirt. Socks. Loafers. A black tie. By the time he had everything and stepped back outside, she was leaning against the window with another bag in her hand that clearly held a shoebox. “Took you long enough,” she teased.

  He held even more packages than her now, but that didn’t stop him from spinning on her and backing her into the display window. On the sidewalk, in the middle of the day, on a busy street filled with pedestrians, he kissed her. Passionately. Holding nothing back. She made him that hot.

  When he finally released her lips, her eyes were glazed, and she was struggling to breathe. “Do you have any idea how sexy you are?”

  “I’m starting to catch on,” she murmured, licking her lips.

  He gave her a slow, seductive smile, a plan forming in his mind to keep her on the edge of her seat for the rest of the day. Aroused. Needy. Craving him. He wouldn’t give her more than the occasional kiss. Not until after dinner. He would seduce her until her mind was spinning through several long courses and a bottle of wine.

  “Let’s go drop all this off at the hotel and then find some lunch,” he suggested.

  She nodded, still visibly reeling from the kiss. Good.

  Justus gently took her dress from her arm and added it to his own garment bag, and then he took her free hand and led her back to the hotel. Instead of entering through the front door and walking through the lobby, he led her to a side door, used his keycard to open it, and then snuck her to a rear elevator.

  “Why are we coming in through the back?” she asked as soon as the elevator closed.

  He grinned at her. “Because I don’t want anything to ruin our day.” By anything, he meant a run-in with the ever-present Chris. Even though the man hadn’t weaseled his way into their day yet, Justus wouldn’t put it past him to follow them around and insert himself in their plans.

  Arianna rolled her eyes, but she was smirking. “Are all SEALs as suspicious of people as you are?”

  “Most. Yes.” He held the elevator door for her as she exited and followed her down the hallway. As soon as he had her inside, he hung their new clothes up in the closet, leaving them in the garment bags, and then grabbed her by the waist to torment her some more.

  Her lips were so sweet, the faint taste of blueberry from her earlier muffin lingering. He held her w
aist again, his thumbs grazing under her breasts because he knew that drove her mad.

  As soon as she moaned and rose onto her toes, he released her lips. “Let’s go. I’m starving. I saw a cute Mexican place we could try for lunch.” He tugged her back into the hallway before she would protest, and one minute later he had her back in the same elevator.

  She wasn’t even steady on her feet. He tried hard not to smile too broadly. Instead, he cupped her face and kissed her again.

  When the doors opened, he broke the lip lock and led her into the short hallway to the side entrance and back onto the street. “Hungry?” he asked.

  “My head is spinning, actually. What’s the rush?” She grabbed his arm as they walked, wrapping her fingers around his elbow and pulling up close to his body.

  He glanced down at her, schooling his face. “No rush.” He slowed his pace, as if that were the “rush” in question.

  Two blocks to the right, he entered a quaint Mexican restaurant, but not without glancing in every direction and then twisting his neck to ensure Chris was not following them or already eating in this particular establishment. Convinced they’d avoided the leech again, he let the waitress seat them at a booth.

  Arianna slid into one side, but Justus joined her on the same side, scooching her over with his hip.

  She shook her head, tipping her gaze up to look at him. “You’re up to something.”

  “What?” he asked in mock exaggeration, putting a hand over his chest. “Just because I want to sit next to you?” He lowered his hand to her thigh as he spoke, glad once again she’d worn a short, accessible dress.

  She jumped in her seat and gasped when he slid his hand under the hem of her skirt and let his pinky drag along the edge of her panties.

  Arianna dropped both of her hands to his and gripped hard. Her face was red, lips parted, pupils dilated. And best of all, her breathing was labored. What she didn’t do was glance around. “Justus,” she breathed out heavily.