by Ellen Wilder
She laughed. “That sounds wonderful.”
“We just planned the next two months of our lives. And we’ll have plenty of time to spend together.”
Manda breathed a heavy sigh. Maybe this would work out. He was keeping her anxiety in mind and not expecting her to be at all of his concerts. “Thank you. Not many people would work around a neurotic like me.”
Hunter lifted her chin so he was looking her in the eyes. “But they should. Your comfort is important to me.”
“How long are you going to be on tour?”
“It ends in August.” Hunter sighed and held her close.
“I guess we’ll have to figure out the rest of our visits then.”
“I’d never ask you to quit your job, but if you wanted to, I’d take you on tour with me.” Hunter smiled.
“Oh sure, a woman with major panic attacks on a tour bus and having to deal with all those fans. Somehow, I can’t see that ending well.” Manda chuckled.
“I’d make sure you were safe.”
She turned to look at him. “I don’t doubt that at all.” Her stomach growled.
“I think your stomach is telling us it’s time for dinner.”
“When you come to Indiana, you’ll have to let me cook for you. I’ve been told I’m pretty good.” Manda smiled.
“I’m sure you’re wonderful.” Hunter rubbed his fingers over the palm of her hand. “Do you like cooking?”
“I love it. It’s relaxing. One of my favorite hobbies, you could say.”
“I think there’s a cooking class on the ship. Maybe we’ll check it out tomorrow?”
“That would be awesome.”
“And then you could say you cooked for me.”
She giggled. “I could.”
Hunter stood. “Come on. Let’s get a quick dinner and find our way back to the ship.”
Chapter Five
Another early morning led them into Belize. Hunter smiled as they got off the ship and headed to the bus.
“So where are we going?” Manda inquired.
“Remember the story I told you yesterday about my dad?”
“The one about the llama at the zoo?”
He nodded. “There’s a Belize Zoo tour I figured we could go on.”
“That sounds like fun. The zoo has always been one of my favorite places.” Manda grinned. “When I was a kid, we went on a trip to the Indianapolis Zoo. You know how you can go under the dolphin tanks and watch them swim around you?”
“It’s been awhile, but I vaguely remember.”
“My cousin, Alexis, is deathly afraid of water, and she freaked out when we got halfway under there. Her mom had to take her out.”
“Wow.”
“My Aunt Cathy tried to explain that the glass was super thick, and there was no way the water was coming out, but she couldn’t convince her. Someone tapped on the glass, and she screamed bloody murder.”
They boarded the bus and found a pair of seats. “Wait. Alexis? Wasn’t she the one who was supposed to come on this cruise with you?”
Manda nodded. “I’m convinced that’s really why she backed out at the last minute. She wanted to try it but hasn’t gotten over her fear of water. She even hates going over bridges. I’ve seen that girl speed up to get over one as fast as she can.”
“What about bigger bridges? Like on the coast?”
Manda shook her head. “Nope, she won’t drive over them. And if she’s in the car with someone going over one, she’ll panic the entire time.”
“Looks like we both have some good zoo stories.”
“I have several. We had a field trip to the zoo when I was in Junior High, and my mom was our chaperone. Our group was the first one done, and we got in trouble for going so fast.” Manda chuckled. “Not sure why our teacher cared how fast we went, but we ended up sitting at the front at the picnic tables for about twenty minutes before the other groups started trickling in. Mom bought our whole group ice cream.”
“That’s probably why you got in trouble. The rest of them didn’t get ice cream.”
“Mom swore us all to secrecy. We had to eat it before the next group got back. To this day, I don’t think any of us ever told anyone.” Manda leaned into his arm.
“I remember your mother being pretty cool. She practically adopted me when I was there.”
Manda laughed. “My mother adopted everyone. One cousin lived with us from his freshman year until halfway through his junior year when his parents finally moved from Georgia. There were always people at the house—cousins, friends, random acquaintances. If you needed something to eat or a place to crash, my parents had food and a pillow and blanket for you.”
“Sounds like a full house.”
“Always. I don’t remember a moment in High School that our house didn’t have at least three kids, related or not, under the roof at all times.” Manda smiled.
“And now that all of you are grown?”
“Mom and Dad desperately miss it. We have family dinner every Saturday night, and at least one of us is over there every night.”
“How many aunts and uncles do you actually have?”
“My dad has three siblings. And Mother is the oldest of nine.”
“No wonder she always welcomed kids. She was so used to having them around.”
“She was nineteen and had a kid of her own by the time my youngest aunt was born.” Manda laughed.
“Sounds like a late-in-life baby for your grandmother.”
Manda snorted. “You can say that again. She was twenty-one when my mother was born and forty when she had my Aunt Emily. There was quite the gap between her oldest and her youngest.”
“My mom is a twin, and they were the only two kids my grandparents had. Gramma was thirty-five when she got pregnant with them.”
“I don’t think I ever met your mother.”
“She didn’t come to Indiana often. My Aunt Jan still lives in Bryton though. She was the coolest Aunt. Probably why my cousin, Ian, and I have always been really close.”
“I remember Ian. He graduated two years after me.”
“That’s right.” Hunter smiled.
“Actually, if I remember right, I’m actually older than you are.” Manda grinned. “My birthday is March fourteenth. I’ll be twenty-seven.”
“Me too. But you’re right, you’re nine days older than I am. March twenty-third for me.” Hunter leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Would that technically make you a cougar?”
Manda burst out laughing. “Somehow I think you’d have to be a little more than nine days younger for me to be a cougar.”
“Yeah, but I can still tease you about it.”
She smacked his arm gently.
He hauled her closer. “This is the most relaxing vacation, I’ve ever had.”
“Even after two panic attacks, I’m thinking the same thing.” She snuggled closer into him until they reached the zoo.
Hunter grabbed a brochure as they were waiting in line to get inside. “Should we do the guided tour or travel at our own pace?”
“Let’s just go on our own. I think we’ll get it done faster that way.”
“If we have ice cream, we should make sure not to tell the other passengers.” He winked.
Manda laughed. “We’ll keep it all to ourselves.” She took his hand, and they began their way through the zoo.
Hunter sat in Manda’s cabin while she took a shower.
“What do you want to do tonight?” He asked as he flipped through the brochures. Nothing really looked that great.
“I don’t know. I think I may want to see more of the ship.”
Hunter laughed as he grabbed another brochure. “What about dinner theater?”
Manda stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in the cruise-provided soft white robe.
Hunter’s mouth went dry, and he couldn’t help but stare.
Her face reddened, and she opened her robe to reveal a t-shirt and pajama shorts.
“I can’t
say my thoughts were very innocent there.” He stood and walked over to her.
She reached up and touched his chest. “It wouldn’t be the first time.” She slipped the robe off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.
“No.” He ran his fingers up her arms.
Manda shivered.
Hunter took a deep breath and kissed her cheek. “We should get ready.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Hunter?”
He ran his hands through his hair. “I need to stop at my cabin if we’re going to the dinner theater. It’s formal attire.”
“You can go there now if you’d like. I’ll meet you when I finish getting dressed.”
Hunter frowned. “I’ll do the escorting. You stay here until I get back.”
Manda laughed. “When you said old-fashioned, you weren’t kidding.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, I like it. You’re being respectful and not trying to force me into anything. I like it.” Manda hugged him close.
“Good. Then I’ll see you in a little bit.”
She pressed one final kiss to his lips. “See you.”
“Later.” He stepped out of her cabin and turned down the hall toward his own.
Hunter returned to Manda’s cabin and was greeted with a stunning sight. She wore a navy blue sequined dress with a high neckline and capped sleeves. It was tight but flared at the knees, and there was a slit in the side.
“You look beautiful.” Hunter leaned in for a quick kiss.
“I can’t decide how I like you more—in a tux, casual clothes, or your prince costume.” She grinned.
“Cinderella is my favorite, and formal wear is nice, but you look great in anything.” He put his arm around her. “I called the dining room, and they said they had some tables available. We probably won’t be close to the stage, but at least we can go.”
“Good.” She smiled. “Honestly, it wouldn’t matter where we went—”
“As long as we can spend time together?”
Manda laughed. “Great minds think alike. But then again, you’ve always been polite. Even as a kid.”
“I actually had a couple ex-girlfriends who complained I was too nice. I guess they expected more of a bad boy vibe from an entertainer.” Hunter reddened.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Exactly. I can’t imagine taking sex as lightly as some people I know. It doesn’t make sense to me, but then again, that’s not how I was raised.” Hunter shrugged. “To me, it’s something serious, and there should be more of a relationship involved than a couple hours.” He looked away from her.
“Are you sure you’re not regretting what happened the other night?” Manda clutched his arm tight as they walked down the hallway.
“No, no. Absolutely not. We’ve been married for nineteen years. It was about time.” Hunter winked and kissed her temple.
Manda opened her mouth but didn’t get the chance to speak.
Cruise passengers’ eyes widened as they walked past. “Is that Hunter Cross?”
“I wonder if we could get his autograph.”
Manda peered behind them. “They’re following us,” she whispered.
He chuckled. “If they follow us all the way to the theater, I’ll sign a couple autographs.” He kissed her head as they walked.
Hunter stopped at the theater entrance and turned around to see a gaggle of people following them.
“Can we have your autograph?” One of the girls pushed between him and Manda and shoved a paper and pen in his face.
He took a step back and drew Manda next to him. “I’ll do some autographs, but I don’t appreciate my girlfriend being pushed out of the way.”
Most of the crowd moved back a bit.
Manda whispered. “I’m going to go get our table.”
Hunter frowned. “Stay with me so I can walk you to the table.”
She shook her head. “You’re wonderful, and I appreciate the gentlemanly behavior, but I’m perfectly capable of walking to the table by myself.” She squeezed his hand. “I’ll be more comfortable there.”
He nodded. “Sorry.”
“It’s all right. I need to get used to this.” She kissed his cheek and stepped into the theater.
Hunter let out a sigh and turned to sign autographs. Was there an end to the line? He was about three-quarters of the way through when a keycard was held up in front of him.
He looked up at the woman. “I can’t sign this. It’s cruise ship property.”
“A group of friends and I are looking for a good time. Bring your crew, and we’ll show you what we mean.” The blonde smiled and lowered her shirt. “You can sign here.”
His eyes widened, and he shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t sign body parts.” He motioned for the person behind her.
She leaned in exposing most of her breasts.
Hunter looked away.
“I see a threesome in your future soon.” She whispered.
He took a deep breath. “Ma’am, some of us have self-respect.” He motioned for her to move away. “That’s all I can do for now.” Hunter turned and walked into the theater. He stopped at the hostess station.
“You’re Hunter Cross!” The hostess practically squealed.
Hunter pursed his lips and nodded.
“Ohmigod, I love your music. Will you sign something for me?” She bit her lip.
“All right.” He sighed and took the pen and paper she held out. He scrawled his name on it and looked around the room for Manda. His gaze fell on her, and he smiled.
“Can I get you a table, Mr. Cross?”
He shook his head. “I’m meeting my girlfriend.” He motioned to where Manda was sitting.
The hostess let out a wistful sigh. “Oh, to be in her shoes.” She smiled. “Have a good night, Mr. Cross.”
“Thank you.” He nodded and hurried over to Manda. “Sorry that took so long.”
“It’s okay.” Manda took his hand when he sat down on her right. “How’d it go?”
“It was fine until someone held up their room card and asked me to come back to their room for a party.”
“If you were interested in going to the party, you could have gone.”
Hunter shook his head and held up his hand. “It was a sex party. She offered me a threesome and showed me most of her breasts. I ended the signing right there.”
“Wow.” Manda chuckled. “That had to be uncomfortable.”
“It was.” He blew out a deep breath.
“How often does that happen?”
“I’ve seen a lot of things I never wanted—or expected—to see while performing or meeting fans.” Hunter laughed. “You’ll see girls in the audience who aren’t wearing shirts.”
“I guess that helps with imagining the audience is naked to get over stage fright thing.”
Hunter threw his head back and chortled. “I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
Manda shrugged. “Leave it to me to be a smartass. It tends to run in my family.”
“Never.” Hunter squeezed her hand. “It was funny.”
She looked down at the table. “It’s going to suck being at home knowing that is going on.”
“I hope you know I would never do anything like that.”
“I do.” Manda nodded. “But it doesn’t mean it makes it easier on a woman to know the man of her dreams is surrounded by beautiful—and willing—women every day.”
“None of them hold a candle to you.”
Manda chuckled. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were trying to pick me up.”
A waitress appeared at the table. “Have you decided what you want?”
Hunter looked down at the table to see a printed menu. “Sorry. I haven’t even looked.”
“You just mark it on the menu, and I’ll bring it to you.” The waitress smiled. “We run in courses here. Flag me down when you’re ready.”
Hunter nodded. “I guess we should get to ordering.”
Dinner finished, the couple sat in the darkened theater with dessert waiting in front of them.
“You want a bite of mine?” Hunter smiled and pointed at the decadent chocolate creation on his plate.
A drool-inducing slice of cheesecake sat waiting to be devoured. “I’m not even sure if I can eat a bite of mine.”
Hunter cut a piece off with his fork and held it up for her. “Come on, you know you want some.”
Manda giggled and opened her mouth.
He leaned in and draped his left arm over her shoulder, moving the fork closer.
She closed her eyes and waited to feel the fork in her mouth. She closed her lips and instantly moaned at the flavor.
Hunter nuzzled her neck and pressed a kiss under her ear. “Talk about sexy.”
She shifted and the slit in her skirt exposed her leg above the knee. Hunter groaned, rested his hand on her leg, and slid it up under her skirt. She turned in her seat, exposing more creamy white skin. He kissed her neck again, slowly making his way down her collarbone.
“Hunter,” she said his name breathlessly and touched his chest, sliding her hand under his suit coat.
A throat cleared behind them. They pulled away from each other and turned. Manda’s face was hot, and her breathing came in gasps, only this time it had nothing to do with panic. The waitress grinned at them and put their bill on their table.
Manda looked around, the waitress was not the only one who had saw them. Some of the other tables laughed and pointed. She blushed further. “Think it would be rude to sneak out?”
“Probably, but I don’t think they’ll chase us down.” Hunter stood and held his hand out to her.
She accepted his hand, and he pulled her to her feet. “I’ll take you back to your room.”
“You’re not going to stay?” She grasped his hand.
“Not tonight.” He kissed her cheek. “As much as I want you, I don’t want you to think this is just going to be a fling. I want you to know I’m going to stay.”
Manda took a deep breath. She wanted so much more than just a fling, but she also wanted him—tonight. How did she tell him? How did she convince him she wanted all of this as much as he did? She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She couldn’t do it. She wasn’t strong enough. Manda sighed and nodded.
