Angus laughed.
Bria narrowed her eyes, first at Elisa and then Angus. “I really don’t know what’s going on, but if Lis is happy…” She flourished her hand toward the restaurant’s entry.
“We’re only in Sydney for twenty-four hours, mate,” Owen said, pointing at Angus. “We’ve got two suites at the…at the…” He looked at Bria. “Where are we staying tonight?”
“At the CBD Mercure,” she supplied. She arched an eyebrow. “We’ll see you both therebeforemidnight, yes?”
Elisa nodded. Angus did the same. “Before midnight.”
“In that case,” Bria waved, “Ciao.”
Zeta grinned up at them both. “I wantallthe details later.”
Something tight coiled in Angus’s chest at the notion of there beingdetails. Something tighter coiled in his groin at the thought of what those details could be.
The zoo. You’re taking her to the zoo. To hug a koala. Stop thinking with your dick.
“We’ll see you at the Mercure,” Elisa said with a gentle laugh.
Angus tried not to beam and failed.
Fuck a duck, he really liked the fact she’d saidwe’ll.
7
They didn’t drive to the zoo. They caught a water taxi.
If anyone had told her before she left San Diego that she’d be traveling from one side of Sydney Harbor to the other with the hottest guy she’d ever met in a zippy little boat on her way to hug a koala, she would have told them adventures like that only existed in tourist marketing campaigns.
But that’s what they were doing.
They’d walked out of his restaurant, Angus texting as they went, the fingers of his other hand loosely threaded with hers as they crossed the busy promenade, and climbed down into a waiting white motorboat.
The water taxi pilot smiled at them both, nodded when Angus said, “The zoo,” and off they went.
Just like that.
Angus sat beside her now in the boat, his arm casually draped over the back of her seat, wind tussling his hair, his incredible eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses.
She’d stopped herself twice leaning into him. It was so enticing, his warmth so there. His grounded strength. All wrapped up in a killer suit. He was taking her to the zoo in a suit.
A soft chuckle vibrated through her, and he smiled. “Not what you were expecting to do today?”
“Not at all.” She grinned. “But I’m having an insane amount of fun.”
His lips curled more. “Me too.”
She could feel his gaze on hers through his sunglasses. Normally she hated anyone looking at her. It always made her feel…exposed. Anxious. Right now, she felt…seen.
Dio, he was lovely.
So do what you want to do. Do it. Do it now.
She leant against him. His smile stretched wider still, and he moved his hand from somewhere near her shoulder to actually restingonher shoulder. It felt wonderful.Shefelt wonderful. Alive.
Safe.
“Have you been to Australia before?” he asked.