Master of the Deep by Cleo Peitsche Page A

that, though; Koenraad didn’t seem to much care what others thought. But then, she couldn’t imagine him as a daredevil, either. Something had changed him. She wondered what.
    She spotted land not far away, and she asked what they were flying over.
    “Curaçao,” Spencer said. “Have you ever visited?”
    “This is my first trip to the Caribbean. If Koenraad has time, we’ll explore some other islands.”
    “They’re all worth checking out,” Spencer said. “Whatever you don’t see on this trip, you’ll have to explore during your next visit.”
    Koenraad squeezed her hand, and Monroe’s stomach felt like the plane had dropped out of the sky. He already knew he wanted her to come back.
    At least, that’s what she thought it meant. Though she was pretty sure.
    “I was hoping Koenraad would come up to New York next,” she said. “I figure it’s an island, so that’s a good start.”  
    That got her another hand squeeze. Definitely a good sign.  
    “I just have to figure out some terrifying things to make him do,” she said.  
    After a landing that wasn’t half as awful as she’d have predicted, Spencer flew off again. A chauffeured car drove them to the garage where Koenraad had left his car.  
    “To the hotel?” Koenraad asked as he backed out of the space.
    Monroe nodded, but nervousness twisted in her stomach as they got closer to the resort area. She hadn’t been trying to hide Thomas’s arrival from Koenraad, but if she brought it up now, that would look awfully suspicious.
    “Maybe I should go in alone,” she said. She couldn’t think of a good justification to add to her proposal. Not unless she wanted to out-and-out lie. Though she couldn’t think of a good lie, either.
    “No problem,” Koenraad said, and she realized she didn’t need a reason. He trusted her judgement. “I need to check my post office box. I’ll be back here in ten or fifteen minutes, but take your time.”
    And then he smiled, one of those megawatt dazzlers that made her nervous and excited and convinced she was dreaming the whole thing. It also made her want to scrap the whole dinner idea and go back to his place. Who needed food?
    He brought the car to a stop in front of the hotel. “Thanks for coming with me today. I know it wasn’t the most exciting way to spend a day of vacation, but I had fun.”
    “Are you kidding? If that’s your idea of not exciting, I’m requesting we only do really boring things for the rest of my week.”
    He cocked an eyebrow. “You’re hot when you’re exaggerating.”
    She made a face and was about to throw down a witty comeback, but then his lips were on hers. Hot, eager, demanding.  
    She moaned as she returned his kiss. His hands slid up to her face. His fingers tangled in her hair, and he tilted her head back. Slowly, he grazed his lips down her neck. She loved when he kissed her there, but he kept teasing. Within seconds, she felt like she was going to explode, like her skin had gotten too blistering hot.  
    Koenraad pulled away to say, “I have half a mind to take you behind those bushes.”  
    “And do what?”
    He slanted his mouth over hers and made it clear that his intentions had nothing to do with horticulture.
    She was panting by the time he let her go. “You’re distracting.”
    “I try.”  
    She grabbed her bag and got out of the car, her movements flustered because all the blood in her body seemed to have rushed low in her belly. She throbbed with needing him.
    By the time she stepped into the lobby, she’d learned something new about herself. It wasn’t easy to walk when she was that turned on. The tiny vibrations of her thighs rubbing together were like fuel on a fire. She had to stand just inside the doorway and wait for her hormones to calm down.
    Wow. She had never been that turned on by anyone before Koenraad. For all she knew, this was something that happened to most women. She’d have to ask Tara. Who would act horrified but would be