Tempted. Kimberly Van Meter

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      TEAGAN CLOSED THE door to his stateroom, still thinking about the hottie with the body next door.

      A cursory glance around the room confirmed it was nice—luxurious even—but he was more interested in getting to know why a woman like her was on a singles cruise, much less single.

      Yeah, because let’s face it...you get a girl like that...you lock that shit down tight.

      Not that he was a caveman or anything, but a woman with smoking curves like hers could turn any levelheaded man into a ground-pounding, chest-thumping gorilla.

      Maybe J.T. had booked him on a...swingers cruise or something. Like that trip in Jamaica where all the people in a certain lifestyle flocked to get their groove on.

      J.T. had mentioned he wanted Teagan to “whoop it up,” whatever that meant. And knowing J.T., that could mean virtually anything.

      Plus J.T. would laugh his balls off sending Teagan on a swingers cruise without his knowledge.

      A laugh a minute, little brother.

      God, he hoped not.

      He wasn’t the sharing type.

      And J.T. knew that.

      Okay, let’s go out on a limb and assume that J.T. is not that big of an asshole—particularly to the brother who’d saved his ass in Mexico—and safely assume that this cruise is exactly as it was booked.

      Singles looking to mingle.

      Ugh. He cringed at the very idea of walking around, acting like a horny dog, sniffing after eligible ladies in the hopes of a hook-up.

      “J.T., you’re an ass,” he muttered, glancing around the room, wondering what his next step was. Was he supposed to do something? Go somewhere?

      Was there an itinerary?

      Teagan checked the nightstand, the bathroom and the small coffee table but found nothing to tell him what was in store for the next week. He sure as hell didn’t want to sit around twiddling his thumbs in his room.

      It was bad enough he was going to be floating around without any work to keep him busy, but the threat of completely idle time gave him the willies.

      His gaze traveled to the opposite wall, knowing Little Miss Hot Stuff was on the other side.

      Either fate had one damn fine sense of humor or was a mean bitch, because that woman was going to be hard to put out of his mind.

      Teagan didn’t know anything about her aside from the fact that he wanted to know her better.

      But there was something cheesy about knocking on his neighbor’s door with such an obvious pickup line, right?

      Well, she did board a singles cruise, so that implied she was interested in meeting up with people, he reasoned.

      Or maybe she’d been roped into this gig, same as Teagan, and just wanted to get through it.

      Guess there was only one way to find out.

      Hell, there was no harm in being friendly.

      Teagan smoothed his hair and then exited his room to knock on his neighbor’s door.

      She opened it with a subtle frown until she saw him. “Yes?” A slow quizzical smile followed, and he started stuttering like a jackass who’d never been around a female in his life.

      “Uh, so here’s the thing... I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing. And...forgive me if I sound like a perv, but...is this by any chance a swingers cruise?”

      Way to lead with something nonthreatening, dude.

      Her smile faltered but she didn’t slam the door in his face—good sign—then answered, “No, it’s for singles. Why? Were you looking for a swingers cruise?”

      “No, not all!” Teagan smiled with relief. “Thank God. I’m not into that swapping business. I mean, no judgment for those who are, but I’m not the type who enjoys sharing.”

      “Good to know,” she said, mildly amused. “Was there anything else...?”

      Well, he was batting a thousand. Had he completely forgotten how to flirt?

      Apparently.

      The rust was practically grinding his gears. At one time, he’d been damn near the cat’s meow. Now he couldn’t even make simple conversation. Oh, how the mighty had fallen.

      Time for some damage control.

      “My brother booked this cruise for me and I’m...sort of flying blind,” he said by way of apology.

      A spark of reluctant interest lit up her blue eyes. “Does your brother always book your vacations?”

      “Hell no. I don’t usually have time to vacation, but even if I did, I wouldn’t let J.T. take on that job. He and I have different ideas of what constitutes fun.”

      She crossed her arms lightly as if amused. “So why did your brother book you on a singles cruise?”

      “It’s not a story you want to hear standing in a hallway. It’s more of an over-dinner conversation,” he said with a grin. “Maybe with some wine, good food, excellent company.”

      “Oh, is that so?” she said, one eyebrow lifting. “And what makes it worth all that?”

      Teagan held up three fingers then said, “Three words—plane crash, corporate intrigue and danger.”

      “I see math is not your strong suit.”

      “I don’t know... I can count quite clearly how you plus me equals a cozy dinner for two. How about it? I know you want to hear this story.”

      She laughed. “No doubt you’re the hero in this tale.”

      “I don’t mean to brag, but I did my part.”

      “Let me guess, you’re a covert operative in the CIA and you were on a super secret international mission,” she teased, clearly not buying an ounce of his story. The irony was that his story was absolutely true. Although, he wasn’t supposed to talk about it. Confidentiality and all that.

      “Sorry to disappoint, but not the CIA,” Teagan said with a half grin. “Just a private pilot with a charter who got lucky. Or unlucky, depending on how you look at it.”

      “Where’d you learn to fly?”

      “The US Air Force.”

      “Hmm.”