LITMIR.BIZ

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hoped things worked out the way he wanted, as well. “Thanks.”

      Like Paige, Adrian and Aidan’s cousin Stern had figured out something was going on between him and Jillian a couple of years ago. “I will do whatever I have to do to get her back. When this ship returns to port, my goal is to have convinced Jillian to give me another chance.”

      “Well, Trinity and I are cheering for you.”

      “Thanks, bro.” Trinity was Adrian’s fiancée and the two would be getting married in a couple of months.

      After ending his phone call with Adrian, Aidan crossed the suite to step out on the balcony. Barcelona was beautiful. He had arrived three days ago and taken a tour of what was considered one of the busiest ports in the Mediterranean. He had eaten at the finest restaurants, some in magnificent buildings etched deep with history. He had walked through the crowded streets wishing Jillian had been by his side. Hopefully when they returned to this port in fourteen days she would be.

      He could just imagine what Jillian had assumed when she’d seen that woman giving him a lap dance last year. He had worked that day, as he’d told her he would, but he hadn’t known about the surprise birthday party a few of his fraternity brothers had thrown for him.

      And he definitely hadn’t known about the lap dancer or the other strippers they’d invited until the women arrived. He couldn’t get mad at his frat brothers for wanting to make his birthday kind of wild. All they knew was that for the past few years, the man who’d once been one of the biggest womanizers in Boston had taken a sabbatical from women. They’d had no idea that the reason for his seemingly boring lifestyle was because he was involved in a secret affair with Jillian.

      So, thinking he’d been working too hard for too long and hadn’t gotten in any play time, they thought they were doing him a favor. He would admit that after a few drinks he’d loosened up. But at no time had he forgotten he was in love with Jillian. The lap dance had been just for fun, and after the party all the women had left.

      Yes, he’d made a mistake by not mentioning the party to Jillian. And he would be the first to admit his attitude had been less than desirable for the last year of their relationship. But he knew why. He’d had the best of intentions when he thought he could keep their secret without any problems, but as time went on, he’d become impatient. While she hadn’t wanted anyone to know about them, he had wanted to shout the truth from the highest mountain.

      It hadn’t helped matters when some of his siblings and cousins began falling in love and getting married. It seemed as if an epidemic had hit Westmoreland Country when five of his relatives got married in a two-year period. And some had been relatives he’d thought would never marry. It had been hard being around his happily married kinfolk without wanting to have some of that happiness for himself. He would admit he’d spent too many months angry with himself, with Jillian, with the world. But at no time did he doubt his love for her.

      Nothing had changed his feelings. He was still in love with her, which was why he was here. To right a wrong and convince her that she was the only woman he wanted.

      He knew he had his work cut out for him. But he intended to stay the course and not fail in his task. She wouldn’t appreciate seeing him and she probably wouldn’t like it when she found out about Paige’s involvement. Or Ivy’s for that matter. If Ivy hadn’t told Paige the truth, he would still be angry, thinking the reason Jillian had broken up with him was because they were at odds regarding the secret of their affair.

      He went back inside when he heard the cabin phone ring. He picked it up. “Yes?”

      “I hope you find your quarters satisfactory.”

      Aidan smiled. That was an understatement. “It’s more than satisfactory, Dominic.”

      This ship was just one of many in a fleet owned by Dominic Saxon. Dominic was married to the former Taylor Steele, whose sister Cheyenne was married to Aidan’s cousin, Quade Westmoreland. Once Aidan discovered Jillian had booked her cruise on one of Dominic’s ships, his friend had been all too eager to assist Aidan in getting back the woman he loved. Years ago Dominic had found himself in a similar situation.

      “Taylor sends her love and we’re all rooting for you. I know how misunderstandings can threaten even the most solid relationships, and I think you’re doing the right thing by going after her,” Dominic said. “I’m going to give you the same advice a very smart woman—my mother—gave me when I was going through my troubles with Taylor. Let love guide you to do the right thing. I hope the two of you enjoy the cruise.”

      “Thanks for the advice, and as for enjoying the cruise, I intend to make sure that we do.”

      After ending his call with Dominic, Aidan glanced around the cabin. Thanks to Dominic, Aidan had been given the owner’s suite. It was spacious with a double balcony. There were also separate sleeping quarters with a king-size bed and a seventy-inch flat-screen television and a second wall-to-wall balcony. The sitting area contained a sofa that could convert into a double bed, another wall television and a dining area that overlooked yet another balcony. Other amenities he appreciated were the refrigerator, wet bar and huge walk-in closet. The bathroom was bigger than the one he had in his apartment, with both a Jacuzzi tub and a walk-in shower. He could just imagine him and Jillian using that shower together.

      He walked back out on the balcony to see that people had gathered on the docks to watch the ship sail, waving flags that represented all the countries they would visit on the cruise. He expected Jillian to attend the welcome party tonight and so would he. Aidan couldn’t wait to see Jillian’s face when she discovered he was on board with her and would be for the next fourteen days.

      He headed for the bathroom to shower.

      Tonight couldn’t get here fast enough.

      * * *

      “Welcome, señorita, may we assist with your mask?”

      Jillian lifted a brow. “Mask?”

      The tall crewman dressed in a crisp white uniform smiled down at her. “Si. Tonight’s theme is a Spanish masquerade ball,” he said, offering a red feathered mask to her.

      She took it and slid it across her face. It was a perfect fit. “Thanks.”

      “Your name?” he asked.

      “Jillian Novak.”

      “Señorita Novak, dinner will be served in a half hour in the Madrid Room; someone will come escort you to your table.”

      “Thanks.”

      She entered the huge lounge that had beautiful rosettes hanging from the ceiling and several masquerade props in the corners of the room for picture taking. Flamenco dancers encouraged participation in the middle of the floor and several men dressed as dashing bullfighters walked around as servers. When a woman wearing a gorgeous quinceañera gown offered her a beautiful lace fan, Jillian smiled and took it.

      “Would the señorita like a glass of rioja?”

      “Yes, thanks,” she responded to one of the servers.

      Jillian took a sip and immediately liked the taste. It wasn’t too tart or tangy but was an excellent blend of fruits. As she sipped her wine she looked around the room. It was crowded and most of the individuals were coupled off. Immediately, she felt like a loner crashing a party, but forced the feeling away. So what if there were a lot of couples and she had no one? She’d known it would be like this but had made the decision to come anyway.

      “Excuse me, señorita, but someone asked me to give you this,” the woman wearing the quinceañera gown said, while handing her a single red rose.

      “Who?” Jillian asked, curiously glancing around.

      The woman smiled. “A very handsome man.” And then she walked off.

      Jillian felt uneasy. What kind of very handsome man would come cruising alone? She’d seen a movie once where a serial killer had come on a cruise

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