THE BENNETTS' CHRISTMAS (The Bennett Family and the Masters Family #6) - Brenda Jackson Page 0,15

watch, wondering why he was feeling nervous. Hell, it wasn’t like this was his first date. Although he hadn’t dated for two years after Simone’s death, when he’d started again, he’d been careful to be very selective—especially, when it came to bed partners. He had made sure his companions knew he wasn’t looking for a serious relationship. Luckily, he’d discovered there were many women out there with that same attitude. They weren’t looking for romance or a commitment, but just a way to work off stress with raw physical contact, the way he did. And so far, those kinds of relationships had worked for him.

Now, for reasons he couldn’t explain, he felt different. Until he’d met Monica, he’d had no thoughts of pursuing a woman. After all, he’d never met someone he’d consider to be more than a bed partner before.

He honestly didn’t want to put too much stock into what he was feeling or thinking but was finding it hard not to. For eight solid months, she had constantly been in his thoughts and he figured there had to be a reason for it. And seeing her again had done more than just shaken him to the core. For the first time since losing Simone, he felt he was ready to move forward.

Landon wasn’t a person who liked change without the full understanding of why it was taking place. Granted it was about time, but still, there were questions he needed answered.

At the top of the list was…why was Monica so special? The only way for him to find out was to take the time to get to know her. He wasn’t even bothered by the ten-year difference in their ages. And that was surprising since he tried to avoid dating anyone more than five years younger than him. Monica was messing with all the norms for him, but he didn’t care. And he definitely needed to know why that was.

He exhaled deeply, checking his watch again. It was time. Leaving the balcony, he moved toward the door. He wished he could stop wondering why he was so attracted to Monica and just accept that he was. But he wasn’t an accepting kind of guy. He believed there was a logical explanation for everything, but for the life of him, he couldn’t see the reason for her to appear in his life, not once, but twice.

Landon never left anything to chance. And he wasn’t about to make Monica an exception.

Monica felt nervous tension in the pit of her stomach the moment she heard the knock at the door. She glanced at her watch and saw it was exactly seven o’clock. Grabbing her clutch and shawl, she headed for the door. Although December in Australia was the beginning of summer, she had discovered the breeze off the ocean made the evenings rather cool.

Her breath caught the moment she opened the door and saw Landon. He was sharp, immaculate…and oh-so sexy. Although he’d been wearing a suit on the night she’d first met him, he was even more dashing tonight. He was one of those men who wore a suit well—it emphasized all of his manly attributes, like his broad shoulders and fit body.

She was so absorbed in checking him out that she suddenly realized she hadn’t even greeted him. She glanced up to his face and thought she saw a hint of amusement in his eyes. Caught. “Hi,” she finally said, smiling up at him.

He returned her smile, and her stomach flipped. “Hi,” he said. “You look nice.”

“Thanks,” she said, stepping out in the hallway. “You do as well.”

“Thanks. I appreciate you joining me tonight.”

A man who looked like him definitely didn’t have to worry about female companionship, but she accepted his gratitude graciously. “Thanks for inviting me.”

When she closed the door to her cabin, they walked down the hall side by side, seemingly in sync. He was tall and had long legs, but she noticed that he slowed his pace so as not to outwalk her. She appreciated that.

They continued their stroll to the elevator in silence. She glanced over at him and thought yet again that he was definitely one fine-looking man. As if he felt her looking at him, he looked down at her.

“Hungry?” he asked.

Monica drew in a deep breath. Not only was he gorgeous but his deep, husky voice was a total turn-on. “Kind of. I haven’t had anything to eat since earlier today. I got so caught up in writing my article that I