Authors: Aliyah Burke
D
Closing her eyes, Landi sighed before she shoved the note in the back pocket of her black capris.
Dimitri,
her heart cried. Stopping before the mirror she double-checked her appearance. Her hair fell in waves about her face. She skimmed over the moss green halter top that was tucked into her capris. Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, she shrugged.
Guess this will do.
Sitting down on a chair, she shoved her feet into her canvas slip-ons. She grabbed her purse, made sure she had both car and room keys, and then left to begin her day. Breakfast was first and after that…SeaWorld.
74
Aliyah Burke
She’d been at the park for a few hours enjoying the attractions.
Her cell rang as she dodged a small child and his rapidly melting ice cream cone. “Hello?”
“Afternoon, gorgeous.”
Landi stepped to the side and smiled at Dimitri’s voice. “Hey, yourself. How’re you doing?”
“I’m better now. Where are you?”
“I’m by the Coconut Bay Café. How about you?”
“On my way to you.”
Sensual shivers spread throughout her despite the warmth of the day. Dimitri had this way of sounding so damn sexy when he talked. “I’ll be waiting,” she said softly before disconnecting the call.
Landi sat down on the edge of a bench and watched the steady flow of people before her.
As if the entire park shifted from normal to slow-motion, her gaze landed upon Dimitri Melonakos advancing toward her. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart skipped a few beats, and the juncture between her legs grew damp with longing. The man strode with an inherent confidence that drew many appreciative stares.
His black hair caught the breeze and bounced with each powerful step he took. A dark-blue shirt conformed to his impressive torso; his biceps strained against the sleeves. He had on light blue jeans that hugged powerful thighs. Though he exuded power, Dimitri had a lazy smile on his face when he stopped before her.
Landi stood to meet him and enjoyed the envious looks some women sent her as his arms closed around her. He smelled fresh and crisp.
“
Kalispera
, Landi,” he whispered as he kissed her lightly.
The amount of passion that rocketed through her weakened her knees. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she kissed him back. A frustrated moan slipped from her lips when he put some space between them.
“How are you, baby?”
“I’m fine,” she said, dropping her arms from around his trim waist. Her eyes dropped to his chest and she smiled. “Nice shirt.”
“Thanks. One of my faves.”
The shirt had a marbled look to it with the head of a Great White Shark across it. The animal looked like it was breaking through the fabric.
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“Very fitting,” she commented as he took her hand. Landi recalled his Team had taken its nickname from that of a prehistoric shark, the
Carcharodon megalodon
, one thought to be the largest and deadliest carnivorous creature of the oceans. It tripled the size of today’s Great White; in fact, experts thought it to be the Great White’s ancestor.
He smiled down at her. “You look beautiful, Landi. And so hot!”
She ducked her head to hide her reddening cheeks. Only Dimitri could make her blush like a schoolgirl. “Thank you,” she muttered, glad he thought so. In the back of her mind, she knew she’d wanted to impress him.
As if he sensed she was uncomfortable, he questioned, “Where’d you want to go?”
Tucking a wayward curl behind her ear, Landi tipped her head up. “Have you eaten?”
“Not since 0530.”
Her brows furrowed. “When’d you leave this morning?”
His lips brushed hers. “Much sooner than I wanted to.”
That damn blush and tingly feeling swept her body. “Do you want to eat here?” she asked, pointing toward the Coconut Bay Café.
“Here’s just fine.”
Hand in hand, they walked to the restaurant and had a nice lunch. Afterward, they went next door into the Shark Encounter. As the sharks swam overtop of them, Landi looked on in awe and wonder.
“They truly are so graceful,” she said as Dimitri stepped away from her a bit to allow a little boy to run between them.
“They are. Almost enough so that you forget what amazing pre-dators they are. There’s an eerie ghost-like quality to them.”
Leaning against the railing, Landi nodded. “Still, they are beautiful.”
“No argument.”
Dimitri wrapped his arm around her waist and they continued on. Her gaze traveled over multitudes of sand tiger, blacktip, whitetip, and bonnethead sharks. Even though they’d been safe, Landi still felt better once the warm California sun touched her skin. The sharks had this power about them that made her nervous.
The couple attended the Dolphin Interaction Program; and as her fingers moved across a dolphin’s back, Landi felt totally at peace.
Being with Dimitri gave her that. They watched the dolphin show while holding hands. As they left their seats, Dimitri gazed down at her and queried, “Where to now?”
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Aliyah Burke
“Polar bears.”
“As milady commands.”
Everything about Landi shone as she watched the animals in the Base Station Wild Arctic exhibit. She was so happy here at SeaWorld.
Relaxed, perhaps, was a better word.
When Dimitri had first spotted Landi sitting on the bench, he’d fought back a primitive roar of anger at all the men staring at her. She wore a tight green halter top with straps that crisscrossed the top part of her chest. The color beautifully offset her skin’s rich- brown hue. Desire had swamped Dimitri’s body when she’d smiled at him and stood. She had on tight black capris and adorable pink camouflage-print shoes.
Her thick wavy hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, leaving a glossy black lock to hang down from each temple.
Her fingers trailed gently over the tank separating them from millions of gallons of water and the creatures in it. A Beluga swam in front of them and a collection of “
Ahhh
s” rose from the crowd. He smiled as Landi leaned back against his chest and watched the whales.
He held her close while they went through the ice tunnel, the foggers, misters, and simulated snow helping them experience the arctic chill. Then, there was the twenty-five foot long ice wall they passed. As they stepped back into the sun, Dimitri was sorry for losing a reason to hold her tight.
The rest of the day progressed with surprising quickness. They rode rides and got soaked, then took a trip on the Bayside Skyride and Sky Tower. In between hitting all three aquariums, they grabbed some smoothies from Pineapple Pete’s Island Eats. In the aquariums, Dimitri managed to sneak in some kisses in the dimly lit areas. They visited the Anheuser-Busch Hospitality Center and walked through the stables before heading to the Label Stable Gift Shop. He was intrigued when she purchased not one, but two plush Clydesdales.
“Who’re those for?” He took the bag from her, determined to carry it for her, even though she’d waved away his offer to pay for the items.
“My sisters.”
His brow scrunched. Her sisters? They were older than she, weren’t they? “Okay. Wanna grab something to eat?”
“Yes. What are you hungry for?”
“You,” he whispered in her ear, grinning at her slight shudder.
“I’m not on the menu.”
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“Damn.” His hand drifted across her ass before resting on her hip. “How about the Calypso Bay Smokehouse? That smelled great earlier.”
“That sounds divine.”
They had a thoroughly enjoyable dinner. Dimitri had never found eating ribs to be so damn erotic, but watching Landi tear the meat from the bone had him rock hard. Afterward, he shepherded them toward the Plaza Bakery where they had a nice dessert. Once they finished dessert, they walked through the night to Shamu’s show .
Both had bags in their hand when they left the park for the parking lot. Dimitri couldn’t stop the smile on his face and he didn’t want to.
It had been a wonderful day.
“Did you drive?” Landi asked.
“No, I had a duty driver drop me off.”
“Do you need to get back tonight?”
“Not unless you want to be alone.” His breath caught as he waited for her answer.
She reached up and kissed him lightly. “No, I don’t want to be alone.”
Shifting all the bags he carried to one hand, Dimitri wrapped his free arm around her and lifted her up toward his mouth. “
S’agapo,
Ilanderae,
s’agapo.
” For a brief moment, she locked her legs around his waist and kissed him again. A very brief moment.
“Put me down, Dimitri.”
He complied before taking the bags from her. “Can’t blame me for wantin’ to hold you in my arms, can you?”
“Could do a lot more than just hold me when we get back to the hotel,” she quipped.
His body responded immediately and he picked up the pace.
Her soft chuckle fell over him like a cloud, caressing and tantalizing at the same time. He put the bags in the trunk she’d opened and slammed the door shut. Dimitri held the driver’s door open for her and closed it gently after she climbed in. As he walked around to the passenger side, she lowered the top. He vaulted easily into the car.
“Show off.”
He chuckled as he fastened his seatbelt. “Were you impressed?”
“Oh, very much so,” she muttered as she drove out of the emptying parking lot.
“Liar,” he teased.
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Aliyah Burke
Her laugh filled the car. “Not at all. Your strength is amazing, but what blows me more is the vast extent of your gentleness.”
The awe in her voice amazed him. He’d never thought of it that way. Being physically strong was required for his job, but to see himself through Landi’s eyes was humbling.
Light banter filled the ride back to her hotel. He was right behind her as she unlocked her hotel room and entered. Immediately his gaze landed on two tall gift bags on the room’s second bed. Landi gestured for him to place the items he was carrying on that same bed.
“Who’re the bags for?” he questioned again.
Landi walked behind him, her fingers trailing lightly across his lower back. The touch sent shockwaves through him. She stood on the other side of the bed and sorted her purchases, remaining silent.
“Landi?” He reached across the corner of the bed and touched her arm.
She glanced at him, her fingers wrapped around a soft replica of Shamu. “My sisters.”
Dimitri looked at the glossy bags. Same size, one was silver with kittens and the other was silver with puppies. “Landi, forgive me, but I thought your sisters were older.” The chocolate they’d gotten the previous day was beside the bags as well.
She sat items by each bag. “They are.”
“And they both like stuffed animals?”
Her eyes were sad when she looked at him. “My sisters are mentally retarded, Dimitri. They were born at twenty-four weeks and have stayed in a childlike state. They’re small, very small.” A humorless laugh escaped. “Smaller than I am. They’re mentally the equivalent of eight-year olds, and they both really enjoy stuffed animals. I always try to bring them a nice gift basket when I visit. I’m on my way home so my parents can take a vacation.”
What did one say to that? “I’m sorry about your sisters, Landi.”
He pointed to the bags. “What can I do to help?”
Nine
Landi watched Dimitri carefully pack Shandra’s bag. She didn’t know what she’d expected him to say about her revelation, but she was so pleased he didn’t ply her with sympathy. He’d said sorry and moved on. She appreciated that.
“Put a bow on Hamlet the Clydesdale as well?” he asked.
She smiled. “Yes, a purple one, please.” He’d tied a blue one around Shamu’s neck. In fact, Dimitri had attached bows around most everything. He sat at the head of the bed and worked diligently on the task at hand. His hair hung around his face, giving him an almost angelic appearance. And yet, beneath that, lingered a definite hint of bad boy.
He raked his hand through his hair and tipped his head up to meet her gaze, the warmth in his eyes heating her from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. A smile flitted across his face.
“Enjoying the view?”
“More than you’ll ever know,” she admitted.
Dimitri pushed up from the bed and moved toward her. His golden eyes burned with passion. “Tell me,” he purred.
She opened her mouth just as a Bon Jovi tune filled the air. Dimitri answered his phone with a short, “Melonakos.” Landi watched his brow furrow as he listened to the person on the other end of the line.
“I’m sorry; I’m not in Virginia at the moment. I’m not sure when we’ll be back. You’d have to check with Commander Leighton on that.
Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” He snapped his phone shut.
“Everything okay?” Landi asked, closing the remaining distance between them.
Dimitri tossed his phone on the bed and pulled her flush against him. “Landi, everything is perfect when you’re in my arms.” His lips tantalized hers.
“There’s more of that Melonakos charm,” she teased.
“It’s all for you.” He kissed her again, his tongue surging through her mouth, setting her on fire.
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Aliyah Burke
Landi arched against him, her breasts craving his touch, her pussy demanding release. “Dimitri,” she moaned, running her hands over the worn material of his jeans covering his ass.
“Undress for me, Landi,” he commanded. “I want to watch you get naked.”
His words sent a spike of heat through her. Her pussy throbbed.
Stepping out of his arms, she showed him her back. “Undo me,” she said softly. His fingertips caressed the skin of her nape as he undid the bow securing her top. The room was silent except for the whisper of cloth against skin.
“There.” Dimitri spoke with tender reverence.
Facing him again, Landi slowly removed the crisscross from her chest, dropped the tie, and pulled her shirt off to let it fall to the floor.