Who Wants to Marry A Billionaire?(31)
Sometime later Nina realized that a chime was ringing—and that she and Daniel had both fallen asleep. His hand was still wrapped over hers and resting on the wide armrest separating their seats. Daniel started to stir. Opening an eye, he smiled sleepily at Nina. “Are we there yet?”
“Well, we seem to be landing in Miami. Are you ready to buck up and face the masses as we change planes?”
“As long as you promise not to abandon me.” He gave her hand a little squeeze, then let go as he sat up and rubbed his face. “Where the heck are the hot towels?”
Nina pushed the flight attendant call button. A male steward appeared and Nina couldn’t help but feel a little triumphant.
The steward looked at them pleasantly. “Yes? Is there something I can get you before we land?”
Daniel smiled at Nina, before turning back to the steward, “Would you be so kind as to bring us a couple of hot towels and some water?”
“Certainly Mr. DeVere. I’ll be right back.”
Teasing Nina, Daniel said, “Seems I was successful in warding off the boobs of the other flight attendant. Happy now?”
Somehow, Daniel’s joking sent Nina into an existential tailspin. Happy? Was she happy? Was playing dress up with the girls making her happy? Was taking care of her siblings’ education and medical enough to make her happy? Did the prospect of three million dollars hanging in the air make her happy?
She studied Daniel’s face as he smiled at her with genuine warmth, and asked herself if she could ever be happy just being Daniel’s friend. Her thoughts were interrupted, though, by the appearance of a hot towel being waved in front of her face from the end of a pair of tongs. That was the problem, Nina decided. They were always being interrupted. There was always something that had to be done, or someone else had an agenda that had to be met. What would it be like if the two of them just had a few days together without a defined itinerary? What if they had time to simply be Nina and Daniel? What might they discover then?
Nina took the towel with a murmured, “Thank You,” pressing its warmth against her eyes. Why, she asked herself, had she ever promised Daniel that they she would try her best to be his friend?
Chapter Twenty Two
“Do you like ceviche?” Daniel asked as he perused the possibilities for lunch.
“I—I don’t think I’ve ever had it.” Nina fanned herself with the menu. Panama was hot. And not in the sexy way, just the ‘I’m sweating’ kind of way. Daniel kept telling her it was less humid that Florida, but for a girl born and bred in Massachusetts, being near the equator was proving to be challenging. “Is it safe to eat raw seafood in this heat?” Nina questioned.
“It’s not raw—it’s been marinated in lime juice.”
“How is that not raw?” Nina dabbed her brow with a napkin; the little outdoor restaurant was adorable, but Nina was wondering why Daniel thought this was paradise. “Are you sure it’s going to be cooler in the mountains?”
Daniel looked up from the menu, “Panama is filled with micro-climates. We’re probably in the hottest place in the country right now—relax. We’ll go for a swim to cool off when we get a little further up the coast. The surf is too rough here, but doesn’t it look nice!” He gazed out at the water.
Nina had to admit it was pretty. She’d never seen black sand before. “Yes…it is. I’m sorry for complaining, I’m just used to New England weather.”
“How about some empanadas? Those will definitely be cooked. And some rice with shrimp?”
“Sure that sounds great.” Nina fanned some more, “So a swim later? That would be great.”
After lunch, Daniel drove their jeep further up the coast, and Nina was definitely enjoying the sights with the breeziness afforded by the topless jeep. Finally they pulled off at a beautiful beach and stripped down to their bathing suits. Nina wore a simple one-piece, tank style suit, more practical than sexy. And Daniel, well, Daniel had other ideas about bathing attire.
“Oh good lord Daniel, what are you wearing?” Nina immediately started to blush.
“What?” He pulled at the leg of his bright blue, Euro style trunks. “It’s not like I’m wearing a thong—or a mankini.”
Nina stammered, “It’s just that it, well, it…”
“Look at the guys on the beach—I could easily be rocking a banana hammock! This seems…appropriate.”
Appropriate for making her pulse race out of control, Nina thought. Basically little more than short-legged boxer briefs, the skimpy fitted suit barely covered his butt, and she was fixated on the wings of sculpted muscle rising out of the waistband riding low on his hips. And now she knew for certain, Daniel’s stomach had not suffered from his lifestyle: he was definitely carrying a full six-pack. She tried to not let her eyes stray any lower.
For his part, Daniel was feeling rather disappointed in Nina’s conservative swim wear choice. There wasn’t much festive about the plain brown suit; it made him think of the clothes Nina wore when she came into the offices at the DeVere Foundation. Blah. He couldn’t understand why she was always keeping herself under wraps unless forced to do otherwise. Then he had an idea and pulled his shirt back on. “Put on your sarong, we’re going to do a little quick shopping before we hit the water.”