“I’m glad you think so. There is no excuse for my behavior. The only explanation I have is that I was attracted to you from the beginning.”
“You mean the day you threw ice on me?”
He pushed the shame to the back of his mind, and allowed the beauty of her body to soothe him. Then he felt her touch on the back of his hand. Tingles of awareness shot up his arm and straight to his core.
“Craig. You have to admit it was a bit unorthodox.”
“I’ll never live that down.” He turned his hand over and clasped her fingers, his thumb gently tracing her knuckles.
“I’m not going to let you.” A mischievous grin lifted her lips. “Who else can compete with such and unusual first meeting? It rates right up there with-”
“Bizarre.” He mumbled.
“I was thinking more like remarkable.”
“Remarkable? Hmmm, let’s see. How about weird, offbeat, definitely strange, as in loony bin.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. It was unusual, but kind of neat. And funny.”
“Where does the laughter come in?” he asked. It was far from funny at the time. “I invaded your bath. A stranger. You should have screamed and called the police.”
“Dennis would have loved that.” She had not moved her hand. He glanced down at her fingers and traced her ring finger with his thumb.
“I doubt my good friend would have bailed me out. I thought you were his girl, so I wasn’t about to tell him I’d seen you in the altogether.” The familiar image of Kelly in her naked splendor flashed to the front of his mind, causing his breath to hitch. A goddess had to look just like that, if he were ever lucky enough to see one.
“It was none of his business.” Kelly shrugged, placing her empty plate on the coffee table.
“I couldn’t believe you strolled into the kitchen acting like nothing had happened. I didn’t know what to do.”
“Dennis sensed something.”
“Dennis is my friend, but I’d much rather talk about you.” Craig glanced down at the hand he held. Soft delicate fingers, but he judged the woman to be strong and forceful, not fragile. “Tell me about yourself.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Everything.” As soon as he said the word, he realized the depth of its meaning. Bursting with a need he could not explain, he wanted to know all about her.
“I was born and raised in Virginia. I met Dennis in Junior High School. I went to ODU, got a job . . .” Her voice trailed off when he lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a soft kiss over her knuckles.
“That’s not what I mean.” He noticed the change in her breathing. He’d been attuned to her body since he’d joined her on the sofa. Although they might seem to be two individuals enjoying pizza, he’d been aware of her every movement, her every breath. The way her mouth would open slightly, as if she were gasping her next breath. The way her fingers tightened on her glass, like she was gathering the courage to speak her mind. The way her eyes pierced his soul, as though she tried to communicate what she could not say.
Was it merely wishful thinking? He didn’t believe so. Now that he knew Dennis was definitely not in the equation, there was no holding back. He could rely on his instincts. Everything in him screamed that Kelly felt the same magnetic attraction that he did.
“Tell me . . .” he turned her palm over and placed a kiss on her wrist, “what makes up the woman, Kelly.”
She blinked, as if coming from a fog. Her gaze jerked from her wrist to his mouth.
“I’m just me.”
“You’re beautiful,” he breathed. Seeing the desire in her gaze, he nearly tossed away his good intentions. The need to have Kelly in his arms threatened his common sense. He needed to stay in control.
“What brings you here? To Charlotte?”
Something flashed in her eyes. Fortitude? Irritation? That quickly, the mood had been broken. She tugged her hand away and finger combed her hair.
“I think I’d like another glass of wine,” Kelly said as she lifted her glass.
“Is the answer that bad?” He wasn’t expecting her to reply, so he lifted the wine bottle and refilled their glasses, wondering what had flustered her. He watched her sip her wine, willing to give her all the time in the world.
“For the last eight months, I’ve been wasting my time in a relationship. I thought I’d found someone to spend the rest of my life with.”
Pain jabbed his chest at her words. He couldn’t imagine Kelly spending her life with anyone other than him. Maybe it was insane to get so hooked so fast. He couldn’t explain it. He didn’t want to deny it. The emotion had slammed him, and he wanted to hold on with everything he had in him.
“It turns out the man was married.” Kelly stared out the high-rise apartment window. He wanted to soothe her, reassure her that she didn’t need to fear his reaction to anything she might say.
“But you didn’t know that, did you?”
She turned to face him. “No. The night I found out, I came here.”
So many things were falling into place.
“To your best friend,” he supplied for her. “What you said in the parking lot, about your relationship. He was married. I had no idea what you were talking about. I see now.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Don’t apologize.” He cupped her cheek. “You thought I was treating you shabbily. Toying with you. I thought you were a tease. I thought you were using me to get back at Dennis, or make him jealous.” He shook his head. “We both were way off base.”
Craig caressed her cheek, and the flesh behind her ear, her silky hair tantalizing his fingers. They needed to talk, clear the air, before he gave in to his desires.
“Come here,” he said, and pulled her to him, cradling her head against his chest. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to hold you.”
She came willingly into his embrace. The sensation of her soft curves against him swirled in his mind and warmed his soul like nothing he could have imagined. He tucked her head under his chin. Tenderness unlike anything he’d experienced before consumed every bone in his body.
“Are you still leaving?” she asked.
“I’d like to stay. I’d like to get to know you, if you’ll allow me. I’m sure I can rearrange my schedule. How long are you staying in Charlotte?”
“I have a job to get back to, but I’m not ready to go.”
“Will you tell me why? Tell me why you came to Dennis? About your life, your job, anything at all.” He stroked her back and smiled when her body relaxed into him. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll just sit here and listen.”
“And hold me?” she asked, sliding her arms around his middle.
“And hold you.”
~ ~ ~
Craig snuggled into a pillow, willing the lingering dream to return. Erotic images of long, golden hair, silky, smooth skin, perfectly molded from breast to thigh, legs entwined on white satin sheets. A groan formed low in his chest and rose in his throat. He was hard as a rock.
He needed a shower. An ice-cold shower.
A vision flashed in his mind, flaxen strands clinging to wet glistening skin. Diamonds trickling over generous breasts, long shapely thighs. He growled into the covered padding, then tossed the offending pillow to the side. Would he ever be able to think of a shower and not see Kelly’s image?
Shit. This was getting him nowhere.
He sat on the edge of his bed, recalling the previous evening. When he’d finally held Kelly in his arms. Holding her and not acting on his baser desires had not been as difficult as he’d first thought. Just holding her while they talked had been more satisfying than anything he’d done in quite a while.
Nothing disturbed them. He simply held her while they talked. He’d learned about Kell
y, as well as the asshat who’d claimed to care for her. He better understood the bond between Kelly and Dennis. Kelly’s voice was so soft and soothing, he could have listened to her for hours. He had to force himself to leave. Being with her felt so right.
He shook off the after effects of sleep, raking his fingers over his scalp. He had a lot to process today. And several calls to make if he planned to stay in Charlotte for a while.
Kelly. All he had to do was think of her and the desire to be with her surged, as fresh and as new as the first time. He crawled from the bed, ignoring the throb between his legs.
After his shower, he put on a pair of running shorts, thinking some vigorous exercise might relieve some of his frustration. Before he made it down the hall, his cell phone blared out a popular ZZ Top tune.
“Hello?”
“Get your ass to the gym. Now.” Dennis was pissed.
“Who shit in your corn flakes this morning?” Craig asked.
“Kelly told me what happened. Get your ass down here.”
Craig stared at the phone in his hand as the call ended. Shit. What had Kelly told him? Everything seemed okay when he left last night. A sinking feeling hit his stomach. Maybe Dennis had a claim on Kelly after all.
He focused on the delicious kiss, when he’d grabbed her on instinct. Sweet, wet, slick. Kelly had melted into him, sending his system into overload. The current running between their bodies had sizzled him down to the bone. But it ended way too fast. And the jolt he’d received still sparked in his veins. He’d wanted to kiss her so damn much. At the time, kissing her had been the only thing he could think of to keep her from throwing him out.
A misinterpretation. Christ, he’d gotten it wrong. At first, he hadn’t known if his ears were playing tricks on him, or if the news was wishful thinking on his part.
I’m not his girlfriend. We’re just friends.
Now, he had to wonder if Dennis would shatter the bubble, and he would find that last night had all been a dream.
Without wasting any more time, he snatched his keys from the kitchen counter and hoped he wasn’t walking into a hornet’s nest.
Fifteen minutes later, Craig entered the gym where he had sparred with Dennis on a number of occasions. Grunts and blows reverberated off the interior walls, alerting any newcomer to the vigorous activity on the mats and in the boxing ring. Sweat permeated the air, but the owner kept fans running and plenty of ventilation, so the room was not overcome with men’s stinky bodies.
Just as he started forward, Dennis stepped from the changing room, wrapping tape around his wrist. A hollow feeling hit Craig’s stomach. By the glare Dennis gave him, Craig was about to get his ass kicked.
“Dennis, what’s up?”
“Get your gloves on,” Dennis said and turned his back, walking toward the ring. By the tightness of his body, yep, he was pissed. Craig figured the quicker he got equipped, the faster he’d find out what the hell burr Dennis had up his ass. He grabbed his gear and climbed through the ropes.
Dennis whirled around with his gloves extended. “First, let me tell you I’m having trouble keeping my cool.”
If this was keeping his cool, Craig would hate to see his friend mad.
“My own home,” Dennis shouted. “Some friend.”
Craig frowned in confusion. What? Wait a minute. All they did was talk.
“How could you?” Dennis took a swing and Craig’s reflexes kicked in. “I can’t believe you’d do this to me. I thought you were my friend.” Dennis threw another punch and Craig ducked.
“Whoa, man. Calm down. What’s got you in-”
“What’s gotten into me? You crossed the line. What happened to the bro code? In my own home.”
He had kissed Kelly in Dennis’s apartment. But that shouldn’t matter, unless . . . Oh, hell. Did Dennis have a claim on Kelly?
“You were my friend. You know how important Kelly is to me.”
Bingo.
“Look.” All the turmoil drained out of Craig and was replaced with bewildered despair. He dropped his guard, leaving himself wide open. Dennis landed a punch to his chin. Dammit. Craig jerked his hands up in front of his face.
“No. You look.” A fuming Dennis swung again, his voice harsh as he growled, “Did you or did you not barge into Kelly’s shower?”
Oh!
“I can explain.” Craig hurried to defend himself.
“You admit you threw ice on her?”
“Hey, it was a prank.” Well, that didn’t help his defense. “It was supposed to be you. I thought it was you.”
Dennis stopped shifting and stood immobile, like a granite statue. Then he folded his arms across his chest and scowled. “Even with clothes on, there is an unmistakable difference between her body and mine.”
Smartass.
Kelly’s glistening body had been branded in Craig’s brain forever.
“I didn’t know there was a female in your shower until she jumped out.”
“Jumped out?” A shit-eating grin spread over his friend’s face. “I would have loved to have seen the look on your face.”
Craig narrowed his eyes in suspicion. The SOB had been fooling around. When Dennis burst out laughing, Craig wanted to slug the guy.
“Gotcha,” Dennis said, between fits of laughter.
The patronizing little . . . Craig threw a punch with enough force that his body stumbled when Dennis dodged it.
“Careful, my friend. If you punch me, I warn you- Kelly wouldn’t like that. She happens to be my best friend.”
Craig fancied wiping the smug grin off his buddy’s face, with the floor. “You’re supposed to be my friend, too.”
“I wouldn’t expect my friend to burst into my girlfriend’s shower.”
The room suddenly grew quiet, and the air thickened. Craig’s chest squeezed until he thought he couldn’t breathe. Did Dennis just admit what Craig had feared? That Kelly meant more to Dennis than he had let on?
“You deserved this, you know,” Dennis said as he tugged the gloves from his hands. “For the trick you tried to play on me.” He tore at the tape on his fingers.
Despair wasn’t a new feeling to Craig. He’d lived with misfortune all his young life. Poverty, deprivation, misery. None of those compared to the desolation hovering in his soul right now. He’d allowed himself to hope. To deny what he’d seen with his own eyes. Kelly and Dennis. Even now, denial tore at his gut.
He bit the end of his glove, ripping off the tape. He jerked in anger, frustration, and mortification over how deeply he’d permitted hope to blossom.
“Just spit it out. I stepped into forbidden territory. I never meant to cause trouble. Dammit, Dennis. If you’d been in that damn shower, I would never have seen Kelly!”
“Forget it,” Dennis stepped forward and put a hand on Craig’s shoulder. “Kelly needed a distraction and you’re it.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
Dennis shrugged. “She wanted some space, so she came here. However, you may be just what she needs.”
“Will you please speak English? I can’t keep up with you two.” Craig shrugged off the offensive touch. “You’re a real piece of work. I’ve only known Kelly a short time, but I know how special she is. When it comes to her, leave me out of your games.” He tore at the bindings of the second glove. “I thought you were pissed.”
“Kelly’s not upset. Why should I be?”
He’d had enough. “Make a damn decision. Is Kelly your property or not?”
“My—” Dennis gave a hoot. “Kelly is no one’s property.”
“Okay, bad choice of words.” He tore off his headgear and raked a hand through his hair. “Do you have any sort of claim on her? Although, the way you’ve been acting, you don’t deserve a girlfriend.” It ga
lled Craig to say it. Why else would Dennis be acting like a dickhead? Maybe he had another term for their relationship.
“Woah, buddy. She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Just what is she to you, Dennis? I’m damn tired of being jerked around.” Craig gritted his teeth, his patience at an end.
“My friend,” he said, slowly and distinctly.
Craig took several moments, and several deep breaths, to think.
Friend.
“Friend?”
“My very dear, special, trust her with my life, friend.”
He was afraid to allow himself to hope. Dammit, he needed to be certain.
“Just friends?”
“Just friends,” Dennis repeated, his grin growing wider. If Craig weren’t so relieved, he’d sock it right off his face.
Craig didn’t want to come right out and ask if they’d had a sexual relationship. He and Dennis could discuss anything and everything, but his buddy had a special bond with Kelly. And Craig wasn’t ready to talk about Kelly’s intimacy with another man. He chose his words carefully. “Is she hands off?”
Dennis shrugged. “Not my place to make that call. Kelly makes her own decisions.”
“Hmm. If she were my very dear friend, I’d want to protect her from other men.”
“Exactly.” He leveled another harsh glare on Craig.
“Keep talking. You’re just confusing me more.”
“Of course I want to protect her. But I don’t make her choices for her. If you knew Kelly, and I think you got a decent start last evening, you’d know she has a mind of her own.”
“When you called and ordered me to meet you here, I thought you were staking your claim. The two of you have the strangest relationship I’ve ever seen. You act like a couple. I would never encroach on your territory, buddy.”
“No, man. It’s not like that. We’ve never slept together.”
The tight pressure in Craig’s chest eased. He hadn’t realized how much the idea of Dennis and Kelly together weighed on his brain. Hell, the body language when they were around each other, their relaxed rapport, their sexual playfulness? Who wouldn’t think they were lovers?
Instant Enticement Page 13
