“Okay. We’ll spend my final day in bed.”
A pang of discomfort speared his chest. Final day. He didn’t want it to be their last day. He needed more time with her. Forever wouldn’t be long enough. Disheartened, he rolled to her side.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to break the mood.” The worry in her expression broke his heart. It was time to tackle the bull by its horns.
“Kelly, let’s talk.”
“Uh-oh. When someone says we need to talk—”
He kissed her to shut her up. A sure way to calm her, quicker than the words he could use to explain that she had the wrong idea. When she lay pliant in his arms, he rubbed her nose with his. He loved doing that to her. Cheek to cheek. Forehead to forehead. Caressing her with his face was one more level of intimacy.
“That’s not what I meant. Let’s talk about us.”
“Us? There’s an us?”
“There is most definitely an us.” He found the woman he’d never thought he’d be lucky enough to find. Now that he had Kelly, he wasn’t about to let her slip away. She smiled, reminding him of a satisfied cat that had just eaten a canary.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me when you smile at me like that?”
She shifted, rubbing her breasts against his chest.
Wanton little wildcat.
“Grrrrrr. Woman, you drive me crazy.” He gave her a smack on her ass.
“Ouch.” She bristled.
He chuckled, loving the idea of playing with her. But they really needed to talk. “Are you ready to listen?”
“You said talk.” She glared and rubbed her backside.
“I’ll kiss it and make it better,” he promised in a voice that left no doubt of his intentions.
“Swear?”
“Of course.” He gave her his look, the one that promised all sorts of delights. The one that made her eyes melt to golden honey. Ahh, just like that. He took the plunge. “Do you really want to leave?”
“I like it fine where I am,” she purred, and nestled into his chest. As much as he loved her attention, he needed to discuss their future.
“That’s not what I mean.”
Hearing the seriousness in his voice, her expression quickly changed to one of concern. “Okay, I guess you really want to talk.”
“Yes, I do. About us.”
“What about us?” He wanted to kiss the worry lines from her forehead.
“Will you admit there is an us?”
Without saying a word, she shoved the covers aside and moved to get up. He grabbed her wrist.
“If you want to continue this discussion with our clothes on, fine, but you’re not going anywhere until we talk.”
Several seconds passed with her glaring at him before she responded. “All right.” She glanced at his hold on her arm. “I think I’d rather get dressed.”
He quickly released her and watched as she grabbed her clothes. He climbed from the bed and jerked on his pants, the zipper sounding loud in the quiet bedroom. He yanked a shirt over his head and smoothed his hair with his fingers.
“I’ll make some coffee.”
As he walked through the doorway, he heard her mutter, “Maybe you should open a bottle of wine.” If she was going to be moody, he agreed they might need something stronger.
By the time she entered the kitchen, the coffee was ready. She’d combed her hair, washed her face, and looked good enough to eat. He placed a mug on the counter, coffee with milk, just the way she liked it.
“Thank you.”
“Please.” He motioned to the table. She sat in a chair and he took the one next to her.
“I don’t like you all serious.”
“Sweetheart, we can’t ignore the inevitable. Like you said, you have one more day. I’d like you to stay longer.”
“I can’t. You know I have to get back to my job. And you have a company to run.”
“Several actually, but never mind that.”
“We’ve had a wonderful time.” She stared into her cup.
“There’s more between us, Kelly. We’ve had more than a good time.”
“You’re saying it’s more than just sex?”
“Incredible sex.” He gave her a suggestive grin, then realized she was in no mood for his teasing. “You have to admit this attraction between us is pretty potent.” She couldn’t deny that. She chewed her lip. Normally he thought it was sexy. This time, it scared him.
“The instant attraction has been powerful from the beginning. I can’t keep my hands off you.”
“You have a healthy appetite.” There was no smile, no emotion. Just a cold statement. He smacked the table in frustration. Kelly jumped, her eyes wide with fear.
“Dammit. Are you afraid of me?”
She blinked. “No.”
Shame filled him, and he regretted making her jump. “Kelly, you’re driving me crazy in another way. Talk to me,” he pleaded.
“I uh, think this might be moving a little too fast.”
“I care deeply for you. I already know I want you in my life.”
“There’s no future for us. Neither one of us live here. My home is in Virginia. Yours is in California. How can we even consider a relationship?”
“How can we not?”
“East Coast, West Coast, we’re over three thousand miles apart. Dennis is only three hours away, and I’m lucky to see him four or five times a year.”
“I am not Dennis. I hope to be more than your friend.”
“You already are.”
What am I?
“I want to be more than your lover.” He couldn’t hide the bitter edge to his voice. Was she trying to anger him? Was she being intentionally thickheaded?
“That’s all there is. I came here to get away from . . . you know I just got out of a bad relationship.”
So that’s it. She was scared.
“Sweetheart,” he said, as he covered her hand with his. “You can’t be blamed for his lies.”
“Don’t you see? I trusted him.”
“Do you trust me?”
“I can’t trust my own judgement.”
He froze as if she’d slapped him in the face. He’d thought they had gotten close. He’d thought she felt the same way he did. How could he have read her wrong? Why couldn’t she trust him?
She wouldn’t allow their relationship to move forward.
“Kelly. You’ve come to know me these past few weeks.”
“I was with Robert for eight months. Eight months! I had no idea of the depth of his lies. What does that say about me?”
He stood and pulled her into his arms. When she resisted, he stroked her back, willing her to open her mind, to follow her heart.
“It says you see the good in people.”
“I’m an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot,” he said, and smiled when she slid her hands around his waist.
“I’m gullible.”
“Hopeful,” he disputed.
“Naïve.”
“Caring.”
“How can I feel sorry for myself when you won’t even let me pout?”
“I like your lip,” he said, and leaned back to see her face. “When you stick it out like that, I want to suck on it.”
“God, you turn me on.”
“Good,” he chuckled, and pressed his growing erection into her belly.
“You’re the one who wanted to talk.”
“Can’t help it. You’re too tempting.”
“Take me back to bed?”
“How can I refuse an offer like that?” He kissed her, knowing they’d not settled anything. He’d rather have her willing in his arms than denying the affection growing between the
m.
I want you in my life, Kelly. I think you want that too.
All he had to do was convince her.
~ ~ ~
Craig strode into the kitchen, smelling something wonderful.
“Wow. She can cook, too.”
“After last night, I thought you might need some nourishment.”
Craig stepped behind Kelly and slipped his arms around her waist. She leaned back into his embrace. Not an hour ago, she’d been in his arms, yet it seemed too long without her.
“I’m starved,” he murmured, as he nuzzled that special spot just below her ear.
“For food?”
“That too.” With a quick kiss to her temple, he released her. Her sensual smile had him wanting to carry her back to bed.
She brought a basket of biscuits to the table and Craig stood by her chair waiting for her to sit, then took his place beside her.
“Bacon, eggs, biscuits. I could get used to this.”
Something flickered in Kelly’s eyes. Today could be their last day together. He grabbed a biscuit and slathered on the butter.
“What would you like to do today?”
“I want to get out of the house. Let’s do something fun and energetic.”
He raised a brow. “Last night seemed pretty energetic to me.” Kelly blushed. God, she looked beautiful. Her cell phone rang, she jumped to answer it.
“Saved by the bell,” she teased. Listening to her side of the conversation, he gathered it was Dennis.
“I’m not neglecting you and I know it’s my last day.”
An ache pierced his chest. There was his answer. Kelly was leaving.
“Sounds good. Let me talk to Craig and I’ll call you back.”
Even though his heart ached, he wouldn’t spoil the time he had left with Kelly. If this was to be their last day together, he would make it a day to remember.
“What sounds good?” he asked.
“Dennis thought since it was my last day, it might help if we were in mixed company and had a bang-up day.” She imitated his voice as she said the last words.
If he had any doubts before, she’d just killed them with that statement. Everyone wanted to spend time with Kelly. He wasn’t about to miss out. He’d just make sure her last few hours were with him. He still had a chance to convince her, and they did their best communicating in bed.
“Pete is taking his boat out and invited us.”
“You wanted excitement.” Craig put on his big boy face for Kelly and tried sounding upbeat. “I’m sure your friends would like to see you before you leave.”
She came to him and crawled onto his lap. He scooted the chair back, making room. He cradled her in his arms, wishing he could hold her like this forever, and wondered how he’d lost his heart so fast.
“I didn’t say anything to him because I wanted to finish our discussion,” Kelly said, as she lay her head on his shoulder.
“Our discussion?”
“Last night you asked me to stay.”
His pulse leaped with hope. He wanted to explore Kelly, find out everything there was to know about her. “Yes, I want you to stay. I want to go on seeing you.”
“Your home is in San Francisco. I’m wondering how long you will be here.”
“Yes, my home is in San Francisco. I also have other homes, one on the East Coast, only a few hours from here. I travel a lot, but I can take care of business pretty much from anywhere. Do we have to put a time limit on this?”
“That’s just it, Craig. What is this?”
He knew exactly how much his feelings were involved. The question that needed answering was how did she feel about him?
“Why don’t you stay a while longer and find out?” He coaxed with his words, and the hands gently rubbing up and down her back. A kiss on her special spot couldn’t hurt. He hoped she would give him enough time to convince her that she needed him as much as he needed her.
“When you hold me like this, I never want to leave,” she whispered, and ran her fingers through his hair. Her caress soothed him. He’d never get enough of her touch.
“Then don’t,” he whispered. Don’t leave me. A long silence followed, where he just enjoyed holding her, inhaling her fragrance, soaking up her warmth.
She leaned back, searching his gaze. “For how long?”
“Kelly, you have to know that what we have is special beyond words. I’m not ready to let you go.” After this week, he seriously doubted he ever would be. Make that he knew he never would be. He’d waited all his life for this woman. The feelings she’d awakened in him were beyond anything he could have imagined. He was smart enough to know a rare gift when he had it in his arms.
“Really?” His heart swelled at the hope he saw in her expression. “I know it’s too soon to feel the way I do, but...” she hesitated, “I’m not ready to leave.”
“I know what I feel.” Maybe she was scared. He hoped voicing her fear would help. “I know I don’t want to ignore my feelings, no matter how scary they seem.”
Her eyes glazed, as if maybe she held back tears. “I’d like to stay and explore my feelings. I’d like to see where this leads us.”
“I know where I hope it does. Don’t be afraid. Stay with me.”
“What about your job, your business?”
“I won’t be able to put things off indefinitely. I’ve made lots of phone calls and shifted things around, but I’ll have to go to San Francisco soon. You can come with me.”
“I’d love that, but I have my own job in Virginia.”
He wanted to ask her to take a leave of absence. That was asking a lot. Would she want to?
Without warning, he crushed her in his arms, giving her a blazing kiss. She’d admitted she had feelings and she wanted to explore them. Time would work things out. For now, he just wanted to hold her.
He lost himself in the kiss, in her willing arms. His tongue stroked the fire, teasing their passion back to life.
“I’ll stay,” she murmured. “For a while.”
His chest squeezed and he released a heavy sigh of relief, realizing he’d been holding his breath.
“We need time to see if this is a physical thing or more,” she said.
He tightened his arms and nipped at her neck. “You have to admit the electricity is pretty powerful.” He leaned back to see her face. When she met his gaze, he saw hope and longing in her amber depths. “There’s so much more. Like I told you last night. I’m not ready to let you go. I want you in my life. I know so little about you. I don’t know where you work, where you live—other than Virginia. I want to be with you, talk to you, get to know you.”
“It’s important?” Her pleading eyes told him more than she probably wanted him to see. She may not say it in words, but she obviously needed reassurance that he cared. And he did. Way too much, so soon.
“If I plan to continue seeing you, yes, it’s important.”
“If?” She chewed on her bottom lip with worry. He wanted to ease the frown from her brow.
“Sweetheart.” He dropped his forehead down to meet hers. “I can’t see you if you’re not here and I don’t know where to find you. Although, I would look for you. Come find you, wherever you were. I don’t like the idea of never seeing you again. It’s your choice. I want you to stay. I want to keep seeing you. What do you want?” A dangerous question, but one he needed the answer to.
Her fingers smoothed his hair behind one ear, then she clasped his neck and kissed his chin. “When I came here, I’d sworn off men. Then I met you. I’m not going anywhere.”
Craig couldn’t keep the stupid grin from his face. Kelly was staying. He felt like soaring. He slid one hand under her shirt, caressing the bare skin of her back. The other slid to the inside of her thigh. Hi
s erection hardened in anticipation.
“I’ll need to make some calls,” Kelly quickly added. “One to my boss.”
“Will he be a problem?” He continued the path between her legs and his mouth returned to nuzzle her neck.
“I have vacation time,” she said breathlessly, then leaned her head back to give him better access to her sensitive flesh. “I’ll tell him I want to use all of it now.”
He cupped her center, and she wiggled on his lap. He caught her bottom lip with his teeth, then sucked her fullness into his mouth. Her eyes glowed, drawing him in, delving into his soul. Maybe she wasn’t ready to share her feelings. Maybe she needed more time. He’d give her that time and hope that someday soon, she’d recognize what he already knew.
Holding her and giving her pleasure would have to be enough for now.
She shifted, crawled onto his lap facing him, and pressed firmly against his arousal, sending him reeling.
More. He’d always want more. More of Kelly.
He drew her head down and covered her mouth with his.
Chapter 16
Lake Norman was a popular place, with boat ramps and opportunities for fishing from spots along its park trails. Pete housed his boat there since the guys often came fishing. Today was perfect. The luxuriant noon sun cast a glow over the water, while ripples swayed the boat in a slow, rocking motion.
Kelly lay on the leather cushion, her feet propped on the edge, soaking up the rays. When a shadow covered her face, she glanced up to find Dennis leaning over her, an iced drink in his hand.
“Glad to see the two of you decided to come up for air.”
“Don’t be crude, Dennis. You invited me for a day of fun and excitement.”
“This is what you call excitement? Lounging in a bikini, soaking up the sunshine? Looks more like relaxation to me. Here.” He handed her the glass.
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