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He put the tray beside it, stole a bon-bon, and popped it into his mouth.
"You have excellent taste in chocolate."
"Umm . . . remind me to show you what I can do with a bottle of chocolate syrup."
He sucked in a deep breath. "I think I'll hold you to that."
She turned off the water, while he climbed in on the opposite end of the faucets. She joined him, snuggling comfortably against his chest, white bubbles surrounding them.
"Tell me some more about your computer program," she asked as he poured half the beer into a glass
and handed it to her. She wanted to know more about him. Good idea, since they'd already known each other quite intimately.
If someone had told her last week she'd be sitting naked in a tub with a man she barely knew, she would've laughed herself silly. But here she was—and it seemed so damn right. She listened as Alex began to talk.
"It's a new software program. I'm meeting with two possible investors tomorrow. If I can convince
them to back me with the financial end, then I'll have the money to market the program." He paused.
"I'm probably boring you."
She took a sip of her beer. "On the contrary, I'm very interested. Tell me more." She'd heard the
passion in his voice and knew this meant a lot to him.
He lightly stroked her breast. He probably wasn't even aware he touched her, but she was. She focused her thoughts and tried to pay attention to what he was telling her.
"It's sort of like a virtual reality program."
She cleared her mind of her sexual fantasies and concentrated on the conversation. "Hasn't that been
done before?"
"Sort of, but not like this. Other people have marketed a 3D diagram of a room. This is actually a hologram."
"I'm confused."
His hand stilled. "Okay, imagine a house contractor and a buyer. If the contractor could project the interior as a hologram, the buyer would be able to stand in the middle of each room and see it as a finished project. They could change the dimensions, the type of flooring, or tile with the click of a
button. Do you realize how much money the buyer would save? Not to mention the contractor a lot
of future headaches. The possibilities are endless."
Suddenly what he said became very interesting. Her eyes narrowed. "How much would a program like this cost?"
"More money than I have. But hey, that's why I'm meeting with the investors tomorrow. I'll show it to you later if you still want to see it." He cleared his throat and refilled her glass. "How do you know Steve?"
"Steve and I lived next door to each other all through junior high and most of high school."
"It must've been some friendship to have stayed in touch all these years."
She smiled. "It was. At least until my mother remarried and we moved away."
"I bet it was tough losing your best friend and getting a stepfather all at the same time."
"Tony's cool, so I couldn't resent him for long. He bought me and Steve computers so we could e-mail each other every day."
"Generous of him."
"But Tony's more than that. He loves Mom a lot. My real dad walked out on us right after I was born. She didn't trust any man after that. Tony wouldn't take no for an answer, though. It was sweet watching him chase her."
"And you and Steve. I mean, you weren't romantically involved?"
"Only if you count we shared our very first kiss." She laughed. "I think we both felt the same. It was
like kissing a sibling. We decided we liked being friends instead."
"Good. I'd hate to be jealous of my new brother-in-law." He set his glass on the table and cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumbs across her nipples. He started a sweet ache deep inside her. She was so caught up in the sensations that she didn't realize her glass tilted until it was too late and she'd dumped
the contents on her chest. She gasped as the cold liquid hit her warm skin.
"A shame to waste beer." He pulled her around until she faced him, her legs crossing over his. He kissed each breast, lapping up the brew. She arched her back, her hands grasping his shoulders.
He drew her bottom nearer to his erection, rubbing her body against his. She closed her eyes, savoring
the brush of him against her.
"Open your mouth."
She dutifully obeyed.
"Bite."
She did. A chocolate truffle. God, it was good. Cherry-filled. Sex and chocolate. It didn't get any better than this.
He brought her closer, nibbling her neck, moving toward her mouth until his covered hers. His tongue sought and captured. He tasted like chocolate and heat... and he tasted like Alex. It was a better than
good combination.
Jets suddenly came alive when he pushed a button. Rushing water came toward her in several different directions. He raised her hips slightly, and the water shot between her legs, massaging and tickling her sex.
She moaned. "Remind me to get one of these whirlpool tubs." It had a vibrating intensity that was sexually stimulating.
"Only if you share it with me."
"Deal."
He pulled a condom on as the bubbles rose around them. She slid over him, taking him inside her body. The friction of his hips and the water brought her to a quick orgasm. He apparently enjoyed it, too, because he came seconds later. When their gazes met, they both smiled. The smiles soon turned to laughter. There were bubbles everywhere.
He turned off the jets. "Hungry?"
"I never realized just how starved I was."
He smiled, and again the corners of his eyes twinkled. They fed each other rolled-up slices of ham and chicken, and as the bubbles dissipated, she wondered if this moment might last forever.
Nine
"Help you do what?" Kagen knew she was looking at Alex as though he was crazy, but she couldn't help herself. Why would she move the furniture when she finally had it the way she wanted?
"You're the one who said you were interested in knowing more about my program. To do it justice I'll need open space."
Darn, she didn't want to move the furniture. But he was right, she wanted to see his program. "Okay,
let's do it."
When all the furniture had been pushed to the side, Alex went to the computer and inserted a disk. After adjusting a video camera, he glanced her way.
"Ready?"
She nodded.
He hit a key on the computer, and his sister's living room became a kitchen. It was unbelievable. Her
gaze slowly scanned the room. There were pine cabinets, all the appliances, and even though she knew she was standing on carpet, when she looked down what she saw was a hardwood floor. "Amazing,"
she muttered and stepped forward.
"Watch out for the island," Alex warned.
"What island?"
His fingers clicked open a box. He scrolled down and hit enter. Seconds later an island appeared right in front of her, complete with pots and pans hanging above it. She reached out to touch the green marble counter, but her hand went right through it. Laughter spilled from her. "Ghost cabinets."
He smiled. "You could say that."
"This is fantastic."
"You really think so?"
"Yes . .. no, better than fantastic. I can't believe someone hasn't snatched this up and run with it."
"I haven't really marketed it. Instead, I'm looking for investors. I'm trying to keep it out of the hands of
a major company so I don't lose control of my product." He suddenly grinned. "So, you really like it?"
"Yes, I do. A lot. Except your color choices aren't the best. You're in a time warp. No one has avocado green appliances anymore."
"Childhood memory." He grinned a little sheepishly and shrugged. "Besides, we all can't be interior decorators. I can easily change the color, though." He brought up another box, scrolled down, and hit enter. The green appliances became white. "Better."
"Better. But what if I don't like the style of the cabinets or the countertop?"
"That's the beauty of this program. If you were the buyer and I were the contractor, we could look at each room. Change the dimensions, the colors, the style of cabinetsbefore construction . . . All I have
to do is input everything. The possibilities are endless."
"This is great, Alex."
He paused.
"What?" He was leaving something out.
"Well, I've been experimenting in another area as well."
"Show me." The man was a genius. There was no doubt in her mind.
Alex popped out the disk, and the room returned to normal. He dug around inside his briefcase and brought out another disk, but before he inserted it, he looked her way.
"Do you like the ocean?"
"I love it." Why did he want to know? She didn't think he could create a private jet that would whisk them off to the coast. Patience, she told herself.
He put the disk into the slot and began opening and clicking on boxes. When he hit the enter key she
was suddenly standing on a sandy beach with waves lapping at her feet.
"Wow. An ocean in the middle of Las Vegas."
"Wait, I'm not through yet."
He clicked open more boxes, and the light faded to black as brilliant stars appeared in the sky. Suddenly there was sound, and she could actually hear the surf pounding against the rocks.
She walked forward, and it even looked as if she was going into deeper waters. "How did ..."
She froze. A fin came toward her. Shark! She whirled around and ran straight into Alex's arms. His
chest rumbled with laughter, and she realized she'd been running from a projected image.
Damn it, the shark looked real. "That wasn't funny."
"Okay, I'll quit laughing." His chest continued to shake.
"You're still laughing."
"Sorry."
"I just bet you are." But she snuggled against his warm body, a smile curving her lips. "How did you do it?"
"I never reveal my secrets." He ran his hand up and down her back. "Ever made love on a sandy beach?" he whispered close to her ear.
Tingles of excitement ran up and down her arms. "No, but I think I'd like to."
"You're like no other woman I've ever met," he said. "And I'm glad you went after what you wanted."
"Why should it be any different for a woman than it is a man? We have the same needs." She stepped
out of his arms. The shark swam around her ankles. "Do you mind getting rid of Jaws, though?" She looked pointedly down at her feet.
"Would you rather have Flipper?"
She lowered her voice to a husky whisper. "What I'd rather have is you naked."
"I think I can oblige." He went to the computer and began opening boxes. The shark disappeared. He scrolled down and clicked again, and the sensuous strains of island music mingled with the ocean's waves.
Kagen laughed lightly and began unbuttoning her top. No man had ever affected all her senses like Alex did right now.
When he turned back around she let her top slide down her arms and drop into the imaginary ocean. As he came toward her he pulled his tee over his head and tossed it to the side.
He was magnificent. Shadows danced across his bare torso in a play of light from the twinkling stars above them. She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, shrugged her shoulders, and let it drop to the floor.
"You're beautiful," he said.
"I was thinking the same thing about you," she breathed.
He pulled a bottle of oil from the pocket of his sweats and held it up. "I'd hate for you to get sunburned."
"Did you have this planned? And besides, it's nighttime." Her thighs quivered at the thought of him spreading oil over her naked flesh.
"Let's just say I was hoping. You know, even though there's no sun, the breeze could chafe your skin."
His expression reminded her of a little boy before Christmas who wanted to open his present early. But this wasn't a little boy standing in front of her. Alex was all man.
She thought about explaining there was no wind. "You're right. It could blister me." It was much better
to pretend.
He flipped the top open and drizzled oil on her shoulders.
The droplets began slowly sliding down her chest, tickling, caressing. She sucked in a deep breath.
"Nice?"
"Ummm ... Nicer than nice. Your turn."
He shook his head. "I have a better idea."
She was really starting to like his ideas. A lot.
He tugged her close until her nipples grazed his chest. The oil smeared from her body to his. She closed her eyes, lost in the moment of flesh against flesh. But she wanted more.
She slid her hands inside his sweats and pushed them downward while he did the same with her shorts until they were standing naked in the middle of the living room, surrounded by a sandy beach and ocean. It was wonderful, romantic. He'd given her the moon, the stars, and the surf. No man had ever done that.
"You're beautiful in the moonlight," he told her. "Dance with me."
They swayed together with the music drumming in their ears. Two bodies became one. For a while time stood still in this make-believe paradise.
Alex picked the oil up off the floor where he'd let it fall atop his discarded clothes. He drizzled more on her front, then turned her, and did the same to her back. With her bottom snuggled against his erection, he began moving his hands over her. Caressing her breasts, tweaking the nipples. She moaned, leaning
her head back against his chest.
His hands continued their downward trek, sliding over her thighs, coming close to her sex but not touching. She moaned, wanting .. . needing him to stroke her, to bring her to the point of release.
"Alex, you're killing me," she moaned.
"More?"
She nodded, even that was difficult.
He lowered her to the carpet and began kissing her breasts. Giving each hardened nipple his attention while his fingers drew circles along her belly, always moving downward. She arched her hips, her body begging for relief as her breath came out in small puffs.
His fingers began to stroke her. The first waves of an orgasm caught her with tidal force, taking her
higher and higher until it crested. She caught her breath, riding out the wave of pleasure as sweet release swept over her like the waves surrounding her, but what she felt wasn't imaginary. It was real.
She turned toward him, burying her head against his chest... wanting the connection to be complete. As
if he sensed her need, he entered her, rolling her onto her back. She wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him closer still. He rocked against her, slowly at first, and then faster. She met each thrust. He groaned when he reached climax.
As the tide of their passion ebbed, Kagen knew without a doubt she was falling in love. Steve had been right, she'd let herself get emotionally involved.
They fell asleep that night wrapped in each other's arms, but her dreams were filled with Alex looking at her with pity because she was stupid enough to fall in love with him.
When she woke the next morning her head was pounding. Alex was moving quietly about the room.
From the dampness of his hair, she could see he'd already taken a shower.
"I didn't mean to wake you." He strolled to the side of the bed and dropped a kiss on top of her head.
She snuggled his pillow and offered a smile, even though she knew what had to be done. "Your meeting?"
He nodded and turned the blow-dryer on.
"Nervous?" she asked when he finished.
His expression turned serious. "Yeah, I've invested most of my money into this program."
She sat up in bed, crossing her feet in front of her. "It's a really good program. They can't help but like it."
He slipped his jacket on and grabbed his briefcase. "I hope you're right. I'll see you this afternoon."
"Bye." Her heart broke when the front door shut. The only thing waiting for him would be her note
telling him she'd had a crisis at one of her stores. Nothing major but she'd had to leave. Business. He'd understand.
This was the only way. No tears. No pitying looks. Just a simple goodbye. But if it was so simple, then why did it hurt so blasted much?
