by Donna Hill
“I want to and it’s not a problem. Really.” She got up and Lincoln picked up Jessie who quickly snuggled against him.
“See you in the morning,” Desi said. “And don’t stay away so long,” she said to Kai. “This was fun.”
“Yes, it was. Thanks so much.” She kissed Desi’s cheek and squeezed Lincoln’s arm.
“Thanks, Desi,” Anthony said against her cheek as he kissed her good-night and then his daughter. “See you in the morning, man,” he said to Lincoln.
“We’ll go for a run.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
The couple walked off leaving Anthony and Kai.
“So...” Anthony said turning his full attention on Kai. “Would you like some more wine?”
“Okay,” she said softly over the thudding of her heart. They were actually alone. Just the two of them.
He refilled her glass from one of the two bottles that Lincoln ordered with dinner.
“Thanks.” She took a sip. “Lincoln and Desiree are really great.”
“The best. So tell me a bit more about you. You left the big bad city to come here. That must have been culture shock.”
She laughed. “It certainly was and took some getting used to, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Anthony relaxed in his seat. “Really? You don’t miss the excitement, the energy of living in New York?”
“Not at all. I visit New York from time to time but I’m always happy to come back home.” She took another sip of wine.
“Where did you go to medical school?”
“Cornell. I did my internship at New York Hospital.”
“How did you manage to make it to chief of emergency services? That must have been tough.”
“Believe me, it was. The hours were inhuman when you were on rotation. Very little sleep and you had to learn to make life-or-death decisions in seconds.”
“I’m totally in awe of doctors and medicine. It takes a special person and skills to save lives on a regular basis.”
“What about you? I thought I read somewhere that you might run for district attorney.”
He pressed his lips together and nodded in agreement. “My boss, Harrison Blumenthal, has been grooming me to take over. He’s making a run for governor.”
“Did you always want to be involved in law and order?” she asked with an inquisitive grin.
His gaze drifted away as if he was viewing his response from a far-off place. “I don’t really think so. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life.” His jaw tightened. “The only thing I was sure of was that I wanted to get as far away from where I was as possible.”
Kai studied the hard lines of his profile and then he swung his gaze in her direction. It was like being hit with a jolt of electricity. Her breath caught and she sunk into the bottomless darkness of his eyes that surely held secrets she wanted to uncover. “Where was that?” she tentatively asked.
“Brooklyn.” He chuckled. “The Marcy Projects to be exact.”
“You’re kidding.” She slapped her palm on the table. “I grew up not too far from there. On Putnam Avenue.”
“What?” He tossed his head back and laughed.
“We probably passed each other dozens of times.”
“I was one of those guys that your parents told you to stay away from.” He reached out and ran the tip of his finger across her knuckles. A shiver scurried up her arm. “Besides, I know I would have remembered you.”
Her thoughts short-circuited for a moment. “I doubt it,” she tossed back. “I was pretty unremarkable,” she added in the hope of deflecting the direction of the conversation.
Anthony leaned back and glanced at her from beneath his lashes. “Weren’t we all.” He finished off his drink. “Ready?”
“Sure.” She picked up her purse from the table. Now she wished she’d left her car at home.
Chapter 12
The evening was pleasantly warm. A light breeze blew in off the ocean, stirred the leaves on the branches overhead and wrapped around them. They strolled in a comfortable silence in the direction of the parking lot behind the main building.
“I had a great time tonight. Thanks for inviting me.”
“I hope this won’t be the last.”
She glanced over and up at him. “It doesn’t have to be.” Her heart pounded.
Anthony stopped walking. He took her hand and turned her to face him. He didn’t ask. He didn’t hesitate. He took what he’d been wanting all night. Her mouth.
The air stopped moving in her lungs. The wind ceased to blow. Everything around her disappeared when she was captured by the sweetness of his mouth. Blood roared in her ears, blocking out everything but the racing of her heart.
Anthony cupped her cheeks in his palms and tenderly worshipped her lips. He hummed in appreciation against her mouth.
Kai’s eyes fluttered open. He brushed the pad of his thumb along her bottom lip.
“I would say that I was sorry and I don’t know what came over me,” he said his voice thick and raspy. “But I’d be lying.”
A coy smile moved across her mouth. “We can’t have a man of law and order telling lies,” she said softly.
Anthony rested his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her. “Then I’d better tell you that I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you standing in the doorway of your house.”
Her lips parted ever so slightly.
“I’ll only be in town for another week and a half.” He paused. “But I’d like to spend as much of that time with you that we can manage. If you want to.”
“I want to,” she said on a breath.
They were suddenly caught in the headlights of a car that was pulling out of the lot.
Anthony chuckled and grabbed her hand. “I guess that’s our cue. Let me get you home.”
They stopped in front of her car. Why didn’t she let him drive her? She could kick herself.
“I’ll follow you in my car. Make sure you get home safely.”
Her insides did the happy dance. “That’s not necessary.”
“I know it’s not. I want to.” He opened her car door. She slid in. “I’ll be right behind you,” he said, before shutting the door.
Kai gripped the wheel and willed her heart to slow down. He was only being a gentleman and making sure that she got home safely, she chanted to herself. She turned the key in the ignition. What if he wanted more? She put the car in gear. What would she do then? She was getting way ahead of herself. Slowly she pulled out, turned onto the lane leading away from The Port. She glanced in her rearview mirror and saw Anthony’s SUV headlights. She gripped the wheel tighter and focused on the dimly lit road.
Experience and familiarity were the only things that guided her home because her mind spun faster than she could process the thoughts and images that teased her. She pulled into her driveway and Anthony eased in right behind her. She turned off the ignition. So did he. She drew in a breath, grabbed her purse and stepped out of the car. When she shut the door and turned, Anthony was beside her.
“Thank you for a great evening.”
“I’m glad you said yes.” He tucked a stray curl behind her ear then lifted his chin toward her front door. “You’d better get inside.” His fingertip drifted down the curve of her jaw.
A quick mix of disappointment and relief danced in her stomach. On the one hand she felt let down that he didn’t make a move to come inside, yet on the other hand she felt mildly relieved that she wouldn’t have to make a decision about what to do if he’d crossed the threshold.
“Maybe we can do something tomorrow.”
Her eyes lit up with her smile. “I only have two appointments tomorrow. So...anytime after three is good for me.”
“I’ll call you.” He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. “You really need to go inside,” he murmured and eased back. “Or I may have to act on my other fantasy.”
Her heart thumped. “What fantasy?”
“To take you to bed and make love to you until the sun comes up.”
“It doesn’t have to be a fantasy,” she said, and before she had time to think she turned toward her front door with her hand outstretched behind her. Anthony took her hand and followed her inside.
Chapter 13
Anthony pushed the door closed behind them, turned Kai into his arms and pulled her flush against him, stilling the air in her lungs. The penetration of his gaze dipped down into her soul and weakened her knees and spread heat through her limbs.
The room, only lit by the sliver of moonlight coming in from the slits in the drapes, slowly disappeared from Kai’s view as Anthony lowered his head and took full possession of her mouth.
A groan rumbled from the depths of his throat at the first taste of the sweet softness of her lips. Like a man deprived of nourishment, he savored the moment and quickly wanted more. His tongue teased her bottom lip, the corners, the top, and coaxed her mouth open. The burst of sweetness from her tongue to his elevated their need for each other.
The tips of Kai’s fingers pressed into the taut muscles of his back, then relaxed and traveled along his contours, while his large hands and nimble fingers roamed freely along the hills and valleys of her lush body.
With great reluctance, Kai broke away from the kiss, breathless and hot with need. “Not here,” she managed to say. Once more she took his hand. This time she led him across the threshold of her bedroom.
It was as if a signal had been given that whatever they wanted, whatever they felt, whatever they needed was there for the taking. Now.
Fingers and hands and mouths were everywhere. Buttons popped and danced across the floor. Belts were ripped from their loops while silky undergarments floated like clouds to their feet. One by one, piece by piece was removed until nothing was between them but air and desire.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he uttered in a raw whisper as his gaze moved across her naked body. Suddenly, he didn’t want to rush. He wanted to burn every moment, every vision into his memory. He wanted to take his time on this trip to discover what turned her on, what made her cry out, what gave her that final push of release. He wanted to know it all for now and every time they were together thereafter.
Anthony reached out, tentatively almost, and ran the tips of his two fingers along the curve of her jaw. A shiver crept up her spine and her eyes fluttered close. The trail of his hand ventured to her neck and along the curve of the slender bone, then across her shoulder and back to traverse the swell of her breasts. Her breath hitched when the pads of his thumbs brushed and taunted her turgid nipples. He began to pay tribute to her butter-soft skin, planting tiny hot kisses that began at her neck and moved like a love ballad down her body.
Kai gripped his shoulders to steady herself as jolts of desire ripped through her. This was what she wanted, what she needed—Anthony—for as long as it would last.
They eased back toward the bed and tumbled down onto the fluffy comforter, wrapped in each other’s embrace.
Anthony stretched out alongside her and the look of longing that radiated from her eyes was all the encouragement that he needed. Pure will kept him from simply taking her and demanding that her body be his and his alone. So he took his time, prepared her the way a master chef prepares his signature meal—with care, attention to every detail, mixing and measuring all of the ingredients, lovingly watching as it simmers, waiting for the precise moment when it is ready.
Kai’s body hummed beneath his touch. His kisses sizzled on her skin and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could endure the exquisite torture. She wanted to touch every inch of him, experience the taste of him, make him feel the same sensations that tripped through her. She captured his mouth, delved into the warmth and the sweet taste of him. Her fingers skimmed across his skin, roamed along the muscles of his back that rippled beneath her fingertips.
The thunderstorm of desire swirled around them. Kai’s senses spun. She was on fire. She had to be. It was the only explanation for the fever that lit her body, poured through her veins like lava. Wherever Anthony placed his lips, the skin cooled for a second and then ignited. His tongue stilled the flames, then his hands rekindled it.
“I want you,” he breathed deep into her ear. “Tell me you want me,” he demanded. His gaze bore down into hers.
“I...want you. Now.” Her heart pounded. Her tongue glided slowly across her bottom lip.
The tip of Anthony’s finger tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He kissed her lobe, the line of her jaw, grazed her lips with his, teased her throat with his tongue, seared a path down the valley of her breasts, across the flutter of her belly, hovered for a moment between the apex of her thighs before parting them and tasting her there.
Her body arched as if hit with a jolt of electricity. Anthony firmly clasped her hips in his large hands. Kai whimpered. Her essence was an elixir to him lifting him higher, fueling his lust for her. And the more he gave to her, the more she wanted, until her full body shuddered from the points of her toes to the top of her head. Her cry of release hung in her throat, caught in the moment, then it burst forth with such raw intensity that it stiffened the fine hairs along Anthony’s neck. He couldn’t hold out any longer. He had to feel her wrap around him, grip him, make him come. He quickly retrieved a condom from his wallet in his pant pocket.
Anthony moved slowly up her body, positioning himself between the silk of her thighs until he was directly above her staring down into her eyes. He watched the pulse flutter at the base of her neck.
Kai linked her fingers behind his head and drew him to her. Their mouths locked. She raised her hips, he lowered his and he found his way into the hot valley of her. His groan was a mixture of bliss and utter surrender. For a moment he couldn’t move. He didn’t want to do anything to disturb the exquisite sensation that hummed through his being in that instant when they connected as one entity for the very first time. He wanted to memorize the feeling, but his body and hers needed to create more memories with every move, every roll, every stroke and every sigh.
They clung to each other. Their mouths and bodies locked together; moving in unison, they awakened each other’s souls and sealed an unspoken commitment that exploded, lit up the room and rocked them to their cores.
Damp, hearts banging, limbs entwined, breaths stopping and starting, it all felt like a dream, but it was real. Kai’s trembling fingers stroked the curve of Anthony’s back, she buried her face into the hollow of his neck, inhaled his scent, matched the rhythm of his heartbeat with her own. This was more than she could have ever imagined. It had been so long since she’d been held and made love to. She didn’t want it to end. Not yet. And Anthony was more than willing to give her whatever she wanted.
* * *
After some time, they rested, spooned together while Anthony cupped Kai securely against him as if, were he to let her go, she would evaporate into the dream that their lovemaking certainly was for him. Tenderly he kissed the back of her neck and relished the sexy purr that he received.
“This was better than any fantasy,” he roughly whispered.
Kai shifted and tried to turn her head to look over her shoulder at him. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. He traced the shell of her ear with his fingertip. “I’m going back to New York next week.”
Kai’s stomach tightened. “I know.”
“I’m not sure how...”
“Listen, I’m a big girl. I knew what I was getting myself into. You don’t have to try to make it be something that it can’t be.”
Anthony inwardly flin
ched. He felt her withdraw from him and he eased his hold on her. He wanted to say something. He wanted her to say something—anything that would put them back where they had been only moments ago and not the direction in which they were headed.
Kai bit down on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. Her throat clenched. What she said was obviously true. He didn’t try to challenge what she said or to convince her that she was wrong. She was having a hard time breathing. She curled her body tighter, withdrawing inside herself.
Anthony slowly drew away. He turned onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Kai pulled the sheet and light comforter up to her neck and snuggled down into her pillow. Anthony would have felt better if she’d simply said to get the hell out.
“I probably should get going,” he said quietly and slowly got out of the bed.
“Hmm. Okay.”
He gathered up his clothing and walked into the bathroom.
“There are extra towels on the shelf,” she called out.
“Thanks.” He closed the door behind him.
Kai listened to the water run. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her fist to her mouth. There was no reason for her to be upset. She was the one that had told him not to make it something it wasn’t. She’d all but told him that she didn’t expect nor want anything from him.
The water shut off. Kai pulled her sheet closer to her face and feigned sleep. Anthony stepped out of the bathroom. The light went out. She felt him standing over her, but she kept her eyes shut.
“Good night,” he whispered.
Kai didn’t respond.
Anthony turned and walked out. Moments later Kai heard her front door shut and then the sound of Anthony’s car. She lay perfectly still and listened until the sound of his engine disappeared into the night.
Chapter 14
Kai became her own patient the following morning. She spent a restless night, thinking about what had transpired between her and Anthony—how it ended. Her head throbbed.
