“Well, I appreciate that, but still, I should have come back after my friends knew I was fine.”
“You certainly are fine…” His eyes bathed her in admiration as they roamed slowly and deliberately down her body—from her grey wool beanie to her tight white jeans, and black leather heeled boots—before returning to her face with unambiguous desire. “You know,” he said softly, taking half a step forward. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. Even before we found each other upstairs…”
Zuri blushed, her fingers tightening around the straps of her tote. This man––whose touch still simmered under her skin––couldn’t stop thinking about her?
“I really loved talking with you at L’Antra… Before you had to leave.”
You mean before I unceremoniously ditched you. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that, too.”
“Don’t apologize. You were there with your girlfriends, and you didn’t owe me anything. But…” He rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes dropping to the pavement briefly before meeting hers again. “Well, like I said, I know you’re on a girls’ trip, and I’m sure the last thing you had planned was linking up with a random guy…”
Oh, if you only knew…
“But I’d really love to see you again. Actually, I’d love to take you out this week if possible?”
“I’m not sure…” Zuri paused, biting the inside of her cheek. She liked the idea of actually going out on a date with Kyree. Her body yearned for more of him, and she had no qualms admitting that. What scared her was that something at her core––something that transcended physical pleasure and touched the very essence of who she was––longed to be near him, too.
It was ridiculous, really, that she was hesitating. Hadn’t she already decided that she wanted to start dating again? Wouldn’t she be dating as soon as she got back to New York, going out every other weekend with someone she’d met on an app or at a bar, hoping for a small fraction of the connection she already felt with Kyree?
A confident smile now played at the corners of his smooth lips, and he glanced around as if to make sure no one was listening. He then leaned in close enough for her to feel his breath feather against her ear. “I don’t know if you realized, but you left something in my room.”
Zuri narrowed her eyes, wondering what she could have left when she’d walked into his room with nothing but an ice… Oh! She clasped a hand to her mouth.
“You remember now?” He seemed to enjoy her flustered state.
How could I have forgotten… “You have my underwear,” she whispered.
“Don’t worry, I’m keeping them safe for you.”
“Oh god, those boy shorts?” She flicked her hand dismissively. “Believe me, they’re not precious.”
“I disagree. The fact that you were wearing them that night makes them plenty precious to me.”
Zuri’s pulse kicked. The way he looked at her now––like he wanted to strip her down right here in front of The Winterberry Café––reignited every spark he’d lit in her that hot and sultry night in his suite.
“You’ll need to see me again to get those back, won’t you?” he coaxed, winking mischievously.
“There’s some logic in that reasoning, I suppose.” Even his teasing made her hot for him. She squeezed her thighs together.
“So?” His eyes bore into hers, searching, hoping. “Do I have a shot?”
He could make it with his eyes closed as far as she was concerned. Zuri smirked as she pulled her phone from her tote, unlocked the screen, tapped to the dial pad, and handed it to Kyree.
Kyree typed his number and hit “call”, waited until he heard his own phone ring from his jacket pocket, then ended the call. “I’ll text you later so we can figure out the details.” He handed her back her phone.
“Uncle Ky! Come on!”
Zuri looked across the street at the two small figures waving impatiently from the edge of the rink, and Rayna’s white Santa’s hat moving gracefully through the crowd as she showed off her skills.
“I’d better head back before they file a missing person’s report,” Kyree quipped.
“Ha, ha, very funny,” Zuri pulled her silk-lined beanie down over her ears. “Although, I’m sure the girls are having flashbacks right now.”
Kyree chuckled, and took a backward step toward the curb. “We’ll talk later then?” he asked, joining two other pedestrians at the edge of the crosswalk.
Zuri nodded. “Later,”
He offered her that signature, devastating smile before dashing across the street.
