“What, the two minutes after?”
Her short laugh carried little humor. “Pretty much.” She sat on the floor withher elbows on her knees and rested her forehead on her fingertips. “I don’t know how to think beyond this…event. To be honest, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to.”
Well, how was that for a knife to the chest? “Hey, you don’t have to. We didn’t make any promises.”
“I know.” She tied her shoes and stood. “But after what you said…”
“That I love you?” He was done tiptoeing around it.
She noddedand held one arm across her ribs, her focus on his chin.
A boulder lodged in his stomach. “If that was some kind of pity fuck because you can’t return my feelings—”
“No.” She finally looked him in the eye. “No.” Tentatively, she clasped his face between her hands. “I’ve wanted you since the day I walked into your office two weeks ago.”
Not nearly as long as he’d wanted her, but did that reallymatter? His chest eased a little, and the dark freckle that straddled the edge of her upper lip the way she’d straddled his lap just moments before snagged his attention.
He wanted to lick that mesmerizing dot of color.
She kissed him.
Before he could even get an arm around her waist, it was over and she was backing away with a subdued smile. “I like you, Kurt. And I really like kissing youand everything.”
“Ilike where this is headed.”
She laughed. “We need to get moving, remember?”
This time he kissed her, hard. “Be safe tonight, okay?”
“You too, Superman.” She gave him another quick peck on the lips and left the room.
It wasn’t “I love you,” but he’d take it.
By ten-thirty, Caitlyn and Kurt were less than half a mile from Zanana Shores, which took its name from the localword for pineapple.
They had left Brandon Marlowe’s Land Rover in a dirt pullout that locals and plugged-in tourists used for easy access to the beaches along Zanana Bay. The sliver of moon low in the sky and the thick spatter of stars overhead offered little light, and the jungle was black as tar.
Keeping her focus on the faint line that marked the edge of the asphalt, Caitlyn trod softly onthe sandy shoulder in Kurt’s wake, headed for the pair of lights up ahead that flanked the entrance to the resort.
Without night-vision equipment—and with no help from the moon—they couldn’t risk using the jungle for cover. There were too many hazards, and using flashlights was out of the question.
The road was more exposed but they could move faster.
She tried to block out thoughts of anythingelse but their surroundings. Thinking about Rose made her restless.
Memories of making love to Kurt had the same effect, though decidedly more pleasant. Sex with someone she truly cared for had been incredible. Mind-blowingly better than anything she’d ever experienced.
Scary.
And absolutely the last thing she needed right now.
But the feel of his hands and mouth on her skin, loving her, movinginside her…
Gah. Stop it.
She pulled herself back to the moment. The noise of the bugs and frogs, the air thick in her lungs, the rustle of the leaves on the breeze. Kurt’s broad back.
He may have transitioned to a desk job, but the need to jump into the fray to protect and save seethed under his skin. He still had the aura of a deadly weapon honed to a fine point.
