Her blush deepened, but she answered him. “When I’m not thinking about being with you.”
“You’re with me right now.”
She tried to look away, but he wouldn’t let her. He held her chin to face him. Those eyes. God, those eyes. He seemed to get lost in them.
“Not like that,” she said in a soft, husky voice. “Being with you... intimately.”
The last word was whispered so softly that he almost didn’t hear it. Or maybe that was just the freight train of desire that suddenly came roaring through his ears.
Her mouth was right there. Tilted toward his so temptingly. He couldn’t help himself. He had to kiss her again. Just to see if it was as sweet as he remembered.
He lowered his mouth to hers.
She had time to react. Time to part her lips and give a little gasp of anticipation.
A gasp that went straight to his cock. Everything about her went straight to his cock. But that wasn’t the only place that blood was rushing. His chest was feeling that tightness, too. It must be his lungs. Yeah, his lungs.
But his lungs weren’t what was pounding.
He stilled at the contact. The softness of her lips, thewarmth, the sweet taste of strawberries coupled with the tangy edge of salt stopped him in his tracks. For a moment, he forgot what to do. He was too busy savoring every incredible sensation.
His hand was still on her chin, tilting her mouth to his and holding her at a perfect angle to sink in his tongue deep and take a big sweeping drink of her. But he didn’t even want to take a breath, as if he could hold on to the moment forever. As if the connection afforded by a single kiss would be all that he needed.
That was crazy. Wasn’t it?
She made a sound. A whimper? A moan? He didn’t know, but the effect was the same. The lust that had been pounding in his blood came racing back full force. He knew exactly what to do.
But when his mouth started to move over hers there was something different about it. His movements were slower. Softer. His lips were savoring and lingering with every gentle caress.
It was as if every kiss, every soft circle and stroke of his tongue, were trying to elicit something.
Or trying to say something.
Never had a kiss felt so revealing, so expressive, so...
Intimate.Just like she’d said.
He pulled away almost as if he’d been zapped like a finger in a light socket.
What the hell was he doing?
She wobbled a little, which he attributed to the alcohol. Although the soft and hazy look in her eyes as she gazed up at him didn’t look anything like tequila. It looked like the wrong impression. It looked like emotions he didn’t want to see.
“We should get back to the hotel,” he said, his tone abrupt. Or maybe it just seemed abrupt because of what had been happening a few moments before.
She blinked up at him, obviously confused. A state he understood only too well.
“All right,” she said, far too huskily for how hot he was right now.
“I’m going to try to get a workout in before dinner,” he explained.
Lifting weights and a good five-mile run on the treadmill should help. He was out of sorts because he hadn’t worked out in a few days. He needed to burn off some energy. Lots of energy.
Maybe he’d better make that ten miles.
He was so distracted he forgot that he was supposed to be distracting her and keeping her busy. Fortunately, she didn’t try to sneak off to the Internet café. She said she was going to lie down for a while and then take a bath.
She was still in the bath when he returned—hot, sweaty, and on edge. He had to wait for his cold shower.
