“You shared something very personal with me, and for that…and all the other things I have mentioned…I am very grateful.”
Silence passed between them as their gazes held tight, as if tied together by an invisible string. To avoid upsetting him or causing him more pain, she forced herself to turn away.
“I think I will take you up on the offer of that shower.” She spoke again, mainly to break up the uncomfortable silence.
Without a word, Van gave her a single dip of his chin before moving out of the way to give her room. She sent him a quick smile as she quickly passed by, but it wasn’t until sheclosed herself inside the bathroom that she felt as though she could fully breathe.
What was it about him that made her feel this way? It wasn’t as if this was her first experience being alone with an attractive man. She was thirty-four, for crying out loud. And much to the dismay of her mother—may she rest in peace—Kam wasn’t a virgin.
She didn’t sleep around like other women she knew. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Thanks to the traditional ways of her people, she’d gotten a very late start when it came to matters of the heart. And there had only ever been two men from her past she’d felt worthy of sharing her bed.
Both men she’d met in college. The first had been during her undergraduate studies. The second she’d begun dating a few months prior to her father having grown ill.
Since then, Kam had been focused on dealing with the aftermath of losing not one but both of her parents in a relatively short period of time. After that, she’d become an unwitting player in someone’s very sick game.
One surrounding Van and his team, and their teammate’s death. Farzad Akimi, and…
Me.
She spent longer in the shower than she had at Cassie and Archer’s house, but nottoolong for fear the boat’s hot water would run cold. It wasn’t until she was out of the shower and drying herself off that she realized…
My pajamas.
Technically they were Cassie’s. But what concerned Kam most was that she’d left them folded neatly on her bed.
Out there. Wherehewas.
And she was only wearing a towel.
Her eyelids fell shut with a long, drawn-out sigh. Knowing she couldn’tvery well hide out in here for the rest of the night, she took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and then…she opened the door.
With her head held high, Kam clutched the place between her breasts where she’d knotted the towel to keep it from falling. She probably looked like a drowned rat, having only towel-dried her long, wet hair, but the sooner she got this over with, the sooner her embarrassment could pass.
She reached for the door but paused long enough to listen for any possible movement within the cabin. Hearing none, she felt hopeful that Van had gone back out onto the deck. So she opened the bathroom door…and ran smack-dab into a wall of muscle.
“Oh!” She started to stumble back.
Moving much faster than she’d expect for a man his size, he wrapped an arm around her and held her steady with one of his strong hands resting against her lower back.
“Easy there.” His deep rumble vibrated from his chest to hers.
For a moment, they both stood perfectly still with the fronts of their bodies fully pressed against one another’s.
Even with the towel and his hoodie as barriers, Kam could feel the way his heart was pounding inside his chest. Hers beat to the same excited rhythm, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the same attraction toward her as she did him.
A few seconds later, the answer became more than a little obvious. A whole lot more if the steely bulge pressing against her lower belly was any indication. Just like that, thoughts of him naked returned, only this time, the images filling Kam’s brain weren’t solely of him, but rather of them.
Together. In his bed. Their bodies and limbs becoming intertwined in a powerful eruption of pleasure.
“I-I left my pajamas on the bed.” She whispered the truth about why she’d come out of the bathroom in such a state of undress.
“I can get them for you,” he offered, though the man made no attempt to move.
His dark gaze lowered to her lips, the heat in his gaze impossible to miss. He started to lean in. Kam lifted up onto the balls of her feet with the intention of meeting him halfway.
But just when Kam was certain they were about to share their very first kiss, Van blinked and took a step back, his hand returning to his side.
