Carly Phillips: Simply Sinful

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“My mama always said if you can’t do something right, don’t bother doing it at all.”

“Did I say you did anything wrong?”

She rolled her eyes and threw the blame squarely on him. “Not me, you.”

“I did something wrong. What?”

“You questioned my experience. Not exactly the way to endear yourself to a woman, McDermott.” She forced herself to remain stiff and unyielding in his arms, even though she wanted to curl into him and feel his strength flow through her.

His heated breath fanned her neck. His cologne threatened to seduce her and make her forget common sense. She struggled against the seductive pull. “Let me go.”

“Not until you answer the question I asked a minute ago and then I’ll explain. If you don’t like what you hear, I’ll take you home myself. Have you done this before?” he asked again.

“A one-night stand in a stranger’s hotel room? No. Happy now?”

“Not by a long shot. And that wasn’t the question I was asking and you know it.”

“Okay,” she said, resigned. “Once in my senior year of high school and once more a few years ago.” The first time she’d been young and inexperienced, scared but seduced into believing the guy had wanted her, not just a quickie in the backseat of his car. He’d gone to great lengths to convince her, and she’d bought his act. Then he’d gone bragging to his friends, and she’d never heard from him again. The second time had been years later. Another mistake, a futile effort to relieve the loneliness in her life.

She resented being forced to relive either time. “You want names and dates, too, Officer, or are the sketchy details enough?”

He jerked back, but kept his hand firmly around her waist.

“Well?” she asked when he remained silent. “Are you going to keep grilling me like some cop or let me go home?”

“Neither.”

His long exhale took her by surprise. Had he been as tense as she was about this encounter? Impossible. Men didn’t get nervous.

Kayla straightened as best she could, trying to ignore that her behind now snuggled firmly against him. She didn’t have to look back to know what male organ pressed hard and insistently against her. She gritted her teeth.

“Why is this so important?” she asked him.

“You said years.” His hand brushed her hair off her face and he lay a warm, comforting cheek next to hers. “I want you so badly I can barely stand.” His rough voice shook her body. The truth shook her soul. “If I didn’t ask, if I didn’t know, I’d have hurt you.”

Her cheek remained cushioned next to his. He felt so right. Her stiff muscles relaxed, even as her body remained strung tight and begged for sexual release.

Kane loosened his hold, apparently assured she wouldn’t run. She turned, crossing her arms in front of her and clutching her stomach in a death grip as she asked her next question. “And if you had…hurt me, I mean…you’d have cared?”

He swallowed so hard she saw his throat muscles at work. “Is that so hard to believe?”

“About a man, yes. About you, after this…no. I…” Her next words were interrupted by a knock on the door.

He held her gaze for a long second with a hot look that pulled his features taut and put sparks of need in his eyes. Need she inspired. The notion awed her.

“I’ve got it.” He opened the door and waited as a man placed a room service cart with what looked like a thermos of coffee on the only free counterspace available in the room. “Fast work. I guess money does talk.”

“What is that?” she asked.

“Payment.” She raised one eyebrow in question. “For what’s to come,” he explained. Lifting the silver tray off the plate, he revealed two packages of instant hot cocoa mix.

“You remembered,” she said, both pleased and impressed. This caring man had amazed her yet again.

“When an intelligent woman speaks, I listen. Besides how could I deny such a simple request? Especially when it will get me everything I want.” His seductive smile caused her insides to twist into delicious knots only he could undo.

“Had for a cup of hot chocolate.” She couldn’t help but laugh. “I guess I’m easy,” she murmured, rubbing her still-chilled hands against her jean-clad thighs for warmth. His gaze followed the movement, his eyes darkening with unmistakable sexual heat.

“Are you?” He walked to her slowly. His eyes never left hers as his hands went to the zipper on her jacket.

His knuckles grazed her chin as he made quick work of opening the zipper, his large hands brushing the sides open and off her shoulders. The jacket slid to the floor in a heap while his hands lingered. He gripped her upper arms hard, yet his fingers were shockingly gentle as they molded to her flesh beneath the constricting turtleneck.

His next maneuver surprised her. Strong hands slid through her hair, gliding and touching in a soft whisper of movement. Her headband joined the jacket on the floor, creating a pile of clothing destined to grow. Strong hands combed through her tangled hair. The tugging at her scalp felt erotically wicked. Without warning, a violent tremor took hold. Heat pounded between her thighs and a trickling liquid warmth followed in its wake.

Being with this man wouldn’t be slow and easy. It wouldn’t be controlled and simple to understand. She didn’t want it to be. Her first step toward recognizing herself as a woman meant accepting what she’d believed impossible. A wild abandon existed in her soul, waiting for the opportunity to be set free.

Other men had touched-and they’d turned her ice-cold. No one else had inspired such gut-wrenching need. But Kane had seen beyond the packaging to the woman inside, and because he had, Kayla came together at last-body, heart and soul. She didn’t care if she’d only know him one night, she felt so much more. She wanted him and she wouldn’t, couldn’t restrain the gnawing hunger any longer.

She recalled his last question. Was she easy? “For you I guess I am,” she murmured and stood on her tiptoes to place a full, openmouthed kiss on his lips.

His body shook and the tremors vibrated through her as he grabbed her waist and pulled her roughly against him. “Lady, do you have any idea what you do to me?”

Kayla gathered her courage and repeated his words of earlier that night. “No, but you could show me.”

KANE EXPELLED A HARSHbreath. In her playful innocence, she obviously had no idea she’d brought him too close, too fast. He hadn’t held back tonight and looking into her clear gaze, he couldn’t start now. He grabbed for her hand and placed it on the front placket of his jeans.

“Oh.” Her gasp of surprise was telling.

If she were as smart as she was supposed to be, she’d pull back before things got out of hand. The rational part of him hoped she would. Instead she cupped him firmly in her palm and molded her fingers to the faded denim, tracing the weight of his arousal pushing restlessly against the restricting denim.

He closed his eyes and tried to think…of sports. Tonight’s game, that ought to keep his mind off sex while her hand explored and his body contracted. Last thing he needed was to embarrass himself before things even got started. The weight and pressure of her fingers was driving him mad. And then she went to the button on his jeans. Baseball, he reminded himself. Bats, balls, stolen bases and home runs…Damn this was a bad idea.

He grabbed for her wrist. “Enough.”

“Why?”

He met her startled gaze. “Ever hear of too much too soon?”

Understanding lit her embarrassed gaze while his traveled the length of her and back again. Large breasts rounded beneath the tight turtleneck top and rigid nipples pushed through the thin white material. Her jeans were fitted, accentuating full hips and generous curves. Kane had had his share of women, and they’d had one thing in common. They spent too much at the gym trying to be model-thin, or had put themselves on ridiculous diets he’d never understand.