He was right. Their being together might be wrong in every logical way, but it felt so incredibly right. And for now, that would be enough.
Carefully, she leaned down and brushed her lips against his. He didn’t move. Didn’t respond, so she did it again. Tipping her head to the other side, she kissed him once more. Softly. Gently. Just a feather of flesh against flesh, loving the sweetness of his lips, the heat of his body, that intoxicating lightheadedness she always felt when he was close. But he still didn’t wake, and disappointment slowly slinked in.
Sighing, she lifted her head and was just about to ease away when he groaned, slid his hand up into her hair, then opened to her kiss and pulled her mouth back down to his.
Ecstasy. Danger. Perfection. The words tumbled in her mind as his tongue stroked hers and his other hand drifted to her hip, then slid across her lower spine. She sank into him as he kissed her, letting him explore every inch of her mouth, kissing him back with everything she had in her. His muscles flexed as his kiss grew needy, demanding, as he tasted her deeper, and she groaned when he rolled her over and pushed all his delicious heat against her, driving her back into the mattress.
Her legs fell open. Her hands wound around his shoulders and up into his hair. She fisted the silky soft strands between her fingers and kissed him again and again, not able to get enough, needing to wash Isadora and their conversation from her mind with his intoxicating mouth.
When she was breathless, when she was ready to tear his clothes off so she could have more, he drew back and looked down at her with those sexy amber eyes. The ones that had always entranced her. Even when he’d been nothing but her prisoner. “Hi.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. It was such a normal thing to say. But they’d never had any kind of normal. And she wasn’t sure how to respond. “H-hi.”
“You’re wearing a lot more than you were a few hours ago.”
Damn. She’d forgotten to take off her pants and jacket. “I am.”
His eyes narrowed. Just a touch. Just enough to tell her he was on to her. “Should I ask?”
Ask about Isadora and what they’d discussed? Um. Hell, no. “I’m surprised you didn’t just look into my mind to find out.”
One corner of his lips tipped up. “It doesn’t work that way. I can’t read your mind. I can only see your memories…if you project them.” His eyes narrowed even more. “Which you’re not doing at the moment.”
Thank the Fates. She rested her hands against his sexy, muscular shoulders. “You’ll have to teach me how to keep from doing that on a regular basis.”
“Something tells me you’ll be a quick learner.”
Her lips curled as she focused on a tiny scar near his collarbone.
But instead of kissing her again like she wanted, he stared at her. And in the silence, her cheeks grew even warmer.
“What?” she finally asked.
“Nothing.” His eyes softened. “Just… Thank you. Again.”
“For what?”
“For coming back.”
Her chest squeezed so tight it pulled the air right out of her lungs. And in that moment, as she stared up at him, she knew she was in love with him. Crazy, head-over-heels in love with a man who would never truly be hers.
Don’t think about that now. Don’t—shit… Just focus on the moment.
She swallowed hard. Dammit. She was going to get her heart broken here. There was no way around it anymore. “Don’t make me regret it.”
He reached for the hem of her shirt and pushed it up to her breasts, his rough fingers grazing the skin near her belly button, sending shivers of excitement straight into her sex. “Trust me, female. You won’t. I promise.”
She closed her eyes and fought back the sting of tears as he pressed his wicked, talented lips against her belly. And though she prayed with every ounce of her soul that he was right, her gift screamed he was telling the biggest lie of all.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Nick felt better than he had in days. No, weeks. No…months.
He was rested. Focused. Invigorated. And he knew it was all because of Cynna and the fact she’d come back to him last night when she could have so easily run and left him for good.