I came to my senses and pulled myself out of the embrace. I offered a polite smile and said, “It was really great to see you, Trip.”
He slid his palms up and down my arms, reluctant to let me end our reunion. He was looking down at me with that serious, half-lidded stare that always managed to liquefy my insides as he raised a hand to my face. His knuckles brushed across my cheek, his thumb swiping a feathery caress across my bottom lip.
Just. Oozing. Sex.
Every instinct within me was screaming for me to flee, to run as fast and as far away as my shaking legs would allow, to stop myself from acting on what my throbbing insides were demanding... but I didn’t move. I stood there, held captive by those blue eyes aching into mine... watching as Trip lowered his face and claimed my trembling lips in a soft kiss.
Oh. Dear. God.
That same pull was there, that thing between us that always brought us dangerously close to spontaneous combustion. I kissed him back, too far gone to think, just giving myself over to my racing heart and my imploding nerve endings. The kiss went on for an eternity, his tongue exploring the contours of my lips, willing them to part, his arms imprisoning my body to his demanding length, the dizzying swirl of emotions playing their way through my brain. My knees were going weak and I clung to him, my hands grasping his broad shoulders, broader than I remembered. Better, I thought.
The feel of those full lips against mine was even better than my memories. Maybe it was because that was our first adult kiss, or maybe it was just that he’d had so much practice in the previous years. It’s not like I really cared to figure it out at that moment.
At that point, I was consumed with the sweet pressure of his soft lips, his palm sliding around my neck, pulling my face closer to his, our mouths opening for one another. He angled his other hand down my spine and across to my hip, drawing me tighter against his hardening body, holding me fixed to him, his hot breath mingling with mine.
He pulled back just enough for me to see the stunned look in his eyes, feel the soft whisper against my lips when he said, “My God… I almost forgot...”
My mind gave up all rational thought, the battle having been won over by the sound of his aching voice. I slid my hands into his hair, knocking his hat to the floor as I grasped that beautiful golden mane in my fists, pressing my body to his, hearing him moan against my mouth and feeling his insistent hard-on driving into my hip.
He’d taken the slightest step toward the couch, walking me backwards, and I knew he intended to throw me down on it, tear my clothes away, and take me right then and there... and I was going to let him.
And that’s when Sandy walked in.
Chapter 12
THE GUILTY
I finished watching Sea Breeze, and turned off the TV in disgust. According to the IMDb, it was Jenna Barnes’ only known movie role to date, and I just couldn’t resist checking it out.
Unhealthy? Yes. Could I stop myself? No.
I was consumed with a warped sense of self-satisfaction, having seen Trip’s fiancée’s acting skills for myself. Let’s just say I thought she’d better stick to her day job: Stripping down to her underwear for money. The tramp.
I knew from my catalogs that she was beautiful, but I didn’t further the opinion that she was extraordinarily talented or anything. But then I figured that maybe her talents were more impressive off screen. Seemed Trip was a magnet for such “talent”. I’d seen a few pictures over the years of random starlets he had escorted around Hollywood, so I didn’t realize his latest arm candy was anything serious. After watching her stupid movie, “serious” was the last adjective I could use to describe her.
I’d dropped by the video store on the way back to my apartment. I didn’t need to check out of my suite at the TRU until the next morning, and it would have been nice to treat the stay at the luxurious hotel as a mini vacation. But I knew there was no way I’d be able to sleep under the same roof, in the same building, knowing Trip was only one floor above me in the penthouse. After our kiss, I thought it would be best if I didn’t invite any further temptation my way.