Carly Phillips - Simply Sinful

His eyes darkened under lowered lids. “You invite a man into your bed, sweetheart, you better be prepared for anything.” Need echoed in his voice.

Her knees went weak and her insides turned to jelly. Another second and her mind would follow. Then lust would take over and she’d lose everything. Reaching out, Kayla grasped his hand, intertwining their fingers together. His skin felt rough and warm against her palm, his hand felt right in hers.

She’d grown up feeling as if she had to fight for everything that mattered, from her mother’s attention to accepting the adult she’d become. Even a business she’d legitimately inherited had turned into a struggle she might not win. Nothing had come easily, some things not at all.

But Kane, her love for this man, mattered more than anything else ever had. She’d fight for it, so that when the end came, she’d have no regrets. None she’d have any control over, anyway. She tugged lightly on his hand.

“Don’t do this.” His voice held a ragged warning.

She refused to listen. “I’ve got used to sleeping in your arms, Kane. Is that so much to ask?”

THE CLOCK ON THE nightstand read midnight. Kane glanced at the woman lying beside him. Her even breathing told him she was asleep. Damned if he could say the same. How could he when lying beside Kayla, breathing in her scent and sharing body heat had begun to feel familiar? To feel right?

Add to that the fact that she wanted him, too, and nothing was stopping him from waking her up by easing himself inside her. Nothing except his own damn sense of right and wrong. Control was no longer an issue. Kayla’s feelings were. As soon as this case ended, he was history. So why hurt her more than he already had?

Rolling to the side, he levered himself to a sitting position. The bedsprings creaked beneath his weight as he stood. Kayla didn’t move.

He walked to the window and rolled open the blinds. A full moon lit the night sky and its glow streamed into the room.

“Kane?” The rustle of sheets followed the sound of her voice.

He turned. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” Or maybe he had. He’d begun to hate being alone with only his thoughts for company.

She turned back the covers on his side. “Come back to bed.”

Did she know what she was asking? His body churned with need. If he climbed back into that bed, it wouldn’t be for sleeping.

She curled her legs beneath her. “I’ll tell you a bedtime story.” Humor tinged her voice as she patted the sheets with one hand.

How could he resist an offer like that? He eased himself beside her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she settled against his side. “What was your favorite?” he asked. “‘Sleeping Beauty?’ ‘Cinderella’?” He named fairy tales he’d only heard of thanks to the recent VCR releases advertised on TV. He sure as hell hadn’t been on the receiving end of bedtime stories while growing up.

“‘The Ugly Duckling,’” she murmured.

He tangled his fingers in the short strands of her hair. “I should have known.”

She yawned. The vibration caused his body to come alive. “Why’s that?” she asked.

“Because, like that duckling, you turned into a beautiful swan.”

She shook her head.

“Yes.” He rolled onto his side so he could face her, then cupped her cheek in his hand. “You’re beautiful.”

“No, I’m…”

“Yes, you are. Now say, ‘Thank you, Kane.’”

Even in the muted light, he could see the blush stain her cheeks. “Thank you, Kane.”

He grinned. “Call that lesson number one on how to accept a compliment.”

“I didn’t know I needed lessons.”

She did. Desperately. She’d made progress since they’d met, but she wasn’t there yet. Maybe one day she’d stop fumbling over the subject of her looks or her body. But he wouldn’t be around to see it…which meant someone else would.

Was that what he was doing? Kane wondered. Priming her for the day when the right guy came along? That was a thought worth blocking out and he knew just how to accomplish his goal.

Leaning over, he brushed a kiss over her lips. He wanted to tune out his thoughts and black out the future. He wanted a harsh, demanding kiss that wouldn’t let him think or feel. Unfortunately for him, Kayla wasn’t cooperating.

She was kissing him, but setting her own pace and speed. The control issue had returned and it was all hers. Light kisses on his mouth and delicate whispers of her tongue over his lips let her tease, play and arouse. But worse, gave him time to think. About how much he wanted her, desired her and how great his need for this woman always seemed to be.

Her hands splayed against his chest. The warmth of her fingertips penetrated his skin. Heat of a different kind pounded inside him, insistent, demanding release.

“Kane.” Her lips moved against his.

He traced the line of her jaw with his tongue, ending by tugging on her delicate earlobe with his teeth. She moaned aloud and her fingertips curled into his chest.

“Kane, no.”

“No?”

“No.” Kayla lay back against her pillow, out of breath and obviously out of her mind. What other explanation could there be for stopping him, when she wanted him inside her more than she wanted her next breath? But she could handle not making love with Kane again-barely. What she couldn’t handle was the regret he would feel after they made love because he’d given in to emotion and lost his focus once more.

He exhaled a groan and rolled over to lie beside her. His muscular leg straddled hers, and through the cotton briefs, his rock-hard arousal pressed hot and heavy against her thigh.

Her stomach muscles clenched with desire while the dampness between her legs begged her to reconsider. She couldn’t. She had too much respect for him to change her mind.

“You said you wanted to keep your distance.” She used his own words as a deliberate barrier between them. She hadn’t meant to play the role of a tease, rather she was gambling for her future.

“Guess I changed my mind.”

“Your hormones did. Your mind, your heart…” She tapped lightly against his chest. “Those things haven’t changed.”

“Can’t argue with reason.”

“Guess not,” she whispered. Though she’d wanted him to do just that. Still Kayla had known it wouldn’t be easy.

He stretched an arm around her and she curled into him. “It’s okay, Kane.”

“What is?”

“I stopped before you did something you would regret, but you have to know…it’s not something I would regret.”

“Are you saying you changed your mind?” His hands tangled in her hair. It was a habit of his, she realized, one she enjoyed. The erotic tugging against her scalp turned her on.

No doubt that’s what he intended. “No, I haven’t changed my mind. I’m still respecting your original decision. But I want you to know something else.” She paused, in the space of a heartbeat. “I don’t expect anything from you. When this is over, you can walk away without looking back. I won’t stop you.”

The ring of the telephone shattered the ensuing silence and spared him having to answer. She glanced from the digital clock to the phone. “No one I know would call at this hour.” The persistent ringing continued.

He clenched his jaw. “Answer it.”

She picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“I’m through playing games, lady.”

Her hand went to the bruises on her neck. “Is that what you were doing?”

Silence greeted her on the other end. She looked at Kane. “Keep him talking,” he mouthed and edged closer.

“I…I have something you want,” she said into the phone.

“You ready to start up again?”

The question startled her. She hadn’t expected him to make that kind of suggestion. She avoided answering. “I’m ready to turn over whatever I have to…Who did you say you work for again?”

The gravelly laugh on the other end sent chills racing through her. “Lady, I’m no dummy. This isn’t about work. My mother’s sick. She wants the crosswords your aunt used to do. The ones she bragged about. I’m sure they’ll keep a sick old lady busy.”

“I have them.”

“Tomorrow, noon. Ditch the boyfriend and be at The Silver Café.” A click sounded on the other end.

“Not enough time,” Kane muttered.

“I tried.”

“I know.” He eased the phone out of her hand. Her fingers ached and she realized she’d been gripping the receiver way too hard. Just like the fear that gripped her heart. But she could handle this. She had to handle this.

“What else did he say?” Kane caught her shoulders with both hands.

His touch steadied her. She forced even breaths into her lungs and replayed the conversation in her mind. “He knows about the crosswords, that my aunt was responsible for those. And he wants to meet tomorrow, at…at…” Realization dawned. “He’s been following me.”

“What makes you think that?”

“He wants to meet at the restaurant you took me to. That’s not a coincidence. I’ve never been there before you. I didn’t even know the place existed. He said to ditch you and show up alone. How does he know about you? How long has this guy been watching me?” Her voice rose along with her hysteria.

“Kayla.” Kane shook her gently. “Hey. He’s just trying to rattle you.”

“Well, he’s done a good job.”

“Then back out. No one would blame you and I sure as hell would welcome it.”

“You know I can’t.” She met his gaze.

“Then don’t let him win. Don’t let him make you think you aren’t safe.” He drew her into his arms. His warmth enveloped her, his strength supported her. “Because you are.”

KANE DIDN’T KNOW HOW LONG he held her. Only that at some point, they lay down on the bed until her breathing steadied and relaxed. The first time he tried to untangle their legs, she resisted. He must have dozed off because the sun now shone through the window where moonlight had been.