hands reached for his chest, curling into fists against the heavy jacket. “Why?”
Of all possible answers, that one took him by surprise. So did the fact that he knew exactly what to say. “Not because you’re beautiful, even though you are.”
Her cheeks turned a shade deeper than before and he brushed his thumb over her reddened skin. She trembled and the shudder found an answer inside him. He inhaled then forced himself to continue. “And not because your body would tempt a saint, even though it would.” His other hand brushed the underside of her breast, tracing the rounded, full contours hidden beneath the layers of clothes. Her answer, a sensual moan, shook his soul. For as he spoke, Kane realized he was telling her more than what she wanted to hear. He was telling her the truth.
She tipped her head to the side. Her face fit perfectly in his hand. “Then why?” she asked.
“Because you’re smart and I respect that, because you’re gutsy and I admire that.” Her eyes sparkled, glowing with a life of their own at each word he spoke.
Kane shook his head, unable to believe he was taking everything he’d learned about Kayla in order to make his case, and using it to make her his instead.
One night. With every second that passed, he needed that more and more. The light in her eyes, the…acceptance, he thought, struggling for the correct word. He needed everything she possessed. After taking it, he’d deal with how badly he betrayed both his job and himself. “I had fun with you tonight and everything about you intrigues me. Enough?” he asked too harshly.
A satisfied smile caught hold of her lips. He wanted a taste of that satisfaction but refrained for now. “More than enough.” Her arms slipped around his waist.
“I take it that’s a yes.” His heart beat faster at the thought.
“That’s a yes…for the right price,” she said coyly.
He froze in place, then forced a smile. He’d taken her out tonight to bait and trap her. He’d gotten temporarily distracted by a rush of hormones, but it seemed he was about to get what he came for. He ignored the swell of disappointment that came when he looked into those fraudulent green eyes. “And what would that be, Ms. Luck?”
She touched her icicle-like hands to his face and grinned. “Hot chocolate, Kane.” She smoothed her fingertips over his brow and her light laughter caught him by surprise. “What did you think I wanted?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but you could show me.”
Her eyes opened wide before she brushed a warm yet hesitant kiss over his lips. Arousal hit as fast as his sense of relief. Before he could change his mind, he grabbed her hand and started back down the street. His hotel room, the hotel room taken by the department, was a few blocks away. He’d face himself and the repercussions of his actions tomorrow. Tonight was about Kayla.
CHAPTER THREE
KAYLA WALKED INTO THE recently decorated lobby of the hotel where Kane was staying, trying not to feel like a woman about to embark on a one-night stand. She glanced around at the potted, but obviously fake plants and the bored clerk yawning behind the desk. It was a respectable establishment, but she wondered how many men brought women to a hotel room for a quick fling?
She stopped halfway to the elevator and grabbed the hard leather of Kane’s jacket. He turned toward her. “Second thoughts?” he asked.
“Just a reality check. I don’t know anything about you.”
“You know what’s important.” He brushed a fingertip down her cheek. Her skin tingled and her heart rate soared. “What more is there?” he asked.
“I don’t know, maybe you’re not really a salesman. Maybe you’re a…”
“Serial killer?” He jumped in with a disarming grin.
“Married or involved was more like what I had in mind,” she said on a nervous laugh. “But yours is a valid consideration, too.”
“Well, I can set your mind at ease on that score. No bodies buried anywhere in my past. No spouses, either, present, ex or intended.” He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder. Well, it would have been comforting if not for her body’s immediate reaction.
Pheromones, she’d read recently, acted to stimulate a body’s chemical reaction to the opposite sex. But such clinical reasoning wasn’t enough of an explanation for her response to Kane McDermott. It might explain the all-over heat despite the chill outdoors, or the delicious sizzling sensations tripping around inside her. In no way did it account for the rush of warmth when those eyes met hers or the understanding she’d seen there when she’d told him about her childhood.
If he’d been vague about himself, that was okay. He’d be gone too soon for it to matter and he’d shown interest in her life, something no man had ever done before. His curiosity about her new career path and the new services she planned for Charmed! made her feel as if he cared.
Catherine was right. This was a man capable of putting Kayla and her needs first. But she’d never done anything like this before and she needed his reassurance before deciding to take this next step. She needed to know there was no one else in his life. That she wasn’t making a colossal mistake.
She glanced at his serious expression, one mixed with desire and concern. Kane might want her, but he was a gentleman in the ways he showed her his desire…except for that incident in the alley, where she’d been as willing a participant as he.
Her entire system shook in reaction. Foreplay, she thought. He’d readied her mind as well as her body. The heavy pulsing deep inside proved that, so did the anticipation of what awaited her.
She wanted to blame chemistry but she knew a lot more than that had pushed her to this moment. A lifetime of being treated as a sex object and not a person with feelings. Years of ignoring her own desires because she feared picking the wrong man, one who wanted her body but not the whole person. The final straw had come over the past month, when she’d taken on Charmed!—the vehicle to secure her sister’s future and hold onto her aunt’s past. While her sister dated, while Catherine registered and started culinary school, Kayla had deferred the rest of her education to run the business. She’d suppressed her own desires and needs. What about what she wanted?
She glanced at Kane. This man made her feel alive for the first time ever. Add what seemed to be a genuine caring and she couldn’t go wrong. There might never be another man who valued her. Because there would never be another Kane McDermott.
She met his gaze. He was unattached and sexy, dynamic…and hers, for the night at least. The suspense and excitement built and she smiled. “Well, I guess that settles things.”
“Does it?” He shoved his hands into the front pocket of his jeans. Tight jeans that molded against muscular thighs and showcased his obvious arousal.
She licked her dry lips. “Unless you’ve changed your mind.”
“You were quiet for so long I was about to ask you the same thing.”
Kayla drew a deep breath, as much for courage as for luck. Then she extended her hand.
A sexy grin edged the corners of his mouth and he intertwined his fingers in hers. “One stop first.”
