he kissed her wildly, relentlessly, his hands sweeping urgently across her body, cupping the curve of her derriere, weighing the swell of her breasts, his thumbs caressing the sensitive, erect points of her nipples. He knew exactly how to touch her to make the heat of desire flood through her, to make her gasp with need and tremble with longing. His thigh pressed insistently between her legs, and she opened herself, pressing the heat of her most intimate place against him.
The rocket of desire that soared through her was so intense, she gripped him harder and kissed him even more deliriously, urging him on.
Urging him on…?
Was it possible that mild-mannered Rob Carpenter was going to make love to her right here, in the darkened parking lot of the Pelican Club?
There was no denying that she wanted him. But not here. Not like this. Not with Kelsey asleep in her car….
Jess pulled away. It was only the slightest movement, but Rob instantly released her. He stepped back, still supporting her, but now from an arm’s length away.
She could hear his breathing, ragged and quick as he struggled to regain his control.
“Oh, my God,” he whispered. “I’m sorry—”
“No,” Jess said quickly. “Don’t apologize. Come home with me. That’s where we should be. I want to stop—but only until we get home.”
Across the parking lot, a car engine started with a roar. As it pulled out, its headlights swept across them. Rob released her and took another step back, pushing his disheveled hair out of his face.
“I can’t,” he said tightly. God, she would never know how much he wanted her. She’d never know how close those kisses had come to pushing him over the edge. She’d tasted so sweet, she’d felt so right in his arms. She’d so clearly wanted more… “Jess, I’m sorry—”
Another car started up. Rob looked down at Jess. Her lips were parted and moist, and her cheeks were flushed with desire. She wanted him to come home with her, to come with her into her bed. Her dark eyes were molten, wanting him…
In a sudden flash, he saw another woman, only this one looked up at him with pain and fear in her eyes. There was blood everywhere, so much blood… He was covered with the blood, with her blood. And as he watched, the pain and fear drained from those eyes, leaving them lifeless, glazed, dead…
Rob backed away. “I’m sorry….” he said again.
“It’s okay—”
“No, it’s not,” he said savagely, and turning, he bolted for the other side of the parking lot, for his car.
“Rob, wait—”
Jess started after him, but the light disappeared with the car that left the parking lot, leaving them again in darkness. Dammit, what was wrong with him? She couldn’t chase him—she couldn’t leave Kelsey.
She saw the sudden flash of headlights and heard the squeal of tires as his car pulled away.
He was gone. Just like that.
HE HADN’T PLANNED IT, but suddenly the need was so great, he had to do it.
This area was unfamiliar to him. That was bad. But the drive back to his own neighborhood would take at least half an hour. And once he was there, he wouldn’t be guaranteed satisfaction.
More importantly, he couldn’t wait that long. Already, he was burning.
Suddenly he knew the solution, and he pulled into the parking lot of one of the fancy condominium high rises that sat directly on Crescent Beach. It was risky, the car could get towed, but it must be done.
The beach was dark, and a thick fog was rolling in off the gulf. Several of the high rises had flood lamps that lit part of the beach, but most of them didn’t.
The darkness, the fog and the late hour didn’t keep a few hardy couples from strolling along the edge of the water, hand in hand. Occasionally, a crowd of partying teenagers would pass by, but mostly the beach was empty.
Empty and very, very dark.
The powdery sand shifted into one of his shoes. As he sat down on a wooden beach chair to wait, he emptied it out.
It didn’t take long until he found her.
She was walking alone, dressed in a windbreaker, her hair tied back with a scarf.
She wasn’t as young as she should be, and he didn’t even know the color of her hair. It wouldn’t be as good, as complete.
But it would be done.
He flicked his knife open.
WHEN JESS PULLED INTO the driveway, Rob’s car wasn’t there.
She hadn’t really expected him to be there, waiting for her, but at the same time, she couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
And hurt. Not to mention confused as hell.
What had just happened between her and Rob? Had she missed some vital and important moment? Had she misunderstood something he’d said?
One moment he’d been kissing her as if his single goal in life were to make love to her, and the next he was running away from her as if she carried the plague, shouting his apologies over his shoulder.
The entire episode had been too strange.
I can’t kiss you, he’d said—right before he’d kissed her.
And what a kiss. She’d never been kissed that way before. She’d never been kissed so hungrily, so passionately—as if she were the only woman in the world that he wanted.
Except he didn’t want her.
She’d invited him to come home with her, to make love to her. True, she hadn’t used quite those words, but her meaning had been clear. She’d been ready to give herself to him, totally.
And he’d run away.
He’d rejected her.
Don’t cry, she ordered herself sternly, trying to force back the tears that were flooding her eyes. It wasn’t the end of the world. It only felt like it right now.
A tear escaped, and she closed her eyes, letting her head fall back against the headrest.
What was wrong with her? Why was she always attracted to men who ended up hurting her?
In the back seat, Kelsey stirred and sat up groggily. “Are we home?”
Jess quickly wiped her face. “Yeah,” she said. “We’re home.”
“Where’s Rob?” Kelsey asked, more awake. “Didn’t we need to drive him home? Where did he go?”
Jess pushed the remote and the garage door slid up. She glanced at her daughter in the rearview mirror as she pulled into the garage. Even in the dimness, she could see that Kelsey’s eyes were
