“So, you’re talking about some type of affair, then, because I still don’t see you having a one-night stand.”
“A fling, I think.”
“A fling?”
Excitement poured through Sabrina. “Yes, that’s it. A weekend fling. That should do it.”
Bess shook her head. “You’ll get attached.”
“Not if he’s from out of town.”
Bess’s brows rose in question.
“Cliff’s probably warned every single guy in Atlanta. I’ve got a reservation at a beach resort. I leave for Florida first thing in the morning. I’ll find myself a weekend fling.”
“You’re not serious.”
Sabrina swung her legs over the side of the bed, and waved to where her bags stood packed and waiting. “Oh, but I am.”
NOAH GRIPPED the steering wheel and glared at the red traffic light. The air had grown heavy. Moisture swirled around the streetlights, distorting their glow.
Guilt gnawed at him. The memory of the look on Sabrina’s face as she’d confronted him tightened his gut. When he’d made that deal with Cliff, he hadn’t thought of the consequences. He hadn’t thought of Sabrina. At the time, she’d been a faceless chore, a means to his selfish ends, not a flesh-and-blood woman.
The light changed. He whipped into a parking lot, then circled around toward her apartment. He had to see her, had to apologize—somehow explain how all that had changed once they’d met. Darcy meant nothing to him. Any fleeting attraction he may have felt for her evaporated once he saw her beside Sabrina.
He let his memory roll back over that incredible kiss. She’s a virgin. The old mantra haunted him. Cliff had probably been right to keep him away from Sabrina, but now having seen her, met her…kissed her, there was no possible way Noah could stay away from her.
Closing his eyes, he groaned. The whole time she’d known about Darcy. She’d been baiting him, no doubt, knowing the memory of her hot mouth would torment him. Guess he deserved that.
Thunder rumbled in the distance as he sped down the interstate. The first fat droplets splattered his windshield as he turned the corner to her apartment. Tucked back off the main road, the complex rose like a dark fortress braced by tall pines, oaks and maples.
He glanced at the clock on his dash before he exited his car. It was after midnight. His pulse quickened as he climbed the short flight of stairs to her door. Light seeped through her front curtains. She was still awake.
Drawing on his resolve, he knocked. The curtains parted a fraction, then fell back into place. For one long moment he held his breath, willing her to turn the knob. The door opened, just enough for her to peer out. He exhaled.
“What are you doing here?”
The flat tone of her voice had him wincing. “May I come in…please?” He ground out the unfamiliar word.
She hesitated a moment, then stepped back and gestured him in. “Why not?”
Her floral scent surrounded him as he brushed past. She wore a thin robe that brushed the tops of her thighs. His blood warmed. He let his gaze skim the pointed tips of her breasts, outlined by the silky fabric, then quickly diverted his eyes.
He took in the main living space of her apartment in one glance. The glow of a ceramic lamp on a side table lent a warmth and closeness he hadn’t noticed earlier, probably because he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her. The room had an inviting appeal. Picture frames and cat figurines dotted the area, and potted plants covered every available tabletop and shelf.
“What are you doing here?” she asked again.
“I came to talk to you…about tonight,” he said.
“I would have thought you’d be otherwise engaged by now.”
He drew in a deep breath. She wasn’t making this easy. “As I said, I’d like to explain.”
She stared at him, her brows raised and her arms crossed over her rounded breasts.
With an effort, he dragged his gaze upward. “Look, Sabrina, I’m sorry about that stupid deal I made with your brother. I never considered how you’d be affected. It was thoughtless and cruel.”
Thunder rumbled in the distance. She narrowed her eyes, then let her arms drop to her sides. “Okay, apology accepted. It was good of you to come all this way. Now, I have a big day planned tomorrow.”
He blinked. “That’s it? You’re not going to tell me what a jerk I was?”
“Since you’re aware of the fact, why waste my breath?”
“What I did was rotten. I’d like to make it up to you.”
She eyed him a moment, then shrugged. “That isn’t necessary. I’ve accepted your apology. You can run along back to your bimbo.”
He gritted his teeth and stepped closer to her. “I don’t care if I never again lay eyes on Darcy.”
“Well, that certainly isn’t my business. It isn’t as though you need to report your comings and goings to me.” She picked up a brass picture frame from the end table. “Why not?”
“Why not what?”
Her fingers absently stroked the glass-covered photograph. “Why aren’t you with her? I thought that was the idea—the reason you took me to dinner.”
He swore under his breath. “It was, but I didn’t know you when I agreed to that whole thing. It just wasn’t right.”
Sabrina set the picture back on the table. “Well, I’m sorry the night didn’t work out for you.”
“It wasn’t all bad.” His gaze held hers. “Parts of it are quite memorable.”
She swallowed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, a warm glow illuminated their depths. “You didn’t mind it, then—that kiss? I suppose I should apologize for it. I wanted to get back at you, to make you think I was desirable.”
He couldn’t take his gaze from her mouth. “How could I think otherwise? In case you didn’t notice, I was enjoying that kiss far more than I had a right to.”
Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. She set down the picture, then moved toward him. “I did it to make you jealous.” Pink tinged her cheeks. “I mean, I meant for one of the others to kiss me.” A sigh escaped her. “But none of them seemed interested.”
“Fools.”
“You were, then?” She smiled.
Desire beat through his veins. “I was what?”
“Jealous.”
“Hell, yes.”
Her
