Their gazes held for the longest time, and the force of his gaze seemed to lick every part of her body. Then she recalled what she was wearing. A thin gown that shielded very little. The heat she saw in his gaze had frissons of fire racing up her spine. Suddenly, she felt hotter than before and desire was clawing at her, making the breath in her lungs tremble.
“Would you like to share a glass of wine with me, Bryce?”
He’d asked like it was a common occurrence for a half-dressed woman to appear in his hotel room. Maybe it was. That made her wonder if he had intentionally gotten them a connecting room for that reason. Had Kaegan expected her to come through that door?
As if he read her thoughts, he said, “I was wishing you would come to me, Bryce. I was wishing real hard.”
He’d gotten his wish. And speaking of hard...
His erection was a testament to just how hard his wishes might have gotten. Seeing it made sexual need curl in her stomach. Before she could talk herself out of it, she undid the ties at her shoulders, which caused the nightie to slide down her legs and pool at her feet. He watched her every movement and she saw fire light his eyes. Then she heard the throaty growl all the way across the room.
Nervously, she swallowed and then began moving toward him. It seemed every pore and cell in her body urged her forward, closer to him. Closer and closer. And then she was there, standing directly in front of him. “Yes, I’d share a glass of wine with you.”
It was as if the sight of her standing in front of him completely naked had him glued to the spot. Instead of walking away from her to pour her a glass, he offered her his glass. She took it and drained the half-filled glass in one gulp. She didn’t have time to waste sipping. Ignoring the lifting of his brow, she placed the empty glass on the table next to him.
A part of her knew she should be acting sensibly. At least she should be mentally going over any pros and cons about what she was doing. However, like the wine, she didn’t have time. She’d made her decision when she’d walked through that connecting door and removed her gown. Bottom line was that she wanted him, and from the size of his erection pressing hard against his zipper, he wanted her, too.
Dark lashes half lowered over his eyes and the look in his features was intense. Then while she watched, he unzipped his pants and stepped out of them along with his briefs. Her gaze immediately went to his middle. Was he thinking about how things had been for them last weekend? She wanted to know how he radiated such masculine prowess. And why was she allowing it to get to her like this?
Knowing there were no ready answers, she decided to use her time doing something else. She reached out and glided her hands up his sculpted abdomen, loving the feel of his hard and muscular body. Then she lowered her hand to cup Kaegan. The feel of her fingers wrapped around his engorged penis did something to her. Made a rush of desire spike within her. Kaegan Chambray aroused her in ways no other man could. She knew that for a fact. She had tried fighting the attraction but couldn’t deny it. Nor did she want to any longer. So much for one-and-done. Her being here in his hotel room now only affirmed another fact. He was more than just in her system. He was in her blood. With that realization, she had to whisper his name. The same name she’d whispered the first time they made love and all the times after that.
“K-Gee...”
Saying his name heightened the beat of her pulse. Before she could draw in her next breath, he lifted her up and she automatically wrapped her legs around his waist.
CHAPTER THIRTY
KAEGAN DOUBTED THAT he could make it to the bedroom, so he decided to not even try. Instead he backed her up against the nearest wall. Leaning in close, he captured her lips, loving the way his tongue slid inside her mouth, and then kissed her the way he’d dreamed about last night.
The feel of her hardened nipples pressing against his bare chest fueled his sexual hunger. At that moment, he wanted to mate with her with a ferocity that overrode his senses. He deepened the kiss and ravaged her mouth with all the passion he possessed and then some. Her taste had the ability to rile him to new heights, fill him with a need that only she could extinguish. She could create a greed in him that only she could feed. Bryce was his pleasure food.
In reality, she was his everything, and tonight he intended to show her how much. When they returned to Catalina Cove, there would be no talk of one-and-done, or two-and-through. Tonight would start the beginning of something that ten years of heartache or heartbreak couldn’t destroy. They had done things her way and now they would do things his.
He had no choice. His shaft was throbbing to get inside of her, connect with her flesh. Unlike before, he wanted to be skin-to-skin. He pulled back, dislodging their mouths. His tongue seemed to jerk in protest to the point where he bit back a growl. The eyes that locked with his were now a turbulent brown, annoyed that he’d ended the kiss. But there was something he had to know before he showed her the action between them was just beginning.
“Are you still on the pill?” he asked, fitting his fully aroused shaft in the cradle of her thighs.
“No,” she said in a breathless moan. But before his heart could plummet in disappointment, she said, “I started taking injections six years ago. Remembering to take a pill every day became a nuisance.”
His entire body reacted in elation. His hips automatically rocked against hers and he dragged the tip of his tongue across her mouth. In response, she raked a fingernail across his shoulder before leaning in to graze her teeth across his chin. Her retaliation was totally unexpected yet welcomed. He wanted her to do both again.
“I’ve never gone skin-to-skin with any woman but you. I’m safe, Bryce.” He could feel her heart pounding against his after that proclamation.
“It was the same with me. I never wanted another man that way. I’m safe, Kaegan.”
Her words did something to him. She had ruined him for any other woman and in turn he had ruined her for any other man. “Now that we’ve gotten that cleared up...” he said.
He reached up and eased his hand between her legs, then began stroking her there while holding her gaze captive. He fingered all around her curls and in the wet juices he was stroking into existence. Her aroma was filling his nostrils with such a delicious scent. He was tempted to ease her to the floor and bury his head between her legs.
He decided that would have to come later. He needed to be connected to her in a way he could never connect with another woman. He could tell by the sounds she was making and the heat in the depths of her eyes that his fingers inside her were about to make her come. He wanted to be planted deep inside her when she did. Removing his fingers, he hoisted her body up a little so that her womanly core was right there, near the tip of his shaft. She automatically widened her legs to make the journey easier—they were ready to be skin-to-skin with each other.
Holding firmly to her hips, he began easing inside of her. It was tight, she felt snug, but her wet heat tempted him to keep going and going. He leaned in close, and using the tip of his tongue, he licked the perspiration off her jaw, then groaned out loud as he continued sliding to the hilt. Satisfied there was no way he could go any deeper, he cupped her bottom, tilted her hips slightly and began a slow rhythm, while still locked in her gaze.
He watched her as he began thrusting inside of her and appreciated how the full naked length of him felt inside of her. He could feel her clit quivering on his shaft. He then felt the way her womanly muscles bore down and tightened, his huge erection caught in their grip. They began a mating dance, old as time and more powerful than he’d shared in a long time. Since her.
It seemed every cell in his body erupted with a need that had him thrusting harder and deeper. He then threw back his head when he felt her muscles milking his shaft, trying to pull everything out of him. In time, she would discover that he had a lot to give. It was as if he’d been saving it all for her.
Suddenly, sh
e screamed his name and the sound drove him to thrust even harder. It was as if he couldn’t get enough of her. Then something inside of him seemed to snap and his body arched deeper inside of her. He groaned out her name as she continuously moaned out his.
“Brycie!”
“K-Gee!”
It seemed neither had control and he was glad he’d had the mind to place her against a wall that connected to her room. Otherwise, management would have gotten a call about them by now because they were working this particular wall for all it was worth. Her lithe body had no problem responding to his urgent demands. He knew the minute she came again, then a third and fourth time.
Kaegan was still coming from the first, and a continuous flow was shooting from his body aimed right into hers. He loved how it felt filling her up and the sensations of doing so made him shiver all over. Waves and waves of pleasure flowed through him, and he knew at that moment, when she screamed his name yet again, that his woman was pure sexual energy in his arms. And she was his woman and he would do whatever it took to make her realize that point.
* * *
HOURS LATER, the ringing of the phone brought Kaegan instantly awake. He reached for his cell phone before it could disturb Bryce. He loved the way her body was pressed close to his and their limbs were entwined. They had made it from the wall in the sitting room to the bedroom, where after making love a few more times, they’d finally drifted off to sleep.
The ringtone indicated it was Sawyer. It was close to two in the morning. “Sawyer?”
“Yeah. Calling with bad news.”
Kaegan pulled himself up in bed and the movement brought Bryce awake. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be helped. “What happened?”
“There was a fire.”
“A fire? Where?” Bryce had pulled up in bed beside him.
“On one of your ships docked at the marina. There was minor damage near the galley.”
“What caused it?”
“Not sure. Possibly electrical or equipment malfunction. However, Brody credits Elton for taking quick action. Luckily, he was on board and managed to contain it until the fire department arrived. Like I said, the damage is minor. No need for you to rush back.”
Brody Dorsett was the fire marshal in Catalina Cove. “You sure?”
“Positive. According to Brody, an investigation won’t be done before Monday. Elton has everything under control.” Sawyer chuckled. “I’ve never seen him so energized. That old-timer stepped right into action tonight. You would be proud of him.”
Kaegan smiled in spite of the bad news he’d received. “I’m always proud of him. And if you’re sure there’s no need for me to rush back, then I’ll see you Sunday, as planned.” He had spoken with Sawyer earlier to let him know of his change in plans to remain in Boston another day.
“Good. I’m glad you and Bryce decided to take an extra day.”
“What makes you think...?” He trailed off his words and glanced at Bryce. She was looking at him with keen interest.
“I know your question and the answer is because Bryce called Vashti earlier tonight to let her know of her change in plans, too. Although she didn’t mention your name, just like you didn’t mention hers when we talked earlier. Imagine that.”
“Yes, imagine that.” Wanting to get Sawyer off the phone, he said, “Call me back if anything else develops.”
“I will.”
The minute he clicked off the phone, a wide-eyed Bryce began asking questions. “There was a fire? Where? Is anyone hurt? Do you need to leave?”
He reached out to run his fingers through her hair before pulling her into his arms. “Yes, there was a fire on one of my ships. No one was hurt. And, no, I won’t be leaving to return back to Catalina Cove any sooner than planned.”
“How did the fire start?”
“Not sure. There will be an investigation. Sawyer thinks it was possibly electrical or equipment malfunction, but I don’t see how. All four ships docked at the marina were just inspected last month.”
“Why aren’t you leaving to go back?”
“There’s nothing I can do before Monday and Sawyer says the damage is minor.” He buried his face in the side of her neck and inhaled deeply. He loved her scent. He began pressing kisses to the side of her face. He used the tip of his tongue to lick her skin, loving her taste. “Besides, I refuse to give up my extra day in Boston with you.”
She pulled back to stare at him but said nothing. He had an idea just what she was thinking. She, of all people, knew he’d never wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a man of the sea. But he had. Now he honestly appreciated Reid for convincing him to stay and take over the shipping company. It didn’t take him long to discover being a shipper was in his blood, whether he wanted it or not. The plus side was that there had been good older men, like Elton and others, who’d worked for his father for years, that were willing to stay on and help Kaegan along the way. He’d been determined to make the Chambray Seafood Shipping Company bigger and better than before.
“Who will handle things pertaining to the fire in your absence?” she asked him.
“Elton. According to Sawyer, he was on board the ship asleep when the fire started and is the one who spotted it.”
It wasn’t strange that Elton was sleeping on one of his ships. The old man’s wife had passed over twenty years ago. They never had any children. Kaegan had always considered him part of his family. When he’d built his house he’d even included a guest room just for him. But Elton was a man of the sea and it wasn’t uncommon for him to leave his small house on the bayou and drive to the docks and get aboard one of Kaegan’s ships and sleep under the stars.
“Elton acted quickly,” Kaegan continued. “Well, as quick as you can expect from an eighty-five-year-old man, but what he did is the reason there’s only minor damage.”
She smiled. “He still has your back.”
Kaegan chuckled. “Yes, he still has my back. According to Sawyer, Elton has taken charge and is handling things, so I’m going to let him. There is no doubt in my mind he’ll do whatever needs to be done until I return.”
“There is no doubt in mine, either. He’s always been fiercely loyal to you.”
Bryce, of all people, would know. “Yes, he has.”
She didn’t say anything for a minute. Then she asked, “Are you sure?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “About what?”
“Staying here another day. I will definitely understand if we need to go back, considering what has happened.”
He reached out and tilted her chin to lift her face up to him. What they had shared over the past few hours still had him in awe. It had been like an awakening and a revelation to so many things. He hadn’t known just how much he missed her, had missed this, until they’d made love last Saturday night at his house. In his bed. And then tonight, here, in Boston, had been totally surreal. Pleasure was rushing through him just thinking about it.
Kaegan held her gaze. “Like I said, I refuse to give up my day with you.”
Leaning toward him, she slipped her arms around his back and placed her face on his chest. She tilted her head up to stare at him. He wondered if she knew that particular position gave him total access to her mouth.
Kaegan had a feeling that wasn’t her intent. He could tell by the way she was looking at him that something was bothering her. He had an idea what it was and decided they needed to get things out now so they could enjoy tomorrow. He wanted that for him and for her.
“We made love again,” she finally said softly.
He nodded. At least she hadn’t referred to it as having sex. “And?” he prompted.
He knew she was hesitating, trying to decide what to say and how to say it. Funny, how he could still read her after all this time. “Bryce?”
“I enjoyed it immensely, but I’m not sure sleeping with y
ou again was the right thing to do, Kaegan. Especially when I said I wouldn’t.”
“You have the right to change your mind.” There was no way she hadn’t felt the sexual pull that was there whenever they were together. She had to be as affected by it as he’d been.
“Yes. But I shouldn’t.”
He gathered her into his arms. “I know I hurt you and I’m fully aware that it’s not going to be easy for you to trust me with your heart again, but I’m not sure I can give you up, Bryce.”
“I have misgivings about anything developing between us.”
He wondered if she didn’t realize that they were beyond the developing stage. “And it’s up to me to remove those misgivings, Bryce.”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure if you can.”
He drew in a deep breath, refusing to believe that. “Will you let me at least try? You believe we could never have what we once had. I think you’re wrong. In fact, I think we can have something bigger and better. We aren’t the same people. We’ve grown. We’ve changed. Matured. But the one thing for me that has remained constant is my love for you, Bryce. Even when I wanted to hate you. I tried but couldn’t.”
She gave an unladylike snort. “You could have fooled me.”
He heard the hurt in her voice. Little did she know the only person he’d been actually fooling was himself. “And I’ll regret doing so for the rest of my life.”
She licked her bottom lip, and as he watched her he couldn’t help but think that she was the only woman who had ever claimed his heart, and ever would.
“Why do we have to be so serious about anything? Why can’t we have a—”
“Casual affair?” He knew how her mind was working.
“Yes.”
He reached out and pressed the palm of his hand against her cheek. “I don’t think we can do casual. We could never be friends with benefits.”
Finding Home Again (Catalina Cove) Page 23