Kalina watched him leave. She disliked him, so she wasn’t sure why her hormones could respond to him the way they did. The depth of desire she felt around him was unreal. And dangerous. It only heightened the tension between them, and the thought that he wanted them to share dinner filled her with a heat she could very well do without.
The best thing for her to do was to stay in and order room service. That was the safest choice. But then, why should she be a coward? She, of all people, knew that Micah did not have a place in her life anymore. So, despite his mild flirtation—and that’s what it was whether he admitted to it or not—she would not succumb. Nor would she lock herself in her room because she couldn’t control her attraction to him. It was time that she learned to control her response to him. There would be other assignments when they would work together, and she needed to put their past involvement behind her once and for all.
She stood and checked her watch, deciding she would have dinner with Micah after all. But she would make sure that she was the one in control at all times.
Five
At precisely seven o’clock, Micah stepped out of the elevator hoping he hadn’t overplayed his hand. When he glanced around the lobby and saw Kalina sitting on one of the sofas, he felt an incredible sense of relief. He had been prepared to dine alone if it had come to that, but he’d more than hoped that she was willing to dine with him.
He walked over to her. From the expression on her face, it was obvious she was apprehensive about them dining together, so he intended to make sure she enjoyed herself—even as he made sure she remembered what they’d once shared. A shiver of desire raced up his spine when she saw him and stood. She was wearing a dress that reminded him of what a nice pair of legs she had. And her curvy physique seemed made for that outfit.
He had gone over his strategy upstairs in case she joined him. He wouldn’t make a big deal of her accompanying him. However, he would let her know he appreciated her being there.
He stopped when he reached her. “Kalina. You look nice tonight.”
“Thanks. I think we need to get a couple of things straight.”
He figured she would say that. “Let’s wait until we get to the restaurant. Then you can let go all you want,” he replied, taking her arm and placing it in the crux of his.
He felt her initial resistance before she relaxed. “Fine, but we will have that conversation. I don’t have a problem joining you for dinner, but I don’t want you getting any ideas.”
Too late. He had gotten plenty already. He smiled. “You worry too much. There’s no need for me to ask if you trust me because I know you don’t. But can you cut me a little slack?”
Kalina held his gaze for a moment longer than he thought necessary, before she released an exasperated breath. “Does it matter to you that I don’t particularly like you anymore?”
He took her hand in his to lead her out of the villa. “I’m sorry to hear that because I definitely like you. Always have. From the first.”
She rolled her eyes. “So you say.”
He chuckled. “So I know.”
She pulled her hand from his when they stepped outside. The air was cool, and he thought it was a smart thing that she’d brought along a shawl. He could visualize her wrapped up in it and wearing nothing else.
She had done that once, and he could still remember her doing so. It had been a red one with fringes around the hem. He had shown up at the hotel where they were staying in Sydney with their take-out dinner, and she had emerged from the bedroom looking like a lush red morsel. She had ended up being his treat for the night.
“Micah?”
He glanced over when he realized she’d said something. “Yes?”
“Are we walking or taking a cab?”
“We’ll take a cab and tell the driver not to hurry so we can enjoy the beautiful view. Unless, however, you prefer to walk. It’s not far away, within walking distance.”
“Makes no difference to me,” she said, moving her gaze from his to glance around.
‘In that case, we’ll take the cab. I know how much you like a good ride.”
* * *
Kalina’s face flushed after she heard what Micah said. There was no way he could convince her he hadn’t meant what she thought he’d meant. That innocent look on his face meant nothing. But then, he, of all people, knew how much she liked to be on top and he’d always accommodated her. She just loved the feel of being on top of a body so well built and fine it could make even an old woman weep in pleasure.
She decided that if he was waiting on a response to his comment, he would be disappointed because she didn’t intend to give him one. She would say her piece at the restaurant.
“Here’s our cab.”
The bellman opened the door for her. Kalina slid in the back and Micah eased in right behind her. The cab was small but not small enough where they needed to be all but sitting in each other’s lap. “You have plenty of space over there,” she said, pointing to Micah’s side.
Without any argument he slid over, but then he turned and flashed those pearly-white teeth as he smiled at her. Her gaze narrowed. “Any reason you find me amusing?”
He shrugged. “I don’t. But I do find you sexy as hell.”
That was a compliment she didn’t need and opened her mouth to tell him so, then closed it, deciding to leave well enough alone. He would be getting an earful soon enough.
When he continued to sit there and stare at her, she found it annoying and asked, “I thought you said you were going to enjoy the view.”
“I am.”
God, how had she forgotten how much he considered seduction an art form? Of course, he should know that using that charm on her was a wasted effort. “Can I ask you something, Micah?”
“Baby, you can ask me anything.”
She hated to admit that his term of endearment caused a whirling sensation in her stomach. “Why are you doing this? Saying those things? I’m sure you’re well aware it’s a waste of your time.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment and then, “To answer your question, the reason I’m doing this and saying all these things is that I’m hoping you’ll remember.”
She didn’t have to ask what he wanted her to remember. She knew. Things had been good between them. Every night. Every morning. He’d been the best lover a woman could have and she had appreciated those nights spent in his arms. And speaking of those arms…they were hidden in a nice shirt that showed off the wide breadth of his shoulders. She knew those shoulders well and used to hold on to him while she rode him mercilessly. And then there were his hands. Beautiful. Strong. Capable of delivering mindless pleasure. And they were hands that would travel all over her body, touching her in places no man had touched her before and leaving a trail of heat in their wake.
Her gaze traveled upward past his throat to his mouth. It lingered there while recalling the ways he would use that mouth to make her scream. Oh, how she would scream while he took care of that wild, primal craving deep within her.
Gradually, her gaze left his mouth to move upward and stared into the depth of his bedroom-brown eyes. They were staring straight at her, pinning her in place and almost snatching the air from her lungs with their intensity. She wished she could dismiss that stare. Instead she was ensnarled by it in a way that increased her heart rate. An all-too-familiar ache settled right between her thighs. He was making her want something she hadn’t had since he’d given it to her.
“Do you remember all the things we used to do behind closed doors, Kalina?”
Yes, she remembered and doubted she could ever forget. Sex between them had been good. The best. But it had all been a lie. That memory of his betrayal cut through her desire and forced a laugh from deep within her throat. “I’ve got to hand it to you, Micah. You’re good.”
He shrugged and then said in a low, husky tone, “You always said I was.”
Yes, she had and it had bee
n the truth. “Yes, but you’re not good enough to get me into bed ever again. If you’ll recall, I know the reason you slept with me.” She was grateful for the glass partition that kept the cabby from hearing their conversation.
“I know the reason, as well. I wanted you. Pure and simple. From the moment you walked into that ballroom on your father’s arm, I knew I wanted you. And being with you in Sydney afforded me the opportunity to have you. I wanted those legs wrapped around me, while I stroked you inside out. I wanted to bury my head between your thighs, to know the taste of you, and I wanted you to know the taste of me.”
Her traitorous body began responding to his words. Myriad sensations were rolling around in her stomach. “It was all about sex, then,” she said, trying to once again destroy the heated moment.
He nodded. “Yes, in the beginning. That’s why I gave you my ground rules. But then…”
She shouldn’t ask but couldn’t help doing so. “But then what?” she asked breathlessly.
“And then the hunter got captured by the prey.”
She opened her mouth and then closed it when the cabdriver told them via a speaker that they’d arrived. She glanced out the window. It was a beautiful restaurant—quaint and romantic.
He opened the door and reached for her hand. The reaction to his touch instantly swept through her. The man could make her ache without even trying.
“You’re going to like the food here,” he said, helping her out of the cab and not releasing her hand. She wanted to pull it from his grasp, but the feel of that one lone finger stroking her palm kept her hand where it was.
“I’m sure I will.”
They walked side by side into the restaurant and she couldn’t recall the last time they’d done so. It had felt good, downright giddy, being the center of Micah Westmoreland’s attention and he had lavished it on her abundantly.
She didn’t know what game Micah was playing tonight or what he was trying to prove. The only thing she did know was that by the time they left this restaurant he would know where she stood, and he would discover that she didn’t intend to be a part of his game playing.
* * *
“The food here is delicious, Micah.”
He smiled. “Thanks. I was hoping you would join me since I knew you would love everything they had on the menu. The last time I was here, this was my favorite place to eat.”
He recalled the last time he’d been in Bajadad. He’d felt guilty about being so far away from home, so far away from his family, especially when the younger Westmorelands, who’d taken his parents’ and aunt’s and uncle’s deaths hard, had rebelled like hell. Getting a call from Dillon to let him know their youngest brother, Bane, had gotten into trouble again had become a common occurrence.
“We need to talk, Micah.”
He glanced across the table at Kalina and saw the firm set of her jaw. He’d figured she would have a lot to say, so he’d asked that they be given a private room in the back. It was a nice room with a nice view, but nothing was nicer than looking at the woman he was with.
He now knew he had played right into her father’s hands just as much as she had. The general had been certain that Micah would be so pissed that Kalina didn’t believe him that he wouldn’t waste his time trying to convince her of the truth. He hadn’t. He had allowed two years to pass while the lie she believed festered.
But now he was back, seeking her forgiveness. Not for what he had done but for what he hadn’t done, which was to fight for her and to prove his innocence. Dillon had urged him to do that as soon as Kalina had confronted him, but Micah had been too stubborn, too hurt that she could so easily believe the worst about him. Now he wished he had fought for her.
“Okay, you can talk and I’ll listen,” he said, pushing his plate aside and taking a sip of his wine.
She frowned and blew out a breath. “I want you to stop with the game playing.”
“And that’s what you think I’m doing?”
“Yes.”
He had news for her, what he was doing was fighting for his survival the only way he knew how. He intended to make her trust him. He would lower his guard and include her in his world, which is something he hadn’t done since Patrice. He would seduce her back into a relationship and then prove she was wrong. He would do things differently this time and show her he wasn’t the man she believed him to be.
“What if I told you that you’re wrong?”
“Then what do you call what you’re doing?” she asked in a frustrated tone.
“Pursuing the woman I want,” he said simply.
“To get me in your bed?”
“Or any other way I can get you. It’s not all sexual.”
She gave a ladylike snort. “And you expect me to believe that?”
He chuckled. “No, not really. You’ve told me numerous times that you don’t believe a word I say.”
“Then why are you doing this? Why would you want to run behind a woman who doesn’t want you?”
“But you do want me.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
He smiled. “Yes, you do. Even though you dislike me for what you think I did, there’s a part of you that wants me as much as I want you. Should I prove it?”
She narrowed her gaze. “You can’t prove anything.”
He preferred to disagree but decided not to argue with her. “All right.”
She lifted her brow. “So you agree with what I said?”
“No, but I’m not going to sit here and argue with you about it.”
She inclined her head. “We are not arguing about it, we are discussing it. Things can’t continue this way.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“That you cease the flirtation and sexual innuendoes. I don’t need them.”
Micah was well acquainted with what she needed. It was the same thing he needed. A night together. But sharing one night would just be a start. Once he got her back in his bed he intended to keep her there. Forever. He drew in a deep breath. The thought of forever with any other woman was enough to send him into a panic. But not with her.
He placed his napkin on the table as he glanced over at her. “Since you’ve brought them up, let’s take a moment to talk about needs, shall we?”
She nodded. That meant she would at least listen, although he knew in the end she wouldn’t agree to what he was about to suggest. “Although our relationship two years ago got off on a good start, it ended on a bad note. I’m not going to sit here and rehash all that happened, everything you’ve falsely accused me of. At first I was pretty pissed off that you would think so low of me. Then I realized the same thing you said a couple of nights ago at that party—you didn’t know me. I never gave you the chance to know the real me. If you’d known the real me then you would not have believed the lie your father told you.”
She didn’t say anything, but he knew that didn’t necessarily mean she was agreeing with him. In her eyes, he was guilty until proven innocent. “I want you to get to know the real me, Kalina.”
She took a sip of her wine and held his gaze. “And how am I supposed to do that?”
At least she had asked. “You and I both have a thirty-day leave coming up as soon as we fly out of India. I’d like to invite you to go home with me.”
* * *
Kalina sat up straight in her chair. “Go home with you?”
“Yes.”
She stared at him across the lit candle in the middle of the table. “And where exactly is home?”
“Denver. Not in the city limits, though. My family and I own land in Colorado.”
“Your family?”
“Yes, and I would love for you to meet them. I have fourteen brothers and cousins, total, that live in Denver. And then there are those cousins living in Atlanta, Montana and Texas.”
This was the first time he’d mentioned anything about his family to her, except for the day he had briefly spoken of his parents when she’d asked. “What a diverse family.�
�� She didn’t have any siblings or cousins. He was blessed to have so many.
He leaned back in his chair with his gaze directly on her. “So, will you come?”
“No.” She hadn’t even needed to think about it. There was no reason for her to spend her vacation time with Micah and his family. What would it accomplish?
As if he had read her mind, he said, “It would help mend things between us.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Why would I want them mended?”
“Because you are a fair person, and I believe deep down you want to know the truth as much as I want you to. For whatever reason—and I have my suspicions as to what they are—your father lied about me. I need to redeem myself.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do, Kalina. Whether there’s ever anything between us again matters to me. Like I told you before, I truly did enjoy the time we spent together, and I think if you put aside that stubborn pride of yours, you’ll admit that you did, too.”
He was right, she had. But the pain of his betrayal was something she hadn’t been able to get beyond. “What made you decide to invite me to your home, Micah?”
“I told you. I want you to get to know me.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Could it be that you’re also planning for us to sleep together again?”
His mouth eased into a smile, and he took another sip of his wine. “I won’t lie to you. That thought had crossed my mind. But I have never forced myself on any woman and I don’t ever plan to do so. I would love to share a bed with you, Kalina, but the purpose of this trip is for you to get to know me. And I also want you to meet my family.”
She set down her glass. “Why do you want me to get to know your family now, Micah, when you didn’t before?”
Kalina noted the serious expression that descended upon his features. Was she mistaken or had her question hit a raw nerve? Leaning back in her chair, she stared at him while waiting for an answer. Given that he’d invited her to his home to meet his family, she felt she deserved one.
He took another sip of wine and, for a moment, she thought he wasn’t going to answer and then he said. “Her name was Patrice Nelson. I met her in my second year of college. I was nineteen at the time. We dated only a short while before I knew she was the one. I assumed she thought the same thing about me. We had been together a few months when a plane carrying my parents went down, killing everyone on board, including my father’s brother and his wife.”
Feeling the Heat Page 6