by Mia Ashlinn
The feel of his powerful body beside hers heated her blood, warming her own body to a simmer. But even that didn’t drive her nearly as crazy as the smell of his cologne. Raw masculinity flowed off him and danced around her. She felt enveloped by the addictive scent, and she inhaled deeply to garner another whiff of his earthy essence. Wow. I’m in Heaven.
Noticing movement out of the corner of her eye, Sarah slid her gaze as subtly as possible to Adam. He was disappearing down the hallway that led to her bedroom. Soon though, he was gone, out of her sight. And a second later, she heard the sound of a door creaking open then shutting.
Returning her attention to the man beside her, she sighed happily. It was just her and Mr. Cool, and he had nowhere to go. He had nowhere to hide. They were alone. At last.
Chapter 4
Deke guided Sarah into her cluttered kitchen. As soon as he saw the disaster awaiting them, he groaned. This was going to take forever to clean up. There were at minimum a dozen boxes scattered around the room. Some were resting on the tile flooring. Others were lying on the Formica countertop. A couple were balancing precariously on each side of the sink, and the tiny bistro table by the door had a box that covered the entire glass top.
Scrutinizing the mess, Deke wished he was anywhere but here. He was genuinely anxious about being alone with Sarah, especially considering that unpacking all of this would take time and patience he didn’t have. Right now, he was too edgy to be around polite company. And Sarah definitely fell into that category. He would be better off working alone. But that wasn’t happening. She obviously wanted him to help her, and he sucked at telling her no.
The more Deke thought about Sarah’s effect on him, the more pissed he got at himself. He wasn’t normally the timid type. He didn’t run away from things. He faced them head-on, and he didn’t care what people thought about him afterward.
Other than with Adam, Deke was a selfish bastard. He preferred to stay that way because giving a shit about someone else sucked, especially someone as sweet and delicate as Sarah. She was his antithesis, and he wouldn’t change that about her. But it was yet another reason why he had to stay the hell away from her. She couldn’t handle who and what he was.
Deke heaved a frustrated breath. He was being a coward, just like Adam had once accused him of being. He would help Sarah, and then he would walk away. It was as simple as that. Only it wasn’t.
Weaving through the boxes, Deke tugged Sarah over to the corner where the smallest cardboard containers sat and pointed to the top one. “Start with these,” he instructed. “I’m going to work on the bigger boxes. Okay?”
She nodded before reaching for the box he’d indicated. As she attempted to lift up, she grunted. Immediately, he realized that whatever she’d packed must be heavy despite the size of the cardboard container. Unwilling to let her hurt herself, he offered, “Here, let me.” He didn’t allow her to answer him before heaving the heavy box into his arms. “What’s in this? Lead?”
She chuckled, her smoky eyes filled with merriment. “Dishes.”
“Really?” he asked, chuckling with her. “I figured this would have something like a toaster in it.”
“Sometimes big things come in small packages.”
He wasn’t touching that one. “Where do you want it?”
Indicating the counter with a jerk of her head, she said, “Over there.”
He nodded then carried the box to the counter and lowered it onto the sand-colored top. “Here you go,” he murmured.
“Thanks.”
“No problem,” he replied as he turned away from her then went to work.
Snatching up the first box, he started to unpack. Silence fell over them, but it was companionable, so he didn’t interrupt. Thankfully, she didn’t either. He wanted to get the job done then get out, preferably with as little talking as possible.
“So,” Sarah started, finally cutting through the silence, much to his dismay. “That Ansley is a nut. Isn’t she?”
He grunted his affirmative.
“I can’t believe she gave Wyatt a prostate exam.”
Deke could believe it. Ansley was Ansley, and she did whatever crazy thing popped into her mind. “Mmhmm,” he said noncommittally before opening the flaps to yet another box of appliances.
“I bet he”—she came to a halt, and he heard her gulp before she went on—“spanked her for that.”
Deke knew that if he turned around, Sarah would be blushing, her cheeks rosy with evidence of her embarrassment. He also knew that he wanted to see her adorable face flushed like that, and he was unwilling to deny himself that small pleasure. So he peeked over his shoulder. When he saw her, he barked a laugh. She was red, really, really red.
Clearly surprised by his out-of-character explosion, Sarah frowned. “What?” she asked as another rush of red claimed her face.
He laughed harder. God, it felt good to laugh. He’d gotten so used to being serious all the time that he hadn’t remembered how much fun laughter could be. “I’ve never heard you say the word spank,” he replied amusedly.
Scowling, Sarah put her hands on her hips. “I can say that word.”
Sure, she could say it. Only she rarely did. He also noticed that she hadn’t repeated herself, opting to say that word instead. He arched one eyebrow. “Say it again.”
Her lips curved upward, and his heart skipped a beat. “Spank.”
Deke had to bite back a groan as blood rushed from his head straight to his cock. Just one word off her lush coral lips, and he was ready to fuck. Eyeballing her petite body, he thought it was rather sad that the little innocent had no clue the kind of seductive power she had over him. If she did… Well, he would be fucked in every way possible.
Deke swallowed hard. “I think we need to take a break. Why don’t you go into the living room? I can get us something to drink from the refrigerator.”
“Nope, no can do,” she replied. “It’s empty.”
Shit. He was stuck. “No problem.”
She gave him a sly smile, clearly understanding that he wanted away from her.
They lapsed into silence again as they resumed working. But he kept finding his eyes straying toward her, watching her flutter around the kitchen like a brilliant butterfly. She moved with a simple grace, an unconscious fluidity that entranced him, and he couldn’t stop himself from staring.
Cursing, Deke forced himself to focus on his job, not on Sarah or the warmth she awakened within him.
Out of the blue, Sarah asked, “Deke, why do you avoid me?”
Talk about a loaded question. “I don’t avoid you.”
“Sure you don’t.”
“I’m just busy. You know that.”
“Sure you are.”
He growled. “I am.”
Deke really was busy. He ran several multimillion-dollar companies with the help of a few very attentive employees. Those didn’t include the various properties that he and Adam owned throughout the United States. Someone in his position didn’t have much time to play. Or at least, that’s what he kept telling himself.
“Could you put this in the cabinet with my tea supplies?” Sarah asked, appearing at his side unexpectedly. With a small smile, she offered him the hunter-green teapot he’d gotten her for Christmas last year.
Deke smiled in remembrance. Only Sarah would ask him and Adam for something as simple as a teapot when they could have gotten her anything money could buy. Of course, they’d gotten her exactly what she asked for as well as a whole host of other things. But she’d still been more excited about her teapot than anything else. Deke could still see the way her eyes lit up and feel the shy hug she’d given him.
Shaking his head as though it would banish the memory, Deke took the pot by its handle and put it away like she’d asked before going back to work on the last of his boxes. Lucky me. He knew he should feel relieved that they were nearly done, but he wasn’t. He wanted to stay longer. He wanted to stay forever.
Even though he knew it
was a bad idea, Deke slowed down drastically. He carefully unwrapped every item as though he were handling the most expensive china then positioned the gadgets in their appropriate places. Only he took an excessive amount of time to do so.
When he finished, he said, “I think that’s all,” before spinning to face her. “How about you?”
She shrugged as she glanced around. “I guess so.”
He heard the melancholy in her tone, and he wanted nothing more than to erase it. But he couldn’t. He knew that. “Well, I need to get back to work,” he said. He despised the way his voice stalled out on the last few words. He had to go. He would go. That was that.
Nodding, she said, “I understand.”
She didn’t. But he wasn’t going to go there. If he did, she would know how much he cared, how much he craved her.
Clearing his throat, he mumbled, “I guess I’ll see you around.”
She eyed him, knowingly. “No you won’t.”
Deke frowned. How did she do that? She was like Adam. She knew him—too well. He didn’t like it when Adam anticipated his thoughts or actions. And he found he didn’t like it any better when Sarah did.
Thinking about lying, Deke ruled it out. “Probably not,” he admitted reluctantly. “I’ll be busy…with work. I’m sure you will be, too.”
“Yeah, I have plans,” she replied as she went to the sink and rinsed her hands off.
He wanted to ask her what kind. But it wasn’t his place. So instead, he stood there like an idiot.
With a sigh, she twisted the faucet off and the water ceased at once. “I guess…” She trailed off then looked at him. Moisture filled her eyes, the gray depths glimmering with pain. She blinked once then twice and three times after that before she continued on. “I guess this is good-bye.”
The finality of her statement made Deke’s stomach turn, regret churning in its pit. Bile rose in his throat, and he knew then that he couldn’t say good-bye to her. Not without one single kiss. Not without something to remember her by.
So even though he knew it was stupid and he realized it would hurt them both more than it would help, Deke stalked over to her and did the thing he’d been fantasizing about for longer than he would admit. He kissed her.
The moment his mouth touched hers, she opened her lips and let him inside. He didn’t need to be asked twice. He delved between the sweetest lips he’d ever tasted. She was all softness, unbelievably delicate. Her floral flavor intoxicated him. She tasted like the very essence of springtime in Kansas—the rain, the sunshine, and the blooming wildflowers—all rolled in one.
Her kiss sent him back in time to the May days they’d played together. Despite their twelve-year age difference, he had always made time for little Sarah. He’d chased and teased her. Then she’d paid him back by convincing him to play dolls or tea party or something equally disturbing. But he hadn’t minded—too badly—because they had time to talk.
Back then, he had found it amusing that a six-year-old girl touched his impenetrable heart when no one else could. The sweet things she did like saving a homemade cookie just for him or drawing him a picture for no reason at all had made him feel special and loved and cared for. Her kind words when bitterness overwhelmed him, her soft encouragements when doubt consumed him, and her innocent responses when he felt old beyond his years had reached inside his hardened soul and softened it, if only a little. She warmed him, the coldest parts of him. But now she wasn’t warming him. She was setting him ablaze.
His temperature spiked, the blood thundering through his veins boiling as he snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. Yearning to be even closer, he molded his body to hers, and she moaned.
Hearing her needy response, Deke deepened the kiss, his tongue searching her humid mouth, hunting for something unknown. By some miracle, he found whatever he craved, and his heart swelled in his chest. For a split second, he couldn’t breathe.
He’d never known a kiss like this one. Adam’s kiss was strong, his lips firm and his body solid. Their kisses were so intense that Deke often wondered how they survived the onslaught. But they also fought each other for dominance, neither of them willing to cave to the other. Not Sarah. She allowed Deke to take over the kiss, to take control. He commanded, and she yielded to him.
With a soft sigh, Sarah curved herself into his body then placed her tiny hands on his chest. He groaned, the feel of her gentle touch reaching inside him and awakening a part of him he’d closed off long ago.
As she fisted his dress shirt, holding him captive, lust consumed Deke, and he plundered his hands through her satiny hair. He intended to grab a fistful of her strands and tug, but he stopped abruptly just below her crown. This wasn’t just any woman. This was Sarah, and he didn’t want to scare her off by a kiss. Not after all she’d been through.
Groaning, Deke softened his touch then cupped the back of her head. She moaned against his lips, the vibrations tormenting him in an oddly erotic way, and leaned into him further. She smashed her entire front to his. Her pert breasts pressed against him as though they were made to conform to his body. Her tightly beaded nipples poked his chest, but he didn’t mind. He reveled in the sensation.
Deke loved the feel of her trim stomach in contact with his. He ached to jerk their clothes off and press their actual flesh to each other, but he didn’t have a chance before Adam entered the kitchen and said, “Well, damn it. I missed all the fun.”
* * * *
Mortified, Sarah wrenched her mouth from Deke’s. She thrust him away, stumbling accidentally as she did. But Adam reacted quickly. He rushed forward and caught her before she fell to the kitchen floor. Behind her, Deke steadied her with his hands.
Grateful that her bottom wasn’t making friends with the cold, hard tiles, Sarah gave a half smile as she peered up at Adam. He was frowning, his pale blue eyes intensifying, the color changing to a mesmerizing azure. “What’s wrong?” he murmured in a tender tone before tugging her against him and away from Deke. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head. No, she wasn’t okay. She’d just had her first kiss with Deke. It was mind-blowing, earth-shattering, and far beyond any fantasy she’d ever had. He’d touched her, and she’d felt his arousal against her. But it had been wrong. Adam hadn’t been there with them. She’d cheated him out of their first intimate moment together. “I, um”—she paused, unsure of what to say—“well. I kissed Deke.”
Adam smiled gently. “I know,” he said. His calm, very rational demeanor irritated Sarah as much as it soothed her. “I saw.”
Lowering her eyes, Sarah pushed at him like she had Deke. Only he didn’t release her. He tightened his arms around her as though he’d never let her go. “I’m so sorry,” she apologized, lifting her gaze back to him.
“No,” Deke growled. “You did nothing wrong. I did. I’m the one who kissed you.”
Adam crinkled his eyebrows in obvious confusion. “Why are you two freaking out?”
“Because you weren’t here,” she replied. She felt the blush creeping up her neck and spreading to her face when she tacked on, “With us when we…well, you know.”
“She’s upset that we excluded you,” Deke explained, obviously understanding where her distress had stemmed from. At the same time, his flat voice indicated that he didn’t particularly agree with her. Of course, he probably didn’t. Deke wasn’t exactly the warm, fuzzy bunny she was.
“And?” Adam inquired, appearing to be completely okay with her and Deke kissing. Unlike his partner, though, Adam wasn’t indifferent. He seemed genuinely upset that she was upset.
Now Sarah was the confused one. “What do you mean and?”
“I would have kissed you, too, if the opportunity arose,” Adam stated matter-of-factly. “I’ve been waiting for the right time. It just hasn’t happened”—his voice came to a screeching halt as a sly smile appeared on his handsome face—“yet.”
Adam didn’t give her a chance to respond before he dipped his head lower, without
preliminaries or words of warning, until their faces were even. He riveted his piercing gaze upon her, and her heart flipped over in her chest. He caressed her face with his eyes, causing her face to heat, a blush scorching her cheeks.
As Adam stared yearningly at her, she soaked in his flawless facial features. His angular cheekbones, chiseled jawline, and smoldering eyes, they fascinated her. She itched to explore the strength and texture. Unable to fight her urge to touch Adam, Sarah lifted her hands to each side of his face. She cradled his cheeks in her palms then ran her thumbs across his skin, reveling in the smoothness, the warmth.
Adam slid his eyes closed with a low hum, and she smiled, knowing that he needed her as much as she needed him. Only he didn’t keep his eyes shut. He immediately reopened them.
With a grin, Adam whispered, “Finally.” Then he brushed his lips across hers in swift sweeps. Pausing for the briefest of seconds, he murmured, “Finally,” again. This time his words were a mere breath against her lips, the air dancing across her flesh.
Goose bumps popped up all over Sarah’s skin, and a shiver ran down her spine as Adam resumed his masterful teasing, his delicious lips giving her a little but not nearly enough. She yearned for more from him, longed for more of him.
An ache blossomed in Sarah’s womb as Adam’s seductive eyes stared directly into hers. It was as though he could see down to the depths of her soul. Feeling the way she did, she believed he might be able to. Tingles raced over her skin, an awareness seeping into her pores. At the moment, Sarah believed that anything was possible.
Opening her mouth to plead for something, to beg for anything, Adam stopped her with a kiss. This time it was a real kiss. No longer was he the gentle, teasing charmer. This was a whole new Adam. He devoured her. Gone were the little nibbles. He was feasting on her. It was like he was possessed, and Sarah moaned in response.
Adam’s overwhelming passion humbled Sarah, just as it aroused her. Hungering for more of him, she released her fierce hold on his cheeks. Instead, she chose to slide her fingers over the sides of his face before diving into the thickness of his hair.