Sinfully Sweet

by Janelle Denison

  With trembling fingers, Darcy snatched the card from his hand and turned around. He pressed up against the soft curve of her backside. God, he felt as if he were ready to explode. If he expected this night to be like their first, he’d have to summon at least a measure of self-control.

  Finally, Darcy managed to get the door unlocked and they both stumbled into the room, the last of the champagne splashing on the floor. Kel grabbed her glass and set it on the wet bar along with his, his face still buried in the hair at the nape of her neck, her backside pressed to his groin. He pushed her against the wall and drew her hair back, then kissed the skin just below her ear.

  Her intoxicating scent filled his head and made it hard to think straight. But Kel’s instincts drove him forward. What had happened five years ago didn’t matter anymore. They were here, right now, and he wanted her beyond all rational thought.

  He reached for the hem of her skirt and drew it up to her hips, then smoothed his hands along her thighs. Her legs were bare, the skin warm and silken.

  Darcy sighed softly as he stroked her buttocks, his fingers tangling in the lacy scrap of her panties. But when his caress reached her belly, she pressed her buttocks against his erection in a silent invitation. They were both still fully dressed, but it felt as if she were naked in front of him.

  He slipped his palms beneath the silk panties and delved between her legs, his fingers coming back damp with her need. Slowly, Kel explored and he felt her melting into him. He knew he could bring her to her peak with his fingers, but when she came, he wanted to look into her eyes.

  Gently, he turned her around to face him. She leaned back against the wall and he delved deeper. Her eyes closed, Darcy arched back, but Kel withdrew and slipped his hand around her neck. “Look at me,” he said.

  She opened her eyes and he saw the passion swirling in their depths. Her lips parted and he kissed her, capturing her mouth as he had her sex. A tiny moan slipped from her throat and Kel knew that she was close. But then he felt her hand around his wrist, drawing him away.

  She reached for his belt and began to work it open with clumsy fingers. His zipper was next and a heartbeat later, her fingers wrapped around him. Kel closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of her touch. He’d fantasized about this so many times, wondering why all those years ago his response to her touch had been so intense. Even now, he couldn’t explain it.

  Kel kissed her again. “I need you to slow down,” he whispered against her mouth. “I won’t get a prize for finishing first.” And there was no way he could continue on like this. He smoothed the back of his hand across her cheek. “We have time.”

  “I can’t wait,” Darcy said. She reached in her jacket pocket and withdrew a foil packet.

  “You came prepared?” he asked.

  “I wasn’t sure when or where it would happen.”

  Her confession pleased him. “But you knew it would?”

  She nodded, then slowly slid his trousers and boxers down over his hips. When she tore the condom package open, he held his breath, wincing as she sheathed him. They had to stop. Just for a minute or two. But Darcy was determined to have him and have him now. And all he really wanted to do was please her.

  He’d thought about this for years, having her in his arms again, being able to touch her at will, to sink into her and stay there forever. With a low moan, Kel drew her legs up around his waist and pushed aside the silky barrier of her panties.

  Kel closed his eyes, just the thought of what he was about to do bringing him closer to the edge. But for a moment he hesitated. How could he go back once he lost himself in her? Would it be everything it had been that night in San Francisco, the stuff of fantasies?

  “Please,” she murmured, her breath warm against his ear.

  Kel slowly entered her, the feel of her heat around him sending a shockwave through his body. When he’d buried himself deep inside, he waited, trying to slow his pulse. How did Darcy do this to him, take away his self-control?

  She shifted above him, her legs wrapped around his hips, and he couldn’t stop himself. Kel began to move, carefully at first, just barely keeping his need in check. But as he drove into her again and again, he lost touch with reality. Every thought was focused on the sensation of being inside her, of losing control in her arms.

  He wasn’t sure how long they lasted. But when Darcy arched against him, holding her breath, Kel knew she was on the edge. He wanted to bring her back, but then she cried out, her body convulsing around him. Her orgasm went on and on until Kel couldn’t hold back and he drove into her one last time. Then he collapsed against the wall, his face buried in the curve of her neck. They’d come to it so quickly, but the release seemed to last forever, the two of them shuddering and moaning their pleasure.

  This was the way it had been, Kel thought as he inhaled her scent. And this was the way it was. Nothing had changed. If he’d thought he could put Darcy Scott out of his head for good, then he’d been mistaken. She’d found a way back in and this time, Kel suspected he might never recover.

  3

  DARCY STARED INTO her third cup of coffee as she sat at the restaurant table, patiently waiting for the caffeine to kick in. She hadn’t slept more than a few hours last night, plagued with thoughts of Kel. Regret, confusion, frustration all swirled around in her head until she’d been forced to get out of bed and find something to calm her down. The half pound of truffles that she’d gobbled down at 4 a.m. hadn’t helped matters at all. The moment the sun had risen, Darcy had conceded defeat and crawled into the shower.

  She’d done the right thing, come and run, making her exit shortly after she’d pushed her skirt back down around her hips. Indulging in an entire night of pleasure wouldn’t alter the facts. Even though the sex had been quick, it was still the best she’d had in five years.

  With other men, Darcy had always been so careful, holding back, avoiding a complete surrender. She’d never really trusted Neil to completely possess her and that turned out to be a good thing. So why did she trust a stranger like Kel Martin? It didn’t make sense.

  With just a simple caress, he’d stripped away every fear and inhibition she’d ever had with men. Her brain had shut off and he’d set her body free to enjoy every wonderful sensation. Maybe that freedom came because she knew he was just passing through her life. He’d make love to her and then leave her. What was she really risking after all?

  Darcy took a sip of her coffee. She felt as if she’d hit the sexual lottery. A million-dollar orgasm with just one try. Now all she wanted to do was buy another ticket, and another and another, damn the odds and the risks.

  She could still taste him in her mouth and feel him on her skin. If she closed her eyes she could recall the miracle of him moving inside of her. A tiny thrill raced through her and Darcy knew it wasn’t the caffeine kicking in but adrenaline leftover from the previous night. It was over now, this little detour into passion. Her curiosity had been appeased and it was time to move on.

  “You look like you’ve been dragged behind a bus.” Amanda plopped into the chair across from Darcy. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

  “A little,” Darcy admitted sheepishly.

  “I checked the register and I see that Mr. Baseball is still with us. Did you talk to him?” Amanda looked at Darcy again, taking in her sleepy gaze. “Wait…don’t even go there. Oh, no, you didn’t.”

  Darcy snatched up her napkin and dabbed at her mouth, hoping to hide the smile that wouldn’t seem to go away. She winced, her lips tender and bruised. Was it that evident? Maybe she should have just scrawled a big red “O” on her forehead and been done with it. “I didn’t mean to but I couldn’t seem to help myself. At least I can finally stop counting. The dry spell is officially over.”

  “And now the typhoon season begins? You slept with a guest!” Amanda said. “Didn’t we have a seminar on this?”

  “We never really made it to the bed. We got as far as the wall. And technically, he’s not a guest. He’s a
n old friend who happens to be staying at The Delaford.”

  “Ah, you’re friends now. I think you could come up with a much better activity to do with a friend. What about a nice walk or maybe a game of tennis?”

  “All right, we’re not friends, but we’re very…closely acquainted.” Darcy groaned, then buried her face in her hands. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

  “I don’t care. I’m going to sit here until you tell me every detail,” Amanda said, her arms crossed beneath her breasts.

  “I expected it to be bad,” Darcy began. “In truth, I wanted it to be bad so I’d finally forget about him. That’s why I went along with the whole seduction, just to prove to myself that it couldn’t possibly live up to the memory.”

  “And?”

  “And once I realized it was going to be even better, I couldn’t seem to make myself leave. We were…consumed. And now I’m going to spend the next five years thinking about last night, the same way I spent the past five years thinking about the first night we spent together. I feel like I’ve been sucked into a giant black hole of sexual frustration.”

  A thoughtful expression on her face, Amanda picked up the basket of pastries and chose a croissant. “Well, there is a way to pull yourself out. You could spend another night or two with Kel. Maybe the whole week.” She bit the end off the croissant and chewed it slowly.

  “How would that help?”

  “Sooner or later, he’ll fall off that sex god pedestal you’ve put him on and do something typically male.”

  “Like what?”

  Amanda snatched up Darcy’s glass of cranberry juice. “Do I need to be specific? Sweetie, in the end, they’re all the same. They all walk around with your underwear on their head and think it’s hilariously funny, they all leave their toenail clippings on the bathroom sink and expect you to pick them up, and they all ask you to have a threesome with the bimbo down the hall, hoping you’ll be temporarily insane and agree. It’s hard-wired into their hormones. If you’re just patient, you’ll see.”

  Darcy shook her head, wryly. “I thought when I found a man I wanted as much as I want Kel, I’d be in love. I’d have a grand romance and be swept off my feet by some sexually adventurous Prince Charming.”

  “We all want that, Darcy. But Prince Charming is usually dreadfully dull in bed. His naughty brother, the Duke of Debauchery, is the guy that’s meant to make your toes curl. Some men are marriage material and others are just for fun. I think Kel Martin falls into the same category as carnival rides and bungee jumping. Fun, a little scary, but not meant for daily consumption.”

  “And that’s exactly the way they think about us!” Darcy cried. “There are the girls you marry and the girls you just mess around with.”

  “At least you know where you stand with the Duke, right? It’s just about the sex.” Amanda sighed, gulped down Darcy’s cranberry juice, then quickly stood up. “I’ll just be going now. His highness is on his way over here.”

  Darcy twisted in her chair only to see Kel approaching. He was dressed casually in a soft blue Oxford shirt, khaki trousers and well-worn loafers. His hair was still damp from his morning shower and he hadn’t bothered to shave, the stubble of his beard making him look slightly dangerous.

  As Amanda hurried past him, she turned and looked at Darcy, fanning her face with her hand and mouthing the word “hot.”

  When Kel reached Darcy’s table, he sat down in Amanda’s chair, flipped over a coffee cup and filled it from the carafe. “Morning,” he said cheerfully.

  “Good morning,” Darcy replied.

  He stared at her as he sipped his coffee, studying her intently, the silence between them growing uncomfortable. Was he deliberately trying to make her uneasy or was he searching for something to say? She prayed he wouldn’t want to discuss the previous night’s activities. “You look beautiful this morning, Darcy,” he finally said.

  “Stop it,” she said. He couldn’t possibly be telling the truth. When she’d returned to her room, she’d tossed and turned for most of the night, then rushed through a shower before meeting with the staff at eight. Dark circles smudged the skin beneath her eyes and her hair had been haphazardly pulled back into a ponytail. Amanda was right, she looked like she’d been dragged behind a bus. “There’s no need to turn on the charm this early in the morning.”

  “When I woke up, you weren’t there,” he said.

  Darcy frowned. “You saw me leave.”

  “I didn’t really like that part of the evening,” he said.

  “I thought that was our deal,” she said.

  He frowned. “We had a deal?”

  “Like last time. It was just about sex, nothing else.”

  Kel stared at her for another long moment, then shook his head. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  A sudden sick feeling settled into Darcy’s stomach. Oh, God, had she been wrong? She’d just assumed he remembered their night together in San Francisco. Assumed they’d both silently acknowledged that this had all happened once before and it was about to happen again. That was what had given them permission to indulge. But maybe she’d been mistaken.

  Darcy squirmed in her chair. “You know what I’m talking about.”

  He covered her hand with his. “Are you angry with me? I sure hope not, because I was thinking we might want to spend a little more time together.”

  Darcy gasped. This was exactly like a man! No matter how incredible the sex had been, it hadn’t been enough for him. She yanked her hand away, rubbing the spot where he’d touched her.

  “Do you golf?” he asked. “We could play today or we could take a drive. I hear there are some nice wineries west of here in Sonoma.”

  Darcy jumped to her feet and threw her napkin on the table. She’d had just about enough of this game he was playing. “You’re telling me you don’t remember that night in San Francisco? The bar of the Penrose, the bottle of champagne, the elevator ride? You were new in town, I just needed a drink to unwind and we ended up naked in your room.”

  A slow grin replaced his serious expression and Kel chuckled, then took another sip of his coffee. “I do remember that night, quite vividly.”

  “Then why did you pretend that you didn’t?” Darcy demanded.

  “Until you mentioned it, I wasn’t sure you remembered that night, so don’t act all insulted.”

  Darcy didn’t know what to say. Her indignation slowly dissolved, replaced by the uneasy feeling that what they’d begun last night was not over-not by a long shot. She sat down in her chair. “And you recognized me yesterday at the candy shop?”

  Kel nodded. “The minute I looked into your eyes. Why do you think I’m here, Darcy? I’m not really a spa kind of guy, although I’ve been thinking I could really use a nice seaweed wrap. And that salt scrub sounds like a good deal. ‘It makes the skin glow with a youthful texture.’”

  “It’s called exfoliation,” Darcy said. “And if you’re not a spa kind of guy, then what are you? A sex kind of guy? What happened last night is not going to happen again.”

  He reached for her hand and distractedly twisted his fingers through hers. “Why not? I certainly enjoyed myself and so did you, unless you were…” He chuckled softly. “Were you faking it, Darcy?”

  “No,” she said, trying to ignore the way his thumb caressed the inside of her wrist.

  “Then you enjoyed yourself as much as I did?”

  She straightened, pulling her hand away and clutching it in her lap. “That depends upon how much you enjoyed yourself,” she said.

  “A lot,” he said. “More than I thought possible in such a short amount of time. Why should we deny ourselves that kind of pleasure?”

  “What are you suggesting? That we just carry on with each other until…you decide to leave?” The prospect should have sounded unthinkable, but in truth, Darcy found the idea strangely intriguing. A week of fabulous sex with a devastatingly handsome man, those incredible hands on her body, that mouth driving her wild
in bed, and those beautiful blue eyes watching her as he buried himself deep inside her. What more could a girl ask for?

  A shiver coursed through her body. Had she possessed just a bit more courage, she’d drag Kel to her office right now and seduce him all over again. But she’d do well to carefully consider all the consequences of his proposed interlude. “So we’d be together for as long as you’re here and then we’d go back to our lives, no strings attached.” Darcy twirled her spoon in her coffee as she contemplated the offer.

  “Sounds good,” he said. “With the understanding that we will take our time from now on.”

  “I’ll think about it,” she finally murmured.

  “Ah, don’t do that,” Kel said, leaning back in his chair and shaking his head. “This should be a simple decision, Darcy. Either you want me or you don’t. Don’t think, just do.”

  “Who died and made you Yoda?” Darcy asked. “There are a lot of things to consider here.”

  “Like what?”

  Darcy opened her mouth, prepared to list all her reasons for not sleeping with Kel again. But then she’d be forced to admit she might not be able to control her feelings for him. Yes, the time they’d spend together would be incredible, but she’d still be left to deal with residual effects once he’d gone.

  And then there were the tricky morning-after conversations. Oh, by the way, great orgasm last night. And that thing you did with your tongue, that was the best. “I’d rate it 43 on a scale of one to ten,” she muttered.

  “What?” he asked, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on the table.

  Darcy swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, I was just thinking out loud.”

  “Here’s how I see it,” Kel began. “We seem to have this attraction to each other. I haven’t quite figured it out, but I’d sure like to. The problem is I can’t be in the same room with you without wanting to tear your clothes off and kiss your naked body. So, I suggest we deal with that.”