“What?” he asked, trailing kisses along her jaw-line.
“Have you given any thought to when you’ll...” Before she could voice the question that had been plaguing him, he silenced her with his lips. His tongue plunged into her warm mouth and he savored the heated sensation.
But even their intimate joining couldn’t stop the remnants of her question from nagging at him. Have you given any thought to when you’ll be leaving? The notion was almost more than he could bear. He would go because he had to... but not without leaving a part of himself behind.
Surprising him, she took an aggressive role, her tongue slipping between his lips. She greedily drew from him as much as she gave. His lower body responded in kind. Given their positions, she had to notice. Apparently she did. She wriggled off him and began unfastening his jeans with trembling hands.
Mike took a moment to study her. Her face was flushed and her lips glistened with moisture. His gaze slid lower. Her nipples puckered against the light flowered fabric. The evidence of her desire fueled his own.
“I never thought I’d agree to this again,” she murmured.
“Oh, sweetheart, we’re inevitable.”
Her slender fingers shook as they grasped his zipper. That small involuntary movement hit him like a body blow. She was frantic, yes, but something more was involved. Something she’d been reluctant to admit.
He realized that he’d been more on target than he thought that afternoon. Like him, she too cared more than she wanted to. More than she was even conscious of.
He covered her fingers with his own, steadying the tremors in her hand. Together they made quick work of his jeans and briefs, sending them to a pile on the floor.
Mike didn’t kid himself. His self-control had deserted him long ago. Only one thought occupied his mind—burying himself so deep inside her, he wouldn’t know where he left off and she began. He lifted her dress and yanked the small scrap of lace down around her legs.
She gasped and Mike forced himself to stop. Their eyes met. If he’d frightened her, he’d pull back now. Somehow.
“I...” She hesitated.
“You what?” His words sounded more like a groan. If she wanted to stop, now was the time. A few seconds more and he doubted he’d be capable. “Say it.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I want you,” she whispered. “Now.”
After that there was no need for words. He rolled on his back, pulling her on top of him. Though he lacked the restraint necessary to move to a bed, he’d be damned if he’d bruise her soft body against the hard floor.
She raised herself upward and lifted her hips, lowering herself onto him in an excruciatingly drawn-out motion. The moment their bodies met, she uttered a soft moan. Her feminine noises coupled with her tempting heat had him gasping for breath.
She closed her eyes. He watched as myriad emotions shifted across her face. At that moment, he understood that he would never get enough of her, not ever.
With one smooth thrust, he entered her fully and filled her completely. Carly had never dreamed such a wash of emotions could accompany a physical act. Each time they came together was more explosive than the last.
She wondered if he felt it, too. She opened her eyes. As she gazed into the face she adored, she ran her fingers through his thick hair. In his golden eyes, she read every unspoken feeling she, herself, possessed. Words she’d never admit to aloud. He was right. She feared all they could have... feared having it and losing it at the same time.
This man reached inside her. He understood her without the need for words. He was her other half. And he would leave her soon. Because she loved him more than life itself, she would let him go. She pushed aside the doubt that assailed her, the niggling feeling that maybe they could work together toward a future.
Instead she draped herself across his chest, burying her face in the strong column of his neck. She wouldn’t let him see her cry. His slight growth of beard scraped the skin on her face. Cheek to cheek, she nestled closer. He smelled of the ocean and of Mike. With a cough, she managed to choke back a sob.
He began to move beneath her. Each upward thrust was an expression of love, one she felt in every part of her body. She matched his motions until their surroundings faded and only they remained.
As he shuddered beneath her, she held him close. She kissed him as her own world erupted in a too brief but brilliant mixture of passion and love.
* * *
Carly’s head rested on Mike’s chest. Her hair tickled his nose and each breath he took was scented with vanilla.
“Let’s go out for a late-night snack,” Mike suggested.
“Don’t you think we’re a little underdressed?” Carly asked wryly.
He glanced down and grimaced. Her dress was hiked to mid-thigh and her bare legs were entwined with his. He was stark naked. For the first time he realized how little thought he had given to Carly. He hadn’t bothered to undress her, let alone spared a moment to see if she’d been truly ready.
His only excuse was his driving need to block out her question. The time was fast approaching when he’d have to make a decision, whether his boss called or not. He couldn’t keep running. Unmet obligations awaited him and the longer he stayed here, the longer he allowed himself the luxury of being with Carly, the harder it was to go back.