Her eyes slid closed as she savored his touch, the heat, familiar warmth. The backs of his fingers trailed up, slowly, between her breasts, along the tender curve of her neck, sliding into less fiery terrain to cup her face.
Then his hand fell away.
Lori swayed forward before regaining her balance. Her eyes fluttered open to find him watching her, intently, too aware of what he was doing to her.
"Why?" she demanded.
He grazed his knuckles over her cheek. "I like you."
The tingling changed to an icy shower, painful, like water on an electrified body. "What?"
"Yeah, I want you. But I like you, too. How's that for honest? I like you too much to do something I know will hurt you." His fingers curved to cup her face again with a tenderness that scared her more than passion. "You want me to be the bad guy here so it's easier for you when we say goodbye. I can't do it, Lori. Not again. You're going to have to do it on your own this time.">"But?"
"There were times…" Feeling like an ungrateful brat, she paused, running her fingers along the empty basket before setting it aside. "On my eighth birthday I wanted a backyard party with lots of friends and a really big dollhouse." Lori placed Barbie and Ken on the lawn furniture and put Skipper on the swing. "I got a pocket travel dollhouse and a picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower. Not a bad trade, all things considered, huh?"
Gray smiled but didn't answer. Instead he tapped the dollhouse, then the bike. "Guess that explains why you were hell-bent today on picking the biggest and heaviest toys on the shelf."
She studied him through narrowed eyes, impressed anew. "You're a perceptive man."
A dimple dented his right cheek. "Nah, just one who got quite a workout lugging that loot up the stairs."
Rocking back on her heels, she surveyed the fully furnished Barbie house. Perfect. Maybe it was silly or even selfish giving Magda the things she'd wanted as a child, huge toys, a large airy room … unconditional love. All the same, she couldn't stop the twitter of excitement over bringing Magda home. Home. That said it all.
Lori shifted to Gray and cupped his face in one hand. "Thank you."
He cleared his throat. "For what?"
"For coming with me. For pretending to be interested in Capri pants and clogs. For being my friend." She leaned over the bowl of chips and pressed a kiss to his mouth. Just a simple kiss between friends, she told herself. Nothing wrong with that.
A one-second lip brush was all she intended. She meant to pull away. But she didn't move. Neither did he.
Chapter 8
He should pull away, and he would, in a minute. Or two. If only he could find one ounce of willpower to resist the temptation of Lori's full lips beneath his after so many months of starving for a taste of her.
A soft moan floated between them. From her? Or him? Her small fist fell to rest on his chest—and unfurled.
Willpower became a scarce commodity.
That one touch of their lips, one simple caress of her hand filled him with so much more than possibility. It was a promise. He didn't have to question how good it would be between them.
He knew.
And that knowledge fired through him with memories of steamy summer nights dedicated to exploring every inch of Lori's beautiful body. Discovering what made her cry out with pleasure. Hoping that if they found enough pleasure together she might forget he couldn't give her what she really needed.
Lori's hand curved up around his neck.
What the hell was he doing?
Gray tore himself away from her, his breathing ragged over nothing more than a near-innocent kiss. Damn, but she'd gotten to him with her gorgeous stiff upper lip. She could make the best of anything, even being dragged around the world by parents who were too absorbed in their jobs to realize what their lonely kid needed. She deserved better, then and now.
Lori stared back at him with fogged and confused eyes, so unlike her normally confident self. They'd never even opened their mouths, and he wanted to toss her down on the Oriental rug. He wanted to tangle his body and life with hers in ways they'd only just begun to explore in their three months together.
They'd traveled this route before, and it hadn't worked. He didn't even want to consider why their breakup had kicked him harder than any of the others, and for him, there'd been plenty. He stunk at long-term relationships, another reason the transient Air Force lifestyle suited him so well.
Even if he and Lori fulfilled the momentary promise, it was just that. A moment. Lori hadn't wanted to live with him in Charleston. She sure as hell wasn't going to give up her job and follow him to Tacoma, Washington, for however long they could survive a relationship this time.
Gray rocked back, the ache in his leg almost as powerful as the one in his boxer shorts. He needed to get out of her apartment, now, before he lost what little control he had left in his depleted armament.