Lack of opportunity?
The thought of her being with another man hit him like a freight train, and it did not feel good. He could not, would not allow that to happen.
As she reached the edge of the plateau of pleasure where he’d been keeping her with steady, reliable strokes, she reached behind her to grab hold of whatever she could. Her fingers were like steel as she urged him on. He’d be covered in battle scars by the morning, and would relish every one.
‘Now,’ she commanded with all the confidence she’d gained over the past few hours.
Bucking furiously as the waves of her release lashed her into a frenzy, she tightened her inner muscles around him, which made holding back an impossibility. His release was extraordinary. Powerful, and seemingly never-ending, he had never known anything like it before. When they had both finally quietened, he embraced her and she wrapped her arms around him as they laughed and kissed and gasped with sheer disbelief that anything could feel quite so good.
‘And now I’m going to ride you,’ she said.
‘Mercy!’
‘There can be no mercy for a man who has so much potential.’
‘Okay, then.’ He shrugged and turned onto his back.
‘But first...’ Moving down the bed, she took him in her mouth and made him harder still. ‘That’s better,’ she approved.
He helped her mount up, and from there it was a crazy ride to the finish.
‘Amazing,’ she gasped. ‘You’re amazing!’
‘And you are too,’ he confirmed, smiling.
Turning her, he slipped a pillow beneath her hips to lift her into an even more receptive position. As he did so, she met his gaze and held it. ‘I love this,’ she said as his rough hands cupped her buttocks.
‘You do surprise me,’ he said wryly.
As they laughed together, intimately sharing their own particular brand of humour, he realised that sex had never been fun before. It had been a means to an end, a hunger satisfied, a need dealt with until the next time, but this...this was something very different.
* * *
Never in her wildest dreams had Kimmie imagined that sex could be as good as this. Not just good—fantastic. Or that she could feel the way she did about Kris. He wasn’t just the consummate lover; he made her feel loved, cherished...special. She didn’t expect the feeling to last. They were worlds apart and she had to be realistic, but while they were here making memories that would have to be enough. She’d treasure those memories, and believed absolutely that they would make her artwork richer and more layered in so many ways. How could she portray life and love without ever experiencing these feelings?
* * *
It was late the next day while Kimmie was in the shower that he decided to definitely etch her name right at the top of his so far non-existent list of potential brides. They’d only known each other a few days, but how long would it take to know that this was different and special? The sex was amazing. She made him laugh, made him relax, made him look at life differently. That definitely put her in contention. She would be leaving Kaimos soon. He wasn’t sure of the exact date. He’d been too busy, to put it mildly, to ask questions he’d thought could wait.
Rolling over in bed to answer the phone, he fielded a call from one of his PAs in New York. Instantly alert at hearing some disastrous news, he was already making plans to leave the island. Not tomorrow, unfortunately, but right now. The crucially important deal he’d thought he’d sewn up had sprung a leak that only his finger could plug. Quitting the rumpled bed, he strode into the bathroom and joined Kimmie beneath the spray.
‘Again?’ she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and stared up, smiling.
‘Why not?’ he agreed, backing her towards the wall. They didn’t have long, but it was enough.
Would he ever get enough of this woman? He knew the answer even as he lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Pressing her up against cool marble, he took her with crazy passion, and with frustration that they didn’t have longer to spin this out. He could hardly propose they saw each other again just so he could assess her suitability as a potential bride some time in the future. It would be better to walk away now.
But what would that say to Kimmie? Yeah, the sex was great, but I can’t have you interfering with my life.
Wasn’t that actually what he was saying, and how it would be if he went ahead with his crazy plan?
‘I’ve never known anyone like you,’ he whispered in her ear as the screaming died down and soft, rhythmical moans took its place. ‘You do know how special you are to me, don’t you?’
With a deep sigh, she stared up, holding his gaze with an expression that took hold of his heart and twisted it. ‘Are? Or have been?’ she said with her usual intuitive shrewdness. ‘Don’t make any promises to me that you can’t keep, Kris. I couldn’t take that.’
‘I’m not going to,’ he assured her, trying to close down his feelings. ‘I have to go away,’ he admitted. ‘Right now. Business. But I’ll be back, and I still want to see that exhibition. If that’s all right with you?’
She blinked rapidly and drew a deep breath. ‘If I’m not too busy, I might make time for you,’ she said, though her teasing sounded strained. ‘You know us artists,’ she continued. ‘We get lost in our own world and forget about everything else. So there’s a big chance I might forget about you too.’
‘Paint me and remember,’ he said, selfishly hoping she would.
‘And now you have to go,’ she reminded him lightly.
‘Yes. Do you mind if I rush?’ he asked, grimacing. ‘I have a flight plan to file and arrangements to make.’
‘You go,’ she reiterated. ‘I’ll be fine.’
* * *
Kimmie had never seen anyone dress so quickly, or leave a situation so fast. There was a life lesson right
there. Mike had never loved her, she realised now, and yet she’d fallen for the combination of his familiarity and charm. Kris had exploded into her life, changing everything, but had rocketed out of it just as fast. The thought of him leaving so rapidly after what had been such a special moment for her—for both of them, she’d thought—had left her with an aching heart and a sinking feeling in her stomach that she had never been in control, as she’d imagined, and that she had to get a grip before she slid down the cracks opening up in every direction.
Sitting down heavily on the bed, she threw her head back to stare at the ceiling, but there were no answers there. She’d been the architect of her own misfortune, and now it was time to wake up and sort herself out. When it came to men, she was certifiably hopeless. Learn from that and move on. Thank goodness she had a career. She wouldn’t be making the same mistake twice.
Twice? Make that ever again.
* * *
Kimmie had returned to London as fast as she could—which was to say she’d used the ticket she would have used if she’d stayed on for a few days’ honeymoon. There was no point wasting money when the trip had already cost so much.
Five months on and she’d heard absolutely nothing from Kris. That must have been some business trip! But she wasn’t going to dwell on it. She hadn’t expected to ever hear from him again.
London always lifted her spirits. She’d given notice on her tiny flat and made appointments to view some more properties. A new broom sweeps clean, she determined as she strode through the park on a glorious wintry afternoon.
It was one of those days when London was at its beautiful best beneath a flawless blue sky. The city she loved was crowded and vibrant, with countless different languages floating on the breeze. To Kimmie everything was endlessly fascinating and reassuringly the same.