“That’s just silly.” She gave him a wicked smile. “You like touching me.”
In the time he’d known her, he’d learned just how powerful that smile could be. It had whittled away at his willpower until he’d done the one thing he knew he shouldn’t. He’d fallen hard.
Duty. Honor. Integrity. The lament filled his mind. If only Brooke didn’t make it so damned hard to do the right thing.
She got u
p from her chair and stepped into his space.
He tipped his head back and assessed her determined expression. His heart shuddered as she put her palms flat on his shoulders and settled herself on his lap. Even though Nic had braced himself for the arousing pressure of her firm rear on his thighs, it took every bit of concentration he possessed to put his hands behind his back, safely out of range of her tempting curves. What sort of hell had he let himself fall into?
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Are you all right?” she asked, tracing her fingertips across his furrowed brow.
God, she was a tempting lapful.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I’m great, and you didn’t answer my question.” He pulled her spicy scent into his lungs and held it there. He longed to bury his face in her neck and imprint her upon his senses. “What are you doing on my lap?”
“Demonstrating that you want me as much as I want you.”
He hated himself for hoping she’d continue the demonstration until he couldn’t catch his breath. Making love to her was amazing. He’d never been with anyone who matched him the way she did. Anticipation gnawed on him like a puppy with a stolen shoe.
“I assure you I want you a great deal more.” How he kept his voice so clinical, Nic would never know.
“Then you’ll let me stay on the island for the next few days?”
She knew him better than anyone and once she’d discovered his weakness where she was concerned, she’d pressed her advantage at every opportunity. Before they’d made love, she’d slipped past his defenses like a ninja. Now they’d been intimate and he didn’t doubt that she would exploit his passion to get her way.
“I left California without saying goodbye because leaving you was so damned hard.” When he’d broken off things a month ago, he’d been lucky to escape before her shock at his announcement wore off. Ending their relationship was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. If she’d begged him to stay, he wasn’t sure if he could have done the right thing by Sherdana. “Nothing good will come of putting off the inevitable.”
“The way you disappeared left me feeling anxious and out of sorts. I understood that we’d broken up, but what I didn’t get was how you could take off without saying anything. You should have explained your circumstances. I could have processed the situation and gotten closure. That’s what I need now. A few days to say goodbye properly.”
“And by properly you mean...?”
Her serious expression dissolved into one of unabashed mischief. “A few days of incredible sex and unbridled passion should do it.”
How could any man resist such an offer? Visions of her flat on her back with his hands skimming along her soft, delectable curves rose to torture him. A smile and a frown played tug-of-war on his face. But this was not the time to stop listening to the voice inside his head that reminded him he had to give her up. The smartest thing would be to avoid making more memories that would haunt him the rest of his life.
“Don’t you think it would be better if we didn’t let ourselves indulge in something that has no future?”
“I’m not going to pretend we have a future. I’m going to cherish every moment of our time together with the knowledge that in the end we’ll say goodbye forever.” She slid her fingers into his hair. Her thumbs traced the outline of his ears. “I can see you need more convincing, so I’m going to kiss you.”
He drank in the scent of honey and vanilla rising off her skin, knowing she tasted as good as she smelled. Her generous lips, rosy and bare of lipstick, parted in anticipation of the promised kiss. Nothing would make him happier than to spend the rest of his life enjoying the curve and texture of her lips. The way she sighed as he kissed her. The soft hitch in her breath as he grazed her lower lip with his teeth.
A tremor transmitted her agitation to him. He longed to inspire more such trembling. To revisit her most ticklish spots, the erogenous zones that made her moan. With erotic impulses twisting his nerves into knots, Nic snagged her gaze. Silver flecks ringed her irises, growing brighter as she stared at his mouth. His pulse thundered in his ears as the moment stretched without a kiss coming anywhere near his lips.
“Damn it, Brooke.”
He would not scoop the wayward strand of hair behind her tiny ear and let his knuckles linger against her flushed cheek. He refused to tug on her braid and coax her lips close enough to drift over his.
“What’s the matter, Nic?” Her fingers explored his eyebrows and tested his lashes.
Duty. Honor. Integrity. The litany was starting to lose its potency.