Simply Sinful (Simply 1)

Having changed the subject, he exhaled. His breathing came easier, but not much, considering her soft curves now molded against him…and he was strung tighter than ever.

She stopped short of sitting down. “I’m not thirsty anymore. I think I’ll just go to bed, instead.” He released his next breath in a whoosh of air. She’d accepted his boundaries. He wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight, but at least he remained in control.

She stepped backward, tilting her head until she looked him in the eye. “Ready?”

“For?” he asked warily.

“Bed. Aren’t you going to join me?”

He muttered a curse. Where this woman was concerned, control was a goddamn illusion.

“I’ll take the couch.” He crossed his arms and waited.

Kayla shot him an amused glance, aware that Kane was edgy and uncomfortable. And it was thanks to her…and the idea of sleeping with her. Amazing.

When in her life had she had the ability to put a man like Kane on the spot? When had she ever made any man feel awkward? Maybe it was an ability she’d always had but never had the courage to explore before. With Kane, she was secure enough. Comfortable enough. She liked that feeling.

Almost as much as she liked him. A smile formed on her lips. “Go ahead, sleep on the couch. But I should tell you, it’s lumpy and uncomfortable. You won’t get much sleep out there.”

“What makes you think I’ll get any sleep in there, with you?” He gestured toward the hallway and her bedroom.

“Because I’m tired, still injured, like you said.” She slicked her hair behind her ear. “And besides, I don’t recall inviting you to do anything else besides sleep.”

His eyes darkened under lowered lids. “You invite a man into your bed, sweetheart, you better be prepared for anything.” Need echoed in his voice.

Her knees went weak and her insides turned to jelly. Another second and her mind would follow. Reaching out, Kayla grasped his hand, intertwining their fingers together. His skin felt rough and warm against her palm; his hand felt right in hers.

She’d grown up feeling as if she had to fight for everything that mattered, from her mother’s attention to accepting the adult she’d become. Even a business she’d legitimately inherited had turned into a struggle she might not win. Nothing had come easily, some things not at all.

But Kane, her love for this man, mattered more than anything else ever had. She’d fight for it, so that when the end came, she’d have no regrets. She tugged lightly on his hand.

“Don’t do this.” His voice held a ragged warning.

She refused to listen. “I’ve got used to sleeping in your arms, Kane. Is that so much to ask?”

Chapter Ten

The clock on the nightstand read midnight. Kane glanced at the woman lying beside him. Her even breathing told him she was asleep. Damned if he could say the same. How could he when lying beside Kayla, taking in her scent, and sharing body heat had begun to feel familiar? To feel right?

Add to that the fact that she wanted him, too, and nothing was stopping him from waking her up by easing himself inside her. Nothing except his own damn sense of right and wrong. Control was no longer an issue. Kayla’s feelings were.

As soon as this case ended, he was history. So why hurt her more than he already had? Rolling to the side, he levered himself to a sitting position. The bedsprings creaked beneath his weight as he stood. Kayla didn’t move.

He walked to the window and rolled open the blinds. A full moon lit the night sky, and its glow streamed into the room.

“Kane?” The rustle of sheets followed the sound of her voice.

He turned. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” Or maybe he had. He’d begun to hate being alone with only his thoughts for company.

She turned back the covers on his side. “Come back to bed.”

Did she know what she was asking? His body churned with need. If he climbed beside her, it wouldn’t be for sleeping.

She curled her legs beneath her. “I’ll tell you a bedtime story.” Humor tinged her voice as she patted the sheets with one hand.

How could he resist an offer like that? He eased himself next to her, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she settled against his side. “What was your favorite?” he asked. “‘Sleeping Beauty?’ ‘Cinderella’?” He named fairy tales he’d only heard of. He sure as hell hadn’t been on the receiving end of those stories while growing up.

“‘The Ugly Duckling,’” she murmured.