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Karen opened the door wider, then turned and walked away, leaving him to follow. He closed the door and trailed her as they passed through a cozy living room and ended up in the kitchen. She gestured to a chair at the wooden table. “Have a seat.”
He removed his jacket, draped it over the back of the chair and sat. She wrapped her arms around her middle and nervously chewed on her lip. He hated the mistrust he read in her eyes. “How’ve you been?”
“Okay. You?”
“Miserable as hell without you.”
Her eyebrow lifted a fraction. “Um...can I get you something?”
“Yes.” Without stopping to question his actions, he reached out, tugged her down onto his lap and kissed her. She resisted for a split second before he heard her soft sigh of surrender. Shifting her until she straddled him, he deepened the kiss as his hands traced a path up her thighs and over the curve of her hips.
“Damian,” she whispered against his lips.
The way she called his name made him lose all reason. He threaded his hand through her hair and held her head in place as he kissed her greedily, his tongue thrusting deep. Breaking off the kiss, Damian rested his head against hers. “I’m sorry.”
Her eyes snapped open. She lifted her head and met his eyes.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen. I—”
“Let me up!” She struggled in his arms, but he held firm. “Let me go. I’m not playing these games with you.”
He released a deep sigh. “Will you just stop squirming for a minute and let me finish?”
Realizing her efforts to leave his lap were futile, she stopped and glowered at him.
He shook his head and chuckled softly. “What I was trying to say is that wasn’t supposed to happen until we talked. But somehow, I seem to lose control each and every time I’m near you. I need you to know why I missed dinner. That I didn’t hook up with some other woman on the cruise.”
His confession deflated some of her anger. “You didn’t?”
“No. We took a boat to one of the private islands to snorkel and have lunch, or so I thought. However, Kyle and Troy neglected to tell me they made plans for us to stay in the Bahamas and rejoin the cruise at the last port. By the time I found out, I had no way of contacting you or getting back to the ship before it left.”
“Oh.”
“Believe me, I was not happy. As soon as we boarded the ship the next day, I came to your room. But you didn’t answer then...or the other three times I knocked. I think the couple across the hall thought I was stalking you.” He paused. “So now you know. Why didn’t you wait for me like I asked?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I left you a note.”
“I never saw the note, Damian. I thought you found someone else.”
He stroked her face. “Oh, baby. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t even look at another woman after meeting you. We spent two days and one incredible night together. And I don’t know about you, but I thought something special was happening between us.”
“So did I. Now what?”
“That depends on you. I’d like to pick up where we left off and get to know each other. I want to know what makes you happy and what makes you cry. What your favorite food is, what you like to do when you’re not teaching and everything else. What do you think?”
She smiled. “It sounds really good, but how are we going to manage that when, if I’m not mistaken, you live in North Carolina?”
His brow lifted. “We live in the twenty-first century. I’m sure we can figure something out. So what do you say?”
“I don’t know, Damian. Even with technology, you’re still on the other side of the country.”
“True, but I really want to get to know you, and I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“How about we just go out while you’re here and see where things go?”
It wasn’t the answer he wanted, but it was a start. “I can work with that.” He kissed her, long and slow. The kiss went from sweet and gentle to hot and all-consuming in an instant. He stood, placed her on the table, pulled the sweater over her head and removed her bra. Cupping her breasts in his hands, he reacquainted himself with their feel and taste before running a worshipping hand down her belly to unbutton and unzip her jeans.
“Ease up a little, baby,” he told her as he pulled them and her panties off. “So beautiful.” She looked sexy, leaning back on her elbows with her legs spread. So sexy, in fact, he had to taste her. Damian reclaimed his chair and hooked her legs over his shoulders. He kissed his way up her inner thighs until his face was buried in her lush sweetness. He pressed the tip of his tongue to her warm, moist center, swirling and teasing and grazing her clitoris. Her hips flew off the table, and she let out a strangled moan. He lifted her hips in his hands and slid his tongue inside her, stroking deeper and faster. Her legs began to quiver uncontrollably, and he didn’t stop until she exploded around him, screaming his name.
