AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The magic of the old place took over as soon as they crossed the threshold. It was new, even for Katrina who had never experienced anything like it. Other men had been inside the cottage with her—Alphé and Luke and Justin and the workmen—and there was nothing like this feeling. It came in a wave, the desire to give of herself. The power of the cottage had waited for Dave.
Dave felt it too, and he had a choice to make. Make small talk or grab her and kiss her. He would try to be polite, would try to help her move beyond the emotions they were both feeling that might have the power to carry them away and do something they might regret later.
But first, he had to touch her, so he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him again. Only, this time she closed her eyes and studied the feelings she had, and it was more than desire. It was a longing for a life with him, and catching herself, she accidentally cried a little.
“Katrina.”
With shining, tear-filled eyes, she looked up into his and there was no mistaking what she saw there. This relationship would not be an easy one to navigate. His hands gripped her arms, and they kissed; he felt her lips, soft and full. Yielding, she kissed him back, feeling a bit of prickles from his beard and smelling the fragrance of something sweet like Juicy Fruit gum on his breath. Katrina wanted to devour Dave, but she held off, wanting him to make the moves. They finally parted, at a crossroads where the choice was to have sex right then or try for something else. The decision was difficult.
He stood in the same spot, watching her, waiting for his breathing to slow down, his heart to stop racing. She did the same thing, determined to take it slow. Finally, he glanced around the white-painted cottage interior. All the carved woodwork was pristine and new, everything clean and perfect just like its owner.
“What do you think?”
“It’s amazing. I wondered what it would look like finished. It’s nothing like it was.”
“No. Would you like coffee?”
“I’d love coffee.”
He followed her into the kitchen and sat on the barstool she’d pointed at.
They didn’t speak while she made the coffee, but when she placed a cup in front of him, she looked into his eyes. “Why are you here? We need to define what’s happening between us. I don’t want a one-night stand.”
He took a deep breath and nodded again. A look of sadness washed over his face for just a second. “I don’t want that, either. I want to be with you. Weekends at Bayou Cottage have been tough. I have to pretend I’m not obsessed with watching you move.”
“Amber won’t like it if she finds out.”
“Unless you tell her, Amber won’t know.”
“Just to keep everything up front, we know what we’re doing; is that correct?” She didn’t want to use the wordaffair. But that was what it would be.
“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. And then he usedthe word. “I’ll say it. I want to have an affair with you. I think that’s what they call it. I need to be with you. But I know you are devoted to Alphé Beaumont. I wouldn’t want to add to the man’s troubles.”
She didn’t contradict him, but she wasn’t devoted to Alphé.
“And Amber?”
“Let me worry about Amber.”
“It sounds like you’ve put some thought into it. Like you might have had a fantasy about it and made up a story to make it work. That’s a lot of planning.”
“I’ve been fantasizing about you since the masked ball. I loved you as Blanche DuBois. Maybe before.”
Katrina barked out a laugh. “I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true,” he said seriously. “Ask Justin.”
“Well, here’s the thing; they must never find out. Maggie would hate it. Her first husband betrayed her. It wouldn’t go over well if they found out.”
“Are you sure they don’t suspect something? Justin said something to me”
“They think I was teasing.” She moved away from him. “I’m so scared.”
She was falling in love with Dave Chastain. She might already be in love with him. The chance of being hurt had been placed front and center.
“Don’t be scared. You have my word; I won’t tell Maggie.”
“That’s not why I’m scared. I’m afraid I’m going to regret this,” she murmured.
