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He was so close to having her back that he fought the shudder of anticipation. Seeing her again didn’t just remind him of what he’d almost lost, it reminded him what it felt like to feel whole. He wanted to give her everything she ever desired, but he had no idea how to do it when she fought him every step of the way.
Instead, he pressed her gently against the side of the pool and reached between them. Ignoring his own throbbing erection, he strummed her clit until she shivered and panted in his arms.
“Kash,” she cried out. “I’m so ready…you don’t have to….ah, fuck.”
Her legs tightened around him, and she buried her head in his shoulder as the orgasm ripped through her. He widened his stance in an attempt to keep them both upright, but his balance was off, and they both tumbled into the water.
Keeping a grip around her, he brought them both up to the surface quickly. Shaking his head, he brushed the wet strands of hair from her face and smiled at her. “Sorry about that,” he chuckled.
“God, Kashif, we’re going to freeze on the way back!” She unlocked her legs and tried to move away from him, but he wasn’t about to let her go that easily.
“It’ll be cold, but we’ll be fine. Our clothes are dry, and I’m here to warm you up if you need it.”
Slapping his chest, she glared at him. “Now is not the time for jokes. We need to get back. I need to check on Arella, and I wanted to spend some time with the dogs.”
It was obvious that she wasn’t going to mention anything about the past few minutes. He was tempted to push her, but he was sure it would only take one wrong move, and he’d never be allowed to touch her again. Sighing inwardly, he released her.
“Turn around,” she commanded. “I’m going to climb out.”
“Really? After all that, you want me to—”
“Do it!”
Holding up his hands in surrender, he turned his back to her. Listening carefully to make sure she didn’t slip in again, he heard the rustling of clothes as she hurriedly dried off and dressed.
It was clear that she was going to be difficult to sway, but he was a patient man, and he didn’t have anywhere to be any time soon.
He’d seduced her once. He’d do it again, and this time, he wasn’t going to let her go.
* * *
After a warm shower, Kashif lounged by the doorway and watched from a safe distance as Kristy and Arella worked on their wreaths. He knew that she hadn’t noticed him, and he didn’t want to interrupt.
“All right, now we tie the twine around them, and voila, we have a wreath!”
“Volla,” Arella mimicked pushing her hands up in the air.
Kristy laughed and emptied the rest of the basket. “Now, let’s see here. We have branches of pine, berries, pine cones, and holly. Pick out what you want on your wreath and where you want it. I’m going to get the hot glue gun, okay?”
As Kristy rose from her chair, Kashif quickly moved back to the stairwell. He understood perfect moments, and Kristy and her daughter were sharing one. He didn’t dare interrupt her. As he mounted the stairs, he thought about growing up and his mother’s excitement over Christmas. It was her favorite holiday—one that she’d learned to appreciate as an ambassador’s daughter when her family had been living in Europe. She’d always made this time of year feel so special. He hadn’t realized how much he missed her until this moment.
Back in his own room, he leaned back against the headboard and stared out the window. He could still remember the first time he’d brought Kristy to his room. She’d been so nervous, but once she relaxed and opened up, she had been wild and carefree; unlike any woman he’d ever met. She saw magic in things most people took for granted. And when she looked at him that way, she even made dog sledding look as easy as a jog around the park.
It broke his heart to know that he’d never get that Kristy back. Even if he did regain her trust, their past would always come between them.
He wasn’t sure why he was even bothering trying to win her back. She was right. In the end, he would leave, and nothing would have changed.
But something spurred him on. There was something that he didn’t quite understand happening here, and he couldn’t abandon it. Or her.
10
Even though it was late, Kashif had wanted to spend some time with her, so he’d asked Kristy to join him for dinner at the diner, but she declined telling him that Arella was getting over a cold. She didn’t want to ask her aunt to babysit her at the last minute, and she didn’t think it would be a good idea to bring Arella along since she worried that in the event she started coughing, she would be disruptive to the other diners.
As far as excuses went, it felt pretty lame since Arella didn’t seem to have any symptoms of her cold during the day, but she was glad when he didn’t push. His eyes had searched her face, but she steeled herself against him. She wasn’t ready to talk about what happened in the hot springs. Maybe not ever.
Still, in her own bed, she couldn’t help but remember the way it had felt to have his fingers inside her, stroking her. All the promises he’d made about what he wanted to do to her echoed in her head, and she tossed and turned restlessly for most of the night. By the time she got up the next morning, she felt like she’d barely gotten any sleep at all.
Damn him. Her life was so much simpler before he came along.
