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“Now you’ve put me on the spot. I’m stumped, but I’ll do my best.” I went to my stereo cabinet and flipped through my records, choosing James Taylor’s greatest hits, and put the needle on the first track.
“Classic choice,” Darby said, holding out his arms. “Come here.”
A shiver of desire went through me. I almost tripped over my own feet as I went to him. He folded me into him, with his arms around my waist. I came to his chest. “You’re tall.”
“Did you not notice before?”
“I never thought about it much.” Avoiding his eyes, I focused on the artery in his neck, which pulsed with the beat of his heart and seemingly in time to the music.
“Is this a date?” Darby asked, his mouth against my hair.
“I’ve no idea,” I said, and moved closer to him, nestling my face into his neck, which smelled spicy and of fresh soap. He was substantial, muscular, and graceful. “You were right. You are a good dancer.”
“I have other talents too.”
I giggled. “I remember.”
“Jamie?”
“Yes?” I drew back slightly to look up at him.
“Would it be all right, even though this may or may not be a date, for me to kiss you?”
“Yes, it would be fine.” I smiled up at him. My pulse raced, and my body ached for him.
He leaned down and captured my mouth in his, kissing me until I was breathless.
“I want you,” I whispered in his ear. “Stay with me?”
11
DARBY
“Icannot stay. I shouldn’t stay,” I said to her.
“But why?” Jamie’s cheeks and neck were flushed, and her hair fell around her shoulders. I knew exactly what she would look like without her clothes.
God, I wanted her so badly.
“Because we have to do this the right way,” I said. “Get to know each other in a different way than just sex.”
She stopped swaying to the music and looked up at me with big blue eyes. Eyes that melted my resolve. “Is that what you want? To get to know me better?”
“Yes, without sex getting in the way. I’m an old-fashioned guy, remember.”
“Your kiss made me forget that for a moment,” she said in a wry tone.
I smiled and traced her swollen lips with the pad of my thumb. “I want to stay. Trust me. I’d love nothing more than to take you into that bedroom and do everything I’m imagining. However, I respect you too much for that. We agreed to erase that night from our current situation, right?”
“Did we?” Her forehead creased.
“Yes, we did. Which means we need to date properly before we get back into bed together.” My self-control was precarious at best. If she only knew how badly I wanted her. Because as much as we claimed to have put that night away, I remembered it. I remembered her. Every inch of her.
“Leave it to me to find the last old-fashioned guy on the planet.” Her breathing had returned to normal. I didn’t know if I was glad or not.
“Would you like some more wine?” I asked.
“That’s not what I want, but sure.”
