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“Don’t move! You’re making it worse.”
He pulled gently on the material, clearing it from the teeth of the zipper. He gave it another go. It started to move. He breathed a sigh of relief. His relief was short-lived as the zipper got stuck again.
“This is ridiculous,” Stasia said. “I’ll just put on something else. Pull down the zipper so I can get out of it.”
He tried pulling it the other direction. “It won’t budge.”
“What?” Concern rang out in her voice. “You mean I’m stuck in this dress that is only half-zipped?”
He needed to get a better view of the zipper. “Move over here.”
He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. This gave him an eye-level view of the problem.
She turned around and took a step toward him. When her heel caught on the carpeting, she lost her balance. Roberto reached out to her, wrapping his hands around her slender waist. He guided her to him. She landed on his thigh.
She turned to look at him. At this point, her face was mere centimeters from his. The breath caught in his throat as his heart hammered against his ribs. He couldn’t ever remember experiencing this powerful of an attraction.
His gaze lowered to her lips. They wore a rosy shade of lip gloss. They reminded him of sun-ripened berries just perfect for picking. But dare he?
When his gaze rose to meet hers, he saw the flames of desire flickering in her eyes. In that moment, she was no one’s widow, no one’s little sister. She was just a very desirable woman who wanted the same thing as him.
He leaned forward. His mouth lightly brushed hers. He had to move with caution. And then he stopped. Too much, too fast, and she’d bolt. The only sound in the room was the beating of his heart echoing in his ears.
He wanted her so badly, but he wasn’t going to rush her. If it killed him, he would sit here and let her walk away. If this kiss were to happen it had to be wanted by both of them.
And then she was there, pressing her lips to his.
At first, her touch was tentative, unsure. He let her lead the way. Right now, he would follow her just about anywhere. Her kiss was sweet and yet it was also spicy. This was a kiss unlike any other—and he’d been kissed a lot. But he knew going forward that Stasia had ruined him for any other woman.
His hand moved to her back. With her zipper stuck, it left her back completely bare. His mouth grew dry. His fingers grazed over the silky-smooth flesh. A moan swelled in the back of his throat. If this didn’t stop soon, it would go so much further than either of them was ready for. And he didn’t want to lose Stasia—as a friend.
It took every bit of willpower in him to grip her bare shoulders and pull back. Desire and confusion warred within her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
“Um...you’re right.” She got to her feet and started to walk away.
“Wait.”
She turned back to him. The confusion was still evident in her eyes, but in place of the desire there was now something else. Could it be disappointment? In a blink, whatever he saw was now gone.
He ran his fingers over his mouth. “Your zipper. I need to get it unstuck.”
She shook her head. “I’ll just change.”
“But I don’t think you can get out of it until the zipper is fixed.”
A distinct frown settled over her beautiful face. He could tell she was considering ways to get out of the dress that didn’t involve him touching her again. And it made him feel bad that he’d let go of his common sense and caused this rift between them. He wondered if—no, he hoped—they could move past it.
“Come here.” When she didn’t move, he said, “The kiss, it won’t happen again.”
Her eyes reflected the uncertainties churning within her.
“I promise.”
That seemed to be enough to get her to move toward him. When Stasia stopped in front of him, he noticed she’d kicked off her high heels. And when she stood with her back to him, she left a modest distance between them. It saddened him that he’d ruined the easiness between them. He would have to work extra hard throughout dinner to gain her trust back.
It took him a few minutes to work the delicate material out of the teeth of the zipper. He slowly pulled on the zipper until it was to the top.
