“It was nice meeting you, Miss Scott,” he said, before stealing another kiss. “I hope we’ll see much more of each other.”
Darcy slowly backed away, unable to take her eyes off of him. She stood like a fool in the middle of the hall until he stepped back inside his room and closed the door. The moment the lock clicked shut, her knees almost buckled and she pressed her fingers to her lips. They were still damp.
“What am I doing?” she murmured.
She didn’t have an answer to the question, but that didn’t seem to matter. She wanted Kel Martin, beyond all reason. She wanted him to open the door, drag her back inside and thoroughly seduce her.
“No, no, no,” she muttered to herself. “I’m supposed to be older and wiser.” Darcy knew precisely what would happen if she knocked on his door and, for a long moment, she contemplated doing just that. But in the end, she gathered her resolve, drew a deep breath and walked back to the elevator.
Kel was exactly like chocolate. She might want to indulge now, to allow herself just one tiny taste. But Darcy was afraid that one little taste might lead to a week-long binge. And after that, she’d crave a steady diet of Kel Martin.
KEL SLID onto a barstool and ordered a whiskey, then turned his attention to the basketball game on the television above the bar. He’d enjoyed a long, leisurely dinner in the hotel restaurant, hoping he’d run into Darcy again, but she hadn’t shown.
It was obvious by the kiss they’d shared that she remembered him. He didn’t know much about Darcy Scott, but he knew she wasn’t the type to kiss a complete stranger just a few minutes after being introduced. He frowned. Or maybe she had kissed her fair share of strangers and he had been just one more on her list.
He rubbed his palms together, recalling the feel of her silky hair slipping through his fingers. Everything he’d experienced today with Darcy seemed more intense, as though vividly colored with a desire that had been simmering for five years.
“Thanks,” Kel said as the bartender set the tumbler in front of him. The bartender nodded, then walked down to the far end. Kel’s gaze followed and came to rest on Darcy. He hadn’t noticed her at first, hiding in the shadows.
Their eyes met and he held his breath, a knot of anticipation tightening in his stomach. She had been waiting for him, knowing that he’d be looking for her. Still, Darcy’s expression was far from encouraging. She looked as if she might just bolt at any moment-or throw up.
Kel took a sip of his whiskey, the liquor warming his blood and fortifying his courage. Hell, he could understand her nerves. When they’d encountered each other five years ago, neither one of them had worried about the consequences. It had been a one-night stand, pure and simple. But now, there seemed to be so much more at stake.
He stood and strolled to the end of the bar, then sat down next to her. How was this supposed to go? Should he spend time on the preliminary flirting or did she expect him to get right to the business of seduction? “Can I buy you a drink?” he asked. A good start, but a bit of a cliché.
“Champagne,” Darcy said.
She’d ordered champagne that night. So this was how she wanted it to play out-exactly the way it had five years ago. “Are you celebrating?”
Darcy laughed softly, as if pleased that he remembered the words he’d used the first time they’d met. “I don’t know. I can’t think of anything to celebrate.”
“How about meeting me?” he asked. Geez, the line had sounded so slick five years ago, but now it was downright corny.
She bit her lower lip, amused. “Does that line actually work on women?”
“It used to,” he replied. Kel turned to the bartender. “Can I have a bottle of your best champagne and two glasses?” He directed his attention back to Darcy, his gaze skimming her face. Two tiny worry lines marred her forehead and her hands were folded in front of her on the bar, her fingers so tense her knuckles were white.
When the bartender returned with the champagne, he poured them both a glass, then dropped the bottle into a silver bucket engraved with the Delaford logo.
“So, tell me, what are you doing sitting all alone in this place?”
“I’m not alone,” Darcy said, raising her glass. The crystal rang softly as she touched her champagne flute to his.
Suddenly, Kel couldn’t remember what came next. Had he asked her what she was doing in San Francisco? Or had they talked about their jobs? Damn, he’d replayed this so many times in his brain, but he’d always skipped over the incidental conversation and moved right to the interesting parts.
But then, it really didn’t matter, did it? This little game they were playing was just a means to an end. “Would you like to get out of here?”
Darcy stood up and grabbed her glass and started toward the door. Kel quickly signed his tab, then picked up the bottle of champagne and his glass in one hand.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he muttered.
He caught up to her just outside the bar, then walked silently beside her through the lobby and to the elevator. Desire coursed through his veins as he waited for the doors to open. When they did, Kel spread his hand across the small of her back and steered her inside. The moment the elevator door closed, he turned to her.
“If you have any doubts, now’s the time to tell me. Before I start pushing any buttons here.”
Without looking away, Darcy reached over and pressed the button for the third floor. But Kel couldn’t wait any longer. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her into a kiss, lingering over her mouth, his tongue tangling with hers.
The kiss sent a rush of warmth through his bloodstream and he felt himself growing hard. Darcy hooked her fingers in the waistband of his trousers and pulled his hips against hers, the heat of his erection pressed between. There was no doubt between them. She wanted him as much as he wanted her.
The elevator doors opened and Kel tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her along with him, his mouth still clinging to hers. They stumbled toward his suite, champagne spilling from her glass as they moved. When they reached his suite, Kel dug in his pocket for his keycard. He pressed Darcy back against the door, his chin resting on her shoulder as he clumsily slipped the card in the lock.
“Hell, I hate these things,” he muttered, unable to get the card to work. He dropped the bottle of champagne on the carpet and it fizzed as it spilled.
With trembling fingers, Darcy snatched the card from his hand and turned around. He pressed up against the soft curve of her backside. God, he felt as if he were ready to explode. If he expected this night to be like their first, he’d have to summon at least a measure of self-control.
Finally, Darcy managed to get the door unlocked and they both stumbled into the room, the last of the champagne splashing on the floor. Kel grabbed her glass and set it on the wet bar along with his, his face still buried in the hair at the nape of her neck, her backside pressed to his groin. He pushed her against the wall and drew her hair back, then kissed the skin just below her ear.
Her intoxicating scent filled his head and made it hard to think straight. But Kel’s instincts drove him forward. What had happened five years ago didn’t matter anymore. They were here, right now, and he wanted her beyond all rational thought.
He reached for the hem of her skirt and drew it up to her hips, then smoothed his hands along her thighs. Her legs were bare, the skin warm and silken.
Darcy sighed softly as he stroked her buttocks, his fingers tangling in the lacy scrap of her panties. But when his caress reached her belly, she pressed her buttocks against his erection in a silent invitation. They were both still fully dressed, but it felt as if she were naked in front of him.