He slipped his palms beneath the silk panties and delved between her legs, his fingers coming back damp with her need. Slowly, Kel explored and he felt her melting into him. He knew he could bring her to her peak with his fingers, but when she came, he wanted to look into her eyes.
Gently, he turned her around to face him. She leaned back against the wall and he delved deeper. Her eyes closed, Darcy arched back, but Kel withdrew and slipped his hand around her neck. “Look at me,” he said.
She opened her eyes and he saw the passion swirling in their depths. Her lips parted and he kissed her, capturing her mouth as he had her sex. A tiny moan slipped from her throat and Kel knew that she was close. But then he felt her hand around his wrist, drawing him away.
She reached for his belt and began to work it open with clumsy fingers. His zipper was next and a heartbeat later, her fingers wrapped around him. Kel closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of her touch. He’d fantasized about this so many times, wondering why all those years ago his response to her touch had been so intense. Even now, he couldn’t explain it.
Kel kissed her again. “I need you to slow down,” he whispered against her mouth. “I won’t get a prize for finishing first.” And there was no way he could continue on like this. He smoothed the back of his hand across her cheek. “We have time.”
“I can’t wait,” Darcy said. She reached in her jacket pocket and withdrew a foil packet.
“You came prepared?” he asked.
“I wasn’t sure when or where it would happen.”
Her confession pleased him. “But you knew it would?”
She nodded, then slowly slid his trousers and boxers down over his hips. When she tore the condom package open, he held his breath, wincing as she sheathed him. They had to stop. Just for a minute or two. But Darcy was determined to have him and have him now. And all he really wanted to do was please her.
He’d thought about this for years, having her in his arms again, being able to touch her at will, to sink into her and stay there forever. With a low moan, Kel drew her legs up around his waist and pushed aside the silky barrier of her panties.
Kel closed his eyes, just the thought of what he was about to do bringing him closer to the edge. But for a moment he hesitated. How could he go back once he lost himself in her? Would it be everything it had been that night in San Francisco, the stuff of fantasies?
“Please,” she murmured, her breath warm against his ear.
Kel slowly entered her, the feel of her heat around him sending a shockwave through his body. When he’d buried himself deep inside, he waited, trying to slow his pulse. How did Darcy do this to him, take away his self-control?
She shifted above him, her legs wrapped around his hips, and he couldn’t stop himself. Kel began to move, carefully at first, just barely keeping his need in check. But as he drove into her again and again, he lost touch with reality. Every thought was focused on the sensation of being inside her, of losing control in her arms.
He wasn’t sure how long they lasted. But when Darcy arched against him, holding her breath, Kel knew she was on the edge. He wanted to bring her back, but then she cried out, her body convulsing around him. Her orgasm went on and on until Kel couldn’t hold back and he drove into her one last time. Then he collapsed against the wall, his face buried in the curve of her neck. They’d come to it so quickly, but the release seemed to last forever, the two of them shuddering and moaning their pleasure.
This was the way it had been, Kel thought as he inhaled her scent. And this was the way it was. Nothing had changed. If he’d thought he could put Darcy Scott out of his head for good, then he’d been mistaken. She’d found a way back in and this time, Kel suspected he might never recover.
3
DARCY STARED INTO her third cup of coffee as she sat at the restaurant table, patiently waiting for the caffeine to kick in. She hadn’t slept more than a few hours last night, plagued with thoughts of Kel. Regret, confusion, frustration all swirled around in her head until she’d been forced to get out of bed and find something to calm her down. The half pound of truffles that she’d gobbled down at 4 a.m. hadn’t helped matters at all. The moment the sun had risen, Darcy had conceded defeat and crawled into the shower.
She’d done the right thing, come and run, making her exit shortly after she’d pushed her skirt back down around her hips. Indulging in an entire night of pleasure wouldn’t alter the facts. Even though the sex had been quick, it was still the best she’d had in five years.
With other men, Darcy had always been so careful, holding back, avoiding a complete surrender. She’d never really trusted Neil to completely possess her and that turned out to be a good thing. So why did she trust a stranger like Kel Martin? It didn’t make sense.
With just a simple caress, he’d stripped away every fear and inhibition she’d ever had with men. Her brain had shut off and he’d set her body free to enjoy every wonderful sensation. Maybe that freedom came because she knew he was just passing through her life. He’d make love to her and then leave her. What was she really risking after all?
Darcy took a sip of her coffee. She felt as if she’d hit the sexual lottery. A million-dollar orgasm with just one try. Now all she wanted to do was buy another ticket, and another and another, damn the odds and the risks.
She could still taste him in her mouth and feel him on her skin. If she closed her eyes she could recall the miracle of him moving inside of her. A tiny thrill raced through her and Darcy knew it wasn’t the caffeine kicking in but adrenaline leftover from the previous night. It was over now, this little detour into passion. Her curiosity had been appeased and it was time to move on.
“You look like you’ve been dragged behind a bus.” Amanda plopped into the chair across from Darcy. “Did you get any sleep last night?”
“A little,” Darcy admitted sheepishly.
“I checked the register and I see that Mr. Baseball is still with us. Did you talk to him?” Amanda looked at Darcy again, taking in her sleepy gaze. “Wait…don’t even go there. Oh, no, you didn’t.”
Darcy snatched up her napkin and dabbed at her mouth, hoping to hide the smile that wouldn’t seem to go away. She winced, her lips tender and bruised. Was it that evident? Maybe she should have just scrawled a big red “O” on her forehead and been done with it. “I didn’t mean to but I couldn’t seem to help myself. At least I can finally stop counting. The dry spell is officially over.”
“And now the typhoon season begins? You slept with a guest!” Amanda said. “Didn’t we have a seminar on this?”
“We never really made it to the bed. We got as far as the wall. And technically, he’s not a guest. He’s an old friend who happens to be staying at The Delaford.”
“Ah, you’re friends now. I think you could come up with a much better activity to do with a friend. What about a nice walk or maybe a game of tennis?”
“All right, we’re not friends, but we’re very…closely acquainted.” Darcy groaned, then buried her face in her hands. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
“I don’t care. I’m going to sit here until you tell me every detail,” Amanda said, her arms crossed beneath her breasts.
“I expected it to be bad,” Darcy began. “In truth, I wanted it to be bad so I’d finally forget about him. That’s why I went along with the whole seduction, just to prove to myself that it couldn’t possibly live up to the memory.”
“And?”
“And once I realized it was going to be even better, I couldn’t seem to make myself leave. We were…consumed. And now I’m going to spend the next five years thinking about last night, the same way I spent the past five years thinking about the first night we spent together. I feel like I’ve been sucked into a giant black hole of sexual frustration.”