But I hadn’t walked away because she might choose her family over me.
I walked away because this was a decision she must make on her own, without me influencing her. I didn’t want her to feel like I’d guilted or manipulated her in any way. Most of all, I didn’t want to hurt her. While I could live with disappointment or worse, I couldn’t live with the knowledge that I’d hurt her. Even inadvertently.
And perhaps, being here where her brother might pop in at any moment might not be optimal, either. Not that I feared him or any of the law enforcement community. We knew ways to sidestep the local police and had inroads into the court system here in Philadelphia if needed. But dealing with him would be a hassle. And I wasn’t in the mood.
So, I calmly stood there beside my Audi waiting to see what Kelly had to say.
She’d shoved some tennis shoes on her feet without tying the laces and had thrown on a jacket to stave off the frigid temperatures, her breath crystallizing in the air. I’d been with untold numbers of women who wore the most provocative, skin-tight, titillating attire possible, and yet none of them turned me on half as much as this woman did in her cute pink hoodie and sweats.
Christ.
And then she threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my body like a blanket as she locked her lips to mine. I wasn’t sure what it was about her kisses—it’s not like she had special skill or expertise in this area—but every time our lips met, it was like drowning in the best possible way.
Any foolish hope I might’ve had of keeping whatever this was between us on the surface had disappeared.
I’d already gone under.
Being such a petite little thing, Kelly was easy to lift into my arms, and I did, pulling her up until she laced her legs around my waist. I breathed her in, knowing full well now that she’d never been sick in the first place, and relished the sensation of having her so close again.
I took her to my car and deposited her into the leather passenger seat, then hurried over to hop behind the steering wheel. The instant I did, her hands reached for me, gliding up and down my thigh. She was growing bolder and bolder.
“Don’t forget your seatbelt,” I told her, hoping to preoccupy her for a second. But even after clicking it on, she continued to slide her hands over me.
As I eased out of the parking lot, I called one of my contacts at the Dwight D, a five-star hotel on 16th Street, using the hands-free system my Quattro provided for safety’s sake. What Kelly was doing to me was distraction enough.
“Vinnie, it’s Marco Varasso.”
“Hey, my man. What can I do ya for?”
“Need some private accommodations,” I ground out, as Kelly leaned across the console and pressed her mouth to my neck.
“Got just the thing. It’ll be ready when you get here.”
The trip across town tested all my driving skill, particularly since my passenger seemed bound and determined to push me past my limits. As I made a turn, she took a finger and outlined the arousal making my pants tight, nearly making me run up onto the median and take out a street sign.
Sweet Christ.
“Baby, you’re going to make me wreck the damn car.”
Thankful beyond belief to arrive at the hotel, I got out and opened the passenger side for Kelly. I found Vinnie waving us over to the Cottage Suite, a detached residence still technically considered part of the hotel. At that point, I didn’t care if it was part of a circus tent as long as it removed us from public viewing.
Remembering the stash of necessities I’d left in the glove box, I tossed a handful into my pocket and led Kelly toward the entrance. Throwing Vinnie a wad of cash in gratitude, I led Kelly inside. The place was as luxurious as I’d expected, but I had eyes only for the woman at my side.
She’d stopped groping me as soon as we’d stepped out of my Audi, but she still held my hand as she took in her surroundings. “This place is amazing,” she exclaimed, her features a bit stunned.
“You’re the one who’s amazing.” I tipped up her chin, staring into those brilliant green eyes of hers. She stared back and something passed between us that hadn’t up till then, a resonance, an understanding that needed no words.
For all the inflamed eagerness she’d displayed on the way here, now she seemed content to move more slowly as she pulled me over to the sofa hugging one wall of the living space. She suckled along my Adam’s apple, dragging the edge of her teeth along my skin for the first time, and though I’d planned to let her set the pace, the feel of her nibbling at me like this almost did me in.
I pushed back the fleece fabric of her hoodie, exposing her long caramel hair. Weaving my hands into it, I kissed her long and deep, tasting her and letting her taste me. Needing to experience the vision of her nude body again, I removed her jacket, then pulled the sweatshirt over her head, delighted to find her without a bra.
“I didn’t think I?
?d be leaving home today,” she explained, looking abashed, but I didn’t care about why she had on less clothing. I was simply thrilled to be the beneficiary.
Nudging her backwards, I took her left breast into my mouth, then the right, feeling the nipples pucker under my tongue as I did. She made a noise somewhere between a moan and a sigh, and the sound drove my own desire to greater heights.
I had a few concerns now. I hadn’t been with anyone in a year. That, coupled with the memory of what I’d done to Kelly last night, meant my ability to hold back and control my reactions had been compromised. I didn’t know how long I could put off the inevitable, but I had to find the strength somehow.