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As all the world funneled back and left just the two of theht handle the situation should Taryn suffer a sudden change of heart and, at this last possible ht on the dance floor
But when his arle, didn’t regroup or see-anticipated scorching kiss, she h that both fed his growing hunger and invited him in He kneell as she did - this kiss had always been in the cards This embrace was only their first
At the same time as he moved to cradle her nape and slant back her head, his other hand scooped lowerover the slope of her hip then around the tight high curve of her behind She responded by quivering while her palh his hair She arched in until they were glued together, front to front
When their kiss shifted, deepened, nearly every drop of blood he owned flooded and filled his loins The physical longing gripping every one of his senses was unprecedented Off the chart But he needed et rid of her dress, his clothes, splay her out on that bed and push up inside of her until she lost her breath and sobbed out his na up under the back of her skirt, beneath her panties then down over that suhs When he found her so war erection jerked, de her that ht of the pleasure that lay ahead As she arched and began to hs until he discovered that tiny ultrasensitive treasure at her rainbow’s end
With a soft groan, she wound her lips away frorazed his lips over hers "The bed’s just over there"
Her eyes closed, her brow pinched a little and then she reached behind and gripped his wrist
"I’m sorry, Cole We can’t do this"
"Of course we can This has been brewing since the day we met"
"We’ve known each other teeks"
He nipped her lower lip "Noe’ll know each other better"
Her eyes dragged open "Cole, this is a bad idea"
"Does this feel bad to you?"
He claiain she dissolved, this time to the point where her knees ainst him, he shifted to sweep her up into his arainst his chest, he didn’t lighten the kiss Rather, relying on instinct, he navigated his way toward that bedrooed her
"Cole, e regret this?"
"Trust ently "We won’t"
"You don’t want to feel as if you gave ether"
"Don’t worry" He lifted her in his arms and nuzzled her sweet-scented neck "I wouldn’t do that"
"You wouldn’t?"
She smelled like flowers mixed with sunshine Her skin was so sine she’d ever owned a blemish She murmured his name and Cole re her show? If anything he was impartial
He nuzzled more
Or tried his best to be
"Business is business," he ainst her cheek
"So you could kissyou?"
He shifted to look into her eyes "What’s so wrong with being ed "I suppose"
His head went back "You sure kno to destroy a beautiful moment"
"I was about to say the sahtened, her eyes darkened and the focus of their intensity shifted then changed course They peered into each other’s eyes Taryn’s vision seeotten clearer
"I think you should putfree fro
His brain said to set her down This union wasn’t happening, or not happening now But his ar
She stopped struggling and a shudder of so like panic filtered over her face "Cole? Please"
He set her down on both feet and she straightened her dress then her hair
"I don’t think we should do that again," she said
"You’re the one pushing up againstorders"
"Don’t use that excuse"
"I didn’t pack a ht to pounce on me?"
"Look, I put you down But don’t try to tell me that you didn’t want that to happen"
"You didn’t give me a choice"
"I think you’re confused"
"Maybe I am I know I need some time alone Some space" Her cheeks flushed, and she nodded at the doorway
"You want me to leave?"
"In the next five seconds would be good"
Cole dragged a hand down his face She et out of hand so quickly, but he’d seen what she’d packed by way of a nightdress and, in his books, baby-doll white lace didn’t say "not interested" If she wanted hio
But he’d be daize
And double da Cole thump away across the wood floor, out onto the verandah and hopefully farther into the deep dark never-to-be-seen-again jungle, Taryn bit her lip What rankled ht She had wanted that kiss She’d wanted his strong, steady arms around her At one crazy point, she’d even wanted to fall into bed with hi fan, colorful shaggy rug, spray of side-table flowers and a frangipani-print quilt with a one ahead, she and Cole would be on that bed right now, prying off clothes, rejoicing in the hot slick slide of each other’s skin
Taryn hauled herself back
No ether with Cole in a sexual sense would be way too complicated Too much was at stake Her show Her job Her self-respect, as well as other ee what had happened She could, however, carry on with her plans for this survey Cole had admitted that he wouldn’t automatically approve her proposal if they’d made love Which on the flip side ainst her, either Hell, she’d tossed a glass of wine at him and he hadn’t thrown her out
But there was a part of her that wanted to let Cole know she hadn’t forgiven hi her bikini the way he had He’d looked so aed the tie at the side of her wrap dress
Well, maybe it was her turn to be a to cool off fast, Cole took a long swim in his Calvin Kleins When he finally wandered out fro water fro a towel But rather than go inside and meet up with that woman whose mission was to drive him crazy, he’d lie out here on the war, a coconut wouldn’t fall and crack open his head
He’d dropped to his knees and was leveling out a piece of sand with a pal across the flawless blue sky, when Taryn sauntered out froalow and down those steps As his focus zeroed in, the ground slanted, his heart juainst a nearby boulder to keep frorowled In fact, he did But the sound he made didn’t co around in his chest, leaking fro Make that wasn’t wearing He couldn’t believe she’d actually gone and slipped into that bikini
He’d iined the next tiht about that Standing at the botto the sunshine, she was as relaxed as they come She hadn’t even draped one of those poolside skirts around her hips in a token show of modesty If she’dand she’d do as she pleased - well, it had worked
Glancing around, she caught sight of hirin that relayed reht up to hi in and out of the soft sand When her knees were at eye level, she stopped What option did he have but to take a deep breath and look up?
In the direct light, her skin gloith a natural cinnaer than he’d even i hips She looked down at hiht want to pat, if he behaved
"How’s the water?" she asked, looking out over the bay while her toe absently cut a line in the sand under his nose
Cole toppled forward but recovered quickly, angling up to sit with one leg bent and a crooked arether, he purposely ran an interested eye over her attire
"You look as if you’re about to find out for yourself"
She glanced down as if only noticing she was pretty arees I wanted to be co an initial scout of the surrounds I’ve reat spots I’d like to utilize" She reached to lift the hair off the back of her neck "I’lad to be out of those work clothes I’ve really worked up a sweat"
He stopped staring and clapped shut his mouth His throat felt thick, his body hard "You deserve a break"
"I was thinking the sa if he should play this aloof like her, but, frankly, he was suffering a twinge of guilt Why not get it out in the open? Be a man
"If you wanted to make a point," he said, "consider it made"
"What point would that be?"
"That this is your survey, your tie, and maybe I shouldn’t have tried to e off as obviously private" That being the bikini she didn’t seem the least embarrassed about now
She blinked twice, as if she were surprised by his honesty, then her unaffected air returned "Is that an apology?"
"With a caveat By setting me up with this island’s ’men are servants’ slant, you asked for it"
"The way you provoked me, you deserved it"
He looked heavenward Blew out a breath "Fine Just show a little o cover up"
Victory sparkled in her eyes, but she kept up the pain and suffering by walking past him to provide an incredible rear view "It’s not as if you haven’t seen a woht now, I can’t reled around, a frown knotted her brow Surprise again? Hell, in that swi and she knew it In fact, Taryn was stunning no ht
Out of the corner of his eye, Cole spotted movement: that blue-striped tee he’d seen earlier The boy Taryn had told him about