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Authors: Brenda Jackson
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her voice and once again he felt a tightening in his gut as he watched her cross the room to him. And when she came to a stop, it took all he had not to reach out and pull her into his arms and kiss her crazy. “Yes?”
“About tonight…” She was nervously twisting her fingers and her voice sounded unsteady.
He had an idea what she was going to say and knew immediately that he couldn’t let her. They were too close to turn back now, and he needed to reassure her that things would be all right.
She opened her mouth to speak, but he quickly placed a finger to her lips. “Don’t say it, Sherri. I feel your uncertainty about this, about us, but I want you to do something that you might find difficult to do.”
He saw her throat tighten when she swallowed. “What?”
“Trust me enough to believe that in this situation, I know what we both need.”
He watched as she studied his features and figured she was wondering how he could be so sure of what she needed. Inwardly, he was asking himself that same thing. It was scary, but he actually cared how she was feeling and he wasn’t running a game on her just to get her in bed. He was being completely honest. For a reason he couldn’t explain, one-night stand or not, he couldn’t and wouldn’t treat this affair like all his others. Although tonight would be all they had, it still meant a lot to him that she wanted things to happen as much as he did.
And he truly believed that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He’d discovered that she had the ability to say one thing while meaninganother, and as a man who was used to picking up vibes from women, he’d been able to home in on it. That was the reason he had been so persistent, working like hell to break through her resolve, wear down her resistance, so the two of them could have a night together they would both enjoy.
It was a gimme that he desired her more than any other woman, but there was something else between them, something he’d been trying to downplay, practically ignore. And it was something he wasn’t capable of walking away from until she was out of his system. He needed tonight.
“Trust has to be earned, Terrence,” she said softly, breaking into his thoughts.
“And I agree,” he said, holding her gaze. His stomach clenched when she moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Earning trust would be the normal course of action for most people, but we aren’t most people, Sherri. I need you to trust me enough to believe this is the best course of action we can take to move on, to work each other out of our systems. This physical attraction has turned into a physical obsession, and there’s only one way to end it. But I need you to feel safe with me.”
Her lips tightened. “I do feel safe with you, Terrence, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”
That’s what he needed to hear. “Good.” He reached out and took her hand. “Come here. Let’s sit down and talk awhile.”
Now it was her turn to look surprised. “Talk?”
He chuckled. “Yes, talk. And if we go beyond just talking, it will be left up to you.”
She allowed him to lead her to the sofa, and when she moved to sit down beside him he pulled her into his lap. She started to get up, but his firm arms kept her immobile. “Stay still. I won’t bite.”
She parted her lips to say something, but then immediately closed them. Good thing. He would have been tempted to break his promise and make the first move by kissing her. He had such a weakness for her mouth, it was almost unnerving.
He shifted positions on the sofa, and once he had her tucked in his lap the way he wanted, he glanced down at her to find her staring at him. “Comfortable?”
“Yes.”
“So,” he said, trying to ignore the furious pounding of his heart, “what do you think of Key West so far?”
That question kicked off a series of others, sparking a lot of conversation between them, some of it serious, most not. His goal was to keep her
“About tonight…” She was nervously twisting her fingers and her voice sounded unsteady.
He had an idea what she was going to say and knew immediately that he couldn’t let her. They were too close to turn back now, and he needed to reassure her that things would be all right.
She opened her mouth to speak, but he quickly placed a finger to her lips. “Don’t say it, Sherri. I feel your uncertainty about this, about us, but I want you to do something that you might find difficult to do.”
He saw her throat tighten when she swallowed. “What?”
“Trust me enough to believe that in this situation, I know what we both need.”
He watched as she studied his features and figured she was wondering how he could be so sure of what she needed. Inwardly, he was asking himself that same thing. It was scary, but he actually cared how she was feeling and he wasn’t running a game on her just to get her in bed. He was being completely honest. For a reason he couldn’t explain, one-night stand or not, he couldn’t and wouldn’t treat this affair like all his others. Although tonight would be all they had, it still meant a lot to him that she wanted things to happen as much as he did.
And he truly believed that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He’d discovered that she had the ability to say one thing while meaninganother, and as a man who was used to picking up vibes from women, he’d been able to home in on it. That was the reason he had been so persistent, working like hell to break through her resolve, wear down her resistance, so the two of them could have a night together they would both enjoy.
It was a gimme that he desired her more than any other woman, but there was something else between them, something he’d been trying to downplay, practically ignore. And it was something he wasn’t capable of walking away from until she was out of his system. He needed tonight.
“Trust has to be earned, Terrence,” she said softly, breaking into his thoughts.
“And I agree,” he said, holding her gaze. His stomach clenched when she moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Earning trust would be the normal course of action for most people, but we aren’t most people, Sherri. I need you to trust me enough to believe this is the best course of action we can take to move on, to work each other out of our systems. This physical attraction has turned into a physical obsession, and there’s only one way to end it. But I need you to feel safe with me.”
Her lips tightened. “I do feel safe with you, Terrence, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”
That’s what he needed to hear. “Good.” He reached out and took her hand. “Come here. Let’s sit down and talk awhile.”
Now it was her turn to look surprised. “Talk?”
He chuckled. “Yes, talk. And if we go beyond just talking, it will be left up to you.”
She allowed him to lead her to the sofa, and when she moved to sit down beside him he pulled her into his lap. She started to get up, but his firm arms kept her immobile. “Stay still. I won’t bite.”
She parted her lips to say something, but then immediately closed them. Good thing. He would have been tempted to break his promise and make the first move by kissing her. He had such a weakness for her mouth, it was almost unnerving.
He shifted positions on the sofa, and once he had her tucked in his lap the way he wanted, he glanced down at her to find her staring at him. “Comfortable?”
“Yes.”
“So,” he said, trying to ignore the furious pounding of his heart, “what do you think of Key West so far?”
That question kicked off a series of others, sparking a lot of conversation between them, some of it serious, most not. His goal was to keep her
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