You ask whether I have ever been in love: fool as I am, I am not such a fool as that.
—C. S. Lewis
THEY WERE LOCKED in a frantic kiss before the door closed. Kate opened her mouth to receive his tongue, heady with the knowledge of what was to come. His jacket fell on the floor. She splayed her hands on his back, frustrated at the fabric barrier between her hands and his skin. They began to undress each other, still kissing, touching, murmuring. She reveled in the warm, smooth skin of his biceps, explored his back and waist. He slipped her bra strap down her shoulder, kissing a trail of fire across her collar bone.
Kate gave in to his touch, arching into his body, hurrying his mouth to her breasts. He unhooked her bra and covered her nipple with his lips, licking and drawing her into his warm mouth, kneading her flesh with his hand. She cried out, pushing her hands into his thick hair, skimming her nails across the nape of his neck. He pulled away long enough to tug at the waistband of her skirt. She took over to speed things along, and by the time she had stripped down to her lacy cream-colored panties, he was completely nude, his erection hard, the velvety knob already wet with wanting her.
He held her at arm’s length and emitted a groan of appreciation that weakened her knees. She went into his arms for a full-body-contact kiss. His arousal pressed into her stomach, sending moisture to the V of her thighs. He brushed his hand against her stomach, then lower to tease her wet curls with his fingers, fondling the tiny nub that resided there. She gasped and leaned into him, pulling on his shoulders and arms, raking his back.
He scooped her up and carried her the few steps to the bed, lowering himself on top of her, moving her hair aside to kiss her neck and her ear. She undulated against him and he moaned, then clasped a budded nipple in his mouth. Age-old desire flooded her midsection, and she captured his erection in her hand. He inhaled sharply against her breast, then kissed her again, hard, using his tongue and teeth to kindle a like response.
Their feverish fingers and tongues were tinged with desperation, as if they both knew they might never get the chance to touch each other again. Suddenly he reached down to clasp her stroking hand. “Enough,” he said hoarsely, his eyes hooded. “I can’t take much more, Kate.”
“Then make love to me,” she murmured.
His breath rasped out and he kissed her again, briefly. “Don’t move.” He pulled away and left the bed, grabbing his pants off the ground, getting protection, she realized. Seeing his hands shake filled her with warm satisfaction—she affected him as much as he affected her. She took the condom from him and rolled it on. He lay down next to her and turned her over to face him, then pulled her knee over his hip, aligning them sex to sex.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, kissing her neck and inhaling. “You smell so good. Kate, do you know how long I’ve wanted you?”
Any response she might have had was obliterated when he cupped his hand behind her hip and thrust into her ready body. She gasped and clawed at his shoulder. He rocked into her fully, breathing hard, then was still, allowing her to become accustomed to his length. She reveled in the exquisite fullness and contracted around him, pulsing slowly at first, then moving against him with more intensity. He slid into the rhythm she chose, using his thumb to stroke her sensitive folds.
Kate was powerless against the passion that consumed her. Eric instinctively knew her body and her needs. She buried her face against his shoulder, inhaling the scent of him, resurrecting a buried memory that she had been there before, had kissed this very patch of skin, had loved it then and loved it now.
Loved him now.
The realization of her feelings for Eric fueled her desire, sent her to a higher physical plane. She moved her hips in a deliciously slow dance, clasping the length of him, delaying the stroke of his hand against her. She felt her climax building from that unidentifiable, mysterious place that is nowhere, then suddenly everywhere at once. She nipped at his ear. “I’m going to come,” she breathed.
He flicked his tongue against her ear. “I want to hear you, Kate.”
The hum in her body suddenly converged into one point, shooting to the surface, bringing spasms of pleasure that sent her body bucking against his. She cried his name over and over. Just as she was descending, floating, he rolled her beneath him and plunged into her with a guttural noise. He whispered her name against her breasts, and gathered her close. Their bodies were perfectly attuned. She met him stroke for stroke, faster and deeper until he shuddered and collapsed into her. “Kate…Kate.”
She sighed and held his head against her neck as he recovered, wanting to fold herself into him. How could she have fallen for him…again? What about this man made her want to risk everything? He kissed her neck, her chin, then pulled her over to face him and smiled. “Wow.”
“Yeah, wow,” was all she could say.
“So,” he said with a little laugh, “are we going to get together and do this every six years?”
She wasn’t sure what she expected—a profession of undying love? A request to take her out sometime? His class ring?—but her heart shook with disappointment anyway. It was great, it was quick, it was over. She conjured up a smile. “Who knows where we’ll be in six years?”
“True,” he murmured, and she waited for him to tell her he was leaving Handley. He didn’t. Instead he left the bed and went into the bathroom—to dispose of the condom, she assumed.
She lay there, her sweat-covered body now chilled, a dull ache in her chest, dreading what was to come. She got up and quickly redressed, then placed his clothes on the foot of the bed.
Eric emerged from the bathroom, took in her state of dress and gave a little laugh. “I guess you don’t want me to spend the night.”
Kate hugged herself. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Let’s not make this more awkward than it has to be.”
He looked at her, his expression unreadable, then lifted his hands. “Okay.” She turned away while he dressed.
“You can dispense with the false modesty, Kate. We’ve just seen everything there is to see.”
She refused to turn around, though, mostly because she was afraid her face wore a telltale expression. “What time are we leaving tomorrow?” she asked over her shoulder.
He grunted. “How about nine o’clock? That way I can drop you off at the office before three in the afternoon. I assume you want to get back to work ASAP?”
“Of course,” she said, sounding prim even to her own ears. “After all, we’re finished here.”
“Yes, we are,” he said. “Good night, Kate.”
She turned, suddenly panicky. “Eric?”
He was at the door, but turned back. “Yeah?”
“I’m sure you understand how…that is, I wouldn’t want everyone—”
“Relax, Kate,” he said with a laugh. The McDaniels charisma was back—carefree, nonchalant, casual. “This stays between us. Trust me.”
Kate,
What better day for you to meet your Fool than on April Fool’s Day? I’ll be at Comet Coffee Thursday morning at 7:00. This will be so great!
Fool for You
KATE STUDIED the screen and exhaled slowly to ease the guilt pangs in her chest. So she’d be using Neil Powers to get over Eric—men did it all the time. Besides, if given the chance, Neil might turn out to be the man of her dreams. If last night’s episode had taught her anything, it was that she was wasting time—and love—on Eric McDaniels.
She signed off her computer, packed it up, and wheeled her luggage toward the elevator, wincing when her overused hip and calf muscles contracted. It wasn’t bad enough that Eric was the first man she’d slept with in a long time—if he knew that she’d fallen in love with him, he’d never let her live it down.
In Eric’s eyes, it would be the ultimate joke. On her.
ERIC STABBED a button on his cell phone, listening to the ring while keeping an eye out for Kate. His bad mood was getting worse every minute. When Winston’s voice mail kicked on, he swore under his breath. After the beep, he said, “Winston, it’s Eric. Where the hell are you? Look, man, I changed my mind about the April Fool’s gag on my boss, okay? So cancel the e-mail that was supposed to go out tomorrow to the distribution list I gave you. Got that? Cancel the e-mail. And give me a call to let me know you got this message.” He hit the end key, and returned the phone to his inside jacket pocket, irritation guiding his every movement.
Then make love to me, she’d said.
Damn, what a fine damn mess he’d gotten himself into. Damn it. Setting up his boss for a humiliating stunt. Sleeping with her. And now…damn it, damn it, damn it, he was having all these weird feelings for her. Protective. Concerned. Loving. He pulled his hand down his face. This was bad.
When the elevator doors opened and Kate alighted looking every inch the smart, successful, sexy woman she was, Eric’s gut clenched.
This was very, very bad.