Playing With Desire

“The swelling is subsiding, but now bruises are forming on your cheek and underneath your eye.”

“Bugger. No chance that’ll resolve itself by eight a.m. on Monday. Better concoct a tall tale. I was attacked by two hooligans while defending an intriguing young woman whose extraordinary beauty had me completely mesmerized.” He grazed her cheekbone with his thumb, his fingers resting gently on her neck.

Maya shuddered inwardly. His gaze was filled with a white-hot heat as tantalizing as a flame to an unsuspecting moth. She could see it as clearly as the sun in a cloudless sky. Yet, she couldn’t turn away.

Her skin flamed beneath his touch. Heat crawled down her neck and into the beaded tips of her breasts, culminating at the simmering junction between her thighs. Liam glided his thumb across her lower lip. Her heart skipped a beat, her breathing shallow. The hungry look in his dark eyes went straight to her head, making her dizzy with desire.

Liam tightened his grip on her neck, pulling her closer until his lips met hers. Maya’s lids drifted closed as he placed soft kisses on one side of her mouth then the other. Her skin vibrated with alternate sensations. The contrast of his beard grazing her skin with the delicate caress of his lips like butterfly wings whispering against her skin. Gentle and sweet, yet surprisingly erotic.

She was playing a dangerous game.

Her brain understood this. Every other part of her anatomy disagreed.

Maya dropped the frozen peas and tangled her chilly fingers in his dark curls. Her other hand braced his shoulder, enjoying the delicious feeling of the hard, taut muscles there.

Liam slid one hand to her waist, his fingers pressing into her spine, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss. He sucked her lower lip between his, then glided his tongue along the ridge between her lips. God help her, she made a noise reminiscent of a purr as she parted her lips, granting him access.

He glided his tongue against hers, then gently grazed her palate. Liam’s mouth tasted of the liquor he’d just consumed. A smoky, rich flavor. Chocolate with the slightest hint of berries. He let out a low hum that vibrated in her throat as his hand glided down her side, and then down her leg. Wrapping his fingers around her thigh, he pulled her onto his lap so she straddled him.

The pressure of his steely length pressed against her swollen folds sent a shock of bliss throughout her body—already wound as taut as a violin string. She gasped, breaking their kiss, as she tried to catch her breath and coax her traitorous body back to reality.

Hooking up with random guys was for pretty young coeds, not for single moms. She was sensible, reliable. The woman who shuttled her daughters to their soccer games, made brownies for the bake sale and sewed sunflower costumes for the school play. She wasn’t this person: rash and bold. Passionate and daring.

Not anymore.

She’d buried that girl years ago. Right around the time her first daughter was born. No matter how handsome and charming Liam Westbrook was, and despite the fact that he’d mastered the art of the orgasmic French kiss, it was time to say goodbye.

He planted soft, wet kisses on her jaw and down her throat that rendered her speechless. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let out a quiet moan. He gripped her bottom and squeezed the flesh there.

It hurt.

Yet the pain sent a corresponding jolt of pleasure straight to her aching core. She ground her pelvis against his, desperate to intensify the feeling building at her center.

Liam pressed a hand to her back. The other slid along her thigh and underneath her dress, cupping her sex through her silky underwear, damp with her arousal. She shuddered and sighed.

You’re playing with fire, girl. You know what happens when you play with fire...you get burned.

The little voice in the back of her head was the equivalent of an icy shower.

She clutched his wrist and dragged it from underneath her dress.

Liam’s handsome face was etched with concern. “Have I upset you?”

She shook her head, lowering her eyes as she climbed off him and scrambled to her feet.

“No, it isn’t you. It’s me. I...I can’t do this, I’m sorry.” Maya paced the floor. “I wasn’t thinking. I shouldn’t have allowed things to get this far.”

Liam sprang to his feet. He winced, the agonizing pain evident in his eyes. He gathered himself, placing gentle hands on her shoulders. His forced smile nearly masked his disappointment. “No apology necessary. Really.”

He stepped out onto the terrace. After peering over the railing, he returned, his face pinched with a frown.

“The police are still there.” He picked up the peas and put the bag to his cheek. “We still can’t reach my car.”

Maya scraped her teeth over her lower lip. The muscles in her abdomen tightened.

Liam held one hand up, palm facing her. “Not to worry. We’ll grab a cab, and I’ll escort you back to your car.”

She walked toward him, her hand out, fingers wriggling until he handed over the bag of peas. “These aren’t cold anymore.” She didn’t acknowledge his offer. Instead, she went to the kitchen, tossed the bag inside the freezer and retrieved a bag of brussels sprouts. Maya stepped close enough to position the bag on his face. He watched her without comment.

“Your head is pounding. I can see it in your eyes.” She nodded toward the couch. “Stay here and lie down. I can take a cab back on my own.”

“Unescorted? At this time of the morning?” He lowered the bag and stared at her in disbelief. “Surely you’re joking. I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to you.”

“I’m a big girl.” She stepped toward him. “I’ll be fine.”

“If you don’t want me in the cab with you, that’s fine. I’ll follow in another to make sure you get off safely.”

“You need to sit and rest.” She guided his hand so that the frozen vegetables were on his cheek again. “And keep this on your face if you want the rest of that swelling to go down.”

“Either we both go or... Never mind.”

“Or what?” She was almost afraid to ask, but something inside her wanted to know.

“You’re welcome to spend the night in my guest suite.” He raised his free hand in response to the objection forming on her face. “The door locks internally, and there isn’t a key from the outside. You’ll be completely safe, I assure you.”

Maya studied his dark eyes. The usual levity gone, his offer felt sincere. “I’ll stay under one condition. You need to understand this doesn’t change anything between us.”

“Duly noted.” The look of mild amusement returned to his handsome face. “I’ll show you to your room whenever you’re ready.”

Chapter 6 (#uced076b5-ef8f-5f03-99a9-b99c4cb1cfe6)

Maya’s eyes fluttered open. Her cell phone blared, each note a rubber mallet hammering her skull.

Heavy drapes filtered the light coming in through the large windows of what clearly wasn’t her tiny, dark apartment bedroom. She lay tangled in a soft blanket, cashmere maybe. Her dress lay neatly across a chair in the corner, and she was wearing an oversize T-shirt.

Maya rolled toward the sound of Kendra’s ringtone. Her cell phone—perched on the nightstand—stopped ringing, giving her pounding head a reprieve. She’d had a lot to drink. No wonder she felt like hell. Probably looked it, too.

Shrugging off the cover, Maya pressed a palm to her forehead and grunted. Kendra called again. She pulled herself upright and reached for the phone.

“Yeah?” was all she could manage.

“Maya, I’ve been calling you all morning.” Kendra was in full panic mode.

“Sorry. Lost track of time,” she mumbled, pulling the phone away from her ear. Asking Kendra to tone it down would have the same effect as poking a bear in the eye. “What time is it?”

“After noon. You were supposed to call two hours ago. I was one more unanswered call away from sending the cops to see your friend, Liam. That’s where you are, I assume.”

“Yes.” I think so. Maya opened her eyes again and glanced around the room. “It’s not what you’re thinking. I didn’t sleep with him.”