Darcy reached around for the zipper of her skirt as she walked into the bedroom of Kel’s suite. “This should do,” she said, standing next to the bed. “Why don’t you take your clothes off and I’ll give you that massage you wanted?” Slowly, she pushed her skirt over her hips and let it drop to the floor, allowing him a tempting view of her backside.
From behind, Kel slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. “Leave the shoes on,” he murmured.
Darcy turned in his arms and slipped her fingers beneath the waistband of his sweatpants, slowly pushing them down to the floor. As she straightened, Darcy made it a point to brush up against his shaft with her breasts.
“If I could have found a masseuse like you, I’m not sure I ever would have needed shoulder surgery,” he said.
“Umm,” Darcy said, pressing her palms against his chest and gently pushed him toward the bed. He tumbled backwards, taking her along with him. A tiny squeak escaped from her lips before his mouth captured hers. But Darcy scrambled to her knees and straddled his waist, pinning his hands above his head.
“You’re not allowed to touch me,” she said playfully. “If you touch me, I’m going to have to leave.”
Kel left his hands above his head and she slowly ran her palms over his chest. His skin was warm, the muscles hard beneath her fingertips. “I think I need some lotion,” she said. Darcy crawled off the bed and headed to the bathroom. She glanced at herself in the mirror and smiled. It was nice to know she could seduce him so easily.
When she returned, he was still lying on the bed, his hard shaft resting on his belly. Darcy skimmed her fingers along the ridge as she crawled back on top of him. “And how do you like your massage?”
“It doesn’t really matter,” he said with a sleepy grin. “As long as you’re touching me it will have the intended result.”
She continued to rub his chest, allowing her hands to drift down to his belly every now and then. Kel relaxed and closed his eyes and Darcy watched his expression shift between pure pleasure and breathless desire. She bent and kissed his nipple, circling it with her tongue. “Why didn’t you call me today?”
“Amanda said you might need a break,” he murmured.
“You talked to Amanda about me?”
“Uh-huh. I thought maybe absence would make the heart grow fonder.” He opened his eyes. “I know. Stupid idea.” Kel reached out and ran a finger along her shoulder to her hand. “I guess I’m going to have to make it up to you.” His touch sent a tremor through her body. Kel took that as an invitation to touch her again and this time he ran his finger along her bottom lip.
“And how will you do that?” she asked.
He grabbed her waist and rolled her beneath him. “I’ll find a way.”
His mouth came down on hers in a sweet and gentle kiss. Their lovemaking had always had a desperate edge to it, but this was different. As Kel explored her body, he did it slowly and with exquisite tenderness, as if he were trying to memorize every detail.
Nestled between her legs, his arms braced on either side of her head, he studied her face. “What are you thinking?”
An odd feeling of melancholy settled into Darcy’s heart as she realized their time together would end soon. What would she do without this warmth and comfort, this crazy, exhilarating excitement? She’d grown so accustomed to having him close that she couldn’t imagine passing an entire day without seeing him or at least talking to him.
“I’m thinking I want you inside me,” she said.
Kel reached over to the bedside table and retrieved a condom, then handed it to her. “I’m thinking that’s what I want, too.”
She slipped the condom over him and then sighed as he slowly entered her, a tiny bit at a time. Maybe Amanda was right, she mused. Maybe she should admit her feelings to Kel. What did she have to lose? If he shared those feelings, then there might be a future for them. But if he didn’t, then at least she’d know where she stood.
Darcy pressed her lips to his ear. “What else do you want?” she whispered.
Kel moaned softly. “I want you,” he said, pressing into her, his desire burning between them.
Darcy bit her bottom lip. “For how long?” she ventured.
“Forever,” he said as he began to move. “Forever.”
Drawing a deep breath, she swallowed her emotions and let her mind drift. There would never be another man like Kel. For the rest of her life, she’d remember exactly how this felt, the sweet sensation of his body against hers, the slow climb to her release and then the wonderful surrender.
“Forever,” she whispered. If only that could be true.
In the end, as they lay wrapped in each other’s arms, completely sated, Darcy wondered what Kel had meant. Would forever last until the end of the week? Or would it last their entire lives?
5
DARCY WOKE SLOWLY, her face buried in the soft down pillows, blocking the morning light that streamed through the windows. She reached over for Kel but found his half of the bed empty. Pushing up on her elbow, Darcy brushed her hair out of her eyes and glanced at the clock.
It was almost eight. Kel had a tee time for nine that he’d offered to cancel but Darcy had insisted that he go. A night of passion seemed to energize him but for Darcy it brought on a pleasant exhaustion. She yawned, then stretched her arms above her head.
“Two more nights,” she murmured. Kel’s one-week stay would be over the day after tomorrow. Her father was scheduled to arrive tomorrow and she knew whatever time she and Kel had left would be stolen moments between meetings.
Darcy sank back into the pillows and sighed. Just yesterday, she’d been so sure of what she had wanted: a career with her father’s corporation, a house of her own on the lake, a future that she controlled. But lying here, after making love to Kel, all of that seemed so…dull. Right now all she really wanted was another night in bed with Mr. Baseball.
A quick rap sounded at the door and Darcy sat up, pulling the sheet around her naked body. Kel usually left the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the knob. She crawled out of bed, dragging the sheet with her, wondering if Kel had forgotten his key. But when she opened the door, she saw Amanda standing in the hall.
“Good, I found you. I figured you were probably here.”
“What’s wrong?” Darcy said.
“You need to get dressed. Your father’s downstairs and he’s looking for you.”
Darcy gasped. “What?” She glanced around the room, frantically searching for her clothes. “When did he get here?”
“About ten minutes ago. He went to your office and then to your suite and he tried to page you, but you haven’t been carrying your beeper lately. I managed to convince him to have a cup of coffee in the dining room and told him you were dealing with a little squirrel problem out on the golf course.”
“Squirrels?”
“I was improvising and it was all I could think of. I bought you some time to go back to your room and change.”
Darcy frantically gathered her clothes and began to tug them on. “Go back down to the dining room and tell him I’ll join him there in fifteen minutes.” She shoved her shoes on her feet and followed Amanda out the door.
“If you go down the service elevator to the lower level, you can cut past the gym to the east wing of the hotel without having to walk through the lobby,” Amanda suggested.
It took Darcy exactly three minutes to make the trip to her suite, another seven to dress and fix her hair and two more to make it to the lobby. She arrived with two minutes to spare.
Darcy strode into the dining room and glanced around at the breakfast crowd. But she stopped her search the moment her eyes came to rest on her father. “Oh, no,” she muttered. Sam Scott was having breakfast-with Kel Martin. She watched them for a long moment. Her father seemed comfortable, relaxed almost, if that was possible. He and Kel were laughing. Darcy couldn’t imagine what they both would find humorous.
