Scorched

As Lia’s brain struggled toward consciousness, the first thing it noticed was the big smile on her face. What a night! Hell, what a great two nights! Lia stretched her arms and legs before turning over and deciding she didn’t want to be awake yet.

The bed was too warm and inviting, and there was nothing on this earth that could pull her from it. Well, nothing except for the fact that her bladder was screaming at her.

She could just ignore it. That was the right thing to do.

Lying there for another five minutes, she angrily reopened her eyes. Nope. Ignoring it wasn’t going to happen, and now she was so irritated with her body that she’d never be able to get back to sleep again.

Dang it.

As she stumbled from the bed, the last two days came flooding back to her. Lia made quick use of the bathroom, then staggered back to the bedroom and flopped down on the bed.

Her entire body was sore — in a very good way — and she had barely taken the time to eat. The rumble in her stomach attested to that fact.

Shane.

Oh, Shane. He hadn’t given her a moment to regret her impulsive decision to sleep with him again, and, man, had they slept together. In fact, why was it called “sleeping together” when it was anything but that? They’d made love again and again and again.

She waited for the guilt to hit, the regrets.

The sour emotions didn’t come. It had just been too good between them.

Not once had they brought up any of the past issues plaguing them. What good would it do? The two of them coming together was like putting a flame to explosives.

Still, it couldn’t continue, could it? The more she was with him, the more she wanted to be with him. Because Shane was her first love, she could hardly just put him on a shelf and forget about him each time he had to leave.

She’d been trying to do exactly that for the past couple of years and it hadn’t gotten her anywhere but achingly lonely.

So she had a big decision to make. Did she continue giving herself to him, continue pleasing her body and ignoring her heart? It was a reality she didn’t want to face.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, but soon the smell of freshly brewed coffee and something doughy and delicious snuck through the cracked bedroom door.

Lia’s rumbling stomach ensured she wasn’t going to avoid whatever smell was enticing her so.

She needed fuel!

Getting up and heading again to the bathroom, she decided on the world’s fastest shower, turning the spray on scalding hot so she could wake up fully. Then, she found a large cotton robe and threw it around her, tying the sash as she walked to the door.

She sauntered from the bedroom and down the short hall, turning the corner, and then she stopped in her tracks.

Oh, my, my, my. If she hadn’t been awake at this point, the sight of Shane in nothing but a low-slung pair of boxers and a hot plate in his hand would have had her on high alert.

Turning, his eyes caught hers, and a slow, sexy smile crept over his features as he set down the plate and stalked toward her.

“Good morning, beautiful. I hope you slept well,” he said as he reached her, wrapped his arms around her back and leaned down to crush his lips to hers.

Lia stopped in her tracks temporarily, then circled his neck with her hands and captured his tongue, playing a mating game where they both came out winners.

When he let go of her after too short a time, Lia groaned her disapproval. That hadn’t been her plan when she’d walked out to find him looking so unbelievably dashing, but plans do change. Hell, she could easily learn to go with the flow, just as long as his hands and lips were connected with some part of her body.

“I have to feed you, woman, before you wither away. Be good and sit down, because having you standing this close is making me want to throw away this nice meal I prepared and instead haul you back to the bedroom.”

Lia’s forehead wrinkled as she considered her options. Her body was actually growing weak from lack of nourishment, but she could most certainly survive on orgasms alone if they were with Shane. If not, she’d at least die a very happy woman.

“No.” Shane said as if he could read her thoughts. With that, he turned back to the counter, where their plates were sitting beneath covers.

“Wait a minute. You didn’t prepare this,” she said with a smile as he slid the plate over to her and she scooped up a heaping fork of potatoes and eggs.

“I certainly did,” he exclaimed, sitting next to her and diving into his own plate.

“Really? On what stove?” she asked, pointedly looking around.

With a big grin, he leaned over and gave her a fleeting kiss before admitting his white lie. “Well, I did dial room service,” he said with a chuckle.

“Well, that’s good enough for me,” she said, and continued eating the fluffy eggs.

She was grateful he’d thought of getting them anything, because if it weren’t for him, she’d probably forget to eat altogether. It seemed that Shane was quite the caretaker. That was just one more thing to check off on the list of good qualities he possessed. This would all be so much easier if he were a monster, or if she just wasn’t attracted to him. Being with Shane again had opened up her appetite in one hell of a voracious way, and now she didn’t know how to turn off the need.

Not that she was too keen on turning anything off at the moment.

“Eat more, and quit looking at me like I’m the dessert,” Shane said, with a look of a special hunger that belied his words.

“Mmm, you will make a mighty fine dessert?” she said with a wink, scooping up another bite of her food, groaning as the flavors burst on her tongue.

“Oh, no, you’re the dessert,” he said, looking up and capturing her full attention with his deep dark eyes.

“I’m full,” she said, letting her fork clatter to the plate, only half her meal finished. The growling in her stomach was long forgotten. After making love once more, she could always find the strength, somehow, to seek out food again.

Cold eggs were just fine with her.

Shane looked as if he were going to protest, but when she untied the sash at her waist and parted the soft fabric, she knew she’d won.

Pushing his plate away without another word, he stood from the table and quickly circled around to where she stood. Picking her up in his arms, he kissed her hungrily while he walked through the hotel room, apparently knowing the way by heart, since his gaze never left hers.

Oh, yes, dessert was splendid.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“I thought you might be the one to skip out on my wedding this time.”

A guilty blush stole across Lia’s face, and Ari was ready to pounce.

It was the day of her wedding and butterflies were practicing ballroom dancing in her stomach, but she knew this was right, and there were no regrets, zero, or thoughts of running. Her feet were happily warm.

Still, she really did want to know where her bridesmaid had been the last few days. She refused to walk down the aisle until Lia spilled all.

“Cat got your tongue? Come on, Lia. We’re not stepping outside these beautiful doors until you tell me exactly where you’ve been. I’m dying here with curiosity!” Ari said, her hands on her hips, not looking nearly as ferocious as she wanted to look, because she was wearing a big, poufy wedding dress with miles and miles of