Cold Feet in Hot Sand (11 page)

pace away some of this nervous energy.

He’d very nearly come back to work last week. Wednesday, he’d considered it. Thursday, he’d been dressed and had his briefcase in hand before he’d decided to take another day. Friday, he didn’t even bother.

He’d been going stir crazy at Carlos’s place in between quick, surreptitious trips to the house to get more of his things. Work would have been a welcome distraction, a welcome return to his normal life, but he couldn’t bring himself to walk into this building and face Deanna until today.

No more putting it off. They had to. Now. Especially after he’d almost tripped over his own feet every time they’d crossed paths today. How had he never noticed how gorgeous she was?

Five days a week for the last several years, he’d seen her just like he had all day today: slacks and a blouse, neat and put together from her hair to her clothes. She was attractive, of course. He’d had his moments thinking about her when he was alone, but he’d had moments like that with plenty of other women without giving it a second thought.

Outside of work, he’d never had an issue hanging out with her. Well, aside from that creature she’d been married to. God, Nick hated that man. But Jason aside, Deanna and Nick could spend time together away from work without any problems. She was beer and football jerseys on game day, laughing until waiters gave them dirty looks in restaurants, and swearing at other drivers on the road. She was “that girl was an idiot for breaking up with you” and she was “oh for fuck’s sake, Nick, get your head out of your ass.”

Which made him wonder just how the hell he’d never had trouble breathing around her before. He’d never caught himself wanting to run his fingers through her long hair until after he’d felt it against his face during a moment of passion. Now that he’d held her hips in his hands, he couldn’t
not
notice their mouthwatering curves, especially in that skirt she’d worn today.

He shivered. However he’d missed it all before, he was well aware of it now, and she’d be in this office any second to talk about all the reasons they shouldn’t touch each other again. No matter how much he secretly wanted to again.

Get it together, Nick. She’ll be here any
—

Someone knocked on his office door.

—
minute.

He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and said, “It’s open.”

The door opened, and Nick’s heart rate ratcheted higher as Deanna came in. Higher still when the door clicked shut behind her. Into the stratosphere when she made eye contact with him.

“So.” She swallowed. “You wanted to talk?”

“Yeah. I
—
” He halted, and not just in speech. Without realizing it, he’d taken a step toward her. More than one, in fact, and now only a few feet remained between them. It was all he could do not to back away. Step closer. Back away.

Maybe they’d be better off with his desk between them. A barrier that was more tangible than this empty space that wasn’t getting any wider.

Deanna stepped closer. “Nick?”

He dropped his gaze, hoping on
c
e he wasn’t tongue-tied by their intense eye contact, maybe his mind could catch up and figure out what to do. It didn’t help. Even with the floor to hold his attention, he still had no idea what to say or where to start.

“Nick,” she said. “Look at me.”

Holding his breath, he lifted his gaze until he met hers.

Don’t. Nick, don’t even think about it. Yes, she’s gorgeous. Yes, she’s looking at you like that. But… don’t.

Damn it, Deanna, please. Don’t come closer. You have no idea what you’re doing to me.

Fuck, I can’t breathe. I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t not want you.

Nick, don’t…

He reached for her, and she grabbed the front of his shirt, and they came together in a desperate, demanding kiss that was long, long overdue. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled him against her, making sure she felt exactly how much she turned him on, and she ground her hips against his. Holy fuck, he wanted her.

And he knew what it was like to want a woman, but this ache, this need, went so far beyond that. As he took in her scent, kissed her, held her body against his, he could think of nothing except fucking her. Bending her over his desk, shoving her skirt up over her hips, and fucking her.

Nick was all about taking his time with women. He could draw out foreplay forever. But just like the first time they were together, he didn’t want to hold back. Every second he wasn’t inside her was positively maddening.

And wrong. Totally wrong, Nick!

He broke the kiss, panting against her lips. “Fuck, I know this is wrong,” he whispered. “But I want you.”

“I want you too, Nick,” she said. “I can’t…”

“We shouldn’t…” He sighed and touched his forehead to hers. “God, Deanna, I just can’t stop thinking about you like this.”

“I can’t either,” she whispered. “And I swear I never looked at you like this when you were with Kristina, but ever since that night…”

“I know. Me too. I have to admit, I can’t get that night out of my head, and it’s…” Heat rushed into his cheeks, and he lowered his gaze. “It’s not just because I feel guilty about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I need to be honest,” he said,
pulling away from her and
pretending his heart wasn’t pounding a mile a minute. “The way things ended with Kristina hurts like hell. And I’ll settle things with her one way or the other.” He took a breath and looked at her. “But right now, I’m scared to death about how things might end with you.”

Deanna tilted her head, furrowing her brow. “What do you mean?”

“I needed to split with Kristina,” he said. “I didn’t want to, but I needed to. And I was afraid you’d be angry with me, that you wouldn’t forgive me. After… after what happened, I’m really afraid you won’t. And losing you…”

“Nick, I’m still here.” She reach
ed
for his arm like she’d so often done when he needed reassurance. Just before they made contact, though, she hesitated. Drew her hand back. Dropped her gaze.

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” he said. “Even if Kristina wasn’t in the picture, what happened on the beach, it’s going to change us one way or another.”

She met his eyes. “It doesn’t have to.”

“It already has.” He reached for her face, and she shivered

when he touched her cheek. “And I can’t decide if we should try to

forget it ever happened, or take it as a sign we should…”

Her eyebrows jumped. She straightened a little, which widened the distance between them by a fraction of an inch. “You don’t really think…”

“I don’t know.” He avoided the scrutiny of her eyes and watched his fingers tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t know what to think about anything, especially since every time I look at you
—
”
he met her eyes
“
—
I can’t think.”

She held his gaze. After a moment, she
pulled him closer and
whispered, “Then don’t think.” Her lips brushed his, and electricity tingled along the length of his spine.

“Deanna,” he whispered. “This…”

“I know. It’s wrong. We shouldn’t.”

“But I don’t want to stop.”

“Neither do I.”

Closing his eyes, he touched his forehead to hers. “Do you know how difficult it is to think about not doing this when you’re this close?”

“I think I have an idea, yes,” she said, and her fingertips traced the edge of his jaw. “Nick, just… kiss me.”

“Deanna, we
—
”

“My sister isn’t speaking to me,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “My family thinks I’m a backstabbing whore.” She pulled back enough to look him in the eye. “And I still can’t make myself believe I shouldn’t want you like this.”

“You probably shouldn’t.” He stroked her hair with an unsteady hand. “I know I shouldn’t want you like this. But honestly? This is about the only thing that feels right lately.”

“Then why are we holding back?”

Nick stopped holding back. He kissed her and ran his hand up her back and into her hair. When he grabbed her hair, she released a soft mewling sound and melted against him.

Then she slid her hand over the front of his pants, squeezing his rock hard cock through his clothes. Shuddering, he broke the kiss.

“We shouldn’t do this here,” he said.

“We shouldn’t do it at all,” she murmured, tugging at his

belt. “If we’re going to, here’s as good a place as any.”

“Christ, I love the way you think.” He kissed her hard, and damn if she couldn’t be just as aggressive as he could, forcing his lips apart with her tongue as her hands still worked at getting his belt free of the buckle. When his belt finally gave, he pushed himself off her and went for his zipper. “You might want to get your stockings out of the way.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” Deanna grinned and lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing the garter strap.

“Oh, God,” he growled, reaching for her again. “Do you have any idea how sexy that is?”

He didn’t give her a chance to answer before he kissed her. They were out of control now, kissing like they were both on the brink of insanity.

He had to have her. Right fucking now.

Nick turned her around
and shoved her up against the wall. Deanna moaned, pressing her ass against his hard cock, and she shivered when he gathered her hair and laid it over her shoulder so he could kiss her neck.

“Fuck me,” she breathed. “God, Nick, I can’t wait.”

“Who said anything about waiting?” He pulled her skirt up onto her hips, groaning as his fingers brushed her bare skin. As turned on as he was, he’d be lucky if he lasted long at all, but he didn’t care. With his knee, he nudged her legs apart, and she didn’t quite suppress a soft whimper as he pushed her panties aside so his fingers could
—

Holy fuck, she was wet. Wet, and hot, and tight, ready and waiting for his cock, and if he waited another minute to give her what she wanted, they’d probably both burst into flames.

With one hand on her hip and the other around his erection, he guided himself to her. The head of his cock slipped between her wet pussy lips, and before he’d even gotten used to the overwhelming sensation of being
this close
to fucking her, she pushed back against him and took him as deep inside her as she could from this angle.

Grunting against her neck, he gripped her hips and thrust into her. Jesus Christ, she was so tight, squeezing every inch of him so perfectly it was almost painful.

Deanna grabbed his wrist and brought his hand up to her