Her hips swiveled, her lips parted on a breathy sigh. “Are you clean?”
“As a whistle.” He kissed her again, his body rigid with need. “I’ll pull out.”
She nodded before pulling him into a hungry kiss. Consumed by passion, Trip quickly pushed himself inside her body, disregarding all caution in deference to his fever to possess her. When she finally cried out his name, it took a Herculean effort to withdraw, but he hoped he’d managed just in the nick of time.
Chapter Eight
Kelsey’s knees bounced so hard they banged against the desk just as she hung up the phone. She wiggled in her chair and drummed her hands on her desk, smiling. So close! Nick Copeland only had one sibling whom he’d not yet convinced of the benefits of selling their property. If she could pull this deal off for Wade, she’d be on her way to financial freedom.
After typing a quick update to Wade, she reviewed the email Mason had sent her outlining his rental unit preferences: two or three bedrooms, two baths, in or near town, updated interior, $3,500 per month rental rate. At that price point, she should be able to find something suitable, but why did he need the extra bedrooms?
That request had surprised her, mostly because she couldn’t remember whether or not he’d worn a wedding ring. Normally she catalogued the status of a man’s ring finger before asking his name. Last week, however, she’d been off her game.
Off her game from the moment she’d agreed to Trip’s sexy proposition. And getting in deeper every day thanks to his nightly drop-ins this past week. Just picturing him caused her to absentmindedly stroke her neck, as if his fingers were toying with her hair.
She smacked her forehead to knock his image out of her brain, then bookmarked a few listings and scheduled appointments to go see two newer ones.
She glanced out the huge picture windows of her office at the cloudy skies hovering over town. Next month, she and her friends would be basking under the brilliant Mexican sun.
While sipping her latte, she studied the website of the Esperanza resort, where she’d booked a three-bedroom suite for four nights.
Sun-Baked Stone Massage and Cucumber Lime Facial sounded nice. Papaya-Mango Body Polish. Avocado Butter Mani-Pedi. Just as she got swept away by the menu of spa treatments, the devil breezed through her office door, throwing her emotions into chaos once more.
“Good morning, princess.” Trip greeted her with a cheerful smile when he came to a stop on the other side of her desk. He glanced around the front room of her office, with its muted Tibetan carpet, cozy chairs, opaque glass lamp, and large mahogany desk—which she knew was a huge step above Backtrax’s decades-old decor. “Wow. Nice digs.”
“Thanks.” From her desk chair, she craned her neck to meet his gaze. He looked as handsome as ever in faded jeans and an untucked blue-and-green plaid flannel shirt.
Her fingers itched to run through his shiny, dark hair. Her lips ached for his kiss. Her eyes raked over every inch of his six-foot-three-inch frame, coming to rest at the animal crate in his one hand and stuffed paper grocery bag in the other.
“Whatcha got in there?” She stood and walked around the desk, happy for an excuse to draw nearer to him, while trying to peer into the darkened interior of the crate.
“A surprise.” Trip’s radiant grin chased away the dreary skies and heated the room, even though she knew she shouldn’t let herself get used to him brightening her days.
He set the bag on one of the two client chairs facing her desk, and then placed the crate on the table in between. Once he’d unlatched the door, he pulled out a tiny gray-and-white kitten. It wriggled in his large hands as he tickled beneath its chin. “Isn’t he cute?”
Kelsey bit her lower lip to keep from chuckling. “I’d have pegged you as a dog person. How will Grey’s dog handle this addition to that tiny apartment you two share?”
Trip furrowed his brow as he shook his head. “It’s not for me. It’s for you.”
He thrust the kitten toward her, dropping it in her hands.
“For me?” Kelsey tentatively took hold of the living fur ball. Her mind raced, but her heart instantly warmed to the pint-size creature. Its teeny tongue grazed her fingers like a fine-grained nail file. She looked up at Trip, whose gentle smile softened an intense expression that caused her breath to catch. She cleared her throat and asked, “Why?”
Trip avoided her gaze while he stepped closer and stroked the kitten’s back. “I know you’ve been a little blue. My buddy Jon’s girlfriend’s cat just had a litter of kittens. I thought you might like one.” His cheeks had turned a bit red, and he cracked his knuckles in obvious discomfort. “It’s cuddly. Girls like cuddly stuff, right?”