Surrendering(44)

“That was amazing.” His voice sounded raspy and thick.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“Stay here, I’ll be right back.” He gently pulled out, rolled off the bed and made his way to the bathroom. She felt sadly bereft when his body disconnected from hers.

She could see well enough in the dark and enjoyed the outline of his tight ass all the way to the bathroom. Yum. He returned quickly with a warm washcloth and gently cleaned her. He tossed the wet cloth on the floor, settled into bed and pulled her beside him.

“Hungry?”

“Starved, actually.”

“I’ll call Leo and have him bring us up some sandwiches and fruit. Does that sound good?”

“Sounds fantastic.” She didn’t feel like getting dressed.

While Dev picked up the phone, Kate took a quick shower and returned to him, snuggling into bed naked. Shortly after, Leo arrived with their food and Dev met him at the door.

They ate smoked turkey sandwiches with goat cheese and mixed greens, along with fresh berries in a sweet glaze. Leo had also included a lovely bottle of chardonnay, and after one glass, she was getting sleepy. It had really been a long day and she hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before.

And she hadn’t even thought about her research paper. Strangely, she wasn’t feeling guilty over that fact either. She had thoroughly enjoyed her day waking up in Dev’s arms and ending the day in the same way, but she could not let him spend the night with her again. Her feelings for him were developing at an alarming pace and the more time she spent in his arms, the harder it would be to leave. Tears stung her eyes just thinking about it.

They finished eating and Dev set the tray on the nightstand. After he had them settled, with her body draping his, he kissed the top of her head. “Go to sleep, love. It’s been a long day and you must be exhausted.”

She wanted to do just that and she fought the desire to simply nod her head in acquiescence. Instead she said, “You don’t have to stay, Dev.”

“I’m staying. End of discussion.”

She sat up. If he stayed, she was going to fall that last little bit. And she could not allow that. This already felt way too good. Way too comfortable. Way too right.

“I’m not really sure that’s such a good idea, Dev. Don’t…don’t get me wrong; I don’t regret what happened at all. I’m just…just not sure it’s a smart idea to blur the lines here and make this more than it is.”

“And what do you mean by ‘this’, Kate?” Uh, oh. He didn’t look happy.

“Well…amazing sex, of course. But we both know it can’t be any more than that.”

___________





Dev





His little minx was trying to pull away already. Well no fucking way was he letting that happen. She was his, end of story.

Dev replayed her last comment in his head. “We both know it can’t be any more than that.” He needed to approach this discussion carefully.

“Why not?”

She wrinkled her eyebrows, looking confused. “Why not, what?”

“Why can’t this be more than amazing, mind-blowing sex, Kate?” He sat against the headboard, pulling her astride his lap. Hands on her hips held her firmly in place.

“I really, really like you.” He more than really liked her, but if he told her that she was his Moira, his destined mate, and he was falling in love with her, he didn’t think that would go over too well. “I want to get to know you. Hell, I already feel like I know you. We have a connection that goes beyond just sex and I know you feel it too.”

She shook her head and looked down. “Guys like you don’t fall for girls like me, Dev. I’ll just end up getting my heart broken, and I honestly cannot deal with that.” He could see the tears welling in her bright green eyes.

He gently grabbed her chin, tilting her head back up, holding her moist eyes with his. “Guys like me? What exactly does that mean?” Jesus, the sad look in her eyes was more than he could bear and her comment just plain angered him. She was exquisite. How she didn’t see that about herself he just couldn’t comprehend.

“Are you kidding me?” She waved her hands up and down his body. “Look at you. You’re the most gorgeous man I have ever met. Ridiculously good-looking guys like you don’t end up with plain-Jane women like me.” She quickly added, “And that’s okay, I’m not looking for more.”

He called bullshit. She was. She was just scared. And her plain-Jane comment pissed him the fuck off.

She continued before he could respond. “But I’m also not looking to get my heart broken either. So…it’s best if we just keep this casual and sleeping together after sex isn’t casual. At least not to me.”