He tastes of tomatoes, garlic, a tiny tinge of sweetness from the whipped cream and berries.
My God, it’s the most intoxicating flavor ever. Who knew kissing someone who tastes like garlic could be so amazing?
I shouldn’t be doing this.
He works for the Wolfe family, and he’s supposed to protect me.
But my God…
I let my tongue slide into his mouth as I deepen the kiss.
Another growl from him.
But then—
He breaks the kiss with a loud smack. Pulls away from me. Presses his back against the wall of the hallway and closes his eyes. “Fuck. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much what I figured.”
He opens his eyes then. “Hey, you kissed me back.”
“It was…instinct. Pure and simple.”
“That what you’re calling it these days?”
I whip my hands to my hips. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means, Kelly, that you kissed me back. Maybe it was a mistake for me to kiss you, but you could’ve stopped it. You could’ve pushed me away, and you didn’t. So if there’s a mistake here, it was made by both of us.”
My instinct is to fight him. Tell him he’s wrong.
But he’s not wrong.
I did kiss him back.
I liked it.
I liked it a lot.
I swipe the back of my hand across my lips, trying to wipe Leif from me.
My lips are tingling, as if warm blood is flowing to them for the first time in…forever maybe.
We didn’t kiss on the island. The men weren’t interested in that, and we certainly weren’t interested in kissing them.
And the truth of the matter? I’ve only dated a few men in my life. My mother didn’t allow me to have dates when I was living at home. For the five years I lived in an apartment and waited tables, I dated a few men. Kissed a few men. Slept with a few men.
But that kiss that Leif and I just shared?
It was more exciting than going to bed with any of the men from my past.
Macy says a lot of the women from the island are afraid to feel.
Feeling has never been my problem. My problem, she says, is that I focus too much on the negative feelings.
Anger, envy, jealousy.
If I can refocus that into the positive emotions, I’ll be a happier person.
The only problem is? I don’t know what happy feels like. The closest I came were the five years between high school and my abduction, when I worked my ass off waiting tables and lived paycheck-to-paycheck in a small apartment I could barely afford.
It was better than living with my mother for sure, and better than living in my friend’s home and feeling beholden. But life was hard.
Happiness seemed to be a luxury that I didn’t have enough time for.
“Go in,” Leif says. “I won’t leave until I know you’re safely inside with your doors locked.”
I don’t move, though. My door has relocked, and I need to slide the card again. I reach for it, but Leif takes it from me, slides it through. The lock clicks, and he opens the door, gesturing for me to go in.
And all I can think about is how much I want to kiss him again.
“Most of the restaurants in the area open around nine to get ready for the lunch crowd and then the dinner crowd. I’ll be by to pick you up at nine thirty, and we’ll see about finding you a job.” He rakes his gaze over me. “Wear something a little more conservative. Black pants and a blouse if you have it.” Then he closes the door, and it clicks locked.
I stand, my back against my door, and slide into a squatting position.
Still feeling his lips on mine.
15
LEIF
Once inside my apartment, I rake my fingers through my hair and flop onto my couch.
My dick is still throbbing inside my jeans.
What the hell was I thinking? Kissing Kelly? That’s the last thing she needs. I sure as hell don’t need it either.
The woman has issues—serious issues—and I can’t interfere with her healing. I’m here to protect her. To help her. To see that no harm comes to her.
I can’t be that harm.
But damn…
Her lips are so full and soft, her tongue like crushed velvet.
Her body felt so good against mine. And now? All I can think about is what she might look like naked. That gorgeous fair skin, her plump tits, her round ass. Her shapely legs wrapped around me.
And she, looking down at me through those heavily lidded blue eyes.
Fuck.
Buck and Aspen are up in their place, screwing like bunnies.
Damn it all to hell.
I rise, head to my bedroom, take a shower, and take care of what I’d like to be taking care of inside Kelly.
Then, after toweling off, I fall into bed, naked. Morning will come early, and I’m going to need a good strong workout. I need a lot of release before I can deal with Kelly again.
I only knock once, and Kelly opens the door to her apartment.
I resist the urge to suck in a breath.
She looks—in a word—spectacular.
Her gorgeous auburn hair is swept up into a high ponytail, and she’s wearing a light purple blouse and black dress pants, as I suggested. On her feet are black leather slides. Good. I was afraid she’d wear high-heeled sandals or boots, and we’ll be doing a good amount of walking today.
Since I told her what to wear, I figured I shouldn’t show up in jeans and a T-shirt, so I’m also wearing black pants, black leather dress shoes, and a white button-down, no tie.
I try not to gape at her, but damn, she looks good. Almost as good as she looked in that miniskirt last night.
Kelly cleans up nice—and whether she’s going for professional or sultry—she can pull it off.
I hate to think of her this way, but it’s very clear why she was chosen to go to the island. Every woman I’ve met from that damned island is picture-perfect to look at, and Kelly is certainly no exception.
Again, I wonder about her naked body. What kind of scars she might have.
Because all of the women have scars—the kind that can and can’t be seen.
I will never see Kelly naked. The kiss was a mistake, and that’s my first order of business this morning.
To apologize.
“Before we go,” I say, “I need to apologize for last night.”
“Yeah, you really should.”
She’s determined not to make this easy. “I truly am sorry. I overstepped my boundaries, and it won’t happen again.” I check my watch. “Are you ready to go? I made a list of some restaurants in the area that are hiring.”
She walks out the door, carrying a small black purse, and closes it behind her. “Yes, I’m ready.”
“Good.” I gesture for her to lead and we walk to the elevator.
Our first stop is a delicatessen about a block away.
“Seriously?” She scoffs. “You want me to work at a deli?”
“They’re looking for servers. You won’t be slicing meat or making sandwiches. You’ll be serving.”
“I can’t make any money there.”
“Are you kidding me?” I gesture toward the front window. “Do you know how many seatings they have at this place? You’ll make plenty of money, and if you’re good, your tips will be great.”