Paradise Nights. Kelly Hunter

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СКАЧАТЬ dug her hands in his hair and her lips turned ravenous, but he was ready for the staggering hunger of her kisses this time and he ate them up, spun them round, and served them straight back at her.

      Serena had thought she was prepared for the passion this man brought to lovemaking, but she wasn’t prepared for this. It was like a meeting of souls, locked in a kiss, and she feared it … heaven help her she feared it … even as she gloried in it. Whatever she wanted, however she wanted it, he had it in him to give. And she wanted it all.

      Shuddering at the sensations threatening to overwhelm her, she dragged her lips free of his kiss and set trembling fingers to his mouth instead. A barrier, a slowdown, only her fingers had a mind of their own, exploring his upper lip, the strong shapely curve of it, before dragging the sensitive pad of her forefinger across the sculpted fullness of the rest.

      Serena watched as those perfect lips curved into a smile; a smile for her attempts to regain control maybe; and then she was urging his mouth open and replacing fingertips with lips and with tongue for a kiss so staggeringly potent she clear forgot to breathe.

      Whatever she wanted, she thought helplessly as his tongue duelled delicately with hers. Just the way she wanted it, as his fingers tightened on her butt and he surged against her, and with a ragged groan spun them into the maelstrom again.

      His eyes were black, as black as sin and deep enough to drown in, when finally, finally, they stood apart.

      ‘Discreet.’ He ran a hand around the back of his neck. ‘We might have to work on that one,’ he said raggedly. And then he was gone.

      CHAPTER FOUR

      NICO scowled at her when she staggered into the kitchen. Serena ignored him and headed for the sink, filling a tall glass to the brim with tap water and downing it in one long swallow. ‘So … ‘she said, finally turning to face her cousin. ‘How was your night?’

      Nico’s eyes narrowed. ‘I said five minutes.’

      ‘It was five minutes.’

      ‘It was ten minutes, your mouth’s all swollen, and your hands are shaking.’

      Oh.

      ‘You can’t take a man like that seriously, Serena.’

      ‘I don’t intend to.’

      ‘I mean, what do we know about him? Apart from the fact that he was able to pack up his life in an instant and come out here when Tomas called. Seriously, what does that say about a man?’

      ‘That he’s a good friend to Tomas?’

      ‘He’s a drifter. A man with no responsibilities.’

      ‘You should ask him what he used to do for a living,’ she said wryly. ‘It’s quite illuminating.’

      ‘He’s trouble. I thought you could handle him or I’d never have introduced you.’

      ‘I can handle him,’ she snapped. She’d had enough of Nico’s and everyone else’s well-meaning interference. ‘I know damn well he’s trouble. I don’t need you to tell me that. I know it wouldn’t work out. I don’t want it to work out. All right?’ Her voice broke but the rest of her stood tall as she glared across the table at Nico and dared him to take her to task for a passion she couldn’t control. ‘I know.’

      Pete was fresh out of a cold shower in the little bedsit, a towel slung around his waist and his hair still dripping water, when he took it in his head to call his older brother. In Singapore.

      ‘‘Lo.’ Jake’s voice sounded raspy, sleepy.

      ‘Jake? What time is it there?’ He did the maths, winced a little at the early morning hour. ‘I, ah, didn’t interrupt anything, did I?’

      ‘Not unless you count sleep as something. Which you should.’

      ‘Never mind. I’ll call back later.’

      ‘You in trouble?’ asked Jake.

      ‘Not really.’

      Jake said nothing. Jake was really good at waiting in silence while the other person squirmed and tried to put feelings into words. Something to do with inner stillness and meditation. He’d never quite managed to get the hang of it, himself. ‘All right, so I could have a slight problem.’

      ‘Define “slight”.’

      ‘There’s this woman.’

      Dead silence at that. Fraught silence. Not a lot of inner stillness in that silence at all. And then, ‘Why me?’ said Jake, his voice long-suffering. ‘I live a frugal life. I keep to myself. I pay my taxes. Why?’

      ‘Is this a bad time to call?’ he said. ‘Because I can call back later. When you’re making more sense.’

      ‘Is she terminally ill?’

      ‘No.’

      ‘Are you terminally ill?’

      ‘No.’

      ‘Is she married to a Mafia Don who wants to cut off your balls?’

      ‘She’s not married at all.’

      ‘So there’s no bodily danger to you at this particular point in time?’

      ‘No.’ It was his soul he was worried about. ‘My body thinks it’s found heaven.’

      ‘Colour me envious,’ said Jake, ‘but what the hell is your problem?’

      ‘She doesn’t want to be tied down.’

      ‘So? Neither do you. The minute a woman starts getting serious, you’re gone.’

      ‘This one’s kind of interesting.’

      Silence.

      ‘You’ve fallen for her,’ said Jake finally.

      ‘I have not!’ he said indignantly. ‘I did not say that. I was just wondering what the next step up from a strictly casual relationship might be. You know … casual yet slightly meaningful. Comes before commitment. But I can’t remember what it’s called.’

      ‘Self-delusion,’ said Jake dryly. ‘Run.’

      ‘That’s your advice? Run?’

      ‘Yep.’

      ‘Any other advice?’

      ‘Nope.’

      ‘You are no help whatsoever.’

      ‘Not in this,’ said Jake with grim humour. ‘Call Tris,’ he said, and hung up.

      No way, thought Pete as he shoved the phone back in his bag. No way was he calling anyone else in his family tonight. One delusional phone СКАЧАТЬ