Page 77 of Essence of his Soul

"Kelly, wait—"

But she wasn’t having it. "Don’t worry about it, Diamere. Just go."

While standing toe to toe, Diamere’s gaze dropped from the fire in Kelly’s eyes to her mouth, sensual and very feminine. A mouth made for a man to enjoy. Lips he wanted so desperately.

He leaned closer and whispered against her temple as he lowered his head. “I’ve wanted to do this all evening,” he murmured, barely touching his mouth to hers.

He pulled Kelly into his arms and brushed his lips over hers. She didn’t resist. Instead, she kissed him back, and Diamere discovered a flavor so rich he hungered for more. The kiss was gentle at first, but that wasn’t enough. Her mouth parted beneath his, allowing him to take what he wanted. He began mating sensuously with hers. Kelly clung to his shoulders and responded to him, sending his body spinning to oblivion. Kelly kissed with enough passion to make him forget why he shouldn’t be doing this. He couldn’t stop now, even if he wanted to. Instead, he sought more.

Diamere pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Every stroke of her tongue ignited deeper passion. Her lips were sweet, and ripe and held the joy of discovery.

His hand boldly moved down her body to the voluptuous swell of her soft ass, bringing her snugly against his erection. He wished to God she’d step away before he did something they both might regret later. Kissing her wasn’t enough. He wanted to taste her all over. He wanted to join their bodies together.

He was about to lower her onto the sofa when the sound of a car horn brought him back to his senses. He breathed deeply,trying to regain control, then lifted his head. There was a pause before Kelly opened her eyes. He felt a tightness in his chest as he peered down at her. He had expected her expression to be unreadable, but it was obvious she had been just as moved by the kiss as he had.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he tried to get his breathing back on track.

She nodded and tried to step back, but Diamere held her against him.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” he groaned, his voice muffled by the torment he felt. Kelly was watching him with an intensity that stole his breath away.

“There is nothing to be sorry about.” She moistened her kiss-swollen lips. Stepping away from his hold, this time, he didn’t stop her. “I wanted you to kiss me,” she confessed.

Diamere inhaled deeply. He hadn’t expected this to happen, at least not to this degree. Though he couldn’t rationalize it, he had always known it would be good with her. He just never expected it to be so intense. Now, he was stuck in a state of arousal. His lips had been hard and greedy. His desire for her had come on to him fast and furious. Part of him wanted to get as far away from her as possible, while the other half imagined carrying her to bed. Realization crept in, filling him with alarm. He felt more than physical attraction to the woman gazing up innocently at him.

Feeling his resistance slipping, he tilted his head and kissed her again. Unable to rationalize a reason not to, he slipped his tongue between her parted lips, and the kiss deepened. He placed a hand at the curve of her hip, bringing her flush against him again, and heard a desperate sound escape her lips.

This is fucking insane, he told himself.

Moments later, breathing deeply, he tore his mouth from hers and looked down into the desire blazing in her eyes.

He sighed as he took a step back, reaffirming his decision. “We need to quit while we are ahead.”

Kelly’s ragged breath echoed around the room. “I was actually enjoying it.”

“So was I, but that doesn’t make it right. I didn’t come here to take advantage of you.”

Her expression cooled. “Advantage? You didn’t do anything I didn’t allow you to do.”

He knew he had to stay firm, regardless of what he felt. “Nevertheless, it was a mistake. You are like my sister, and I don’t want to jeopardize that.”

“Alright,” she replied after a long moment of silence. Drawing a deep breath, she crossed her arms beneath her breasts and tossed her head. “You’re right. Your kisses can’t change the fact that you have a pregnant girlfriend.”

“No, they cannot.” He saw what looked like pain in her eyes.Now, look at what you have done.

“Thank you so much for bringing me home. I guess I’d better get ready for bed.”

He didn’t blame her for trying to get rid of him. If he were in her shoes, he would have done the same.

He nodded. “Goodbye, Kelly.”

He retrieved his coat and walked out of her apartment without giving her a chance to respond. The door closed behind him, leaving Diamere standing outside, wondering how the hell he let things get this far.

Chapter 21

The hours flew by in the best way possible as if everything was finally falling into place. I couldn’t stop smiling, even when I was by myself. That’s just how Mark made me feel—like I had no reason to hide my happiness. But this time, it felt different. Deeper. More intense. It wasn’t just the physical chemistry that had always been there between us; it was something bigger. Something that made me feel like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Our passion hadn’t fizzled out since he came back. In fact, it felt like it was getting stronger by the day. And maybe that’s why I started pushing all those heavy thoughts about the future to the back of my mind. I didn’t want to think about how little time we had left before he’d be back on active duty. Not yet. I just wanted to enjoy every moment we had together.

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