Page 38 of Playing with Temptation

Each soft kiss Nate planted along her jawline and down her throat ignited flames along her skin.

“I want you, Dray. Here. Now. Tell me you want me, too,” he murmured between kisses.

Her hot, liquid center melted a little more at hearing him use his pet name for her. He hadn’t done that since the day she walked out of his life. Not even those nights in Memphis.

“I do.” No point in denying the obvious. Her beaded nipples pressed into his chest and her breath came in shallow pants. “But if we do this, you have to understand—”

The muscles of his back stiffened as his eyes met hers. “That it doesn’t mean anything?”

She stroked his cheek. “Being with you could never not mean anything to me. But it isn’t a promise or a commitment. It’s just sex.”

He frowned, lines spanning his forehead.

“I want this, I do.” She placed a soft hand on his stern jaw, and his eyes met hers again. “But you mean so much to me. My relationship with you is more important than this.”

He didn’t respond right away. For a moment, Kendra expected him to release her and walk away. Instead, he pressed his mouth to hers and kissed her again. His tongue tangled with hers as he gripped her bottom, pulling her hard against him.

Kendra moaned against his lips, giving in to the prickle of electricity dancing along her spine, igniting low in her belly.

Nate surprised her, scooping her into his arms and carrying her down the hall toward his large master bedroom. He nudged open the double doors with his foot, then laid her on his bed.

Kendra looked around the room. The kitchen had been essentially the same, but this room looked completely different. He’d made a concerted effort to erase any trace of her.

She had no right to be hurt. Yet she was. The walls were a dove gray now, instead of the cocoa beige they’d selected together when he bought the place.

The bed and all the other furniture were different, too. Large, sleek ebony wood pieces. Dark and masculine. All hard lines. None of the soft, organic curves she preferred.

Nate brought her back from her disquieting thoughts with a kiss. His hand trailed down her side, gripping her thigh as he settled between her legs. She whimpered at the sensation of his length pressed to the juncture of her thighs. Her breath became shallow as the heat and electricity building there spread throughout her body. Made her feel like she was floating in a pool of warm water, the steam so intense she could barely breathe.

Nate pulled his mouth from hers, their eyes meeting as he took her in. Something in that dark gaze made her feel as if there were nothing in the world he wanted more than her. And damn if that stare didn’t multiply his raw sex appeal by a factor of ten.

Nate planted feverish kisses on her throat that trailed down the vee of her shirt. She inhaled the coconut scent wafting from his dark curls and tried to get out of her own head and enjoy it.

Breathe. Just breathe.

“Stop trying to talk yourself out of this.” Nate’s husky whisper brought her attention back to him, away from the battle raging between her body and her mind. “There’s nothing wrong with two people who care for each other as much as we do being together. Even if one of them believes it’s just sex.”

“Nate, you promised—”

“Relax, Dray. I know where we stand.” There was a hint of strain in his voice and in the tension between his brows. “We’re cool, no matter what happens tonight.”

She breathed a little easier. “Then what are you still doing in that shirt?”

Nate traced her mouth with his thumb, then kissed her again. “Good question. I could ask you the same.”

She gripped the hem of his shirt and tugged it up. He adjusted, allowing her to remove the garment. Next, she shed hers. Kendra pressed her fingers to his back as she pulled him to her again. “Much better.”

“A little better.” He glided his large palm down her hip and thigh, his eyes locked on hers. “You naked would be a hell of a lot better.”

“I can make that happen.” She lifted her hips, allowing him to slide off her panties and leggings. Her bra and his jeans soon followed.

“Hey.” Kendra snapped the waistband of his underwear. “You’re not completely undressed.”

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