The Right Choice(25)
Author: Carly Phillips

His mouth never left hers, his tongue mimicking the erotic motion of their bodies. She rocked beneath him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer. Their bodies fit together as one.

Still separated by layers of clothing, they were both close to losing control. Mike hadn’t touched an inch of her skin, yet he ached to lose himself inside her. The thought amazed him. After everything she’d been through, she still… His mind cleared in an instant. His body, however, refused to cooperate and throbbed with unsatisfied need.

He gentled his kiss in an effort to bring them down from the peak they’d almost reached. He wanted Carly, but on equal terms. With her needing him as much as he needed her. Giving and receiving comfort wasn’t a solid basis for making love.

He allowed himself one last lingering kiss before pulling himself up and away from her soft, willing body.

Seconds passed before Carly’s passion-fogged mind cleared. Two things became evident at once. She’d succumbed to the heat of desire, to the point of almost making love on her living-room floor. And she wasn’t the one who’d called a halt.

Her entire body throbbed. Need pulsed through her, but she drew a ragged breath and forced herself to relax. She looked at Mike. His head rested on bended knee and he studied her with a pensive expression. His golden eyes betrayed none of his inner thoughts. She didn’t have to be a mind reader to know them.

Carly recognized Mike’s withdrawal for what it was—another rejection in a day fraught with them. She might have been the one to break things off with Peter, but in admitting his affair, he’d all but rejected her, declaring her worthless in his eyes.

She had the sinking notion that no one would ever love her enough to put her first. Her father hadn’t cared enough to put his family before his mistress. Her fiancé had always given his career and lover higher priority. And Mike, the one person with whom she’d felt a solid connection, had rejected her twice. First by keeping silent and again by pushing her away.

And she would have slept with him anyway. Embarrassment flooded her, cooling her passion faster than an icy shower. “I’m sorry,” she said, standing as she spoke. “But congratulations. You proved your point. I couldn’t have been in love with Peter and I have no self-restraint when it comes to you.” A lot that said about her moral fiber, she thought.

Mike groaned. “That wasn’t the point I was trying to prove.” He leaned back, propping himself up on both elbows.

“Why else pull back? Heaven knows I wouldn’t have stopped you.” Self-loathing filled her voice, directed at both her actions and the question she’d just voiced. He didn’t need to know that his rejection bothered her.

“What happened just now”—he gestured back and forth between them—“that was about you and me. No one else was in the room. No one else was between us.”

“I know,” she whispered, remembering the way she had writhed beneath him. The shame of her wanton response burned inside her.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Mike said in a husky voice.

“Like what?” Turning from the heat of his stare, she attempted to straighten her rumpled robe.

“Like you’re afraid of me.”

“I’m not.”

“Aren’t you?”

She shook her head. “I’m afraid of what you make me feel,” she admitted. Afraid of who you make me become.

“Don’t be. Because the next time will make this one pale in comparison, I promise.” His eyes raked over her body. Beneath his heated gaze she felt naked and exposed.

He rose at a leisurely pace, a man comfortable with himself and his sexuality.

“There won’t be a next time.” She tightened the sash around her waist, turned and stepped back before he could crowd her personal space.

But he anticipated her reaction and grabbed for the material of her robe. He pulled her backward until she leaned against the hard contours of his body. “Yes, there will. But next time you’ll want me, not just comfort.” His warm breath fanned her ear.

If he only knew how much she wanted him… even more than she’d sought solace in his arms. But she closed her eyes and let his words sink in.

He assumed there’d be a next time. Because she’d been eager and willing, despite his betrayal, he’d assumed all was forgiven. Carly didn’t know who she was more furious with, Mike or herself.

Because she wanted to believe in him. Wanted to trust that he desired more from her than just hot sex. Though it couldn’t change things between them, she needed to believe they shared more than just passion. Because when that passion flared, a living, breathing monster came alive. It brought the past to life and caused her to doubt the present.

He pressed a gentle kiss against her neck. She trembled against the feather-light touch. “Just go, Mike.”

“Will you be all right?” he asked, obviously resigned.

She nodded.

“I thought so.” He gathered his damp clothing from the floor. “You’re strong, Carly Wexler,” he said before disappearing into her bathroom.

“But not strong enough to resist you,” she murmured to the empty room. She leaned against the nearest wall, closed her eyes and forced air into her lungs. She couldn’t resist the man whose omission had hurt her more than her fiancé’s affair. She shook her head and breathed in deeply once more. No sooner had she drawn another breath than the bathroom door swung wide open.

“What are your plans now that you’re officially unengaged?” he asked. He’d changed back into his damp jeans and working boots. His black T-shirt clung to his broad shoulders and back.

“Are you sure you want to go home like that?”

He grinned. “It’s either the wet look or I leave half-naked and barefoot. Your choice.”

When he focused his smile on her, nothing else in the world mattered. She could almost forgive him anything. “Go with the wet look. The neighbors don’t need a free show.” But go, she thought silently.

“Well?” he asked.

“What?”

“Your plans.”

Obviously she couldn’t get rid of him easily. If he sensed her need to be alone, he didn’t show it. She hadn’t had a chance to give her future much thought. But perhaps now that she had the time as well as her freedom, she ought to try. “I really don’t know. I need to get away.” The truth surprised her, as much as the fact that she’d spoken the words aloud.