Page 35 of Karma

“Baby, you already know the answer to that.”

She supposed she did. “Dare?” she asked softly.

He eased in closer to her. “Yeah?”

She swallowed hard. They were so close. In her bed. She was in her barely-there tank and shorts. He, she realized, was still in a T-shirt and jeans.

Waiting for her to speak.

“Kiss me,” she said, opting for the simple request.

He groaned and eased himself over her, careful not to jostle her head. The big bad cop could be so gentle when he wanted to be, she thought, as his lips closed over hers.

His kiss was featherlight and soft, starting at one side of her mouth, kissing her, licking at her lips, tasting her slowly, reverently as if she would shatter. If he kept up this sensual assault, she just might. The light nibbles with his teeth, the soft sweeps of his tongue, and the oh-so-tender caress of his thumb over her cheek were devastating to her senses.

He clearly didn’t want to overwhelm her, so he was taking his time and being careful. That care did more to break down her defenses than anything else might have. When he slid his tongue over the seam of her lips, her entire body trembled with desire, and then finally, he slid his tongue past her lips to take possession.

And possess her he did. His tongue gliding over every part of her, each sweep taking her deeper and deeper into a web of longing that took her beyond thought, beyond reason. He kissed like he did everything else, with confidence and determination, sweeping her along with him.

She shook beneath him, needing him in every sense of the word. Needing to touch him, she slid her hands beneath his shirt, placing her palms over his heated flesh, feeling his taut muscles against her hand. He was hard and firm, just as she’d imagined. And all the while, he slid his lips back and forth over hers, letting her know with each kiss, each touch, how much he wanted her.

Clearly as much as she wanted him. Caution and rational thought fled as she scraped her nails over his flesh, moving upward to graze his nipples. He shuddered, letting out a low groan before breaking away and flipping over onto his back, one arm over his eyes.

They’d gotten carried away, and she was grateful he’d been thinking when she obviously hadn’t. She backed off too, and as she caught her breath, she became aware of the steady pounding in her head.

She heard a moan and realized the sound came from her.

He rolled to face her once more. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t know what to say and remained silent.

“How is your head?” he asked, his breathing ragged.

Hers was too. “Hurts,” she admitted.

“Which is exactly why I stopped. If we’d done anything more, you’d be hating me.” He lifted himself up and leaned over for a long, gentle kiss.

One she couldn’t and didn’t want to resist. Fun and temporary, she reminded herself. The fun part would come when she was feeling better. The temporary wasn’t something she wanted to dwell on. It merely had to linger in the back of her mind.

“Trust me, this isn’t over, only delayed,” he said, breaking the kiss.

“Promise?” She didn’t know what had gotten into her.

He brought out a cheeky, playful side she hadn’t known she possessed. Even in pain, she had to admit it felt good to just smile with someone.

“Oh yeah.” His sizzling stare promised her more to come when she was better. “Now I’m getting up to bring you a quick bite to eat and your medicine.”

“I’d like to try to get away with Advil only today.”

“Only if you swear to take the heavy stuff if the ibuprofen doesn’t work.”

She raised her hand in the air. “Promise.”

Before he could stand, her phone rang, and he glanced over at the nightstand. “Do you want me to get it?”

“If you don’t mind.”

He picked up the receiver. “Hello?” he asked, and as he listened to the caller, his features darkened. “She’s not up to taking calls.”

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