Second Chances (11 page)

Fear of hearing those painful words from the one person she trusted made sure she kept her art from even James.

The panic dug its claws in deeper, quickening her breathing. “I’ve told you…how difficult trust is for me sometimes.”

David raked his fingers through his hair again. “But I thought we were past that. I thought you knew you could tell me anything.”

Kristin took a shaky breath. “I haven’t essentially produced any work in a long time, anyway. When James was ill, it sort of fell by the wayside. After he was gone, the spirit just didn’t seem to move me anymore.”

“So what changed?” He took a deep breath and held it while he waited for her to answer.

I met you
, Kristin’s voice shouted inside her head.

She wanted to tell David he’d become her inspiration and had awakened her creative soul, but the words just would not come.

Better that they not be said anyway. Things were complicated enough between them. Instead, Kristin found herself staring intently at her hands in her lap, while her heart pounded so loudly the noise filled her ears.

“I couldn’t help but notice…” David exhaled and spoke with a slow and even voice. “…that I’m the subject in many of your drawings.”

The quiet control in his voice was almost drowned out by her heart as it continued to thud in her chest. “And I’m guessing they’re the reason I find you staring at me sometimes.”

Kristin’s face flooded with heat while she wrung her hands in her lap. It wasn’t like David to be so blunt. She realized they had both drunk quite a bit of wine, which probably didn’t help the situation.

His hands reached out to steady hers, and her head jerked up. His dark eyes devoured her, and Kristin lost herself in them, engulfed by the surge of emotions raging just below the murky depths.

With his index finger, David brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen over her cheek. His fingertips lightly skimmed her cheek, and he leaned in closer. The heat of his ragged breathing mingled with her own.

She wanted to blame the wine for her lack of control, yet Kristin didn’t care about that right now. All she wanted was to feel his lips pressed against hers.

David’s mouth hovered over hers, a mere breath away. The sensual curves of his lips beckoned to her, just like they had each time she had drawn them. Her gaze lifted to his eyes, which had darkened with desirea desire she was sure was reflected in her own.

All Kristin had to do was bend forward, and their lips would finally touch. She would experience what it was like to be desired again, even if only for a brief moment.

Was it worth the risk? What would happen to their friendship?

As Kristin fought within herself, David moved closer, answering that question for her.

He closed the small distance between them, his lips barely touching hers. The kisses were soft, delicate feathers that brushed her lips. A lightning bolt crashed into her, electricity sizzling throughout her body.

She felt him pull away and lean his forehead against hers, both of them breathing raggedly.

“We probably shouldn’t be doing this,” Kristin whispered breathlessly, fear mixing with the deep yearning that coursed through her.

“I know,” David whispered back.

But that didn’t matter any more. The desire she had been so desperately attempting to control had clawed its way to the surface, and her passion would not be denied.

David laid his strong hands on her shoulders, pulled her closer, and pressed his lips harder, more demandingly against hers.

His tongue slid gently past her lips, probing the dark recesses of her mouth. The moan that escaped her throat was muffled by David’s mouth. His tongue twisted in lazy circles with hers. Kristin couldn’t believe how much she wanted him, how quickly he had awakened her hunger.

David shifted his weight and eased Kristin backwards onto the couch. His lean body pressed firmly against hers, the solidity of his arousal apparent as it rested firmly against her thigh.

Kristin laced both hands through his dark hair, which was just as soft as she’d imagined it would be. She arched into him, molding her body to his, the increased friction between their bodies causing a groan to escape from the back of her throat.

His mouth left her lips, and traveled slowly along the curve of her neck. Long fingers found the buttons of her shirt, the fabric giving way as each one came undone, leaving her exposed to the cool air. Goose bumps marched over her skin and she shivered, but not from the cold.

David’s kisses journeyed gently over the sensitive area between her breasts, down her stomach, leaving a sizzling trail in their wake. Kristin was ablaze from his touch, and every moment made the fire rage even higher within her.

David’s thumbs brushed across her nipples, the thin satin fabric of her bra seemed absent as the aching points hardened in response. Her breath came so quickly, she was almost panting.

She ached for his touch. More than she ever dreamed possible. Kristin’s hands cradled his head and lifted his face so she could see into his eyes. She wanted to glimpse the longing he had for her, reflected plainly in those ebony depths.

Her thumb slowly traced the outline of David’s lips, the lips she had so often drawn and dreamed about. How could she have thought she could deny him? It was like trying to deny herself air.

The planes of his chest pressed tightly to hers, and crushed her soft breasts against him. The sensation of his heart pounding in time with her own almost sent her over the edge.

Those sensuous lips claimed hers again so fiercely, another small moan resounded in her throat. She found herself incapable of any type of rational thought, only riding the swell within her, as David worshiped her body with electric kisses.

Kristin was so lost in a world where nothing mattered but the two of them, that at first, she didn’t hear the ringing of David’s phone. When the sound finally registered, David raised his head and froze, as the realization of what he was doing crashed them headlong back into reality.

A little too quickly, David tucked his shirt in his pants and brushed his hand through his hair. She scrambled with shaking fingers to re-button her shirt and glanced over at David.

The phone droned on as he fumbled with his pockets in search of the thing.

Tremors quaked through her body as Kristin struggled to even her breathing in an attempt to regain her composure. Embarrassment over what had just happened added to the flush of desire in her cheeks.
So much for just friends
. How had she permitted such a loss of control on her part?

The noisy ringing ceased just as David managed to open the phone. He studied the display for a moment, then his shoulders drooped with a sigh. His elbows propped on his knees, he stared at the floor, the phone still in his hand.

The silence left in the wake of the ringing phone stretched between them. She had agreed that anything more than friendship would be out of the question right now, until David had straightened out his personal life. But what just happened went beyond friendship.

And as Kristin’s heart rate refused to normalize, the realization that maybe she wasn’t actually prepared for more than friendship clouded her mind with doubt.

Finally, not being able to stand the silence any longer, she spoke. “David?” Her breathy voice was more tentative than she intended.

David raised his head, his dark eyes raw with pain. “I’m sorry. That really shouldn’t have happened.”

All of Kristin’s insecurities rushed to the surface. Was he sorry because he enjoyed what happened, or because he didn’t? Now, everything between them would become that much more complicated.

And complicated was an understatement for what was going on inside Kristin right now. Excitement, guilt, fear, all these emotions battled for dominance. Those few stolen moments with David had been glorious, but at what price had they come?

She wasn’t ready. Friendship was one thing, as was fantasy. But Kristin wasn’t prepared for all of the baggage that came with a realistic physical relationship, or all of the memories and emotions that would be dredged up for her to deal with. Not yet. And especially not with Sophie Miller waiting in the shadows of David’s life.

Kristin took a deep breath and stood, straightening her blouse. “I think what happened here is that two friends indulged in a little too much wine with their dinner, clouding their sense of better judgment.”

Not waiting for David’s reaction, she grabbed their glasses from the coffee table and took them to the kitchen sink. After rinsing them, Kristin leaned over the sink, bracing herself on the edge with her hands.

It could be worse. David could actually be engaged to someone else, instead of pretending to be. The public lie was only a small part of what was truly keeping them apart. Her reluctance to jump headlong into this next step of their relationship also played a role, no matter how much her body obviously wanted her to plunge right in.

Hearing David move behind her, she turned around to find him regarding her cautiously. She flashed the best smile she could muster and walked toward him.

He grasped her hand, remorse evident in his gaze. “Kristin—”

The cell phone still in his other hand began ringing again. David glanced at the display once more, then pressed a button to reduce it to silence. Someone was being very insistent.

Kristin expelled a long breath, releasing some of the tension that had built up in her body as she faced him. “What would you have me do, David?”

David’s eyes glimmered black as his mouth spread into a thin line. “Talk to me, damn it. Don’t shut me out like you do everyone else!” His words cut sharply through the air between them as he stared her down, his shoulders rigid from his own tension.

Kristin winced at the harsh tone of his voice. “What good would that do? We agreed there could be nothing more than friendship between us right now. You just said yourself you were sorry about it.”

David shook his head no and turned away. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“What
did
you mean?” Her heart raced as she waited for his response, but his phone rang again.

He glanced briefly at the phone again, but didn’t attempt to answer it. This was getting ridiculous. Irritation prickled along Kristin’s spine. “Just answer the damn thing. Someone obviously needs to get in touch with you desperately. Probably Sophie.”

David spun back to face her, sighing deeply. “It’s Bernard. I’ll be quick. You and I have business to finish here.” He flipped open the phone and stepped out of the kitchen, his voice reduced to a murmur.

Kristin turned away from him and rubbed her temples. Bolts of pain twisted inside her head. This had been a hell of a day. The problems at the gallery, paired with her wonky personal life had taken its toll. Tired, her head hurt and now David was being pulled away. Correction. He was
letting
himself be pulled away. Did she really need all this commotion in her life?

“Probably not,” Kristin muttered, walking over to her bag and grabbing it from the floor. Certainly she had a bottle of Ibuprofen in there somewhere. She strode back into the kitchen, setting the bag on the counter as she rummaged around and came across the papers she had stuffed inside the bag before she and David had left the gallery earlier. The day’s mail was mixed in with the sheets of paper.

Kristin glanced briefly over at David, who was still talking on his phone and pacing back and forth across the room.
So much for quick.
To keep her mind off of her out of control libido, she might as well go through the mail. Probably mostly bills anyway.

She sighed as she shuffled through the envelopes. Bill. Bill. Junk mail. Dismissed, each one landed on the counter.

A large brown envelope protruded from the stack. No return address. Kristin opened the envelope and slid out a large sheet of paper. Upon inspection, it appeared to be a copy of a page of The Sun, dated tomorrow. Normally, Kristin never read these trashy tabloids. But obviously, someone wanted to tell her something. A small paragraph was marked with a yellow highlighter, and it circled a photo of Sophie Miller. Curiosity at this unexpected piece of mail got the better of her, so Kristin took a deep breath and started to read.

…
Miss Miller confirmed that wedding plans are underway with the nuptials scheduled to take place sometime soon after she completes the filming of her movie. When asked if the couple had any plans to start a family any time soon after the wedding, the actress replied…

Kristin ceased reading as anger rolled in the pit of her stomach, waiting for the opportunity to rise. “What the hell is this?” She held the page out to David.

David blinked several times, appearing confused. He grabbed the paper from her. His face grew wan as he read the article. “Where did you get this? It wasn’t supposed to be out until tomorrow.”

Kristin couldn’t believe her ears. “You knew about this? You knew, and didn’t tell me?” The anger that had been waiting rose into her chest, tightening it. Her fingers closed around the brown envelope like a vise.

His gaze dropped back to the page. “I only just found out this morning. That’s why Bernard was so keen to talk to me just then.” David’s gaze returned to hers. “Where did it come from?”