The Thrill of the Chase (14 page)

A hot quiver of longing pierced her at his soft words.
"
Hi.
"

"
How
'
ve you been, squirt?
"
Having known her since she was ten, the affection he felt for her ran deep. Deeper than he wanted to think about right at this second.

She was about to answer him when the doors snapped open and everyone started clapping as Ashley and Ryan walked hand in hand into the room.

Almost immediately Julie pulled Gibson over to greet the newly married couple.

Monica was left standing alone with Kyle.

Silence pulsed between them until he lifted her chin in his rough palm and repeated,
"
You been okay, kid?
"

"
I
'
m not a kid anymore,
"
she challenged him softly.

His hand tightened on her soft skin as he looked her up and down.
"
That
'
s for damn sure.
"

"
I
'
ve been okay.
"

He didn
'
t let go.
"
Yeah?
"

"
Yeah. How about you?
"
Her words were soft.

"
I
'
m good.
"

"
That
'
s good.
"

The air was thick as they studied each other.

His hand skimmed over her skin and Monica
'
s thoughts flew from her head. He took a step closer and she almost choked at the look in his eyes. She felt the need to say something to cut through the tension.
"
Your sister got married.
"
Geez, Monica, how obvious
.

"
Yep, she did.
"

A soft feminine cough meant to gently interrupt came from beside them. His hand slowly slid from her skin as he turned to his mother who was watching them with questioning eyes.

"
Hi, baby,
"
his mother said.

"
Mom.
"
He leaned in to kiss his mother
'
s cheek although he had greeted her once already.

Mrs. Weldon turned to Monica.
"
We need your help for a minute, sweetie, if you can get away from my son.
"

Monica snapped out of her Kyle-induced trance and went into full bridesmaid mode.
"
Of course, Mrs. Weldon, lead the way.
"

****

Two hours later the toasts had been made, dinner had been served and the dance floor had finally opened up to all the guests.

Kyle didn
'
t wait. He left the seat where he had been watching Monica off and on all evening. She was walking away from the dance floor after having shared a customary dance with one of the groomsmen. He snagged her hand from behind and swung her toward him.

"
My dance.
"
His voice was deep. He didn
'
t coach it as a question.

The impact of the quick turn had her skirt flaring out and her free hand landing on his chest. Air whooshed from her lungs. Her eyes widened as she was caught off guard. Words got snarled in her throat and she remained mute.

The band segued into another slow song and Kyle
'
s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her torso into his.

Her eyes flew up to his as hot, intense pleasure filled her. His nostrils flared and when he spoke, his voice was rough, answering a question that had never been asked.
"
Yeah, like that.
"

Monica was caught under his spell as fierce pleasure ran down her spine. His arms were steely around her; his scent was masculine, something she always remembered. Her senses were overflowing as sensation rippled through her.

His eyes were dark, intense.
"
What do you think the family would do if I kissed you right now?
"

Stunned, she stood in the circle of his arms as a surge of joy and intense relief that he
wanted to
kiss her
slid through her veins. He slowed their movements to a crawl. Her throat was tight and she still couldn
'
t speak.

"
Is that a yes or a no?
"
he questioned her.

She cleared her throat as his arm tightened around her. The hand that held hers controlled the tremors running through her.
"
I
--
I think
--
y-yes to a kiss, no to right here.
"

His arm dropped from her waist and he immediately began dragging her from the dance floor.

She took a quick intake of breath, stumbled slightly, and followed him. She wanted to follow him, but it didn
'
t matter if she did or didn
'
t because he wasn
'
t giving her a choice. His hand was almost pulling hers out of the socket in his hurry to leave the room and the crowd behind. Her eyes went to the row of tables closest to the dance floor and in a blur she saw his mother watching them with a soft expression on her face and Julie studying them with a grin from ear to ear. Gibson watched them also as he leaned down to whisper something in his wife
'
s ear, his hand palming her stomach protectively.

And then the crowd disappeared as Kyle pulled her from the room and dragged her down a darkened corridor. He walked for about thirty yards, where they had some privacy but could still feel the vibrations coming from the beat of the band. He rounded a corner, swung her up against a wall and caged her in with his arms.

Their eyes clashed as they studied each other.

"
I need to have my head examined.
"
His voice was rough with arousal.

"
Why?
"
Her voice was a whisper.

"
Because I
'
ve waited so long to do this.
"

"
Why did you?
"
she questioned him softly.

"
I don
'
t know, sheer stupidity?
"
His finger grazed over her trembling bottom lip.

"
The p-prom,
"
she said

"
What about the prom?
"
he questioned her, his finger running back and forth across her lip.

"
Why didn
'
t you kiss me then?
"
She sounded confused even to herself.

"
Because I was a twenty-one year old rampaging ball of out-of-control testosterone and I couldn
'
t trust myself with you.
"

"
Are
--
are you serious?
"
She actually liked the sound of that.

"
Yeah, I
'
m serious,
"
he puffed out.

"
I wanted you to kiss me that night,
"
she told him.

"
I wanted to sleep with you that night. And a million other fucking nights of my life.
"
At her gasp, he softened his voice.
"
I thought you were scared and didn
'
t want me to try to kiss you. Besides, I felt like a pedophile all night.
"

"
I was eighteen, I wanted
--"
Her words came to a halt as he cut her off.

"
Are we going to talk all night or do this?
"
Impatience began to seep into his voice as his grasp became firmer.

"
Do this.
"
Her answer was short and succinct.

He studied her lips while stroking his finger back and forth across them. His hand slid into her hair and clenched her scalp.

Monica
'
s heartbeat accelerated as his head lowered and his mouth came within an inch of hers. He stopped and spoke, his breath warm and minty on her face.
"
You sure?
"
He had no intention of stopping.

Her hands grabbed his shirt for added stability. She was trembling violently.
"
Please.
"

"
Oh, yeah, I do like that word on your lips.
"
His voice bled arrogance.

His mouth came down on hers and softly took her lips in a firm, closed-mouth kiss. He nipped her several times and then raised up enough to ask in a roughened voice,
"
Like that?
"

"
Yes,
"
she panted. And then changed her mind.
"
No.
"

He teased the corner of her mouth.
"
You want it all?
"

Monica was so aroused she didn
'
t stop to think about being embarrassed.
"
Yes.
"

He groaned.
"
Now?
"

She mewled as erotic images of the two of them splintered through her mind. She slammed her hand against his chest and begged him.
"
Yes. Now. Kiss me,
please.
"

He pulled her head up by her hair and slammed his mouth back down on hers, opening her lips with the thrust of his tongue. Kissing her deeply, he pushed his tongue in and pulled it out. His torso pushed into hers and he claimed a soft breast with his palm.

Her senses were taken over by Kyle. Monica felt like she had come home. Lurking somewhere just behind the lust, the desire,
the thanksgiving of being in his arms
, was a feeling of rightness.
This was right
.

Squeezing her breast in his hand, her softness all around him, all he wanted was to pick her up and carry her outside and take her home. He knew he couldn
'
t do that. Neither one of them could leave until the reception was over. They had to wait until Ashley and Ryan left for their honeymoon.

He kissed her for a few more, long, agonizing minutes until he knew he was only punishing them both. He broke his mouth away from hers and held her head against his chest while their breathing began to slow in tandem.

"
You
'
re sweet, Monica. You
'
ve always been
so sweet
.
"
His words were a gravelly whisper in her ear.

Monica stood in the circle of his arms, her heart beating loudly through her veins. She closed her eyes as his sensual aura encapsulated her. She took sustaining breaths as she let the sure knowledge that Kyle
wanted her
seep into her soul. It was a fantastic, heady feeling that she wanted to savor forever.

They stood together quietly, his hands sliding over her hair and her skin. He repeated the motions over and over, and although Monica could feel his arousal pressing against her stomach, his touch felt soothing, almost reverent. She inhaled softly as sheer bliss arrowed through her.

They heard the click of boots echoing in the empty corridor and looked up together when Gibson rounded the corner. Monica recognized the protective glimmer in Gibson
'
s eyes as he glanced her way, swiftly inspected her for damage and then turned and gave Kyle a cursory look. Monica knew Gibson
'
s protectiveness extended to her through Julie. Julie loved her, therefore, Gibson felt the need to protect her from harm.

Gibson
'
s appraisal left Kyle and turned back to Monica. He raised his eyebrows and spoke to her.
"
Julie sent me looking for you. Says Ashley needs you.
"

She nodded her head in his direction and gave him a soft smile.
"
Thanks. I
'
ll be right there.
"

Gibson gave them one final look and turned around and walked away.