Tomorrow Will Be Too Late (18 page)

Maybe
the word
“forgotten”
was
all wrong
,
Kate thought
, as she tried to remain calm and hide her agitation. Maybe she had never exp
erienced it before
, the
all
-
overpowering urge to lean closer and touch him, her nostrils flaring in search of his personal fragrance. She wanted to bury her face
in
his shoulder, or even better
,
in the hollow where his neck joined his chest. He was wearing a blue shirt, the two top buttons open and offering a tantalizing glimpse of his smooth tanned skin. The strong column of his neck looked very inviting, she thought as her throat dried in anticipation of things to come. He didn’t look like some of those athletic men who seemed to have necks wider than their heads, their beefy appearance holding little
,
if
any,
appeal at all. Everything about him was well
-
proportioned and elegant, the strong structure of his bones carrying just enough muscle to make him look fit without taking away from his masculine beauty.

‘All right, that’s it
.
’
His
voice, rough and strained
,
broke through her thoughts
,
and she looked with wide
open
eyes as he
took an unexpected turn and drove the car of
f
the main road
onto
a quiet, dark side road ending in a ravine.

‘
Do
you really think that looking at me like that will
help with my driving skills?’
h
e
asked before turning off the ignition and leaning toward her, his dark silhouette blocking out the pale moonshine pouring down from the velvety sky. ‘
Or
are you really so impatient to get a taste of what we have agreed to share in the future,
Kate
?’

Before
she could answer, his hands found her and pulled her closer, the space between them vanishing as fast as her rational common sense.

‘If that’s what y
ou want, all you need to do is
ask
.
’
His
lips disturbingly close in the semi darkness, he bent his head and added
,
‘I’m more than willing to oblige.’

She felt his mouth brush her temple, her senses ultra
-
sensitive to the light touch. His lips lingered on the soft skin for a second, a hot wave of
embarrassment
washing over her when she realized he must have felt her puls
e drumming away under the thin
skin.
But she had
no
reason
to
worry about
it. Excruciatingly slow, his mouth made its way lower, caressing her cheekbones and lingering on
t
he hollow slope of her cheek that led to her waiting mouth. He was in no hurry, she thought accusingly, taking his time as he skimmed the surface,
his warm breath fanning her already overheated cheeks.

With one impatient movement, she twisted her head toward him, her lips meeting
his
halfway and putting an end to
the
exquisite torture.
She wanted to feel him properly, to fill herself with his taste and fragrance until every cell of her body was too busy to think about anything but the physical pleasure his mouth created.

He didn’t hesitate to accept what she offered, the kiss deepening instantly as he let his hands travel to her upper arms, trapping her in a firm embrace. Hot and demanding, his lips left no space for doubt or
second-guessing
. Her mouth opened almost involuntarily, yielding to his lead. That was exactly what she wanted, she thought
,
exhilarated as she felt his tongue caress hers, the erotic, repetitive motion sending zigzags of desire all the way to the very core of her womanhood.
She liked it, the intensity of the flame burning to ashes anything else lurking in her
over
-
stimulated
mind. To be able not to think of anything but the sensation of his body against hers, hard and demanding, was a blessing. Her misery and worries about the future
faded
into the distant background like
an
annoying song one tries to forget. It still lingered somewhere deep inside her, persistently clinging to her consci
ousn
ess, but it was weaker and fading fast
.

Justin’s kisses had the power to disperse her pain. His raw energy healed her, her body reaching up to him impatiently
in the constrained interior of the small
sports
car. She didn’t want it to stop, not now and not ever. As long as she felt his lips on hers and his hands skimming over her body with those long,
fire-
stalking motions
, she was safe from her demons. And it was all that really mattered.

It stopped way too soon, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder in a steadying gesture that she realized was meant to keep her in place.
A hot
wave of embarrassment
washed over her instantly, successfully subduing any other emotions. What was she doing? Acting like some hormone
-
ridden teenager and practically throwing herself at Justin the moment he reached for her?
Even that was a manipulation on her part, she had to add unhappily, as she shrunk in her seat and looked away into the darkness outside. Because she
had
tried to provoke him into a reaction like that,
hadn’t
she?

For one crazy second
,
she felt tempted to explain to him what drove her to this irrational behavior. It would feel great to have someone to share her burden, if only to be able to get rid of
the
terrible sense of loneliness that
haunted
her in the last
twenty-four
hours. She dismissed it instantly, her lips pressing together
to keep the words from spilling
out
even before she made the conscious decision to remain mum.

He’d
feel
used again, no doubt
—u
sed
as
a convenient object, his sexuality nothing more
than
a distraction from her problems. It wasn’t like that,
b
ut
given their history
,
wouldn’t it be his first conclusion?

He might pity her, she added silently, her
tortured
thoughts racing. Pity was not something she wanted, especially from a man who kissed her
with
heat
strong enough to set
the whole world o
n f
ire
. Would he feel the same desire if he knew he was caressing someone doomed to die soon? If he knew that her body was marred with hopelessness and d
isease
? Most probably not, the thought of seeing the fire leave his eyes
to be
replaced with warm compassion not something she could bare to contemplate.

‘I don’t think it’s the best idea to continue here, Kate.’ His voice reached her as if from
a
far
,
and she nodded, still refusing to look at him. She couldn’t
look at him
without showing him how hopeless she felt, the despair in her eyes not something he would easily overlook.

‘It’s very tempting, though.’
A
smile
was
in his next remark, and she felt his hand reach for her, long
,
elegant fingers caressing her cheek. ‘I felt like a teenager again, I swear. Still, I’d rather get us home first, so you won’t end up regretting your decision even before we start.
My bedroom is much more comfortable than a quick shag in a two
-
seater in the middle of nowhere.
Plus, I
’
m not one to carry protection in my wallet, just in case.
Or is that something we don’t need to worry about?
’

He was asking her if she was on the pill, of course. She could have admitted she
hadn’t slept
with anyone in ten years, but
preferred not to
. What if he thought her prud
ish
and boring, regretting the idea of them having sex? With his looks and money
,
he was surely used to experienced, self
-
confident lovers, not scared little girls
who
had very limited experience.

‘Totally
. It’s
taken care of.
’
She
nodded, sounding impossibly young and vulnerable to her own ears. Which was all wrong, because she wanted him to see her as sophisticated and confident, a sexual innuendo here or there not something to throw her off
-
balance. ‘You’re right, of course. Nothing better than saving one’s appetite for later, I’ve been told.
And double protection is nothing to look down upon, I think.
’

‘My sentiments exactly.’ Something in her answer bothered him, even though he played it cool. But she knew his face by now, the small tightening of his muscles around his mouth and eyes telling her he didn’t appreciate her worldly expertise.

He restarted the car
,
and they merged into the already lightening traffic, the soft purr of the engine the only sound to break the silence.

‘I
would have
thought you would live in a penthouse,’ she ventured, eager to start a conversation.
Now that
she
had
mental
images
of them
in his house, the unknown building a setting for their lovemaking in just a f
ew moments
, her heart
fluttered
anxiously. That was what she had wanted all along, wasn’t it? She had practically offered it to him on a silver plat
t
e
r
earlier this evening. Last
-
minute jitters weren’t really called for or justified.

‘
Well, I do have one of those as well,’ he
said
, his voice pleasantly conversational. For all she knew
,
she could be his older relative or a distant friend, not the woman he had kissed so passionately only moments before.

‘This house
has
belonged to my family for generations.’ He smil
ed lightly,
but
his eyes
were
pensive. ‘It was built by my
U
ncle Albert and his wife,
A
unt
Rose. She never remarried after
he
passed away only three years into their marriage. This house was something they planned together, him being an architect and all. So she stayed in it for the next
six
ty years, one tiny lady in an impossibly large, family
-
destined home. I don’t think she ever regretted it
,
though.’

‘That’s a sad story
.
’
S
he shook her head, trying to imagine the young widow walking through the empty rooms, silence filling the space instead of children’s laughter.

‘Well, she made the best of it
.
’ Justin smiled again, his soft spot for his aunt something that surprised her even more. Somehow
,
so far she didn’t see him as a family man, his business
-
oriented attitude and failed marriage making her think he didn’t particularly care for family ties. She was wrong, obviously.

‘She loved her garden and her painting studio, the views of the water being very exceptional
,
’ Justin explained, the car slowing down as he turned into a smaller road, apparently nearing their destination. ‘
She
passed away a year ago, leaving it to me. I guess she was still upset
by
my split with Victoria and the fact my ex
-
wife did her best taking me to the cleaners.’ He laughed mirthlessly, and she cringed, her own less
-
than
-
glorious role in the settlement battle coming back to haunt her with renewed strength. ‘
In her will
,
she mentioned she wanted me to have a place free of bitterness and regret. It was a house of love and hope, she said. So
,
I decided to keep it.
You might be interested to know it’s just a stone throw from your sister’s future
home, Kate. Very soon we’
ll be
come
neighbors.
’
He smiled and gestured ahead, his eyes mellow.