A Taste Of Sin Read online

  He tried to think of what he could say. He didn't want to apologize. He wasn't sorry for what happened. He wasn't sorry for showing that she was his, even if she didn't yet realize it.

  But he did want to reassure her that the considerate lover was still there, even if tonight he had acted like a Neanderthal.

  He levered himself up so she could straighten. She turned on unsteady legs and groped for her T-shirt and shoved her skirt back in place. But before she could flee, Nick pulled her into his arms and held her against his chest, stroking her back until the tension left her shoulders and her arms wrapped around his waist. It felt good, just holding her like this, enjoying a little moment of peace when they seemed to spend most of their time together caught in a sexual maelstrom.

  "That was, ahh...intense," Kelly finally said against his chest.

  Nick pulled her tighter against him. "That's all you can come up with?"

  "Give me a minute," she murmured, "I think I just lost half of my brain cells while my blood fled for other parts."

  Nick cupped her face in his hands, tilting her head back. An uncertain smile teased her full lips. Her blue eyes were still wary.

  I could spend my whole life trying to put a smile on this woman's

  face, he thought.

  He loved her. It hit him with such force that for a minute he couldn't catch his breath. He was in love with Kelly Sullivan.

  The thought thrilled and terrified him in equal measure. He’d tried this before, loving a woman completely out of his league, a woman whose intelligence and dedication to a high-powered career had dictated her life. And he'd crashed, hard. But as he gazed into Kelly's eyes he saw something that made him think that just maybe this time it would all work out.

  He pulled her back against him and buried his face in her hair.

  He'd take it slow, ease her into a more public relationship. Make her see that he could make her happy, even if he wasn't some big-brained, big city hotshot.

  He silenced the doubt seething in his mind, the voices that warned him that once again he was out of his league and should stick to small-town girls who shared his same small-town aspirations.

  The warm, soft reality of Kelly in his arms told him differently, reassured him that Kelly wasn't like Ann. She was a small-town girl at heart, still humble even if she was smarter than most of the world.

  And he'd never felt like this about Ann.

  When they were kids, Kelly had touched a part of him few people could ever reach. Even when he'd felt like the world's biggest idiot, Kelly had had faith in him, had made him feel like more than just a big, dumb, pretty boy.

  He smiled and hugged her so tight she grunted in protest. But mostly, she made him happy, content to simply be there sharing the same space.

  It would work out. It had to.

  "C'mon, I'll take you home."

  Chapter Six

  They took Nick's truck. Kelly barely spared a thought for her little Honda, figuring she'd pick up her car on her morning run.

  "My house is that way," she said when Nick turned left instead of right down Maple.

  "We're not going to your house."

  "You said you were taking me home."

  "My home."

  Curiosity warred with uneasiness during the five-minute ride. On one hand, she was dying to see Nick's house. She knew he'd built it just two years ago after Donovan Brothers had enjoyed a particularly good year. You could tell a lot about a person by their home, and Kelly was hungry to know everything about Nick.

  Which made her uneasy. As long as they kept their sexual escapades limited to the impersonal venue of her short-term rental, it was easy to keep in mind that this was all just temporary, just for fun until she got back to her real life. A life that included a full-time position at a prestigious medical center where she would continue to build her career.

  A life of long hours and hard work in a major metropolitan center.

  In short, a life that did not include Nick.

  An involuntary heavy sigh escaped her just as they pulled up to a two-story log and stone house at the end of a long driveway.

  "What do you think?" Nick asked. Kelly thought she detected a little anxiousness in his tone, as though he needed her approval.

  And how could she do anything but give it? The house, or at least what she could see of it in the porch light, was a stunning example of what a mountain retreat should be. Rough-hewn logs and natural stone blended seamlessly in rustic elegance. The expansive front porch wrapped around"maybe all the way to the back, offering views of the mountains.

  The inside was just as impressive. The large great room was dominated by a leather sectional couch and, of course, a huge television and entertainment center. Bookshelves lined two of the walls up to the ceiling, and Kelly could see titles that ranged from architecture reference books to history to the latest bestsellers.

  "Before you ask, yes, I have read them all," Nick said, his tone deliberately light.

  "I never doubted it." She smiled.

  "I still remember you helping me through The Catcher in the Rye. After that I read everything I could get my hands on—it just took me a little longer than some people."

  A surge of pride washed through her. It had been a personal triumph when Nick had finished and written a paper on The Catcher in the Rye that had earned him an A. He'd been so discouraged at first, so convinced he wouldn't be able to do it.

  "It's nice to know I've inspired you in some way."

  His smile transformed to an exaggerated leer. "Oh, you inspire me all right, baby."

  She shrieked as he grabbed her around the waist and flung her over his shoulder, fireman style. He took the stairs two at a time and entered a bedroom at the end of the hall. Kelly bounced a few times on the huge king-size bed.

  He stood at the foot of the bed, kicked off his boots, and stripped off his shirt. A single lamp glowed from the dresser across the room, casting a dim golden glow across the rippling muscles of his torso.

  He smiled slowly and crawled up the bed like a jungle cat, and Kelly felt herself go hot and achy between her thighs. She marveled anew at her relentless response to this man. She'd come, what, twenty minutes ago? Still her body reacted as though anticipating the end of a long dry spell. Nick surrounded her with his heat, his scent, and once again Kelly was dying to feel him inside of her.

  How could she ever get enough of this man? How could she possibly give him up?

  "Now," he whispered, bending down to kiss her neck, "I'm going to show you all the ways you inspire me."

  "Wow," Kelly said, "I never realized my capacity as a muse."

  Nick chuckled tiredly and ran his hand lazily down the slope of her back. His hands lingered at her ass, tracing soft circles on each cheek before sliding back up, a steady stroking that had Kelly halfway to a trancelike state.

  Kelly nuzzled her face against Nick's chest, still trying to regain her equilibrium after this evening's events. Whereas in the pub Nick had been all macho force and domination, what had just passed between them had been almost unbearably tender. He had worshipped her, tasting and touching every bare patch of skin. Sliding against each other like otters, slick with sweat, they'd made love to each other with their whole bodies. In the end Kelly had wrapped her arms and legs around him, pulling him close and hiding her face in the hollow of Nick's shoulder so he couldn't see her tears as she came.

  She should leave, she knew. But not yet. For now she let herself be soothed by the tender stroking of Nick's hands on her back, the steady beat of his heart in her ear, the soft ruffle of his breath across her hair. She closed her eyes and indulged herself in her forbidden fantasy.

  One in which she lived with Nick in this perfect house, woke up with him every day, went to sleep with him every night. A life where she was a small-town doctor with patients who knew and liked her, a woman with a normal marriage and a normal life with a good, loving man.

  "What are you thinking about?" he whispered. "I can hear y
our gears turning."

  Startled, Kelly said the first thing that came to her. “I'm wondering why a guy like you—successful, gorgeous, nice house—hasn't settled down with a nice girl yet." Kelly winced even as the words flew out of her mouth. Did she really want to know this?

  "Right girl hasn't come along yet," he answered. His hand came up to tickle her scalp, raising goosebumps on her skin.

  "But you thought she had for a while?" Danger! Danger! Do not ask about exes while in bed with a man! She wasn't terribly experienced, but even she knew that.

  Nick made a sound, half sigh, half chuckle. "So you heard about Ann?"

  Kelly propped herself up on his chest so she could see him.

  Fortunately, he didn't look pissed. Just resigned. "I've heard some stuff."

  "Yeah it's hard to keep ‘stuff' from the people in this town."

  "So what happened?"

  "You know, the usual. I was thinking about rings and she just wanted a good fuck and a nice place to stay."

  His tone was casual, but the subtle stiffening of his muscles conveyed the hurt that still festered.

  Kelly was trying to imagine a woman who would give up Nick, and couldn't. "I don't get it," she said simply.

  "It's not that complicated," he said. "She was smart, ambitious. Kind of like you." he smiled a funny half smile down at her. "She wanted to do her time here and get the hell out and go on to bigger and better places, bigger and better things."

  Kelly tucked her head back under his chin and thought about what he said. I would have stayed for you, Nick, she thought.

  But instead she leaned up and kissed him, first his chin, then his mouth. "I don't know how smart she is Nick, if she didn't see what she had in you."

  He smiled and kissed her back, and his next words cracked her heart in two. "You're a good friend, Kelly. You always know what to say to make me feel better."

  Swallowing the hurt, Kelly pasted a brazen smile on her lips and rubbed herself sinuously against him, gratified when she felt his penis stir with renewed interest. In this aspect of their relationship, at least, she could be honest. "And I also know," she said, teasing his chest with the hard buds of her nipples, "exactly what to do to make you feel better.”

  Something is weird, Nick thought when he woke up Thursday morning. Light poured into his bedroom through the skylight above his bed. Whoa, he must have slept in, judging from the sun.

  But there was something else too. He smiled as he rolled over.

  Right. There was the warm, sleeping presence of another body in his bed.

  And not just any body. Kelly.

  Her face was half-buried in a huge down pillow as she was sprawled on her stomach, turned slightly toward him. Her arms and shoulders were bare above the covers, and he could see the creamy plumpness of her breast as it pressed against the mattress. He reached out and traced the dark feather of lashes against her cheekbones, laughing when she squinched up her face and rolled over in her sleep.

  She didn't see what she had in you. Her words echoed in his mind.

  Was it possible that Kelly was falling for him, just as he had fallen for her? He tried not to get his hopes up, reminded himself to take it slow as he eased her into the idea of a real relationship.

  He felt his usual morning wood grow an extra inch as he drank her in. Her back was to him now, the clean lines and fine-grained skin taunting him to trace it with his fingers. She had kicked the covers off and one leg was bent up, affording Nick a tempting view of her perfect round ass and the soft folds of her sex peeking out.

  He could easily imagine waking up like this every morning for the rest of his life.

  Inching himself closer, he slid his arm around her, cupping and teasing her breasts. With his other hand he positioned his cock between her legs, sliding, teasing through her folds, rubbing against her clit until he was bathed in her wetness. He grabbed a condom from the bedside table and rolled her to her back. She murmured something and reached for him, still not quite awake.

  Carefully he eased inside of her. She woke with a soft gasp, her look of surprise immediately melting into a sleepy smile. She whispered his name and reached her hands up to touch his face, his temples, his lips.

  He didn't think he'd ever seen anything as beautiful as Kelly, half-asleep and aroused, moving sweetly under him. He wanted to stay inside her for hours, for days, crawl inside her body and never come out.

  He couldn't stop the words from tumbling from his mouth, how beautiful, how sexy she was, how good it felt to be inside of her.

  Kelly clutched him now, arching against his long, slow thrusts, her throaty moans matching his rhythm. He felt her orgasm coiling up inside her, reveled in the sharp, soft cry she gave before she hugged him close to her heart. He let himself go, and when he came he heard his heartbeat thundering in his head.

  "Oh my god, someone's here!" Kelly was pushing at his shoulders, trying to squirm out from underneath him.

  He shook his head and realized it wasn't his heartbeat he heard, but someone pounding at his front door.

  "Nick! Hey, Nick, you awake?"

  Shit. It was Mike. Kelly scrambled out from under him and rushed into the attached bathroom.

  "Nick, what the fuck are you doing? You were supposed to be over at the Williams' an hour ago!"

  Nick glanced at the alarm clock on his bedside table. Nine-thirty.

  He was over an hour and a half late.

  And the funny thing was, he didn't even care.

  "Just a sec, Mike." Nick grabbed his jeans from the floor and spared a glance at the bathroom door. Kelly didn't make a sound.

  As Nick trotted downstairs, he half wished she would turn on the shower and take the decision out of his hands. Then he could tell Mike, tell Tony, hell, the entire world that Kelly was his.

  "Sorry, man," Nick said sheepishly. "I must've turned off my alarm by mistake."

  "What the hell is up with you lately? This is the third time you've been late this week." Mike cast a suspicious glance upstairs.

  Nick did his best to paste a bland, nonchalant look on his face.

  "Nothing. I've been tired, and I overslept."

  Mike's expression said he didn't believe him. "There's something going on with you, Nick, something you're not telling me."

  Nick hated keeping things from his brother. He had no problem keeping secrets from the rest of the world, but he and his brothers shared everything. It was on the tip of his tongue to spill his guts, tell him all about Kelly and his newly discovered love for her.

  But he didn't want to out them without talking to her first. It wouldn't be fair, since she agreed with him about keeping their relationship quiet. No, they would go public in a more subtle way. He’d take her out to a movie, or better yet, ask her to come to his folks’ house for Sunday dinner this week.

  That, more than anything, would be a strong declaration that he was serious. But he had to keep it quiet just a little longer.

  "Trust me, Mike, there's nothing going on."

  Mike didn't entirely believe him. "Look, Nick, I don't give a shit what you do in your free time. But we have too much to do before ski season starts for you to be fucking around."

  Nick hated to disappoint his brother who had so capably taken over the business when their father retired. But at the same time he was glad Mike hadn't pressed for more answers.

  Nick apologized and sent Mike on his way with assurances that he’d be at the building site in no more than half an hour. He whistled a little as he started the coffee brewing. Maybe they were different, but he knew in his soul that Kelly was right for him. And making their relationship public was the first step in convincing her.

  Kelly held her breath as she listened through the barely cracked bedroom door. Just tell him, she silently willed. Just tell Mike that you're seeing me so that I know that what I'm feeling isn't all one sided.

  The crack in her heart widened when she heard him assure Mike there was nothing going on. Nothing. That's exactl
y what she meant to Nick. Nothing more than the fulfillment of a silly high school fantasy.

  Nothing but a little on-the-sly nookie to keep them both occupied until she left town. At which point he would no doubt immediately find another playmate. Someone from the next town, or a little ski bunny once the snow started.

  Slowly she pulled on her clothes, silently berating herself as she dressed. God, for a supposedly brilliant woman, she was colossally stupid. Stupid to think the torch she'd always carried for Nick wouldn’t flame out of control. Stupid to think he would change his mind and his attitude toward relationships just because they had great sex together.

  She had to end this now. Not only for the sake of her heart, but the sake of her life. She'd allowed this thing with Nick to distract her.

  Instead of pursuing real job opportunities, she was muddling along, biding her time at the county ER between shifts at Sullivan's. Based on his recovery rate, her father would be back at work full time in a couple of weeks, and Kelly needed to get her career back on track after this unplanned hiatus.

  She had school loans to pay off and a reputation to build. Having to turn down the position in New York was a blow, but she was confident that she could find something comparable, but only if she got off her butt and focused.

  It had been fun to indulge in a little hanky-panky with Nick. Her brain had dominated her whole life, and it was nice to be reminded that there were other interesting parts of her body.

  But she hadn't counted on falling in love. Now the only thing to do was to get out of this situation, and get out of town, as quickly as possible before her heart hurt even more than it did now.

  She finished dressing and checked herself in the mirror over the dresser. She grimaced at her messy hair and smeared mascara. Yet another reason why sleepovers were a bad idea.

  Kelly repaired the damage as best she could with the hand lotion, concealer, and lipstick in her purse. She brushed out her hair and was pulling it back into a ponytail when Nick walked in wearing only jeans and a sheepish smile. He looked so gorgeous with his dark hair tousled from sleep and his beard shading his jaw, she nearly forgot she had something important to tell him.