out of Kevin’s house without making a complete and total fool of herself.
Serena laughed again, bitterly. Oh yeah, she’d already done that. She picked upher brush, ran it through her hair one last time—more because it gave her something to do than because she cared what her hair looked like. When she was finished, she dropped the brush into her open luggage and slowly zipped the sensible gray case shut. Taking a bracing breath, she opened her bedroom door and headed down the hall to find Kevin.
He was making eggs. Bacon sizzled on the back burner and coffee dripped slowly into its glass carafe. Her stomach twisted violently and for a moment Serena thought she’d have to make a mad dash for the bathroom. But a couple of deep breaths and a huge dose of willpower settled her down enough that she could walk sedately into the kitchen.
Her eyes fell on Kevin. Did the man ever wear a shirt, she wondered, shoving her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. She was determined to ignore the fine trembling that had started as soon as she laid eyes on him.
His faded jeans had a hole under his back, left pocket and if she looked hard enough she could see a tanned, lightly haired thigh. Not that she was looking, Serena reminded herself sternly, forcing her gaze away from his tempting flesh. His feet, big and bare, were tanned. She watched as they tapped in rhythm to a song only Kevin could hear.
She cleared her throat, prepared to speak, but Kevin whirled around before she could get a word out. “Oh hey, there you are!” He grinned. “Did you sleep well?”
She nodded. “Umm, yeah, I did.”
“Good.” He gestured to the loaf of bread on the counter. “You want to make the toast? The coffee’s just about ready.”
Was he going to make it easy for her, she wondered, as she started the bread toasting mechanically. No mention of last night? Like he hadn’t seduced her more thoroughly than any man, ever, with a simple bite on her finger? Sudden anger burned in the pit of her stomach though she wasn’t sure why. Isn’t this what she’d wanted? Not to have to deal with her insane and impulsive loss of control? Not to have to make excuses for cutting things short?
She viciously buttered the toast, nearly ripping the first piece in half. Had he just been using her as a convenience, to scratch an itch? Her cheeks flared, the pallor of a few minutes before replaced by her sudden indignation. No man treated her like that, as if she were just a warm body in the middle of the night! She kept her affairs casual, true, butthat was because
she
liked them that way. Who did Kevin Riley think he was?
“What did that toast do to you,
cher
?” he murmured, his voice warm with laughter as his arms circled her waist from behind.
Serena jumped, nearly sending the toast and butter knife careening across the kitchen. His breath was warm in her ear, sending shivers down her spine as his teeth nibbled leisurely at her earlobe.
“What are you doing?” She meant to sound outraged, but her voice betrayed her, coming out more than a little breathy.
“Saying good morning.” His mouth coasted slowly down her jaw as he pulled her deeper into his embrace. “Good morning.”
She melted before she could stop herself, her body turning hot and liquid. She wanted to stay here forever, letting his lips work their magic over her entire body. A moan rose in her throat, and she had to work extremely hard to stifle it. Forcing herself to stand straight up, refusing to lean into his body, was one of the hardest things she’d ever done. But she couldn’t do this, not now, not with this man. No matter how badly she wanted to.
She cleared her throat, striving to sound professional. “Good morning.”
He didn’t get the hint, pulling her back flush against him. Her knees nearly buckled as she felt him rubbing, hot and hard, against her. Using every ounce of strength she could muster, she picked up the plate of toast and ducked out from beneath