Romantic Acquisition Page 0,42
and wake her up fully, then ask if she really meant everything this kiss was promising. But he was only human. He indulged himself in the kiss, his hand coming to caress her bare shoulder, moving downward to stroke her waist, then slowly moving up to caress her breast. When his palm covered her naked breast, he swallowed her gasp in his mouth and pushed her back against the pillows.
His mouth followed where his hand led and Kate allowed it, pulling his mouth closer to her breast, crying out with her pleasure as his tongue flicked over her already hard nipple. Kate writhed in the pleasure, wondering how she was going to survive without going up in flames in his arms.
“Kate, are you coming?” a female voice called from down the hallway.
Kate froze at the new voice and looked around her. She was staring right into Carlo’s eyes and reality sunk into what she’d thought was a dream.
“Oh, excuse me. I didn’t know you weren’t alone, Kate,” Melissa said and smiled as she backed out of the room.
Carlo sighed deeply and put his head on the pillow behind Kate’s head. “I’m doomed to live in a constant state of need, aren’t I?” he said.
“I’m sorry, this was my fault,” Kate said, her voice squeaking out of her throat as embarrassment choked her.
He rolled back over her, stopping her from moving with his weight. “No, it wasn’t. I knew you were asleep but I couldn’t stop myself. I want you too much,” he said, staring at her eyes now. “There’s going to be a time when we won’t be interrupted, you know.”
“Please let me up,” she said, unable to move since his large body was half covering her. She was embarrassed and just wanted to curl up into a ball of humiliation.
“Kate, I’m not going to let you run away from me this time. But you have a slight reprieve before you and I have a long conversation. We came into port this morning. Why don’t you get dressed and meet me on deck? I’ll show you around the island.”
He got up and headed for the door.
Her curiosity overcame her embarrassment and she asked, “What island? Where are we?” she asked, pulling the sheet up to her chin.
He didn’t look back when he answered her. “Aruba. Get dressed. You have ten minutes before I come back down and find you,” he said and pulled the door closed.
Kate stared at the closed door for a full thirty seconds before her body sprung into action. She jumped out of the bed and headed for the bathroom. She’d never showered so quickly in her life. Once she was dry, she pulled on a pair of white shorts and a sunny yellow, short sleeved shirt and a pair of white and yellow sandals. Again, she was amazed that they all fit her so well.
After braiding her hair and putting on a light coat of powder and mascara, Kate rushed up to the main deck. Carlo was sitting on a deck chair sipping coffee but he was obviously in a place that would allow him to see her the moment she came up on deck.
“Was I fast enough?” she asked, slightly out of breath.
“Amazingly,” he answered and stood up to walk towards her. “I’ve never known a woman who can be dressed so quickly and look as lovely,” he said quietly, looking down at her fresh, clean beauty.
Kate was flustered by his words and didn’t know how to respond. She liked the way he looked at her but didn’t want to like it. “You flatter me,” she finally said.
“Just being honest,” he challenged. “Would you like some coffee?””
“Please. Where is everyone else?”
“They heard from Melissa that we were otherwise occupied and went on without us.” He laughed at her reddened cheeks. “We’re going to meet up with them later in the day.”
“Oh,” she said, overwhelmed by the idea that they were all alone on a luxurious ship. “Where’s the coffee?” she asked, not sure what else to say.
Carlo raised a hand and sat back down, taking a sip of his own coffee. Within moments, a waiter appeared with a silver pot of coffee. He poured her a cup and placed it on a teak table next to her. “Where did everyone go?”
“They went ashore. Melissa and Ashley convinced Jamil and Phillip to take them shopping. I’m not sure how though.”
“What would you recommend?”
“Do you scuba dive?”
“Nope, sorry.”
“How about snorkeling?”
“I haven’t tried it,” she said.
“Want to give