THE BENNETTS' CHRISTMAS (The Bennett Family and the Masters Family #6) - Brenda Jackson Page 0,95

again. Not that he minded. But he didn’t want her to start thinking their relationship was only physical, because it wasn’t.

Still, he wished their bodies would get the message. Because the moment they entered the house, the temperature rose exponentially. They had managed to keep the smoldering heat between them under control around others, but now that they were behind closed doors, there was no ignoring the seductive energy passing between them. She had been headed for the stairs, but then she stopped and slowly turned around. He actually felt his body tremble at the look he saw in her eyes, and he knew what she wanted…what they both needed.

He moved toward her, covering the distance that separated them, unable to ignore the myriad sensations engulfing him with every step he took. When he came to a stop in front of her, they just stood there, staring at each other. The silence between them stretched out as sexual hunger grew. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. And when he reached out for her, she came into his arms.

He took her mouth with all the relentless need that filled him, knowing at some point that he’d need to tell her this wasn’t about sex, but love. The only thing holding him back was the fact that she probably wouldn’t believe him, since things were happening so fast. But then, according to Rae’jean and Ryan, that was the way things had been for them, too. That’s when she had realized she loved Grady but hadn’t been in love with him. The sexual chemistry between her and Ryan had been too strong to deny, even before they’d been officially introduced.

When Parker released her mouth, she asked in a low, seductive voice, “Do you want to act on it some more, Parker?”

He nodded, then asked a question of his own. “How long do you think we should keep this up?”

She shrugged. “I guess until we get it right. But then we’ll have no choice but to end things after next week.”

He lifted a brow. “Why?”

“Monica will be back. We won’t have the house to ourselves.”

Did she think that would make a difference? Yes, she probably did. That meant he only had a little more than a week to convince her they belonged together. “In that case…”

Then he swept her into his arms and headed up the stairs. “This time, we’re making love in your bed.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Monica

MONICA HAD BEEN STANDING on the balcony looking out over the ocean when she heard the sound behind her and only turned her head a fraction before smiling. “I was wondering if you’d forgotten me.”

The man she had spent the last nineteen straight days with was walking toward her with two glasses of wine. It was hard to believe the cruise was almost over. The ship was now headed back to Sydney where they would disembark tomorrow morning. He would return to Atlanta and she would catch a flight to St. Paul.

Her days of idyllic bliss were about to come to an end. She had finished her review days ago, and the article had already been sent to her boss. That had allowed her to use the rest of her time giving Landon her undivided attention. And she’d enjoyed every minute of it.

“I could never forget you, Monica.”

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she said teasing, refusing to admit the thought made a pain settle around her heart. Her heart? Why on earth would she feel anything there of all places? Mr. Perkins hadn’t exactly been a role model to his children—especially the ones he’d never bothered to claim. But then, she couldn’t place the blame of her disinterest in settling down solely at her biological father’s feet. She had goals and dreams and didn’t plan to let them get waylaid.

“No, actually, I don’t,” he said, handing her one of the glasses. “You know I could never forget you, Monica.”

“You better not,” she said grinning up at him. She knew she would never forget him. Taking a sip of her wine she glanced over the rim of her glass at him, remembering the days and nights they had spent together. By the second week, a lot of the people on the cruise had paired off and it seemed that each of those bold women had snagged a guy. But Monica wasn’t interested in any guy. She had the guy of guys, the best one of all. The one who had filled her days with fun and