for. With Isabel, Dutch found everything he wanted, something he hadn’t even realized had been missing in his life. The prospect of walking away from her, disappearing with no explanation, shredded him. He wouldn’t be able to look in the mirror much less live with himself.
It all snowballed in his head into one gigantic problem with no easy solution.
Isabel opened the bedroom door and came out wearing a silky peach robe that complemented her olive complexion, her hair in a high, loose knot, the long line of her leg peeking out of the slit. The sight of her walking toward him, looking so fresh and clean, was a sucker punch to the gut. She was beautiful, full of sweetness, had such courage and absolute strength. It took hope for her to open her heart to him after everything she’d been through.
God, he didn’t want to put her through more hell.
Dutch set his bag of ice on the end table and shooed McQueen off the sofa to make room for her. The dog jumped down and lay across his feet.
Isabel sat and leaned into him. Roping an arm around her, he brought her against his body. She rested her head on his shoulder, putting her palm on his chest.
She smelled good, that particular scent he now knew as hers enveloped him. Inhaling deeply, he breathed her in. Vetiver. They’d have fun together in Indonesia. He longed to show her the thousand islands off greater Jakarta one day. Swimming. Exploring the coves.
There were a million things he wanted to share with her.
Pipe dream or possibility?
Tightening his hold on her, he needed to believe there was a way for them.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. It was after nine and they should’ve eaten hours ago. Not that he had much of an appetite. “I can whip something up.”
“No, thanks. I don’t want to eat.” She tipped her head back, running her nose across his neck. “I don’t need food right now. I need...”
“What is it, sweetheart?” He rubbed her arm, up and down, soothing, slow strokes.
“There’s been so much ugliness. I need to forget the fear and horror for a little while.” Angling her face up, she pressed her palm to his cheek and turned his mouth toward hers. Their lips a hairbreadth apart. “Help me forget, Dutch. I don’t want to think. I just want to feel something good.” She drew him closer.
Not holding back, he kissed her. Not a soft, flirty peck. No, this was greedy and reckless.
In a heartbeat it turned hotter, full of edgy desire. She lay back, pulling him on top of her. He felt every lush curve of her body as he slid against her. Loosening the tie on her robe, she let it fall open. He found her damp and bare, making him instantly hard.
Only Isabel had this way of luring him in and driving him wild like no one else.
He should pull back, pump the brakes, but she took his hand, guiding it to cup her breast. Velvety-soft skin. The touch sparked across his nerve endings, setting off something primal in him. He flicked his thumb over her nipple, and she moaned, arching beneath him, spreading her legs to better accommodate him between her thighs.
Need pulsed inside him, swelled, growing urgent.
“I want you.” She unbuckled his belt, groped his straining erection through his jeans.
As she unzipped his pants, he stayed her hand.
“I can’t.” He wanted nothing more than to make love to her and show her how deeply he felt. That everything burning inside him for her was genuine, that when he was with her, he had a sense of peace, rightness he’d never had. But not like this, with lies between them.
“Are you married?” Her mouth went to his neck. She pressed a trail of sizzling kisses up his throat to his jaw, stoking his desire for her.
“No.”
“Do you have children hidden away that you haven’t told me about?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“An STD?”
“God, no. Nothing like that.”
Her hand dove down, where she palmed him through the denim. He wanted her so much that it hurt.
“Then I don’t care.” Her warm breath fanned his lips. “Whatever it is doesn’t matter.”
“You wanted to take things slowly. This is too fast,” he said, not believing what was coming out of his mouth. Not once had he ever turned down sex and especially not with a gorgeous woman he yearned to have.
“I know we’ve only been together a week, but I feel closer to you than any other