Xavier’s blood heated and the hairs on his forearms lifted. A vanilla bean fragrance wafted from her, disturbing the natural order of his senses. With his nerves in a frenzy now, he took a gaze from her high heel shoes, up her bare legs, across the valley that remained hidden from him behind her summer dress to her breasts. They puckered high and mighty behind the thin material, boastful in their stance and coated with a brown-layered glaze that was her skin. At her lips, Xavier stopped breathing. Her body was a sight to behold, but her face was so elegantly fashioned that he was certain the creator spun her with molded precision.

A delightful array of passionate energy seized him, rendering Xavier speechless. “Bella Anima… you shouldn’t test this concept. There’s only so many times I can stop myself.”

Corinne realized this kiss would go beyond a mere smooch on the lips, but damn if she didn’t want it. Because she did. Corinne licked her mouth and took a few steps backward until her derriere bumped against the railing. Xavier seized that opportunity to stand, and on his feet, he strolled up to her, bringing an intense heat that paralyzed her thoughts. Leaning forward, he locked each hand on both sides of the railing, sealing Corrine in.

“Never mind what I said before,” he said. Xavier dipped to her mouth and captured her lips in a kiss so profound that it rocked them both. Corinne’s legs weakened, and she nearly collapsed, but Xavier caught her fall with an arm that glided around her waist and pulled her flank against the ridges of his chest. The kiss was heavenly, like some sort of enchanted supremacy that cast an incantation she had no power of pulling from. He tasted her full mouth, trailing his tongue over her lips and dancing in a fox-trot with her tongue. Heat ballooned in them both, and just when Xavier began to melt into her skin, he withdrew; breaths bated and chests rising and falling.

“I don’t know if we should do that too many more times. It’s becoming my addiction,” he announced.

Corinne couldn’t agree or disagree. She could only hold steady while she fought interactively to breathe in and out. She was dizzy, and though Xavier was right, she didn’t want him to be.

“Are you all right?”

Corinne nodded, still refusing to use her voice. Xavier regarded her.

“Certain?”

Corinne nodded again. “I’ve got to be honest here, Xavier,” she started, “I don’t know how we can keep our hands off of each other. There seems to be something that overpowers me when we’re together.”

“So I’m not the only one then.”

She shook her head. “No.”

“How long have you felt this way?”

Corinne swallowed, and they both responded at the same time.

“From the day we met.”

Their gazes held firm, and their breathing tingled each other’s mouths. They were too close, and both fighting temptation. Corinne was trying to talk herself out of jumping him again. He’d already been the one to stop their lovemaking the first time, but if she did it again, he might not. That wasn’t the problem. Would she regret it? Corinne wanted to see this thing through. She was desperate to know if their close friendship would turn into a real relationship. It wasn’t impossible, but if they had sex he might not be as attracted to her as he was now.

Her thoughts went back and forth as she stared, watching his gaze tour over the elements of her face. Xavier was going through much of the same battle, except he felt the need to hold off until he heard her say those words. I trust you. It would be the only thing that would break his fortitude. He kissed her lips softly then pulled upright and took a step back.

Corinne blinked then glanced around as if coming out of her own dream.

“It’s getting late,” she said, looking for a reason to leave his presence, so she could hide.

“You’re right,” he agreed.

“I should probably get going, and we’ll reconvene in the morning.”

“I’ll walk you to your door.”

Corinne nodded and pushed off the railing. Xavier slipped to her side, allowing her to walk past him back into his suite. As she meandered through, she couldn’t help but notice the door against the wall. She paused then turned to him.

“Adjoining rooms?”

“Yes, you’re okay with that, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I just heard you talking earlier after I’d gotten out of the shower, so I thought I would ask.”

Xavier’s mind assaulted him with images of Corinne nude and wet. His dick bounced in his pants, and he almost cursed up a storm at his unfiltered thoughts.

“Hmmm,” was all he said.

Corinne continued to the door with Xavier pacing her steps. He reached around and opened it, and they took the short walk to her room.

“If you need anything, you don’t have to bear the journey of coming to this door or knocking on the other, just come,” he said.

Corinne’s chest swelled. She knew what he meant. Xavier was talking in reference to the adjoining door, and she nodded and smiled.

“Thank you for dinner, and taking time out of your busy schedule to hang out with me. I know that isn’t easy with how in demand you are.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Bella anima, there’s no place else I’d rather be.” He pulled his sexy lip in with his teeth, and Corinne turned from him quickly and fumbled out her key. She entered the door fast in her last attempt to not escape Xavier but escape her own wrestling. Being around him was uncanny, and until she could get a hold of herself, she should probably stay away. Yeah, like that’s going to happen.

Corinne leaned a shoulder against the door and dropped her head. Her nerves had been shaken up so many times in one day she felt she would burst at any moment. She lifted her head and peered out the peephole to see if he was still there, but the only thing she saw was the door across the hall.

“Thank God,” she whispered. Had Xavier actually been there, Corinne would’ve said fuck it.

“This is so ridiculous,” she said.

The last time Corinne felt this horny around a man was, was… she tossed her hands up; she couldn’t put a mark on that either.

Feeling completely unraveled and frustrated, Corinne stalked from the door, and with every step she took, she removed an item. Her shoes were the first to go, then her dress, bra, and panties. Before she could stop herself, she was on her back splayed out across the bed with her fingers pressed against her clitoris.

“Aaaaaah,” she crooned at the stimulating sweep against her sensitive flesh. Her fingers flipped and flickered her clit, and her feet dug into the bed as her hips rotated.

“Ssssss… aaah, oh God,” she panted.

Her heartbeat raced, and in the depths of her passionate self-love, she saw his face, brown skin smooth without flaw, thick lips, soft and inviting, that long ass beard and a mustache that was groomed around the outline of his mouth. She imagined her tongue tasting his as he stared her down behind the dark molasses of his brown eyes.

“Shit!” she panted. Her pussy thumped rigorously, and she was about to come in a landslide. “Xavier, Xavier…,” she purred, imagining him slipping down her belly, his tongue gliding over her peach just before sucking it completely then stirring her with one long intense stroke of his tongue.

“Aaaah!”

She came, so hard her thighs clapped together and sealed her hand inside the apex of her legs.

“Jesus!”

Her eyes crossed, and her ears popped as a wave of nostalgia cast her afloat just as her body went limp. Her breathing was haggard, but Corinne couldn’t move as if Xavier had really put it on her. Her ears popped and not a minute after her release she passed out and slept through the night.