Chapter Four
I stood beneath a tree, its branches a canopy over my head, gazing out across a glassy pond. Tara and Blake had climbed into a taxi, headed to the airport for their honeymoon trip to Hawaii. I'd stayed at the arboretum to take in the view one last time before I went back to my empty hotel room and, tomorrow, my home in Michigan. Sleep seemed unlikely tonight, since my thoughts kept circling back to a certain Scotsman who made my mouth water whether he wore a kilt or a suit.
Laying a hand on the tree trunk, I shut my eyes and relived the entirety of my acquaintance with Aidan MacTaggart. A case of mistaken identity. His hands on me. One outrageously hot kiss. And to cap it off, a dance and a plea to spend the evening with him.
"There you are."
With a yelp and a jump, I whirled on the speaker.
Aidan smiled. "Did I scare you? Sorry. I've been looking everywhere for you and finally spotted a red-haired woman in a green dress out here, looking melancholy."
Despite the ten feet or so between us, I swore I could feel the heat of his skin on mine. A sense memory from last night, I supposed. I could shake it off, if he weren't here. Watching me. Looking so good.
He strode closer, narrowing the distance to an arm's length. "I was hoping for a real goodbye."
"I said goodbye."
"No," he said, "you excused yourself and told me it was nice meeting me."
Rats. He was right. But I hardly owed a virtual stranger a formal goodbye, whatever that might entail. I offered him my hand. "It was nice meeting you. Goodbye, Aidan."
He slid his hand into mine, his long fingers grazing the underside of my wrist, sending a warm current up my nerves. "I'd like to kiss you goodbye."
My pulse accelerated at the suggestion, at the vivid fantasy it inspired. "On the cheek."
"On the lips." He drew me closer, until he held our joined hands to his chest. "Please. One last taste of you before you go."
I shouldn't consent to this. It was crazy. But the naughty little voice in my head whispered to me. What harm can come from another kiss?
Well, it wasn't like we could have sex right here in a public place. Stragglers from the reception loitered inside the Gingko Room, perhaps thirty feet away, with nothing but floor-to-ceiling glass between us and them. And yet, I wanted the kiss. Despite the people who might see. Despite the fact I'd never done anything like this, kissing a stranger — not once, but twice. If I said yes this time. I ought to say no.
What harm can come from it?
Anticipation chased over my skin like a delicate caress. "Okay."
He moved forward, easing me backward until the tree shielded us from the windows of the Gingko Room. My palms were clammy, my breaths short and fast. He backed me up to the tree, his body inches from mine, his hand clasping mine to his chest. His other hand cupped my cheek, his thumb rubbing across my lips. I parted them without thinking and the tip of his thumb dipped inside for a split second, just enough for the flavor of his skin to tease my senses. My eyes drifted half shut as I exhaled a long breath. My shoulders sagged, my body went limp against the tree.
Aidan swept his hand up my cheek into my hair, cradling my nape. I couldn't tear my gaze away from his, away from those sapphire eyes and the fire raging within them. Beneath my hand, his heartbeat thumped hard and fast.
"Thank you," he said in a low, rough voice.
"For what?"
"This."
His mouth brushed across mine, exciting my skin, triggering every hair on my body to shiver erect. He took my upper lip between both of his, pulling it into his mouth, licking at it with swift, light strokes. As he released my lip little by little, he shifted his hand on my nape to angle my head back. Eyes closed, I burned for more, for the passion we'd shared last night — but he only nipped at my bottom lip and swept his tongue over the seam of my lips. Without realizing what I was doing, I rocked my hips forward. My body nudged his erection, hard and big inside his slacks.
Aidan groaned, long and low, the feral sound resonating in his chest.
I thrust my free hand into his hair, clawing at his scalp, desperate to drag him in for a real kiss.
He seized both of my hands, pinning them to the tree above my head. His body pressed into mine, firm enough to hold me in place but not so forcefully I felt endangered. No, threatened was not how he made me feel. Not in the least.
For a heart-stopping moment, he stared into my eyes with a naked hunger that left me breathless. Then, just when I feared he'd changed his mind, he adjusted his hold on my hands to take both my wrists in one of his hands and skimmed his other palm down my bare arm and across my exposed shoulder to my collarbone. He danced his fingertips up my throat to my chin. With light pressure from his thumb, he urged me to open my mouth wider.
And I surrendered to him.
His hand fell to my hip, curling around it. His mouth covered mine in an open-mouth kiss, his tongue diving deep to ravish me with possessive strokes. My clitoris throbbed and I writhed against him, rubbing my breasts over his chest, rolling my hips into his rigid cock. His erection scraped over my belly as he groaned into my mouth. The vibration of it shot lust through me and I ached to wrap my arms around him, to grind myself into his hard shaft, but he kept me bound to the tree with his body. A frustrated noise burst out of me. His kiss grew wilder, scorching hot, his tongue tangling with mine and our lips mashed together. A need pulsated through my sex, squeezing a whimper out of me.
Aidan peeled his mouth from mine. Breathing hard, eyes glossy, he let his head fall forward until our foreheads touched. "Let me see you again. Please."
"I live in another state."
"And I live in another country." He freed my hands, stepped back a half step, and held my face in his palms. "May I visit you sometime?"
"I guess so." The words tumbled out before I regained the ability to think clearly. Too late to take them back, but anyway, he had no idea where I lived. Besides, I wanted to see him again.
He bent to press a tender kiss to my lips. "Meant to give you a simple kiss, but I lose my mind when I touch you."
"I liked it. Both times."
Aidan reached into his pants pocket, withdrawing his cell phone. "May I have your number?"
I bit my lip as I considered my answer. Since I had only a cell phone, not a land line, he couldn't really track me down that way. Could he? And that stupid, naughty part of me wanted to hear from him. To hear his voice. Deep and sexy, telling me I was bonnie and well-spoken and captivating.
"Sure," I said, gesturing for him to give me his phone. When he did, I found the address book and typed in my number and name, then I handed the phone back to him. "There you go."
His smile melted me again — but my heart this time, not my body. He looked so adorably thrilled to have my number.
Before I could do anything else dumb and reckless, I pushed away from the tree, smoothed out my dress, and said, "Well, it's time for me to head out. Goodbye, Aidan."
He lifted my hand to his mouth and brushed his lips over my knuckles. "Till we meet again, Calli Douglas."
God, I loved the way he said my name. I muttered something unintelligible and tried to walk purposefully away from him, but I stumbled over a tree root and wound up half staggering back toward the building. Times like this, I really wished I was a drinker. At least it would give me an excuse for my behavior. My only viable excuse was that five years of self-imposed exile, five years of staying true to a false vow, had made me ripe for a freak-out. I could never have predicted what would come of doing a seemingly innocent favor for someone I'd considered a friend.
If I could've talked about it publicly — or told anyone about it, even in private — maybe I wouldn't feel quite so trapped. But I couldn't tell anyone. Not Tara. Not my brother, Gavin. Definitely not the sexy Scot who tempted me to do things I'd never imagined I was capable of doing. If he knew my secret, maybe he'd lose interest. He seemed like a decent guy. Only a total sleaze would want to be with a married woman.
Especially one guilty of marriage fraud.