A Madaris Bride for Christmas. Brenda Jackson
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simmer. Swallowing deeply, she said softly, “Where did you come from?”
He smiled again and she felt a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach. “From my terrace.”
She nodded. He was a guest at the hotel.
“What about you? Are you a guest here?” he asked.
“Yes.” She wasn’t lying. She had checked into the hotel that day. There was no need to tell him she also worked here. “It’s a beautiful hotel.”
“I think so too. I’m Lee, by the way.”
“I’m Carly.”
His smile widened. “Nice meeting you, Carly. Is there a reason you were dancing alone?”
Her face warmed as she wondered if he thought she’d looked ridiculous. “It’s my birthday and—”
“Happy birthday,” he said.
She smiled up at him. “Thanks. I was having my own private party of one.”
He tilted his head. “That’s no fun. A beautiful woman should never party alone.”
He was smooth, she thought. As smooth as he was handsome. And she’d noticed he wasn’t wearing a ring. She knew some men didn’t cherish the sanctity of marriage vows, but she did.
“For me that’s no problem. I’m a loner anyway,” she said.
“Why?”
She doubted he wanted to listen to her sob story. She had few friends and had learned early on that the only person she could truly trust was herself. “I prefer things that way. What about you?”
“A loner?” He shrugged. “I couldn’t be a loner even if I wanted to. My family’s too big.”
“Really?” she asked. She couldn’t help but envy anyone who belonged to a large family.
“Yes, really.”
The Luther Vandross song ended and they slowly parted. “You’re an excellent dancer,” he said.
“So are you.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s getting late and—”
“You’re calling it an early night on your birthday?”
She chuckled. “Afraid so. I’m checking out of the hotel in the morning.”
“I see. Well, thanks for the dance.”
“No, I should be thanking you. It was nice meeting you. I hope you continue to enjoy the Grand MD.”
His smile widened. “Oh, I’m sure that I will.”
Carly’s gaze held his. She wasn’t sure why she did what she did next. It could have been his scent surrounding her or his overpowering masculinity or his handsomeness—any of them could have been responsible for obliterating any semblance of her common sense.
Before she could talk herself out of doing so, she leaned up on her tiptoes. She only intended to plant a light kiss on his lips, but the moment their mouths touched they were caught in a barrage of desires they could no longer downplay. He pulled her into his arms. Her body pressed against his, and she felt every single inch of him. She moaned at the feel of his arousal against her.
She was surprised by how easily she was stimulated. She was usually in total control of her emotions, which was why, her ex-boyfriend had claimed, he’d sought out another woman. He’d said she was cold and passionless. If that was true, then what was happening here?
It could be the way Lee had taken control of her mouth, kissing her with a hunger she hadn’t known was possible, cupping the back of her head to make sure their mouths stayed locked the way he wanted.
She knew if he kept this up she would beg him to take her to his room or she would be hauling him off to hers. Acting silly on your birthday was one thing, but going all-out loco was another.
While she still could, she broke off the kiss, drew in a deep breath, smiled and stepped back. “It was nice meeting you, Lee.”
She watched him lick his lips as if he had enjoyed the taste of her. “It was nice meeting you as well, Carly.”
She turned to leave and made it to the sliding glass door before he said, “It’s a minute before midnight. Leave one of your shoes behind, and I bet I’ll find you.”
Carly threw her head back and laughed. “I’m a loner, remember?”
“And what about that kiss?”
Good question. “I was tempted, and since it was my birthday, I yielded,” she said honestly.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, a sensuous smile spread across his lips. “When it comes to me, you can yield to temptation anytime.”
“I’ll remember that.”
And before he could say anything else, she slipped through the glass door, refusing to yield to temptation by looking back.
Long moments after Carly left, Lee continued to stare at the door she had slipped through. What the hell had just happened? The woman had blown his mind with a kiss he was convinced would remain in his memory forever.
He licked his lips again. Her taste was still there. How? Why? And what had sent him flying across the terrace to catch two elevators to meet this woman who had taken his breath away from a distance?
Her name is Carly.
At least that was the name she’d given. Even without knowing her last name, he could track her down, if he took a mind to do so. But as much as he was tempted by that thought, now was not the time. He had too much on his plate to get caught up in romantic entanglements.
He was putting together the biggest deal of his life. When Carly checked out of the hotel tomorrow he would never see her again. And maybe that was for the best. She had warned him that she was a loner, although he couldn’t help but be curious about why.
There had been something about her—other than her ingrained sexiness—that had touched him. A woman of her beauty should not be alone, especially not on her birthday. He was glad that he had shared a part of it with her.
When he had stepped out on the balcony and had seen her waltzing with her eyes closed, he had stood and stared. There might have been a dark, moonless sky overhead but she had looked totally enchanting beneath it. Her hair had tumbled around a beautiful cocoa-colored face. She had high cheekbones, beautifully arched brows and a mouth so sensuous his body had hardened just looking at it.
And that dress. It had clung to her hips, showing off curves and a great pair of legs. It had also revealed enough cleavage to tantalize and enough thighs to entice. He had found himself moving toward her and asking for a dance. When she had snapped her eyes open and he gazed down at her, he’d fallen under her spell. A spell that hadn’t broken, even now.
The kiss had been the sinker. He hadn’t expected it, but damn, had he enjoyed it. Heat burned his insides remembering how easily his tongue had slid inside her mouth. For the first time in a long time, he had felt unrestrained passion and an unexplained connection for a woman.
As he walked toward the door, he consoled himself with the knowledge that once he finalized the financing on hotel number three he would have plenty of time to date. Maybe he’d even think about settling down, starting a family that could share the wealth he was creating.
His mind returned to the work waiting for him in his office and he pushed all thoughts of Carly aside.
Chapter 2
She had kissed a stranger.
The intensity of that bizarre action weighed heavily on Carly’s mind the next day as she folded laundry. She could claim the “birthday silliness” defense all she wanted, but the bottom line was that it was so unlike her that the excuse didn’t pass muster. And then there was