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That shuts me up, and I hide my grin of satisfaction by laying my head on his shoulder and just enjoying the ride. Now people really are looking at us, but what does it even matter? Kenneth is so warm, his grip on me so solid and comforting, that nothing in the world could make me embarrassed right now.
It does get a little awkward in the small elevator, but he still won’t put me down no matter how much I insist I’m fine. I end up letting him carry me around until we’re finally inside his suite and he’s lowering me to sit on the edge of his king-sized bed. I keep my eyes locked on Kenneth’s face, afraid of the sort of thoughts that will overwhelm me if I think too hard about the bed I’m sitting on and all the possibilities it entails.
“Give me your foot,” he rumbles, sinking to his knees in front of me. I lift my leg to let him take my sandy foot in his hand, and he brushes away the particles to get a better look. My heart is pounding having him on the floor basically between my legs, and I pray that he can’t tell how much his positioning is affecting me.
I don’t know if he’s consciously running one hand up my leg while the other cradles my foot, but once his wandering hand is past my knee, it’s impossible not to let out a shaky breath that has his eyes flying to meet mine.
“Just a scratch, no blood,” he assures me, slowly releasing my leg with his hand grazing my skin with equal slowness on the way down. “You should be okay unless you think you need to lie down for a minute?”
Yes! My heart screams, With you! But instead, I jump to my feet with a nervous laugh. “Uh, nope! I’m good! How about…a tour of your suite?”
I’m just scrambling for any reason to get some distance between us and his large, inviting bed, but Kenneth seems more than happy to show me around. “Of course. Come with me.”
The suite is enormous, with a luxurious living room and a stunning rooftop terrace that must be a perfect place to watch the sunset from. But what really catches my eye is the private pool that is also on the roof. And here I thought my suite was the epitome of expensiveness! I can't help but feel a little intimidated by all of this luxury, but Kenneth's presence puts me at ease.
"It's a beautiful view," I say, looking out at the rolling waves on the ocean while I lean on the rooftop railing.
"It's even more beautiful with you here," he replies, coming up behind me and bracketing his arms on either side of me. I suck in a sharp breath, blush rising on my cheeks.
“You’re sweet,” I say, and Kenneth laughs. His chest is against my back now, and I feel the laughter vibrating inside him.
“I’ve been called a lot of things, but sweet is not one of them.”
Slowly, I turn in the cage of his arms until I’m facing him. “Oh yeah, like what?”
His lids are lowered as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Uncompromising. Domineering…” When his hand pulls away from my ear, his thumb grazes my bottom lip. “Rough, even.”
“You can be all those things and sweet, too,” I point out, feeling that same sort of sway toward him that I felt last night.
“Maybe,” Kenneth says. “For you, I can try to be, but if our kiss last night told me anything, it’s that you are indeed quite sweet yourself.”
Any other thoughts in my mind flee when he lowers his mouth to mine. This is exactly what makes it so good to be with Kenneth. The way he drives away any insecurities or apprehensions makes it impossible to not feel like I’m meant to be near him, like everything has guided me to this moment where he’s kissing me on a rooftop in paradise.
I arch my body into his, our kiss less rushed and frantic this time. There’s still combustive chemistry between us, but there’s also control, which makes me more comfortable to deepen the kiss on my own.
Kenneth growls when I slip my tongue between his lips to do battle with his own, one of his hands cupping the back of my head and the other gripping my hip to hold me in place.
Before I can lose myself completely in the moment, Kenneth pulls back enough to rest his forehead on mine.
"Kasey, there's something I want to tell you. I've been thinking about you nonstop since last night," he says, his voice low and intense.
I lift my head, my eyes meeting his. "Really?" I whisper.
"Yes, really," Kenneth confirms. “I consider myself good at reading people, and I highly doubt that you’re anything but the sweet girl I see in front of me right now, but I just have to know that you aren’t spending time with me just as revenge against Devin.”
My chest tightens knowing that he’s been holding this question the whole time. “Not at all. Never,” I insist. “I know it sounds kind of silly but as soon as I saw you, before I even knew who you were, I felt drawn to you, like I wanted–”
And then, his lips are on mine. It's soft and gentle at first, but then it becomes more urgent and demanding. My hands find their way to his back, feeling his muscles shift beneath my palms as he moves to hold me. I can feel the heat between us, and it's like nothing I've ever experienced before.
When we finally pull away, I'm left feeling a little dizzy. I can hardly believe what’s happening, but I also know with every fiber of my being that it’s meant to be. Maybe this is what I've been waiting for all along.
"Wow," I say, breathless.
"Yes. Wow," he replies, his smile wicked and full of all sorts of promises. “Do you have anywhere you need to be today, Kasey? Because I want you to stay here with me.”
I hesitate for a moment when Kenneth plucks at the visible strap of my bikini top under my sundress. But his smile and the glint in his eyes are so charming that pleasure sings through my nerves.
"Do you want to swim?" he asks when I fail to answer the first, nodding towards the rooftop pool behind us.
