Page 44 of Uncharted Desires

Kat shook her head. “No, you didn’t. I knew what—”

“That’s just it,” he said, cutting her off. “You didn’t know. You were what? Twenty-two? I saw the stars in your eyes, they’re what drew me in. I hadn’t disillusioned you yet. You just loved the music, and it was so attractive to me, but I should have known better. I knew it would change our working relationship, and it did.”

“Because you left!” Kat pointed out. Why was he being so dense? It had nothing to do with him making out with her in a dark hallway. She had enjoyed that part. “You left me in that hallway on my own, and for the longest time, I thought there was something wrong with me.” She felt moisture build up behind her eyes as she recalled the humiliation of that night as she stood there waiting for a man who never returned. Her heart had broken, and it had never really healed.

His warm hand brushed across her face, pushing away one of the tears. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I thought I was doing the right thing. That if I came back, I wouldn’t be able to say no.”

“You could have told me the next day.” Kat sniffed, wiping away another errant tear.

“I tried, remember?”

Kat racked her brain for any conversation between her and West the next day, but nothing came to mind.

West smiled at her blank look. “You probably don’t. I walked up to you and asked to talk. You looked at me with those big golden eyes like I’d just shot your dog or something. Then you walked away, and I knew then you were mad at me for kissing you.”

Kat had to keep her mouth from hitting the ground. “I was mad at you for abandoning me. Not even mad, just hurt.”

“If you had talked to me, you would have found out it had nothing to do with you.”

Kat tried not to roll her eyes. “I was upset, West; you don’t just give up after one try.”

He shrugged. “I know, but I think in the end it was better we kept our distance.”

“Why?”

He shook his head, staring off at the ocean for a minute before finally answering her. “I kind of agree with Dec. Band relationships or hookups don’t end well. We may have had a strained relationship, but at least we still functioned. I’ve seen too many horror stories of bands falling apart because of sex.”

It rendered Kat speechless. She was still stunned by his admission. It was hard to change what she had thought was her reality for so long. She crept her hand up his arm, feeling the coiled strength of his bicep under her fingertips.

“What about now?” she whispered as she repositioned herself on his lap, straddling his hips, both her hands moving up and down his sinewy arms. She felt emboldened, knowing he hadn’t left her all those years ago. Not that she was his type today.

“Now?” He looked at her, his eyes glazing over. “I’d really like to pick up where we left off.”

Kat sucked in a breath at his words. Was he attracted to her, or did being trapped on an island together still have something to do with it? She didn’t care anymore. Kat was done fighting it.

“I’d like that too,” she whispered into his ear, nipping his earlobe.

“Jesus, Kat.” He grabbed her hips, his fingers digging in hard, and she could feel his self-control on the edge of detonating.

She licked a path up his neck, biting down hard, and loved the sound he made. Some part of her brain was telling her she could be reckless, let it all go, make him beg. She wasn’t even thinking about the drug lords mere feet away. She was bringing the Weston Monroe to his knees, and she felt the intensity surging through her veins.

“No interruptions this time,” she said as she ground her hips down on his arousal.

She felt West’s self-control shatter as he tugged her face to his, their tongues tangling as their teeth clashed. It was an urgent, passionate kiss meant to possess her, and it did. She was his. Her hair fell out of its braids around her face, and West brushed it out of her eyes, drinking in the sight of her with a hungry gaze.

“Dear god, Kat,” he whispered against her lips. “We’re stranded on this island, surrounded by a drug cartel that wants to kill us, and somehow I’ve never felt luckier.”

And then his lips were back on hers, and she felt her entire body ignite. He engulfed her in his warmth, his powerful hands roaming all over her body, and yet it still wasn’t enough. She wanted him closer. They had too many clothes on, never mind that they were feet away from getting caught; she wanted to feel all of him. He broke the kiss and moved down her body, and Kat felt like he was worshipping every inch of her.

Typically, she was self-conscious. Her physique was curvy, with generous hips and a full chest, not petite by any of today’s standards. She should have been embarrassed to be anywhere near West’s fit, athletic frame, and yet he made her feel beautiful and admired.

Who was this man and where had he come from? This wasn’t the Weston Monroe the world knew. Dragging his teeth down her collarbone, she sighed with contentment as his hands slid under her clothing with one hand coming around to cup her breast.

Leaving a trail of fire, he planted burning kisses all over her body, as he layed her down. His touch tantalized and teased her, building up the pleasure until she became an excited, trembling mess beneath him. His fingers moved over her with agonizing slowness, stopping just short of her panty line as he breathed across her skin. When he lifted his head away from her breast, she almost screamed in frustration at the loss of his seductive touch.

“Can I touch you, Kat?”

She nodded.