Page 67 of Uncharted Desires

He climbed into bed beside her, wrapping his entire body around hers as he kissed her tenderly. “Sleep with me tonight?” he whispered against her lips.

She gave a soft laugh in response. “We’ve slept together every night for days.”

“You know what I meant. Now you actually have a choice.”

She nodded. “Tonight.”

He didn’t know what that meant, but they would deal with it in the morning. He let go of her for a second to turn the light off and pulled her back into his arms, letting the feel of her body relax him to sleep.

Nineteen

Kat woke up to strong arms crushing her to an equally strong body. Laying still, she listened to West’s even breathing and took it all in. He hadn’t admitted that he loved her or anything last night, but he had said a lot. He said she was enough, and for Kat that meant more to her than she could ever express to him. After everything they had been through on the island, Kat really did feel like she was enough for him. That she was stronger than she gave herself credit for.

Deep within her battered, pessimistic soul, she knew he meant it, and she smiled, turning to nuzzle into him. Kat had never thought she could be this happy. She had no clue what their future held when they got back to the States, but something told her West wasn’t going to just disappear.

The sheets rustled as West stirred, his eyes slowly opening. Kat smiled and, without thinking, planted a kiss on his lips.

“What was that for?” he said groggily. His voice was always so deep in the morning. It left Kat ready and wanting after just one syllable.

“Just ’cause. You look so cute in your sleep.”

West wrinkled his nose. “I’m not sure cute is how I’d like to be described.”

“What? You prefer devastatingly handsome?” she joked as his fingers began to massage her scalp.

Sensation sizzled through her nervous system at his touch, and she wished this moment would never end. His mouth covered hers, and she lost herself in the feel of him.

His hands roamed down her body and Kat sighed.

West broke the kiss and sat up, the sheets slipping to around his waist, and Kat shook herself.

She was not dreaming, he was hers, he wanted her, and most importantly she believed he was just as lucky to have her. West had done that; he had helped her see that she was strong and worthy of love, even if he hadn’t said the words yet. She had survived more than most people would ever experience in a lifetime. She had saved West’s life and her own, and deep within she knew even though she may have no direction career-wise, she knew she could do something with her musical ability. The more she thought about it, the more she wasn’t even sure she wanted to be a solo musician.

“Where are you going?” she asked, linking her arms around his waist playfully.

He checked the time and groaned. “That stupid press conference. I need to run to my room and shower before I go.”

“Want a shower buddy?” she said, laughing.

“Absolutely! But if I let you shower with me I’ll be late for sure, and then Stacy will kill me.” He stroked her hair, kissing her on the forehead.

“You sure you don’t want me to come to that?” she asked, still feeling a little like he wanted to hide her away.

“No, you don’t want to deal with them. I wouldn’t subject my worst enemy to that.”

He was trying to protect her and her identity for as long as he could, she understood that, but still the feeling of being cast into the shadows made her uneasy. It was just one reason she was unhappy with the idea of him acting. He would always be out at red-carpet events and press conferences, and she would be left sitting at home twiddling her thumbs waiting for him to come back to her. No one would know she even existed, or that they were together. She understood privacy for celebrities, but she also didn’t want the world thinking he was embarrassed to be with her. And as much as she shouldn’t care about what others thought, she had a hard time shaking away those feelings.

“Let’s meet for lunch. I want to ask you something.” He rose from the bed, pulling his suit on from the night before.

Kat stared in awe, amazed at how he was just as hot putting on clothes as he was taking them off.

She nodded, her voice suddenly missing. She’d spent over a week lost with this man. Shouldn’t she be immune to him by now?

“I’ll take that as a yes?” He leaned down, giving her one last kiss before leaving.

“Ah . . . yeah . . . I’ll be down in the main restaurant with my mom. You’ll just have to find a way to get rid of her, seeing as how she’s your number one fan now.”

West bit back a smile as he opened the door. “I’ll see you soon. Wish me luck.”