Stroke of Love (9 page)

“You brave New York City every day and you can’t walk through a little jungle path?” Kate tried to sound carefree, but inside, her stomach was one big, angry, and hurt bundle of knots.
Do I have to be model pretty for him to notice me?
Granted, she had sent him mixed signals. Maybe Luce was right.
Maybe I do need to step up my game. Shit, who am I kidding? I have no game.

Two hours later, she and Luce were two sheets to the wind…again. And she felt damn good. All that festering confusion was cast aside and replaced with a lighter, freer feeling. She put her arm around Luce’s shoulder as they stepped from the empty mess hall into the darkness. “Did you buy that beer?”

“No. I think your alpha hunk did.”

“Really? Hm…”
My alpha hunk. I like the sound of that. Oh God. What is wrong with me? No, I can’t like the sound of it…but I do
. They hadn’t stopped to get beer after his Skype call. He must have gotten it when he Skyped his mother to get the art supplies.
His mother. What kind of man Skypes his mother the day after he arrives?
Maybe he was secretly a wimp. A loser.
Yeah, right. A big, sexy, talented loser.
She felt like a yo-yo. Her mind was right back to wondering if she’d judged him too harshly. “Wanna go dancing?”

“Girlfriend, I wanna find my bunk and hunker down for a room-spinning night of reading romance and pretending I have a man.” Luce laughed. “No. Seriously. That’s what I’m gonna do, minus the reading. But you can’t go into town this late by yourself.”

Kate sat down on one of the wooden benches. “I’m not. I’m just gonna sit here and stargaze. I’m not ready to go home. I feel too good.”

“You sure you’re okay? I can stay with you.”

Kate waved her hand. “I’m cool. Really. I do live here without you ninety-eight percent of the time, or something like that.”

SAGE PRIED PENELOPE’S hand from his thigh for the millionth time that evening. She was like superglue. No matter how many times he disengaged from her, she found her way back. When she wasn’t hanging on his arm, she was plastering herself around his body. He and Caleb had been exchanging eye rolls all evening, but unlike one of his brothers, Caleb had no idea how to diffuse the situation. Any one of his brothers would have taken a hit for him—thrown themselves at her as if she were a land mine—and given him a chance to escape.

Penelope and Cassidy excused themselves to use the ladies’ room, and Sage debated taking off while the coast was clear, but that would have been rude.

Clayton leaned in close. “Dude, she’s primed and ready after a few beers, and she’s a maniac in the bedroom.”

Sage’s muscles twitched. “Cassidy?”

“Penelope. I was with her last night.”

So, basically you’re a dick
. He clenched his jaw to keep from letting the words slip out.

“Two for one.” Clayton raised his brows in quick succession. “But, hell, if you’re not gonna do her, send her my way. I bet I can convince Cassidy to do a three-way.”

Sage bit back the bile that rose in his throat as the women returned to the table. Clayton’s reputation preceded him. Sage had taken the rumors with a grain of salt, but now, hearing firsthand what a pig he was, it took all of his restraint not to throw the asshole against the wall and knock some respect into him.

Sage rose to his feet, and Penelope grabbed the pocket of his shorts.

“Dance with me,” she pleaded.

Despite her beautiful green eyes, silky blond hair, and the alluring package of perfect breasts and sensual looks that was Penelope Price, Sage saw the real Penelope. His artist’s eye had the ability to see, not just external beauty, but the sincerity, generosity, and ulterior motives people kept hidden deep inside. In Penelope he saw loneliness and an ill-advised heart seeking comfort in all the wrong ways. Unfortunately, while for some that might inspire empathy, it didn’t make him want to cross an intimate line with her. Sage had learned some things growing up: There was always a willing woman to sleep with, and while meaningless sex was a great stress reliever and ego boost, it didn’t solve loneliness. He’d sown those wild oats, and he no longer needed the ego boost. Now he craved something more. Very similar to the way his fame and monetary success made him realize that what would fulfill him would never be found in either one.

He unfurled her fingers from his pocket, forced a smile—because his mother had taught him manners, after all—and excused himself to use the men’s room.

Once free of Penelope’s grasp and her pushy stare, he splashed water on his face and stared long and hard in the mirror. He’d been forcing himself not to think of Kate, but every goddamn time he turned around, it was her face he saw. The hurt that had flashed in her eyes, the smile she wore when she was with the children at the school, and the way she looked at him like a hungry tigress in one breath and as if he were the enemy in the next made him crazy. As complicated as she was, when he was with Kate, his whole world felt different. She’d snuck into his brain when he wasn’t looking and weaseled her way into the crevices of his heart.

How the hell did that happen?

Back at the table, Cassidy and Clayton were wrapped around each other, whispering something Sage couldn’t hear. He set his eyes on Caleb, hoping Penelope would opt to stay there and have another drink with the others.

“Buddy, I’m gonna take off.” He threw seventy bucks on the table, knowing it would cover far more than the four beers he’d drank, and ran his hand through his hair with a sigh.

Penelope stood and wrapped her arm in his.

Sage didn’t miss the laugh in Caleb’s eyes as he rose to join them on the walk back. With a reluctant sigh, he wondered how in the hell he was going to get out of the web Penelope was so carefully weaving around him.

THERE WAS SOMETHING about Belize at night that calmed Kate from the inside out. She breathed in the dense, jungle-scented air and, feeling far less of a buzz than she had an hour earlier, she lay down on the wooden bench. When she’d first arrived in Punta Palacia, she’d been careful not to go out alone at night, and she’d taken extra care while in town to always watch her back. She’d heard so many reports about the dangers of Belize City that she’d assumed Punta Palacia would be privy to the same types of trouble, but she’d quickly learned that the hazards of Punta Palacia were nothing like the trouble that Belize City was known for. Nights in Punta Palacia had a way of sucking her into a vortex of serenity and hope. Serenity wasn’t dangerous, but hope could be. She’d lain awake too many nights to count, hoping she would gain approval for a well for the village, but knowing how remote the chances were. The village of Punta Palacia was small compared to the larger villages, and the government deemed their needs insignificant in comparison.

Voices broke the silence of the night, and Kate turned in their direction. It was too dark to make out anything more than figures and a flashlight beam. As they came closer, she recognized the sheer volume of space Sage’s body took up compared to the other lithe figures that all seemed to meld together. Kate held her breath.

Should I say hello? Pretend I’m not here?
She went with hoping to remain invisible.

They cut across the grass toward the path. Kate saw the closeness of Sage and Penelope’s bodies as the others trailed behind them. She felt their intimacy as if every step shot prickly thorns in her direction—piercing her heart.

He’s with her
.

Push her away, damn it. That should be me on your arm! Me pressed against you!
Jealousy tore through her like a stampede, and she turned away, nearly falling off the bench. She caught herself with one palm on the ground and sucked in a breath, hoping they didn’t hear her.

How can you not know how I feel
?

Another realization brought a lump to her throat.

Because I acted like a judgmental bitch.

She lay under the cover of the night, listening more intently now and wanting to shut them out at the same time, existing in a painful middle place of self-loathing and the need to know how far he’d go. She knew it was ridiculous for her to feel jealous of Penelope. Sage wasn’t hers. He was a free agent. A man for any woman to entice.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it
. For the first night in two years, Punta Palacia didn’t feel quite so serene, and hope was out the door altogether.

She listened to their voices fade, and though she hated doing so, she counted the sounds of the doors as they knocked against their frames.
One. Two.
Two? What the hell did that mean? It didn’t take more than a second for her to realize that Sage and Penelope had coupled off. She lay on her back, staring at the stars.
Why had she acted the way she had?
She arced her arm over her eyes and groaned aloud.

I’m an idiot.

A fucking fool.

If you’d be with her, then I wouldn’t want you anyway.

Kate felt more than heard Sage standing beside her. Her pulse sped up, and that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach now burned with anticipation. She wouldn’t dare lower her arm.
Please think I’m sleeping
.

She felt him sit on the bench beside her. His hips pressed against her side. She lay perfectly still, breathing shallowly.
Go away. Stay. Oh God!
His big hand was shockingly cool against her wrist as he gently lifted her arm from her eyes. She clenched her eyes shut. His fingers brushed her bangs from her forehead. She could barely breathe. His touch was so light, almost nonexistent, yet so intimate it stole her ability to think. Then his cheek was against hers, his whiskers sharp and titillating. His warm breath on her ear stirred her desire, her need for him. He didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. He was there with her. Not with Penelope, not angry at her bitchiness. Not anything but…here.

SAGE’S HAND TREMBLED as he sat beside Kate. He’d felt her sadness when he’d walked by earlier. He swore the energy had changed when they’d neared the path. Then he’d heard it. A gasp. A hurt, painful gasp, and he’d known it was Kate. He’d felt it reverberate through his body. Now she lay in her shorts and T-shirt, her eyes tightly closed, and he drank in the scent of her, the feel of her silky skin against his cheek. Sage wasn’t driven by a need to sleep with her, although every fiber of his being craved her. No, it wasn’t testosterone that drove him there. It was something deeper, something he hadn’t felt before but embraced with curiosity and desire. She was so little, but the bench was thin, barely deep enough for her body and his hip. Still, he didn’t let his mind overcome his intuitive nature. He’d make himself fit. Sage stretched out beside Kate, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and drawing her to him: chest to chest, cheek to cheek, heartbeat to heartbeat. Her breathing sped up as her arm gracefully settled over him, and her leg nestled in between his, like they’d been lying together forever. Sage stroked her back, his fingers tangling in the silky threads of her hair.
Damn, you feel good
.

“You’re here,” she whispered.

“I’m here.”

“But—”

“Shh. I told you that I’m not who you think I am.” He brushed his lips over the corner of her mouth, testing, tasting. Her arms gripped him tighter; her hips pressed against his. She tilted her head, her lips parting, welcoming his as he settled his mouth over them, and he relished the first luscious stroke of her tongue against his.
Sweet, delicious Kate
. Sage’s heart swelled. He felt himself getting hard, but it wasn’t those sexual urges that drew his hand to cup the back of her head and tilt her head, giving him better access to deepen the kiss.
Christ
. Kissing Kate was a thousand times better than any fantasy he’d conjured up over the past few days. He drew back, needing to look in her eyes.

“Kate?” He searched her eyes, looking for a sign, something to tell him she wanted this as badly as he did.

Her eyes fluttered open, filled with the sleepy haze of desire. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Sage pressed his cheek to hers again.

“Kiss me again,” she whispered.

He slid his cheek against hers and then took her in a hungry, deep kiss, capturing her sweet moan of pleasure and spurring his body into a frenzy of need. His hand slipped beneath her shirt, caressing her warm back; then, despite knowing they should take things slow, he cupped her breast, her nipple already taut beneath her silky bra. He kissed the dimple in her chin, then dragged his lips lower to the sensitive spot at the base of her neck, feeling her quickened pulse against his tongue. His lips lingered there, weighing his throbbing desire against his worry about what she thought of him.

“Sage,” she said in one drawn-out breath.

He closed his eyes, fighting the urge to take her right there on the bench, just pull down her shorts and drive into her, the night air at their backs.
No, not with Kate
. He tasted alcohol on her breath, and he wasn’t taking any chances that she’d wake up tomorrow regretting what they’d done tonight. He reluctantly pulled back, drew her hair away from her face, and kissed her forehead.

“I really like you, Kate,” he said, feeling like a teenager admitting a crush, but in reality, the emotions that were gripping him felt a hell of a lot deeper, as if they’d slipped clear through to his soul.

“Me too,” she said.

He closed his eyes for a beat, soaking in her words and unable to believe what he was about to do. When he opened them, the desire in Kate’s eyes drew him into another kiss, pressing his hips to hers, feeling her body against his hard length. Christ, he wanted to make love to her. He dropped his hand and cupped her firm ass.
Sweet Jesus
.

She moaned against his lips, pressing her breasts against him. He nearly caved. She was finally there, in his arms, and…he forced himself to draw back again.

“Kate.” He breathed heavily. “I…we…I can’t do this. Not like this.”

Confusion filled her eyes. “I don’t understand.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “If I make love to you now, you’ll wake up tomorrow and think it was because I didn’t do it with Penelope and needed to satisfy an urge, or it was because I drank, or…Hell I don’t know.” He pressed a kiss to her lips again. “I only know that I don’t want to chance it.”