Mr. Insatiable (13 page)

In the other room, Enya was wide awake, her body heavy with sleep but her mind buzzing. Was Kit going to knock on her door? And what would she do if he did? She lay there, heart pounding, not sure if she was hoping he’d knock or walk straight by. Her answer came when she heard footsteps along the corridor that paused outside the door, only to carry on to the next. The disappointment that welled over her was answer enough.

She heard him go into his room, and then his door closed. For a minute or two, all was silent. Was he thinking of her? Or was he already asleep? Then, she thought she heard him say something, short and sharp, as if he’d sworn out loud. Maybe he
was
finding this as difficult as she was. Perhaps he was lying there, dreaming about her naked, just as she was thinking of him standing before her after he’d undressed, her first view of his glorious erection, large and firm enough to make her wet without being touched. She groaned.

Perhaps he was thinking about her naked, picturing the two of them together, imagining the way he’d plunged into her on that table, slowly at first, the sucking sound as he thrust in and out of her the sexiest thing she’d ever heard. And maybe he was now touching himself, turned on by the thought of being inside her, dreaming about taking her again, in different positions, with her on top, or from behind, bringing her to the dizzy heights of ecstasy again and again.

Enya gave a soft groan and slid her fingers down into the moist, swollen part of her that begged for release. There was no way she was getting to sleep until she eased the throbbing between her legs. Not that it would take long. The thought of him lying next door, pleasuring himself with long, slow strokes as he thought of her, turned her on so much that it was only minutes before she felt a tightening in her stomach muscles and the orgasm swept over her. She gasped, picturing him doing the same, spilling his silky fluid over his hands as he came. “Oh God...”

She lay there in the dark, sticky and exhausted, wishing he was there with her. This was hopeless. Why was she torturing herself like this?

It’s just lust.
The realization struck her, and with it came a wave of relief. It was hot and sultry, and the remnants of their previous encounter had been lingering like thunder in the air. He’d awakened something within her that had been dormant since...well, forever, and that was all it was–a thirst to taste it again, to experience the moment of glory he’d shown her in his arms. And like thunder, it would pass–they’d both go on to find other people, and then things would go back to normal between them. They’d be good friends who’d once slept together, and eventually their fling would fade in their memories until they’d wonder if it had actually been as special as they’d thought at the time.

Sadness settled over her. It was inevitable, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t grieve for it. Developing a relationship with Kit, going to bed with him every night, learning to love him...that would have been something else. But it wasn’t her destiny, and no amount of longing was going to make it come true.

She turned over and pulled the pillow down and hugged it to her chest. She wasn’t going to cry. She really wasn’t.

Chapter

11

Despite going to bed late, Enya woke at five thirty the next morning, realizing it was ten thirty in Auckland. She arose with a renewed sense of purpose and determination to put her feelings for Kit to one side for the rest of the trip. They were sightseeing, and then they had some business to attend to–a trip to the fireworks factory first, followed by a tea tasting session, which she was looking forward to. They would be busy, plus Charlie would be with them, so there’d be no time for sexual daydreams.

Her determination lasted until she knocked on his door just before seven, and he answered naked from the waist up, in the process of shaving.

“Hey.” He backed away from the door, indicating for her to come in. “You’re up early. Come in–I won’t be long.”

Enya froze in the doorway, entranced by his broad shoulders and bare skin. “Perhaps I should wait here,” she said weakly as he disappeared into the bathroom.

“I can’t hear you,” he called from inside. “Come in, Celt.”

Reassured by the fact that he’d used her nickname, she walked slowly into his room. She paused at the bathroom doorway. He stood over the sink, removing the foam on his cheek with careful strokes of the razor. He glanced up, his eyes meeting hers in the mirror.

“Sleep well?” he asked.

Unbidden, she thought of what she’d done before she fell asleep, and her cheeks grew warm. “Yes, thanks.”

“Hot, isn’t it?”

“Very,” she murmured. He’d not yet done up the top button of his shorts. The white band at the top of his briefs showed above the denim, along with a glimpse of...was that dark hair? “Oh dear.”

“What?” He rinsed the razor in the sink, raising an eyebrow at her. “Are you all right?”

“I think I may be coming down with something.” Yes, a huge attack of the lusts. She tried to tear her eyes away from his naked back and failed miserably.

He turned then, drying his face with a towel, and looked at her with concern. “Oh? Do you want to stay behind today?”

His chest was even more captivating with its scatter of dark hair, manly nipples and defined muscles.

Jeez. When did he become so sexy?

She backed away, meeting the wall with a bump. The temptation to plead sickness and stay behind was tempting, but she knew that would be chickening out. “No, I’m okay.”

“Good.” She thought for a moment that his eyes glimmered with amusement, but he turned back to the sink to tidy up, and she watched as he splashed on some aftershave.

“Ouch.” He winced.

Enya swallowed when the sandalwood scent assailed her senses, knowing she was staring at him, but unable to do anything about it. He buttoned up his shorts then picked up a light blue T-shirt and came to stand before her, slotting his arms through and pulling it over his head. He brought the material down over his muscled torso and his eyes met hers. “Ready for some breakfast?”

He ran his hands through his hair, smoothing down the ruffled strands, only for them to stand up again immediately afterward.
 

“Mmm.”

He put his hands on his hips. She shivered as he ran his gaze briefly down her, and she glanced down to her legs, left bare by the orange and yellow tie-dyed cotton dress, where his gaze lingered. Their eyes met, and a small smile played on his lips for a moment. “You look good.”

“Thanks.”

He leaned toward her, and for a brief second she thought he was going to kiss her. Her heart pounded, and she opened her mouth–although whether to protest or accept the kiss, she wasn’t sure. But his hand moved past her to pick up his wallet from the shelf, and he straightened and tucked it into his pocket.

“Come on then.”

He led the way out of the room, and she followed him, frowning slightly. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was trying to turn her on purposefully. But that was ridiculous, wasn’t it?

They went down to the restaurant and found a seat near the window, overlooking the city topped with a layer of thick smog. Beijing was fast, busy, and with surprisingly few western tourists. She’d already caught several people staring at her hair, and guessed that redheads were few and far between in the city.

She’d brought her iPad with her, and concentrated on reading the headlines from the New Zealand Herald while she nibbled her toast, trying not to watch Kit demolish a full cooked breakfast as he flicked through an international paper. By seven forty-five, they’d finished, and they made their way back to their rooms to collect their cameras and the other bits and pieces they needed for the day ahead.

This time it was Kit’s turn to knock on her door, and she slipped the strap of her bag over her head, letting it rest on her hip, picked up her camera, and opened the door.

“Ready?” he asked, leaning against the doorjamb.

“Yep.” She checked her reflection one last time and slicked on some lip balm, not wanting her lips to dry out in the hot weather. Then she went to slip by him, but he put his arm up, stopping her. She turned to face him, heart thumping. “What?”

He didn’t say anything. His blue eyes studied her for a moment, and then, before she could resist, he slid a hand to the back of her neck and held her there as he lowered his lips.

She rested both hands on his chest, intending to push him away, but it was like trying to push a brick wall. His mouth was hot on hers, his tongue insistent as he brushed it into her mouth, and desire shot through her at the speed of light. She gasped, and he deepened the kiss, pushing her up against the doorjamb, overwhelming her with his scent and taste, and the heat and hardness of his body. Her senses spun, and when he finally pulled back, she could only stare up at him with eyes wide as saucers.

“What was that for?” Her voice came out as a squeak.

His blue eyes were hot, intense. He tucked her hair behind her ear, his gaze lingering on her mouth. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you last night, when I went to bed.”

She swallowed. She’d been right–while she was lying there pleasuring herself, he was doing the same, on the other side of the wall. “Oh.”

His eyes met hers, dark, intense. “I want you.”

She blinked furiously, trying to still the hammer of her heart. “Well...well, you can’t have me.” She’d meant it to sound determined, resentful, but it came out more breathless and tempting.

“We’ll see.” His voice was husky. His expression said
If I want you, I’m going to have you, and there’s not a lot you can do about it.

“Kit...” If he’d taken her hand then and pulled her into the room, she would have capitulated and let him make mad, passionate love to her, but unfortunately at that moment some hotel guests appeared around the corner of the corridor, and he moved away.

Enya let the door shut and followed him as he walked toward the elevators, her mouth dry and her pulse pounding. Why did he have this effect on her? He only had to look at her with those intense blue eyes and she melted into a puddle at his feet. It was like the bones and muscle had been removed from her body, leaving her as a pile of hormones and pheromones that basically meant she was permanently turned on and had inappropriately damp panties ninety-nine percent of the time.

This was not good.

She had to gather her willpower and do her best to resist him, otherwise this was not going to end well. Following him into the elevator, she stood at the back, Kit inches away from her, the other guests filing in front of them. They waited silently for the doors to close and the elevator to descend.

She didn’t look at him, but she felt his presence from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair, as if he were emitting some kind of magnetic force that was pulling her toward him. Everything tingled, and the subtle but sexy scent of his aftershave only added to her heightened state of awareness.

“Stop it,” she whispered furiously.

He looked down at her, raising an eyebrow, and murmured, “Stop what? I’m not doing anything.”

“Yes, you are, and you know perfectly well what I mean.” She met his gaze, giving him her hardest stare, but his gaze was warm with amusement, and he only chuckled in response. He dropped his gaze to scan her once again, lingering insolently on her legs and breasts, and her cheeks burned with indignation before his eyes returned to hers. She glared at him again, but it didn’t seem to make any difference, and eventually she looked away, tossing her hair. He nudged her with his elbow, and when she ignored him, did it again. She turned an exasperated look on him, and bit back a smile when he winked at her. He was enjoying teasing her, and he was irresistible when he was in this mood.

The lift pinged open, and they entered the foyer. Charlie Liu sat on one of the central benches, reading a newspaper. They walked up to him, and he stood and put down his paper, holding out a hand.

“Kit,” he exclaimed.

“Hey, Charlie.” The two men shook hands and then exchanged a manly hug, clapping each other on the back. Enya knew Kit was exceedingly fond of Charlie. He’d shared a flat with Kit and Tristan at university.

“And Enya.” Charlie enveloped her in a bearlike hug, not an easy feat when he was the same height as her at five foot nine.

“Good to see you, Charlie.” She hugged him back. “And great to see your country at last.”

He waved a hand. “It’s not impressive at first glance–so much smog. It’s because it’s so hot and humid at the moment. But you’ll fall in love with it by the time you leave, I’m sure.” He gestured toward the front doors. “Are you ready? We’ve got lots to see.”

* * * *

Charlie took them to the famous Tiananmen Square, then north through the gate to The Forbidden City. It was immensely busy everywhere, but Enya was surprised once again at how few western tourists there were.

“There were once said to be 9,999 rooms here,” Charlie said as they walked through the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

“Why not ten thousand?”

“Because ten thousand was the number of rooms supposed to be in heaven and to take that number would be an insult to the gods, but the emperor wanted to make the statement that he was next to a god.”