Page 49 of Pervade Montego Bay

He looked thoughtful, then reached for my arm and ran a hand over my bicep—sharing a moment of tenderness. My hand slid around to cup his ass and hold him.

Words fell away…

With the shower off and us wrapped in towels we padded down the hallway. When he led me into a room that was obviously his, I felt a rush of anticipation.

He turned to me for guidance.

With a nudge, I shoved him onto the bed. James scooted up and lay with his head on the pillow. I began kissing the inside of his ankles, moving up his calves to his thighs as he relaxed. His eyelids were heavy when I rose above him and suckled on first one nipple and then the other.

We shared a look of understanding—a realization of why this was happening. Why he was here with me, the man he’d risked everything for. This was him seeking solace from the crushing stone that sat where his heart should be.

James reached for my hand and kissed my palm. Sucking on each finger, his focus remained on me as we dived further into this affinity. He pressed my hand to his chest and closed his eyes as though needing a moment.

Tension crackled between us.

He pushed himself up and pulled away.

Our moment lost…

I searched his face, my heart racing from the fear that he would think of this as wrong. James slid off the bed and stood before me as though trying to find the right words—perhaps an admission that all of this was a misunderstanding as to why we’d felt drawn to each other. Whatever thoughts he was searching for he couldn’t find them.

He strolled toward the door and headed out.

I fell back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, my heart aching. I felt no regret for kissing him. It had felt right to me and had happened easily between us. I tried to bury the sinking feeling I’d offended him. Or misjudged what he’d needed.

He kissed me first.

I’d opened up and made myself vulnerable, and that wasn’t even my first mistake. My first mistake was accepting that mission in Macau when in hindsight, it had clearly been a way to get rid of me.

James Ballad had saved me then…

The ceiling fan began to spin, causing a refreshing breeze.

James stood in the doorway having just flipped on the switch. In his hand was a black bottle of Imperial Rum. He lifted it to his mouth and took a swig, his fascinated stare roaming over my naked body as I lay sprawled on his bed.

With a shaky smile, I leaned up on my elbows and took the bottle from him when he offered it. I gulped the liquor. It burned my throat. I handed it back and James took another long drag of rum.

It was easy to admire this man with his toned, naked physique and sculptured body…all conflict and desire and dark beauty.

“You’re a good man, Xavier.” He dragged his teeth over his bottom lip. “I don’t want to take advantage.”

“You’re not.”

His dazzling eyes rose to meet mine. “You want this?”

I smiled, and let my head crash onto the pillow.

James

The heat from the rum burned through me and made me heady. These unfolding moments with Xavier had a dreamlike quality.

I’d not been intimate with anyone sinceher.Before, even the thought of it had felt like betrayal, as though even kissing someone else would be like cheating on Victoria. After all these years, moving on still seemed impossible.

Yet here I was, with this remarkable man, finding the courage to touch him…letting him touch me. It felt dangerous and startling, and yet it made me feel alive again. This erotic exploration was unforeseen; my body yearned for it to continue, even as my mind questioned how far this could go…

Xavier was like a dark angel stealing all my reason.

Stealing all the oxygen from the room.