Bachelor Unforgiving by Brenda Jackson

instead of either of them leaning back, their lips remained mere inches from each other. The most logical thing was to kiss again. So they did. This one lasted longer than the last, and when he swept his tongue across her lips, she felt fire curling in her stomach.
    When their lips parted he tilted his head and looked at her and said in a deep throaty voice, “I think that will do for now.”
    â€œWill it?” she asked in a breathless whisper.
    â€œYes,” he said, slowly releasing her hands. “Now it’s time to leave.”
    â€œBut I thought we were here to plan our strategy.”
    A smile touched the corners of his lips. “We just did. Come on and let me walk you to your car.”

Chapter 10
    T he next morning Virgil gazed out his bedroom window and thought back on last night at the café with Kara. For the umpteenth time he tried convincing himself that kissing her had served a purpose. They’d had an audience so it had been the perfect time to put on a show.
    But did he have to kiss her a second time and taste her with his tongue?
    There was no doubt in his mind that he had felt something in those kisses, something he hadn’t counted on. It was not intended to mean anything. He’d been merely acting out a part and nothing else. However, the moment his mouth had touched hers, emotions he hadn’t expected had flooded him. Those emotions should have been buried long ago, never to resurface again.
    Some emotions were to be expected, he told himself. After all, regardless of the reason they’d broken up, Kara had been the one and only woman he’d ever loved. Not feeling something would have been impossible.
    He had walked her to her car and, when he’d opened the door and she’d slid her body onto the leather seat, exposing a luscious thigh in the process, a pang of desire had shot through him. He’d been tempted to act on it so he’d given in to temptation and placed a kiss on the side of her throat. He’d gone even further and used his tongue to cop a taste when he licked her skin there.
    Kara’s sharp intake of breath had let him know she’d felt it. There had been no logical reason for his tongue to come into contact with her skin, and now he was paying for his actions. He was convinced the taste of her had somehow saturated his insides. After she’d driven off, he had quickly walked to his car, gotten inside and driven home totally aroused. He still was.
    He didn’t want to be sexually attracted to Kara. It had taken only a kiss to show that she could still get under his skin. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the taste of her had him thinking of nothing else but tasting her again. And why on earth had he suggested they spend the weekend together? What had he been thinking?
    The cell phone on his nightstand rang but he didn’t have to answer it to know who was calling. It was Uriel. Uriel and his wife, Ellie, were spending the summer on Cavanaugh Lake, which was located a few miles from Gatlinburg.
    Crossing the room, he picked up the phone. “Yes, U?”
    â€œI came into town yesterday to attend the pep rally. Afterward a group of us went to the Racetrack Café and I heard you’d been there earlier with Kara. I also heard the two of you were all lovey-dovey.” There was a brief pause before Uriel asked, “So, what’s going on, V? Are you and Kara getting back together?”
    â€œNot in a million years,” Virgil replied in a gruff voice.
    â€œIn that case you have some explaining to do.”
    Virgil rolled his eyes. “Do I?”
    â€œWhat do you think?”
    Virgil drew in a deep breath. He didn’t want his godbrothers getting the wrong idea about him and Kara. “Have you had breakfast yet?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œGood. Join me, I’ll explain everything.”
    â€œOkay. Where?”
    â€œMeet me at the Racetrack Café in a half hour.”
    * * *
    Kara