Nobody's Perfect by Kallypso Masters Page A

his face, then grinned and pointed to his chest, the obvious question in his eyes.
    "Don't let it go to your head. I'm not interested in men for kissing or…anything else."
    His grin widened. "I think we've made enough progress for one morning. I'll let you flit back to Marisol, mi mariposa , while I take a shower. A very cold shower."
    Savi didn't want to think about his being aroused right now, and she tensed.
    Damián placed his hands on the tops of her shoulders. "What was that thought?" He seemed upset with her reaction. She shuddered and tried to pull away.
    "You want more than I can give."
    "But I'm not going to take it, Savi, if you aren't giving it. I can control my body. I will never force you to do anything. I'm not like those other men."
    She hoped not. She didn't think he was, either. How else would she have been able to come to him for help? But she'd only wanted his protection—not his kisses, his affection, his advances. How had this morning turned into such a chaotic mixture of emotions? Her head swam, as if she were careening on the Tilt-o-Whirl Mari loved so much at the annual church festival.
    "We'll go play with Marisol and her toys, then I'm taking you both out for Christmas dinner this afternoon with some friends of mine at a nice local place I think you'll like."
    Not waiting for him to change his mind about letting her go, Savi slid sideways, pressure from his hips and his arousal that she was trying to deny caused her to suck in her stomach. He chuckled.
    Savi nearly ran from the bathroom, then took a moment in the bedroom to compose herself. She held her cold hands to her warm face and tried to regulate her breathing. Slowly, her heart rate returned to something resembling normal and she planted a smile on her face. She'd be embarrassed to face Damián's friends after that panic attack. They must think she was unbalanced.
    When she opened the door and walked into the room, Marc was kneeling on the floor next to Angelina and Mari, who was holding a squirming bundle of black-and-white fur in one hand and her new plush stuffed kitty in the other, introducing the two to each other.
    Marc looked up at Savi and scrutinized her for a moment, then smiled. He stood up and reached down for Angelina's hand. They came over to her while Mari continued to enjoy two of her Christmas presents.
    "I'm sorry about that…"
    Angelina held her hand up to halt the words. "No apologies necessary. I'm just glad to see you're feeling better."
    Marc looked toward the bedroom. Savi felt compelled to explain Damián's delay. "Oh, he needed to take a shower." The grin that widened across Marc's face told her what he thought, but Savi wasn't comfortable with him thinking that about her. She didn't arouse anyone, not on purpose, anyway.
    "With Mari and me taking over his bedroom, his bathroom time can be a little hard to schedule." His eyes told her he didn't buy a word of it. "Anyway, thank you for bringing Mari the kitten. But I know you need to get to your Christmas dinner." She wished she could return to having a quiet Christmas alone with Mari. Okay, she wanted Damián to be a part of the day, too. For Mari.
    But they could never be a real family, even if Mari connected them by blood. Savi was damaged goods.
    "Oh, we're fine," Angelina assured her. "Mama makes enough food for an army." She paused a moment. "I hope you enjoy the meal at Adam and Karla's."
    Savi figured that must be the restaurant Damián had mentioned where they'd be joining his friends later. "I'm sure it will be wonderful."
    Angelina smiled. Maybe she'd recommended the place to Damián.
    "Maman, I'm going to call him Boots. Is that a good name?"
    Thank God she didn't choose Whiskers.
    Savi looked at Mari's tiny hands and the ball of fluff curled up, sound asleep. The little fella trusted its new mama. She remembered how this kitten had taken great interest in Mari when they were at the outfitter's store two weeks ago. Its white paws and leggings looked