Close Up by Erin McCarthy

to be a triumph for him, no matter how much her body might disagree.
    “And if I have to play hardball to get that opportunity,” he said, “then that’s what I’ll do.”
    There was no question the sex would be amazing. It always had been between them. “Just Saturday and Sunday and then what?”
    “Then it’s all up to you. I can sign your divorce papers, if that’s what you want. Or we can discuss other options at that point.”
    Other options. What other options could there be? Getting back together? Why did that send a thrill through her? Or maybe he meant a dissolution or annulment. “This isn’t a good idea,” she repeated.
    “I won’t do anything you don’t want to do. We only do what you’re comfortable with.”
    That was the problem. She wanted to do a whole lot of everything with him.
    It was dangerous.
    Two whole days alone in the cabin with Sean? It could be good closure. It definitely would be good sex.
    She’d never been known for making smart choices, and damn it, she’d been trying to change that. But she was not strong enough to resist his offer. It would mean she was doing the right thing still by paying for the divorce, and that made it actually a mature choice, right?
    Sure. Justification, thy name was Kristine. But she was okay with that.
    “Let me think about it.”
    The minute she gave her answer and watched his nostrils flare, she knew she’d made a mistake.
    He confirmed it when he stood up. “Think about this.”
    “Where are you going?” she asked, bewildered, and a little frightened. He looked so...dangerous.
    He came around to her side of the table. He was big and in her space and when he leaned over, she automatically tilted her head up.
    And then he kissed her.

6
    S EAN KNEW PRECISELY the moment Kristine gave in to him. It wasn’t when she tentatively said she would think about it. It wasn’t when she tried to block his movement by placing her hand on his stomach.
    It was when her sharp nod and pursed lips softened as he laced his fingers through hers. It was when her eyes widened and her luscious mouth opened. It was when her eyelashes fluttered and her breath caught. It was when she said, “I don’t think that’s appropriate,” even as she stretched slightly toward him.
    “I won’t tell,” he promised. Then before she could present him with further arguments, he took advantage of her hesitation, her clear desire, and slid his hand along the back of her neck and into her hair. The soft smooth strands gave way, the knot in her hair loosening under his invasion. He kept his eyes open and trained on her as he leaned closer and closer, enjoying the catch in the back of her throat and the way the tip of her tongue peeked out to moisten her lip.
    He had meant it to be a brief kiss. A hint of what was to come.
    But the minute his lips touched hers, he forgot where he was, who he was and what his intention had been. He was a man who had been thrown backward in time to the event that had changed his life—the moment his lips had first connected with Kristine’s. It had been their second date. They had met in the coffee shop he frequented daily. He had been on a phone call, already knee-deep in a business internship, and had paused to order his drink when Kristine had tapped him from behind and informed him it was impolite to his barista to be on his cell phone. At first, he had been annoyed, then had realized she was right. Feeling chastened, he had apologized to the barista and given her a substantial tip.
    Then he had bought Kristine’s coffee and after ten minutes of staring at her as inconspicuously as possible from across the shop, he had given her his phone number and asked her out. For some strange reason, she had said yes.
    During their first date, they’d shared a rather disastrous dinner at an overpriced restaurant designed to impress her. It hadn’t. She’d been too young to enjoy or appreciate the upscale menu, and had just been annoyed with the fact