Smoldering Desire Read Online Free PDF Page B

looked away. 
     
    Shepherd snuggled against Devin; he kissed her shoulder then the top of her head. 
    “I guess, I better get going, I don’t want Mack to worry about me.”
    “She’s not worried.   She knows you’re with me.”
    “But she still might be worried.”  Shepherd jumped out of bed and began picking up her clothes.  “I got to go.” She quickly put on her bikini.
    “You running out of here like you’re on your way to work,” Devin joked. 
    “Ha ha.  No, I don’t want my friend worrying about me.”  She slipped on her cover up.
    “At least let me walk you back to your room.”
    “That’s okay, see you.”  And before Devin could pull on a pair of pants, Shepherd bolted out of the room.
     

CHAPTER 7
     
    Shepherd buried her face in her pillow, ignoring Devin’s knocks.  She held her breath as though he could hear her breathing through the thin door.
    “I know you’re in there, I saw Mack, she told me you were in the room,” Devin called from the corridor.
    Shepherd silently cursed her friend, but still didn’t answer.
    “I’m going to sit out here until you open the door,” he threatened.  Shepherd didn’t budge from the bed.  “Okay, I’m sitting down.”  She heard a soft thump against her door.  “I’m making myself comfortable.”
    Shepherd closed her eyes, fortunately they didn’t have any ports of call today, they had two days at sea until they return to Fort Lauderdale.  She knew that she could avoid him until the ship docked.  If she used room service she wouldn’t have to leave the room.  Shepherd stared longingly at the door.  “I want to talk to him but I’m not ready,” she muttered to herself.  After five minutes of silence, Shepherd tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear to it.  As soon as she heard a muffled cough, she scampered back to the bed where she debated whether to open the door.  In the middle of her solo dispute, she drifted off to sleep only to be shaken away by Mackenzie a few hours later.
    “How did you get past my guard dog?” Shepherd asked her voice groggy.
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Wasn’t Devin by the door?”
    “Nope.”
    “Well damn, he gave up pretty fast.  He said that he was going to sit outside my door until I opened it.”
    “Oh yeah?  How long ago was that?”
    Shepherd glanced at the clock.  “About three hours.”
    “So why are you hiding from him?”
    Shepherd pushed a handful of her curly hair out of her face.  “Because I don’t want anything serious with him,” she answered and Mackenzie cocked her head to the side.  Shepherd pushed away all the lies and excuses and told the truth.  “Because I don’t want to get hurt again,” she admitted softly.
    “Why do you think he’d hurt you again?”
    “Because he did it before and I caught him kissing that lady.”
    “I believe what he told you Shepherd.  Some women are thirsty like that; they fuck first and ask questions later.  And you said it yourself that he was trying to fight her off.”
    “I don’t know if I can trust him again.  I’ve forgiven but I haven’t forgotten.”
    “I can’t tell you what to do, but if it was me, I’d give him a second chance.  And if it doesn’t work this time, at least you can say you gave him a fair chance.  You don’t want to spend your life wondering ‘what if’.”
    “That’s true.”  She pushed herself off the bed.  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.  I usually don’t run away from things.  I’m feeling better.  Wanna go play some ping pong?” 
    “Cool.”
     
    A half hour later Shepherd and Mackenzie were enjoying a game of ping pong.  Although they played for over an hour, went to eat, then enjoyed a show, Shepherd didn’t run into Devin. 
     

CHAPTER 8
     
    Devin was sitting on the Lido Deck enjoying his breakfast when Shepherd stopped at his table.  He hadn’t seen her since they had made love. She was avoiding him like she did ten years ago and