Free Kiss Me, Katie by Monica Tillery Page A

not pull away, so he continued, squeezing gently and clearly enjoying the feel of her in his hand. He held her close to him, his other hand luxuriating in the feel of her silky hair winding around his fingers.
    Blake moved until he was on top of Katie, propped on his elbows while she took his face in her hands and looked deep into his eyes before returning her lips to his. She shivered with pleasure when his lips trailed to her neck, his breath warm against her skin. Emboldened, Blake kissed her neck while his hand returned to her breast. Katie arched her body and a soft sound escaped her lips as she clutched his shoulders and held him close. He parted her legs with his knee and lowered his body onto hers, one hand working to unbutton her blouse as he propped himself up on his elbow.
    “Blake,” she whispered.
    “Oh, Katie,” he moaned.
    “Blake.” Katie’s voice grew firm. He stilled and gazed down into her eyes, lust clouding his vision. “Blake, I’m so sorry but I can’t do this.”
    “Oh, oh, okay, I’m sorry. I think I got carried away,” he said as he moved off of her and stretched out beside her on the bed. Blake kissed her chastely on the forehead and inhaled deeply against the top of her head. Blake moved to get more comfortable on the bed, obviously trying to shift gears.
    “No, I’m sorry, I should have said something before it got this far. I really like you, but I kind of promised myself to save sex for a serious commitment. I shouldn’t have led you on; I guess I got carried away, too.”
    “Oh, I see. So you’re like a … ” He trailed off.
    “Yes, I’m a virgin. It’s kind of embarrassing, at my age, but it just hasn’t happened for me yet. I’ve been so scared to tell you, scared to find out what you would think.”
    Blake cupped Katie’s chin and gave her a soft kiss, then ran his hand over her hair. “It’s certainly unusual, but I actually like that you’ve never been with anyone. It seems right for you.”
    She let out a relieved breath. “Thank you for saying that. I feel like such a baby about it sometimes, but it’s become pretty important to me. When I was younger, I made the promise to myself that I would wait until I fell in love, and then with the band and everything that just never happened. The more committed I got to the band’s success, the fewer boyfriends I had that were committed to me. Nobody has been able to handle it, and I don’t want to compromise myself or my dreams for the kinds of guys I’ve come across.”
    “So you haven’t found anyone who can understand what you’re doing with the band?”
    “Right, it’s like when I meet someone they act like they think it’s great that I’m in the band and we’re getting so much work. When it comes down to it, though, nobody has been able to handle the time I have to spend rehearsing or playing gigs. Either that, or they’re convinced that there’s more going on between me and the guys than just work. I’m really sorry if I led you on, or if you aren’t cool with my situation.”
    “Sweetheart, it’s fine. Really. Whatever you’re comfortable with is fine. I’ll behave myself.” Blake smiled down at her and kissed her softly.
    “Thank you. This probably isn’t what you’re used to. I mean, getting shut down and all.”
    “Oh honey, you have no idea. I don’t know what you think or what you’ve heard, but I spend most nights on tour alone. The only time I have a woman in this bus it’s Caroline, and believe me, she is all business,” he laughed. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I haven’t found my wife, and I don’t think that sleeping around with anyone who shows up on the road is the best way to find her. It’s damn near impossible to have anything real when I’m in a new town every other night.”
    Blake tucked his hands behind his head and eased back onto his bed. He turned to face Katie and said, “Being with you has been the most real thing I’ve had in a long time. That’s