Free Beneath the Covers (Kimani Romance) by Dara Girard

the smell of toasted raisin bread. She looked around the room and was instantly hit by its masculine elegance. She wasn’t in a guest bedroom. She was in his room. The walls were painted a muted brown with off-white trim. There was a tall wooden dresser with thick brass handles against one wall, a series of wooden boxes against another and a handsome valet, made out of teak, where a recently pressed shirt and tie neatly hung. Over by the window was what looked like a reading desk with an executive leather chair and a row of shoes, lined up next to a shoe-polishing stand that was positioned in front of a large, mirrored walk-in closet. Claudia noticed Peter had hung up her robe and set out some toiletries for her.
    She hurried into the bathroom and washed her face, brushed her teeth and then retrieved some clothes from her suitcase and changed.
    When she left the bedroom, she saw that his apartment was expensively decorated without being gaudy. Along with the sizzling sound, she heard low voices. She peeked her head around the corner and saw Peter cooking and watching a game on TV. He suddenly looked up and saw her. Their eyes met, and at that moment Claudia knew her heart would forever be his. “Did you sleep well?”
    “Yes.”
    He waved her forward with a spatula. “Come on, I’m making brunch.”
    This is crazy, Claudia thought. It could never work. Their lives and temperaments were so different. She studied the sciences, he the arts. She liked to talk, he didn’t. Perhaps their interest in each other was based on their attraction being forbidden, but now that it wasn’t, their feelings would change. The researcher in her had to find out. She walked up to him and kissed him.
    She imagined his kiss to be like him—quiet, reserved, guarded but simple and sweet—like French vanilla. What she got was rum raisin. Bold, daring and passionate. He tasted delicious and she opened herself to him in body, mind and spirit. She drew back and stared up at him with wonder. “I don’t believe this.”
    “I do.” He kissed her again.
    Their attraction had been instant; their lovemaking combustible. They stumbled to the couch wrapped in each other, and Peter pulled down her top. The quick motion made Claudia stiffen as she imagined the fabric tearing and remembered another man’s hands on her…
    Peter sensed the change in Claudia and stopped. He captured her with his eyes. “It’s okay,” he said in a soft voice.
    She nodded, unable to speak.
    “Do you want me to stop?”
    Claudia shook her head as tears gathered in her eyes, longing for the protectiveness of his arms.
    His hand gently caressed her cheek. “I’d never hurt you,” he said, his voice deepening with emotion. “And I’ll never let anyone hurt you.” He brushed a tear away. “You’ll always be safe with me.”
    She believed him. Not because of his words, but because at that instant she unlocked the mystery of his dark eyes and saw the soul of a man she could trust. She buried her fears and doubts and arched into him, letting him know what she could not express in words.
    He groaned in response. “Did you know what you were doing to me with that napkin?”
    “Napkin?”
    “Yes, when we first met at the nightclub and you dried yourself with it. You made that simple act so sexy, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stand up for the next hour.”
    Claudia laughed, pleased by her effect on him. “I thought you might think I was crass.”
    His hand inched up her leg. “Far from it. I wanted to do this then.”
    “If you liked that, you should see what I can do with a loofah sponge.”
    “I plan to.”
    She kissed him again, and this time his lips tasted sweeter than the ripest berry. His hands were softer than silk, and when his bare flesh met hers, his body felt hotter than an inferno and together they burned. He made her senses spin and her body sweat, and soon she felt whole again and treasured. The pain of Levar’s attack and her loss of Tamara’s