Degrees of Passion Read Online Free Page A

Trevor’s summer vacations in Europe, those first dates stretched over the first year. At the time, it didn’t seem strange, just exciting and new and full of promise. Technically, through the following eighteen months they hadn’t been a couple, at least not publicly. Their love was secret – even from her sometimes. It wasn’t until a few months ago when Trevor had surprised her with the ‘talk’. He indicated he wanted exclusivity. She’d assumed they were exclusive, though secret, from the very beginning. She hadn’t known until that time that they could see other people – not that she did, not that she thought he had.
    ‘But that’s my fault for assuming,’ she whispered to herself.
    ‘Assuming what?’ Kevin asked, confused.
    She waved off his question. ‘You wouldn’t have seen us together. We didn’t want it known. We’ve kept it a secret. I didn’t even tell my family.’ Out loud it sounded bad. Dirty. Tainted.
    Could she really blame Trevor if he wasn’t faithful before that conversation? At the time, she hadn’t asked him for details, choosing to believe he was faithful to her. He never said otherwise and she’d never asked. As far as she knew, they didn’t have secrets between them. Surely, Trevor would have told her if he had another date. He’d told her more intimate things than that, things about his family, his dreams of a future away from the spotlight and the riches. It wasn’t like Sasha was a jealous, shrewish bitch of a nagging girlfriend. She gave him his space, just as she liked to have hers.
    ‘A secret boyfriend? It sounds a little childish.’ Kevin took the empty shot glass from her fingers, replacing it with his own full one. She felt him walking away from her and still she stared out the window. ‘How exactly does that work?’
    Sasha didn’t like the slight mocking in his tone so, instead of answering, she turned to face him, needing to change the subject. Except for tonight, she rarely saw him smile – if the fleeting expressions he gave her could even be called that. All Trevor did was smile, boyish and handsome, always in a playful mood. Kevin tended to be moody. The men were different. Maybe that’s why she was here with Kevin. He couldn’t be mistaken for her ex-boyfriend. Crying over a broken heart was not what she wanted. She didn’t want to talk about Trevor, not with Kevin. ‘I lied.’
    ‘About?’ He eyed her in amusement.
    ‘I can read the future.’ Sasha did her best to sound seductive. She took the shot of tequila to steady her nerves, hoping she looked confident.
    Her tone and expression must have successfully changed the course of their conversation, because his eyes narrowed with sudden understanding. ‘Oh?’
    She pressed the cool shot glass to her temple and closed her eyes. ‘I’m getting something. Hold on.’ She pointed the small glass at him and said, ‘I see you getting me another drink.’
    Kevin swiped the bottle of liquor off a low table and slowly twisted off the cap. The kitchen light hit his back, shining subtly through his shirt to outline his toned body. She swallowed a lump in her throat, even as longing continued to unfurl within her. This was a dream, a fantasy. There was no way it could be real. She didn’t do things like this.
    ‘Do you see anything else?’ Kevin moved with predatory grace.
    ‘Your shirt is going to get very wrinkled.’ Sasha eyed the snap buttons. Warmth from the liquor filled her, spreading a blessed numbness throughout her limbs. Every muscle relaxed and her mind released some of its normally unrelenting control.
    Sasha touched his shoulder, following a navy stripe with her fingertip down his chest to his waist. Up close, the subtle smell of his cologne stirred, carried with the heat radiating from his body to draw her in. Kevin was shorter than Trevor by a few inches, but had broader shoulders. Most women fantasized about eyes or a man’s ass. Sasha liked a strong chest with arms that folded