by Sophia Renny
She released her grip on the doorjamb and her hand drifted down to his shoulder—his broad, strong, firm shoulder concealed under the fine, clearly expensive fabric of his black suit jacket. It was almost like a slow dance as he continued guiding her farther into the room until the door clicked shut behind them. He turned slightly to flip the safety latch, quirking one eyebrow at her as he did so. “Okay?”
She nodded.
They stood close together in the narrow hallway, his hand still at her waist, both of hers now resting lightly on his shoulders. Her unsteady breathing seemed to echo his. She’d never, willingly, been this close to a man before. She lost herself for a giddy moment in the vibrant male warmth that radiated from his body.
His fingers tightened against her waist, tugging her forward until her chest brushed against his. He set the knuckles of his other hand under her chin, tilting her face up and capturing her eyes. “What’s your name?” he rasped.
“You can call me…Joan,” she whispered.
His mouth twitched as his eyes took in her red hair and vintage attire. “Well hello…Joan. Call me…Don.”
She almost laughed, but it came out as an anxious gasp. “Tell me that this isn’t something you do all the time.”
She hadn’t intended to ask that. She’d planned to trust that the man who accepted her offer would be decent, not the type of guy who had the proverbial girl in every port. She hadn’t wanted to reveal just how nervous and unsophisticated she was. In fact, she hadn’t even intended to speak more than a few words. She’d practiced saying, “Please, let’s not talk,” in front of her bedroom mirror at least a dozen times until she had the desired sultry tone just right.
Her anxiety must have been clear in her eyes because he moved his hand up to her cheek, cupping it with his palm in a soothing gesture. “No,” he said, his tone almost angry in its insistence, though she sensed he was irritated with himself, not with her question. “This isn’t something I do all the time. Never, in fact.”
At once she knew he spoke the truth. Yet, she was startled. “Never?”
“Never.”
“And you’re not married or seeing anyone?”
Something dark briefly shadowed his expression, something akin to sadness, before he shook his head firmly. “No. Are you?”
“No.”
“I believe that takes care of the wooing portion of this evening then…Joan. Rest assured I’m not a cheating bastard. Your note found me in the right place and at the right time.” His other hand slid up her body, brushed fleetingly against the side of her breast before touching her other cheek. “Of course, I also took into account that you’re a very attractive woman. A woman I want to be inside of very soon.” He brushed his thumbs leisurely across her flushed cheeks. “Do my assurances satisfy you?”
She was shaking so hard she had to dig her fingers into his shoulders to keep from collapsing. Suddenly, his arms were around her, one at her shoulder and the other at her waist, holding her close in an embrace that was at once gentle and urgent.
She fell against him with a peculiar sense of relief, her cheek resting against his warm, solid chest, just over his heart. He rubbed one hand slowly up and down her back, his fingertips lightly grazing the bare skin above the neckline of her dress. He lowered his head, his mouth hovering just above her ear. “Hey,” he whispered. “You sure you’re okay with this?”
The hint of tenderness in his voice gave her the last bit of reassurance she needed. She slid her hands down from his shoulders, delving under his suit jacket to wrap them around his lean waist. She pressed her upper body closer to his. She nodded her head.
His lips grazed her ear, his warm, damp breath spiking every nerve in her body. “How do you want this to go? Fast or slow?”
She felt a delicious tightening in her lower abdomen, a gathering pool of liquid heat between her legs. “Slow,” she murmured. “The first time.”
He smiled against her temple. “So, you really do want me to spend the night with you.”
Her arms tightened around him, signaling, already, her reluctance to let him go. He felt so solid, so dynamic and strong, just as she’d always hoped this man would feel. “Can you?”
“My flight isn’t until ten o’clock tomorrow morning.” The hand at her waist drifted down, his palm lightly rubbing over the curve of her hips and buttocks, before he suddenly grasped her firmly, bringing her against his lower body. “I’m ready and willing,” he added, his sudden brief laugh laced with sex and desire.
Oh.
So, that’s what it felt like.
She wriggled closer.
He danced her farther into the room, his fingers finding and undoing the clasp at the back of her dress before slowly pulling down the zipper. When the back of her legs touched the edge of the bed, he stood back slightly, his hands gliding up to her shoulders. With the zipper undone, her dress hung loosely from her upper body.
She concealed her shyness beneath half-closed eyes, watching him as, with deliberate ease, he tugged the dress sleeves down her arms, gradually revealing her collarbone, the curve of her upper breasts. His hands clasped her arms just above the elbows, gently pushing them down to her sides so he could continue removing the dress. With one last tug, it floated to the floor, leaving her wearing just her panties, bra and heels, a cloud of chiffon at her feet.
“Beautiful,” he said softly, a slight catch in his voice. He took a step backwards, his heated gaze igniting tiny bonfires everywhere it touched her bare skin. “Your skin is like cream. So white and smooth.”
He reached out his hand, tracing a scattering of freckles at the base of her throat, one finger slowly following the trail down to where it disappeared beneath her white lace bra. He swallowed thickly. “Take it off.”
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
About the Author
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