AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He managed to hang on for a few more minutes, but then he was lost. He drove deep, letting himself go, letting everything go. Heat flowed down his spine, igniting nerves he’d forgotten he had. He groaned in release while he tried not to crush her beneath him.
After what seemed like a long time, he leaned his forehead against hers. What do I say now? Nice sex? Want to do this again? What are you doing tomorrow night, and the night after that, and the night after that?
Because it had been nice. Very nice. More than nice.
He rolled to the side, bracing himself so that he didn’t actually roll onto the floor. Ruth stared up at him with wide eyes. Maybe slightly panicked eyes.
“Okay?” he murmured.
Oh, great pillow talk. Yeah, you da man.
She nodded. “Okay. Yes. Okay.”
He ran his fingertip along her eyebrow, tracing the shape. “Is anything wrong?”
She shook her head. “No. Honestly, no.”
He wasn’t sure he believed her, which worried him. Had he done something bad? “That was good, Ruth. That was really good.”
She nodded. “Oh, yes, it was.”
He wasn’t getting anywhere with this. He almost asked her again if anything was wrong, but that would be annoying. He brushed the hair from her forehead, trying to think of some way to reassure her but coming up dry. Hard to be reassuring when he didn’t understand why he needed to be.
Maybe it was time to change course. He pushed himself up on his elbow. “Want some more ale? I could probably find us something to eat if you’re hungry.”
She blinked up at him, then pushed herself to sitting. “That’s okay. I’m good. Where’s Bec’s bathroom?”
He pointed toward the hall. “Second door on the right.”
“Thanks.”
She stood, one arm stretched across her breasts. Then she turned toward the hall, long legs, beautiful bum, everything you’d want in a woman. But nervous, for reasons he didn’t exactly understand.
“Ruth?”
She glanced back at him, biting her lip again. “Yes?”
He blew out a breath. “Nothing. I’ll top off your beer.”
She gave him a hesitant grin. “Okay. Back in a sec.”
She turned toward the hall, leaving him trying to figure out why something that had felt so right to him didn’t seem to have felt the same way to her.
…
Ruth walked toward her house as the sky began to turn pale over Black Mountain. She’d managed to convince Liam she didn’t need an escort. The last thing she wanted was for someone to see her ambling up Main with Liam Dempsey at five in the morning.
Mistake, mistake, mistake.
Her first mistake had been to go to the tavern instead of staying home, no matter how bored she was. But she could have made it through that error in judgment if she hadn’t started flirting with Liam Dempsey. That had definitely been mistake number two. Flirting with a good-looking guy had consequences, always. Number three had been agreeing to go with him to the brewery to taste some of Bec’s superlative red ale. Number four had been everything that happened after that.
Her cheeks heated briefly, and she gritted her teeth. She hated the fact that she still blushed at thirty-five. Surely she should have gotten over that by now. Of course, the things she’d done with Liam Dempsey at the brewery had definitely been blush-worthy.
You didn’t object at the time.
No, she hadn’t. Her common sense had apparently taken flight, along with her dignity. She didn’t want to think about what she’d done tonight.
You enjoyed every minute.
Until she’d remembered who and what she was. A hardworking cheesemaker and deli owner trying to keep her head above water. The mother of a twelve-year-old, with responsibilities—duties—every hour of the day. She had no business kicking up her heels. She was too old for one-night stands. This was so unlike her it made her head spin.
But you did enjoy it.
She shook her head as she headed up the street toward her house. Even if she did enjoy it, that didn’t matter. None of it mattered. She was thoroughly pissed at herself for losing track of her responsibilities. She wasn’t somebody who could do something like this without a thought.
She needed to return to sanity, to being Ruth Colbert, level-headed, grounded, practical businesswoman. No more nonsense. No more late-night rendezvous with hunky bartenders. No more flings.
