AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She nodded. Anticipation coursed through her. He spread his hand under her hair and over the lower part of her scalp, dragging the long strands through his fingers. Then he pressed his warm lips against hers. The pent-up desire inside Grace burst open like a firework, showering her veins with heat.
He settled his hands on either side of her head, tilting her face to an angle that allowed him to deepen the pressure. No man had ever kissed her like this before, with a simultaneous expertise and gentleness, as if he both knew what she liked and was still giving her a chance to stop it, if she wanted to. Which she didn’t. At all.
Not when everything inside her was waking up and sparking to life. Not when a warm, delicious feeling like melted butterscotch began flowing through her. Not when Lincoln rested one hand against her neck and stroked his thumb across the hollow of her throat.
She didn’t just not want him to stop. She wantedmore. The certainty bloomed hot and hard right beneath her heart. She’d been ready for a long time, but the opportunities had either passed by or weren’t right for her.
Maybe Lincoln wasright. God knew he felt right, all powerful, intense male, kissing her as if she were the only thing that existed in the world. He was nothing like the fumbling young men she’d been with in the past.
No. Lincoln was experienced, highly skilled,mature. He could show her exactly what she’d been missing and likely in ways she’d never imagined.
Plus, he was only here for a few weeks, so she didn’t have to worry about anything complicated or messy. And it wasn’t as if they were long-term colleagues, so…
Slowly she tightened her fingers around his hard forearms and parted her lips. His low rumble of satisfaction echoed clear down to her core. Their tongues touched. Faint dizziness swept through her head.
Though her sexual experience was limited, Grace had kissed enough other men to recognize that Lincoln was an expert. Aside from the fact that she was zinging with pleasure, he kissed her as if he had all the patience in the world, as if he’d be content to keep kissing her for hours on end.
He stroked his lips over hers, alternating light and firm pressure with a tantalizing ease. He bit down gently on her lower lip, then swept his tongue over the little indentations to soothe the mild twinge. All of her nerve-endings lit up.
She pressed a hand to his chest. Tension threaded his muscles. His heart beat against her palm, a heavy thump that felt like a drumbeat. Deliberately, she curled her fingers into his shirt front and pulled him toward her at the same instant she fell back against the sofa pillows.
Not taking his lips from hers, Lincoln braced his hand on the sofa arm and levered himself on top of her. The delicious strength and weight of his body pressed her into the pillows. She slipped her arms around his neck, driving one hand into his thick hair. Arousal tightened through her like thread pulled on a spool.
With a muffled groan, he trailed his lips over her cheek and down to her neck. His hand covered her breast. Her nipple budded up against his palm. Heat filled her throat.
She arched upward, aching for what she’d never had. Though he was bigger and stronger than any man she’d ever known, his strength was protective rather than intimidating. On a basic, instinctive level, she trusted him.
He brought his lips back to hers and slid his hand down her torso. Feeling as if she were simultaneously sinking and floating, Grace lifted her trembling fingers to the buttons of his shirt. She didn’t quite have the courage to tell him what she wanted, and why, but she could show him.
Wrapping her leg around his thighs, she unfastened the top button of his shirt and slipped her hands in to touch his taut, bare skin. A shiver rocked through her. She went for the next button.
Her whole body sizzled with anticipation at the thought of his naked chest pressing against her breasts. She pushed her hand under his shirt, her fingers grazing his hard pecs up toward his shoulder.
Lincoln stopped suddenly. His muscles locked, as if he were shutting down.
Grace dropped her hands from him. Unease burned away her lust. She pushed to her elbows, her breath rapid.
“Lincoln?”
He stared at her for a second. His chest heaved, and a flush crested his cheekbones. Pushing away from her abruptly, he sat up.
“Sorry.” He fastened his shirt buttons. “Didn’t mean to go that far.”
She swallowed hard. “Rather…you didn’t mean formeto go that far.”
“No.” His jaw tightened. “It’s not you. I wasn’t—”
“Please.” She held up a hand, her face heating. “I don’t usually…I mean, I wanted…”
With a groan, she pressed her hands to her cheeks. The ache of longing hadn’t dissipated—in fact, it was even more acute now that she’d been denied what she wanted. Never before had she responded with such sharp, intense hunger to a man, as if her body already knew thathewas the one.
Lincoln muttered a curse and shoved to his feet. “I need to go.”
“Lincoln, I should explain.”
“You don’t have to explain anything.” He dug into his pocket for his keys. His mouth tightened. “It was my fault. I apologize.”
She let out her breath. “Look, I’m not the most experienced woman in the world, but I’ve never had a man apologize after kissing me. Frankly, it’s a bit insulting.”
He dragged a hand down his face. “I shouldn’t have done it. We’re working together, I’m only here for a short time, and you’re the kind of woman who…I shouldn’t be taking advantage of you.”
“Excuse me.” Irritation stiffened her spine, and she folded her arms. “First, in case you’re making other assumptions, I would like to make it clear that I’m not interested in a romantic relationship with you or anyone else.
“Second, I realize my life is the opposite of yours, and yes, people sometimes stereotype me as a prim, spinster schoolteacher who lives alone with her books and her cat, but rarely does anyone assume they cantake advantageof me. And to remind you, I said you could kiss me, I responded quite enthusiastically, and I was attempting to take your shirt off. Those are all signs of a woman who is fully willing and consenting.”
He regarded her steadily, his expression implacable. His earlier warmth had dissolved, leaving his eyes like pieces of topaz.
“I should have eaten that goddamned pie,” he muttered.
Before Grace could respond, he turned and strode out of the house. The front door shut behind him with a hard click.
