AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I hope so.” He laid it out there, plain and simple. He wanted her with a raw, powerful ache. But what he was feeling was so much more.
When she tugged at his hold, he let her go immediately. “Did you bring protection?” Her gaze remained wary, yet he also saw need, the same need that clawed in his belly.
“As a matter of fact, I did.”
Later, he could never quite remember how they undressed each other. It was a slow dance, a familiar ritual. But somehow, new. And in the sheer wonder of the moment, he found himself playing the what-if game.
This time, Laney moved on top of him. He liked her confidence.
She sucked in a sharp breath when he surged upward, joining their bodies to the limit. “You’ve learned a thing or two,” she said.
Somehow, it didn’t sound like a compliment.
He found himself feeling guilty for no good reason. “I’ve been with a few women, Laney. But not as many as you might think. I’ve worked damn hard. Not much time for playing the field.”
She leaned forward and rested her hands, palms flat, on his collarbone. “This is probably a bad time to compare notes,Britain.”
He frowned, even as his body urged him to go for the finish. “Don’t call me that, damn it. I’m Brit. I’ve always been Brit to you.”
When she rotated her hips gently, he saw spots dance in front of his eyes. “Easy, woman. We have to pace ourselves. Unless you’re close.”
“You sure are bossy for a man on the bottom.”
He couldn’t decide whether to groan in pain or laugh at her impudence. Taking her by surprise, he rolled her beneath him and set a new rhythm. Now the flush on her cheekbones darkened, and her gaze went hazy.
Nuzzling her throat, he set his teeth against her pulse and sucked gently. “I used to give you hickeys,” he said. “Do you remember?”
Laney used her inner muscles to squeeze him.
Sweat beaded his forehead.
Her smile was a combination of sweet and seductive. “I had more neck scarves than any girl at Blossom Branch High School. But I don’t think we fooled anybody.”
He bowed his head and rested his forehead against hers. “I hope you didn’t have regrets,” he said raggedly. “About us. I’ve thought about it a lot.”
Some of the animation left her face, and he saw a flicker of pain in her eyes. “There were plenty of regrets, Brit. But I was happy for you. I still am.”
That was all the talking he could manage. His libido wrested control and sent them rushing toward a finish that was powerful and sweet and ultimately frustrating.
Because as soon as they could breathe, he wanted her again.
Laney was walking the line between heaven and hell. Years ago, she had convinced herself to give up the dream where she and Brit made a life together. If they had married, there was a good chance poverty and lost chances might have driven them to divorce. Was anything different now, or was she fooling herself about Brit’s current advent into her life?
He had come home to pay his respects at a funeral, not reclaim their lost past. She’d be naive to think otherwise.
Sharing this time with him hurt. A lot. Because it showed her everything she had missed. Being hispen palthese last four years had brought a quiet joy to her life, a meaningful connection. At leastsomethinghad been salvaged from their past.
A more courageous woman might have asked for what she wanted, but though it was a cliché, Laney couldn’t risk losing Brit’s friendship. It was better to keep what they had than for her to ruin everything.
As she gently caressed his warm shoulder, she felt emotions well up inside her. Bright and warm and joyful. Those feelings were dangerous. They made a woman believe in preciousmaybes.
She told herself she had to be strong. This reunion wouldn’t last long. Brit was leaving tomorrow night to drive to the airport...and flying out before dawn Monday morning. How would she manage to survive the hours between now and then?
They had dozed again after making love. Naked. Wrapped in each other’s arms on the same quilt where this man had taken her virginity a million years ago.
To be fair, Brit hadn’ttakenanything from her. She had been so in love with him, she would have pressed the issue if he hadn’t.
And she certainly couldn’t accuse him of keeping her in the dark. He had told her about his plans to move to LA from the beginning. Mr. Tom had given him five hundred dollars as a graduation present and had connected him with a reliable friend and a rent-free room over a garage.
