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him against her. "Not once." She nuzzled her cheek against him. "You're very tender."
"That's how lovemaking should be," he said quietly. "But I'm rusty, Mrs. Ballenger. I've been
celibate for quite a while."
She held her breath. "A few months, you mean?"
"Um, not quite." He brushed his mouth over her forehead. "For about six years, Shelby."
She caught her breath. "My gosh! I didn't dream...!"
"It's a good thing," he murmured. "I guess you'd have run from me screaming if you'd known,
thinking that a man who'd gone hungry that long would be ravenous and uncontrollable."
"But you weren't."
"You needed tenderness, so that's what you got. You won't always get it, after we've had each
other a few times," he said flatly. "I don't like it that way all the time."
The mind boggled at what he did like and she realized that he'd been curbing his instincts,
holding back, to make things easier for her. "Justin..."
"Shhh." He kissed her mouth softly. "Go to sleep. You're arousing me."
"I'm sorry."
He kissed her again and rolled over onto his stomach with a long sigh. "Good night, baby doll."
"Good night, Justin."
But she didn't sleep for a long time. There were a thousand questions buzzing around in her
mind, and only a few answers.
At least she'd gotten one big hurdle out of the way, and Justin still wanted her. That was
something. Even if he couldn't love her, he might grow to have some kind of affection for her again. He
couldn't blame her totally about the past, since he knew she was still innocent. Or could he? It occurred
to her then that he might still want vengeance for the bitterness and humiliation he'd suffered. That was
a sobering thought, and it kept her awake for a very long time.
Chapter Seven
Justin could hardly believe what he saw when he woke up the next morning. He was so used to
the dreams of Shelby ending at dawn. But here she was, with her long, dark hair on his pillow, her soft,
elfin features relaxed in sleep, her mouth full and sweet and tempting.
He lay there, just watching her, for a long time. He'd been lonely without her. More lonely than
he'd realized until they were speaking again. When they were dating, he'd dreamed of having Shelby in
his bed, relaxed in sleep, and doing just this watching her sleep. She couldn't know how precious she
was to him, or that last night had been a revelation, a culmination of every longing he'd ever had, even
though he hadn't been able to finish what he'd started. Just finding her virginal was a shock of pure
delight.
He didn't even start to think about why she'd deceived him. He was too enraptured by the sight
of her lovely face in sleep, by her dark head lying so trustingly on his pillow.
When she didn't stir, he smiled gently and bent to brush her lips with his.
He saw her long black eyelashes flutter and then lift. She sighed, saw him and smiled, a new
softness in her pale green eyes.
"Good morning," she whispered.
"Good morning." He kissed her again. "Did you sleep well?"
"I've never slept so well in all my life. And you?"
"I could say the same." He pulled the sheet back over her, tucking it in. "You don't have to get
up yet."
"Are you going to work this early?" she murmured with a sleepy glance at the clock.
"I have to fly up to Dallas, honey," he said, rising. "A new customer. I'll be home by dark."
"I don't have to be at work until nine," she said with a smug smile.
"I wish you'd give up that job," he said, frowning down at her.
"Justin, I like it," she protested, but not vehemently. "I don't like having you so handy to Barry
Holman," he murmured.
She stared at him. "Maybe he is a womanizer, but not with me," she told him. "He's a very nice
man and he's good to me."
Justin turned away. It wouldn't do to have her know how jealous he was of her handsome boss.
"I've got to get a shower."
She watched him rummage in his drawer for underwear and head toward the bathroom, her eyes
hungry on his bare torso. It seemed so unreal, the intimacy that they'd shared the night before. She
blushed just remembering it, but he was gone before he saw the scarlet flush on her cheeks.
She wondered if she should have told him about Tammy Lester and the way Mr. Holman
seemed so interested in her. She might do that later.
But she dozed off while he was in the shower, and when she woke up again, he was dressed in a
pale gray suit that clung lovingly to the powerful lines of his tall body, and he was straightening his red
and gray striped tie in the mirror.
"Is Maria up this early to feed you?" she murmured sleepily.
"I'll have breakfast on the plane." He turned, digging into his pockets, and tossed a set of car
keys on the bed beside her. "Take the T-bird to work. Your transportation problem will have to wait
until tomorrow."
She sat up, holding the keys. "But how will you get to the airport?"
He cocked an eyebrow. "I wonder if my heart will take all this concern?" he asked.
Her soft eyes ran over him and then the night before came back with alarming clarity. She saw
him the way he'd been downstairs with her, felt again the intimacy...
"My God, what a scarlet blush," he murmured, loving her reactions. "I suppose you'd get under
the bed if I started reminiscing?"
"You bet I would," she said with her last bit of pride. Then she ruined it all by smiling and
hiding her face in her hands. "Oh, Justin," she whispered, remembering. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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him against her. "Not once." She nuzzled her cheek against him. "You're very tender."
"That's how lovemaking should be," he said quietly. "But I'm rusty, Mrs. Ballenger. I've been
celibate for quite a while."
She held her breath. "A few months, you mean?"
"Um, not quite." He brushed his mouth over her forehead. "For about six years, Shelby."
She caught her breath. "My gosh! I didn't dream...!"
"It's a good thing," he murmured. "I guess you'd have run from me screaming if you'd known,
thinking that a man who'd gone hungry that long would be ravenous and uncontrollable."
"But you weren't."
"You needed tenderness, so that's what you got. You won't always get it, after we've had each
other a few times," he said flatly. "I don't like it that way all the time."
The mind boggled at what he did like and she realized that he'd been curbing his instincts,
holding back, to make things easier for her. "Justin..."
"Shhh." He kissed her mouth softly. "Go to sleep. You're arousing me."
"I'm sorry."
He kissed her again and rolled over onto his stomach with a long sigh. "Good night, baby doll."
"Good night, Justin."
But she didn't sleep for a long time. There were a thousand questions buzzing around in her
mind, and only a few answers.
At least she'd gotten one big hurdle out of the way, and Justin still wanted her. That was
something. Even if he couldn't love her, he might grow to have some kind of affection for her again. He
couldn't blame her totally about the past, since he knew she was still innocent. Or could he? It occurred
to her then that he might still want vengeance for the bitterness and humiliation he'd suffered. That was
a sobering thought, and it kept her awake for a very long time.
Chapter Seven
Justin could hardly believe what he saw when he woke up the next morning. He was so used to
the dreams of Shelby ending at dawn. But here she was, with her long, dark hair on his pillow, her soft,
elfin features relaxed in sleep, her mouth full and sweet and tempting.
He lay there, just watching her, for a long time. He'd been lonely without her. More lonely than
he'd realized until they were speaking again. When they were dating, he'd dreamed of having Shelby in
his bed, relaxed in sleep, and doing just this watching her sleep. She couldn't know how precious she
was to him, or that last night had been a revelation, a culmination of every longing he'd ever had, even
though he hadn't been able to finish what he'd started. Just finding her virginal was a shock of pure
delight.
He didn't even start to think about why she'd deceived him. He was too enraptured by the sight
of her lovely face in sleep, by her dark head lying so trustingly on his pillow.
When she didn't stir, he smiled gently and bent to brush her lips with his.
He saw her long black eyelashes flutter and then lift. She sighed, saw him and smiled, a new
softness in her pale green eyes.
"Good morning," she whispered.
"Good morning." He kissed her again. "Did you sleep well?"
"I've never slept so well in all my life. And you?"
"I could say the same." He pulled the sheet back over her, tucking it in. "You don't have to get
up yet."
"Are you going to work this early?" she murmured with a sleepy glance at the clock.
"I have to fly up to Dallas, honey," he said, rising. "A new customer. I'll be home by dark."
"I don't have to be at work until nine," she said with a smug smile.
"I wish you'd give up that job," he said, frowning down at her.
"Justin, I like it," she protested, but not vehemently. "I don't like having you so handy to Barry
Holman," he murmured.
She stared at him. "Maybe he is a womanizer, but not with me," she told him. "He's a very nice
man and he's good to me."
Justin turned away. It wouldn't do to have her know how jealous he was of her handsome boss.
"I've got to get a shower."
She watched him rummage in his drawer for underwear and head toward the bathroom, her eyes
hungry on his bare torso. It seemed so unreal, the intimacy that they'd shared the night before. She
blushed just remembering it, but he was gone before he saw the scarlet flush on her cheeks.
She wondered if she should have told him about Tammy Lester and the way Mr. Holman
seemed so interested in her. She might do that later.
But she dozed off while he was in the shower, and when she woke up again, he was dressed in a
pale gray suit that clung lovingly to the powerful lines of his tall body, and he was straightening his red
and gray striped tie in the mirror.
"Is Maria up this early to feed you?" she murmured sleepily.
"I'll have breakfast on the plane." He turned, digging into his pockets, and tossed a set of car
keys on the bed beside her. "Take the T-bird to work. Your transportation problem will have to wait
until tomorrow."
She sat up, holding the keys. "But how will you get to the airport?"
He cocked an eyebrow. "I wonder if my heart will take all this concern?" he asked.
Her soft eyes ran over him and then the night before came back with alarming clarity. She saw
him the way he'd been downstairs with her, felt again the intimacy...
"My God, what a scarlet blush," he murmured, loving her reactions. "I suppose you'd get under
the bed if I started reminiscing?"
"You bet I would," she said with her last bit of pride. Then she ruined it all by smiling and
hiding her face in her hands. "Oh, Justin," she whispered, remembering. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]