Read Online Audrey and the Maverick by Elaine Levine - Free Book Online
Authors: Elaine Levine
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skin.
This was a mistake. Breathing became difficult, not because he held her too tightly, but because she didn’t want him to let go. A heat took flame in her body, a yearning long ignored at last feeling itself heard. She’d wanted to be in his arms, to be held like this, to feel his heart hammering against hers ever since their dance last summer. She’d wondered what it would be like to feel his face buried in the bend between her shoulder and neck, to feel him breathe the scent of her skin, as he was doing. She spread her fingers and dug them into the thick, silky hair at the back of his head.
His sideburn and then the rough stubble on his cheek rasped along her skin as he lifted his head. His lips brushed her chin. Audrey gave in to the urge to arch against him and pressed her breasts against him. He gazed down into her eyes. Never had she been looked at so by such a man. She could see, even in the darkness, faint lines feathering the outer corners of his eyes. He smelled of horse and wool, leather and soap, an intoxicating mixture that Audrey knew she would never forget.
When his lips slanted across hers, she welcomed the touch, unable to help the shiver that rippled through her. His hard mouth was forceful on hers, opening her to his tongue. She felt him enter her mouth, his tongue searching for hers, dancing against her teeth. The heat in her body leapt to life. She uttered a moaning sound she’d never before heard herself make. Her tongue rose to meet his, following his into his mouth, pressing and moving against his.
He broke the kiss, his lips touching her upper lip, then her lower lip, then the space between her lip and her chin. She was bent back over his arm. His free hand came up, his thumb feeling the skin of her cheek, the line of her jaw. She looked at him, watched him as he watched his thumb move across her skin, over her lips. She touched her tongue to the pad of his thumb. His eyes flared. He crushed her to him, his lips moving fiercely against hers, his tongue thrusting into her mouth. His hand moved lower, over her collarbone, lower to cover her breast.
Audrey was unprepared for the desire that knifed through her at his caress. She sucked a sharp breath of air against his lips as she gasped. Slowly, it dawned on her that she lay sprawled against his lap as he arched over her, playing her body like a musician strums his instrument. Reality threaded itself into the heated length of her body, cooling her melting flesh.
She pushed away from him, then jumped off the bench and faced him in horrified mortification. Rage and embarrassment warred within her. He’d just offered her a viable alternative, and still she threw herself at him. She was a Jezebel. She should never have been out here with him, undressed as they were. She should never have sat with him, alone in the night, on the bench. What now? His offer of help was not innocent, as he proclaimed. It had its price. No man gave without taking, she realized, watching him slowly stand and face her.
“Forget it. Forget it all. I don’t want your help. I won’t pay that price.”
“There is no price for my help,” he rasped, taking a step toward her. She took two steps back. He stopped, his hands held up before him. “That was just a kiss—nothing more.”
Audrey covered her mouth with a trembling hand. Even now, her faithless body craved his, craved being in his arms, craved his hot mouth on hers. She shook her head. She couldn’t do what the sheriff wanted. She couldn’t.
McCaid stood still. His voice was low and soothing. “I’m sorry I frightened you.”
Audrey felt tears rise in her eyes, tears of frustration that she now stood several feet from him, tears that a man such as he would never be hers, tears that she was weak and needy and fallible. She spun on her heel and fled into her cabin. At best, she could only be his whore.
And it might be enough.
Julian watched Audrey’s closed door and slowly, raggedly, released the
This was a mistake. Breathing became difficult, not because he held her too tightly, but because she didn’t want him to let go. A heat took flame in her body, a yearning long ignored at last feeling itself heard. She’d wanted to be in his arms, to be held like this, to feel his heart hammering against hers ever since their dance last summer. She’d wondered what it would be like to feel his face buried in the bend between her shoulder and neck, to feel him breathe the scent of her skin, as he was doing. She spread her fingers and dug them into the thick, silky hair at the back of his head.
His sideburn and then the rough stubble on his cheek rasped along her skin as he lifted his head. His lips brushed her chin. Audrey gave in to the urge to arch against him and pressed her breasts against him. He gazed down into her eyes. Never had she been looked at so by such a man. She could see, even in the darkness, faint lines feathering the outer corners of his eyes. He smelled of horse and wool, leather and soap, an intoxicating mixture that Audrey knew she would never forget.
When his lips slanted across hers, she welcomed the touch, unable to help the shiver that rippled through her. His hard mouth was forceful on hers, opening her to his tongue. She felt him enter her mouth, his tongue searching for hers, dancing against her teeth. The heat in her body leapt to life. She uttered a moaning sound she’d never before heard herself make. Her tongue rose to meet his, following his into his mouth, pressing and moving against his.
He broke the kiss, his lips touching her upper lip, then her lower lip, then the space between her lip and her chin. She was bent back over his arm. His free hand came up, his thumb feeling the skin of her cheek, the line of her jaw. She looked at him, watched him as he watched his thumb move across her skin, over her lips. She touched her tongue to the pad of his thumb. His eyes flared. He crushed her to him, his lips moving fiercely against hers, his tongue thrusting into her mouth. His hand moved lower, over her collarbone, lower to cover her breast.
Audrey was unprepared for the desire that knifed through her at his caress. She sucked a sharp breath of air against his lips as she gasped. Slowly, it dawned on her that she lay sprawled against his lap as he arched over her, playing her body like a musician strums his instrument. Reality threaded itself into the heated length of her body, cooling her melting flesh.
She pushed away from him, then jumped off the bench and faced him in horrified mortification. Rage and embarrassment warred within her. He’d just offered her a viable alternative, and still she threw herself at him. She was a Jezebel. She should never have been out here with him, undressed as they were. She should never have sat with him, alone in the night, on the bench. What now? His offer of help was not innocent, as he proclaimed. It had its price. No man gave without taking, she realized, watching him slowly stand and face her.
“Forget it. Forget it all. I don’t want your help. I won’t pay that price.”
“There is no price for my help,” he rasped, taking a step toward her. She took two steps back. He stopped, his hands held up before him. “That was just a kiss—nothing more.”
Audrey covered her mouth with a trembling hand. Even now, her faithless body craved his, craved being in his arms, craved his hot mouth on hers. She shook her head. She couldn’t do what the sheriff wanted. She couldn’t.
McCaid stood still. His voice was low and soothing. “I’m sorry I frightened you.”
Audrey felt tears rise in her eyes, tears of frustration that she now stood several feet from him, tears that a man such as he would never be hers, tears that she was weak and needy and fallible. She spun on her heel and fled into her cabin. At best, she could only be his whore.
And it might be enough.
Julian watched Audrey’s closed door and slowly, raggedly, released the
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