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Authors: Louise Cusack
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devoured by those sexy brown eyes, the less in
control of myself I felt. “I need to get back to them.”
“Of course.” He
touched my good arm, perhaps as a parting gesture, his fingers so warm they
sent tingles skittering in all directions, some straight to my nipples which
were already on alert, and some that seemed to pulse lower down, making my
breathing slow as I stared at him, wondering how he was triggering such a
profound reaction with so little physical contact.
What was it? Those
white teeth in his tanned face? The intensity of him? The way he watched me so
closely? Or the fact that I’d seen him half naked and had imagined myself
licking him all over?
“I understand that
my presence is intrusive,” he went on, and I struggled to keep up with the
conversation. “But I needed to see you. I’ve never hurt a woman before, and I
just...” He faltered long enough for me to see a flicker of anguish before he
smoothed that down. “I want to make it right.”
“You just want to
make amends?”
He nodded and
gazed at me impassively now, as if he’d been building up to something and
finally had it out. I had a flicker of reality then, of realizing the whole
sexual attraction thing could be completely one-sided. He’d said I was
beautiful, but maybe that was just an intellectual appraisal.
And his gaze might
not have been hungry. He might simply have been watching me closely to see how
I was reacting. Maybe he had a wife or a girlfriend, and he felt nothing toward
me beyond his need for redemption.
“I see.” I
swallowed a few times before I could get myself organized for any sort of
response. He just watched me patiently, and when someone walked close by, he
protected me with an arm, so their drink fell on his sleeve instead of my top. He
didn’t even glance at it. He just kept watching me as he said, “Are you all
right?”
I nodded, but now
I was confused. I didn’t know what to think of him. “What if I tell you I’m
fine and you don’t need to make amends—”
“I’ll have trouble
believing that. I’ve caused you problems.” He nodded at my cast. “My liability
insurance can pay for your medical costs and for any loss of income.”
Okay. That would
be a huge help, but it might mean seeing him again, and I wasn’t sure I
wanted that. I was feeling more embarrassed as the minutes ticked over,
convincing myself that I was a mass of seething hormones and he was all
business.
I quite
desperately wanted to touch him, and I’d never felt that before. I’d fantasized
about being touched but I’d never ached to slide my fingers across warm
tanned skin, down that enormous chest and across the dusting of hairs on his
abdomen to…
I sucked in a
horrified breath and shot my gaze back to his face. Manners dictated that I
shake his hand and walk away—fast—but I didn’t trust myself to be able to let
him go while my traitorous body clearly wanted to have sex with him in a loud
and totally unladylike manner.
“I need air.” I
took a step backwards. It was the first thing that had come into my head. I
seriously needed to get away from this man.
But before I could,
he took my hand and led me outside the shop and along the footpath, away from
the claustrophobia of the crowd who’d spilled out with their drinks and their
plates of miniature cupcakes and sushi. I stared at the odd combination on the
tiny plates, trying to distract myself from the heat of his hand in mine and
the utter recklessness I felt trotting beside him to keep up with his long
strides. I even told myself it was typical Fritha to come up with such a crazy combination
of food.
I’d never do
anything like that. I was traditional. Sensible. Predictable.
I was also walking
away from the safety of my girlfriends into a starlit night with an
almost-stranger who was leading me, Shiva only knew where. I should be
terrified, but as we went further from the well-lit shopfront, I realized my
heart was racing with excitement and
control of myself I felt. “I need to get back to them.”
“Of course.” He
touched my good arm, perhaps as a parting gesture, his fingers so warm they
sent tingles skittering in all directions, some straight to my nipples which
were already on alert, and some that seemed to pulse lower down, making my
breathing slow as I stared at him, wondering how he was triggering such a
profound reaction with so little physical contact.
What was it? Those
white teeth in his tanned face? The intensity of him? The way he watched me so
closely? Or the fact that I’d seen him half naked and had imagined myself
licking him all over?
“I understand that
my presence is intrusive,” he went on, and I struggled to keep up with the
conversation. “But I needed to see you. I’ve never hurt a woman before, and I
just...” He faltered long enough for me to see a flicker of anguish before he
smoothed that down. “I want to make it right.”
“You just want to
make amends?”
He nodded and
gazed at me impassively now, as if he’d been building up to something and
finally had it out. I had a flicker of reality then, of realizing the whole
sexual attraction thing could be completely one-sided. He’d said I was
beautiful, but maybe that was just an intellectual appraisal.
And his gaze might
not have been hungry. He might simply have been watching me closely to see how
I was reacting. Maybe he had a wife or a girlfriend, and he felt nothing toward
me beyond his need for redemption.
“I see.” I
swallowed a few times before I could get myself organized for any sort of
response. He just watched me patiently, and when someone walked close by, he
protected me with an arm, so their drink fell on his sleeve instead of my top. He
didn’t even glance at it. He just kept watching me as he said, “Are you all
right?”
I nodded, but now
I was confused. I didn’t know what to think of him. “What if I tell you I’m
fine and you don’t need to make amends—”
“I’ll have trouble
believing that. I’ve caused you problems.” He nodded at my cast. “My liability
insurance can pay for your medical costs and for any loss of income.”
Okay. That would
be a huge help, but it might mean seeing him again, and I wasn’t sure I
wanted that. I was feeling more embarrassed as the minutes ticked over,
convincing myself that I was a mass of seething hormones and he was all
business.
I quite
desperately wanted to touch him, and I’d never felt that before. I’d fantasized
about being touched but I’d never ached to slide my fingers across warm
tanned skin, down that enormous chest and across the dusting of hairs on his
abdomen to…
I sucked in a
horrified breath and shot my gaze back to his face. Manners dictated that I
shake his hand and walk away—fast—but I didn’t trust myself to be able to let
him go while my traitorous body clearly wanted to have sex with him in a loud
and totally unladylike manner.
“I need air.” I
took a step backwards. It was the first thing that had come into my head. I
seriously needed to get away from this man.
But before I could,
he took my hand and led me outside the shop and along the footpath, away from
the claustrophobia of the crowd who’d spilled out with their drinks and their
plates of miniature cupcakes and sushi. I stared at the odd combination on the
tiny plates, trying to distract myself from the heat of his hand in mine and
the utter recklessness I felt trotting beside him to keep up with his long
strides. I even told myself it was typical Fritha to come up with such a crazy combination
of food.
I’d never do
anything like that. I was traditional. Sensible. Predictable.
I was also walking
away from the safety of my girlfriends into a starlit night with an
almost-stranger who was leading me, Shiva only knew where. I should be
terrified, but as we went further from the well-lit shopfront, I realized my
heart was racing with excitement and
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