Read Online Just This Once by Rosalind James - Free Book Online Page A

protested. “You don’t want me here.”
    He settled her more comfortably, his hands on her hips. “Oh,
I want you here. I couldn’t want you here much more. Can’t you tell?”
    She was blushing again, he knew, even if he couldn’t see her
in the dark. “It’s all right,” he reassured her. “Let me hold you.”
    Hannah felt herself melting against him as he kissed her
again, pulling her hair back from her neck to run his hand down her back. She
shivered as his lips moved to trace the line of her jaw, down to kiss the
sensitive spot under her earlobe, then further down her neck. Felt a rush of
sensation as his hand slid down to cup her knee, then ran slowly up her thigh.
    His thumb reached around to stroke her inner thigh, and she
squirmed a little against him as a moan escaped her. The hand on her leg held
her, thumb stroking, while his other hand moved to find her breast, and he took
her mouth again in a deep kiss. She gasped into his mouth, his hands burning
her where they touched her, her body straining towards him. 
    “You feel so good,” he muttered at last. “Let’s get out of
here, eh.”
    She came back to herself, pulled the ragged remnants of her
self-control around her. “I can’t. It’s too soon for me. I can’t do this, not
now.” She pulled away to slide down next to him on the bench, hugging her arms
around herself in distress. “I’m sorry. I’m not good at this casual thing.”
    He leaned his head back, took a deep breath. “Right. I’ll
take you home, then, shall I?”
    She nodded miserably. She wasn’t sure if she was being
smart, or making a big mistake.
    “Oi.” He put his hand under her chin to turn her face to
his. “It’s all right. Your choice. Wouldn’t have been mine,” he grinned
ruefully, “but we can’t always get what we want, can we.” He reached for her,
kissed her gently. “Come on, let’s get you home. Before my good intentions
desert me.”
    She laughed a little shakily. “Before mine do, more like.” She
let him pull her to her feet and walked with him, her hand in his, back to the
truck. He helped her up, then swung around into his own seat for the short
drive back to the motel.
    “It’s OK if you don’t want to take me tomorrow,” she
ventured. “I’m guessing here that women don’t say no to you very often.”
    “Probably good for me. But why wouldn’t I want to take you
tramping tomorrow? I’ll admit, I’d rather take you back to my bach tonight—my
house. But I’m patient. I’ll let you get to know me a bit better, see if you
can resist my charm.”
    “I can barely resist it tonight,” she admitted. “Just . . .
just let me be sure, OK?”
    “I can do that,” he agreed. But he reckoned he was allowed
to kiss her a few dozen times more, give her something to think about overnight.

Chapter 6
    It was hours before Hannah slept that night. Her dreams were
erotic, full of images that embarrassed her to remember when she woke. She
admitted to herself that her body was pulling her in one direction, while her
sensible brain gave exactly contrary advice.
    It was a good thing they were going on a hike today, she
thought as she pulled on shorts, boots, and a collared shirt to protect her
skin from the intense Southern Hemisphere sun. She wanted more time with Drew
before she made any moves she might regret.
    Well, to be honest, she simply wanted more time with him. Maybe
he was only looking for another notch in his bedpost before moving on, but at
least she’d get a better idea of whether it would be worth it. She was moving
on too, she reminded herself. The day after tomorrow. And felt a pang at the
thought.
    Nothing sexual about hiking, anyway, she thought with a
mixture of relief and regret. Today should give her a chance to get to know Drew
in a less charged situation. If she weren’t looking at his bare chest all day,
it would be a lot easier to make a rational decision she could live with
afterwards.
    But when she opened the door