Read Online Straddling the Line by Sarah M. Anderson - Free Book Online Page A

“We could call this a third date. Does that count as knowing each other?”
    Yes, her body screamed. The building heat between her legs was making her sweat, and her breasts ached for his touch. Oh, how she wanted to know him. Intimately.
    But she couldn’t. “No.”
    He didn’t seem put off by that answer. If anything, he acted as if that was the one he wanted to hear. “How about a fourth date? No strings attached.”
    She could feel the deep bass of his voice reverberating all the way down to her core. He settled his other hand in the hollow of her back, just above her butt. She couldn’t back away now if she wanted to. And she didn’t want to.
    This should be all kinds of wrong. The kiss at the bar had been wrong, too. But that was at a bar. She could claim that one hard lemonade had gone right to her head, or she’d been dazzled by the music. She hadn’t been herself. Now? She had no weasel excuses to hide behind.
    But she didn’t care if it was wrong. He’d come for her. No one had ever sought her out before. No one had ever wanted her enough to risk a trip to the rez. To risk anything for her. Matt certainly hadn’t risked anything for her.
    His mouth took possession of hers—not a kiss, oh, no, nothing that simple. One moment she was struggling with what to say, and the next, he was consuming her. Her body responded, pulling him down into her. Even better, she thought as his tongue swept into her mouth. His hand somehow worked its way under her overalls and found bare skin. His fingers inched up, slipping beneath the band of her bra. His other hand did the same, except it went down, finding the breath of space between her panties and her bottom. And just like that, she was naked—while clothed—in his arms. In broad daylight. In the middle of a school.
    Her knees fluttered—everything fluttered. Especially that hot spot between her legs. He could tell, too. His lips curved into a smile against hers while he hummed a satisfied sigh. She could feel the drumbeat of his heart against her chest, going faster and faster as the kiss deepened. Somehow, that sensation made her even weaker. He held her up, cupping her bottom, which made things better and worse at the same time.
    God, if he touched her in just the right spot…
    “Josey? Where are you, sweetie?”
    There’s nothing like the sound of a mother’s voice to take the heated build of sexual tension and drive it into the dirt. Ben pulled away from her, taking up a safe spot across the room as Mom opened the door. “I’ve got lunch and— Oh!”
    Just as he’d smiled in the face of a furious Don Two Eagles, Ben didn’t even blink. He grabbed the grocery bag before it hit the floor. “Ma’am, let me help you with that.”
    Busted. Josey rubbed the back of her hand against her mouth, as if that would erase any sign of yet another stolen kiss. Good Lord, what was she doing? She couldn’t even be sure if she’d brushed her teeth today.
    Mom shot her a look of mild panic, which was enough to remind Josey what she needed to do. “Mom, this is Ben Bolton. He’s the chief financial officer of Crazy Horse Choppers.” Mom’s eyes got even wider, as if to ask, that guy? Josey nodded, yes— that guy. “Ben, this is my mother, Sandra White Plume.”
    “Ah—the principal? Nice to meet you.” Still holding lunch, Ben managed a polite handshake. “Your daughter has been telling me about the good work you’re doing here. I’m impressed at what you’ve accomplished.”
    Man, he was smooth.
    Mom’s panic turned to shock, but only for a second before she managed to pull it together. “Mr. Bolton, how wonderful of you to visit our school.”
    Josey took a slow, deep breath—in through the nose, out through the mouth. Mom’s Lakota accent had dropped, and she spoke in her soft New York accent. She could just do that—turn off the Indian and turn on the New Yorker—like the flip of a switch. It always took Josey a little longer to switch