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Don t, he said. Don t do this to yourself. He rubbed his face. You can t know how
sorry I am about that. Or ashamed. I didn t want to hurt you. I just wanted to hold you and
make love to you. I wanted you to be mine.
I know. She still wouldn t look at him. But I have no idea what you must think of
me, to make love with you that way when things were so bad between us. To make love with
you at all. Without preamble. Without anything. When we d never even spoken about it
before.
Now he reached for her, forcing her to look at him, pulling her towards him. Sarah,
I m the one who s humiliated. And more disgusted with myself than you can imagine. To
insinuate myself in your bed like that? He shook his head. And then, to barely even
remember all that happened. He searched her eyes. Did I& ? Did we& ?
Yes, we did. She bit her lip. We did.
Then the thing I regret most is not being sober enough to enjoy it.
But&
No. Listen to me. People make choices in their lives. Mike chose to run that night,
just like I did. What happened was in no way your fault. You ve got to stop blaming yourself
for what other people do. And I ve got to try not to live in the past any more. He took off his
jacket and tossed it on the couch, rolling back the sleeves of his shirt. Now, I think it s time to
The Hired Wife 87
stop talking. Tonight I m totally sober and I plan to remember every minute of what
happens.
With that he brought his mouth down to hers, claiming her with a kiss that seared her
soul. His tongue probed the seam of her lips and she opened for him. It was a kiss like none
she d ever had before, heating her blood, melting her bones. She wanted him to swallow her
whole.
Let s go upstairs, she said breathlessly, when they separated.
Reno shook his head. No. I m a desperate man, Sarah. I prayed for this every minute
since the other night. I want you right here, right now. In front of the fire. In this room where
there are no specters to haunt me. He pulled the soft pillows off the couch and tossed them to
the floor. I want to look at you, he told her, his voice thick in this throat. I want to see
every bit of you. Come here.
He reached behind her and unzipped the gown, the flimsy cloth falling at once in soft
folds at her feet.
She was naked before him except for the diamond and pearl earrings reflecting the
firelight. The flames cast shadows on her body, giving it a rich, warm glow. He stepped back,
his eyes raking her, his breath catching involuntarily. She was more magnificent ah he d
imagined. Her breasts sloped proudly upward, the nipples dark against the pale flesh. The
firelight cast shadows at the hollows of her hips and at her navel, and the next of curls
covering her mound was as rich in color as the thick mane she held back with the clip.
He reached around her and released her hair from the clip, letting it fall around her
shoulders in shimmering waves. He touched the silky softness with his fingers. God, you re
gorgeous. You should wear your hair like this more often. It makes you look more tempting
than any woman has a right to be.
He pulled her naked body against him, feeling warmth of her breasts through the fine
cloth of his shirt, his hands exploring the unbelievable softness of her skin. The jasmine scent
she favored teased at his nostrils and he pressed his face to her skin, inhaling her fragrance.
They kissed again, tongues exploring mouths, lips pressed hard against lips. The fire snapped
and crackled, casting gold and orange colors on them. The delicious scents of spruce and
cinnamon and holly heightened their senses.
Impelled by a desperate need to touch him, see him, Sarah s hands were at his shirt,
opening buttons, yanking at his tie. He felt her fingers at his belt buckle, then at his fly,
unfastening, unzipping. Her touch was bold, brazen.
I want to look at you, too, she said against his mouth. She felt his hands work with
hers to rip away fabric.
In seconds he was as naked as she was. He stood before her, his tall, powerful body
outlined in the firelight, his eyes boring into hers.
Sarah was transfixed by his nudity. He looked like some primitive god, ready for the
mating ritual. She wet her lips, captivated by the sight of him, and pressed her hands against
his warm flesh.
He was so hard and muscular, his chest matted with a thick carpet of dark curls
begging for her fingers to touch them. A soft line of down trailed along his abdomen and
down into his groin. She nearly fainted when she looked at his swollen manhood. It was so
enormous it mesmerized her. She couldn t imagine how she could accommodate it.
Judith Rochelle 88
Reno. She bowed her head, catching her lower lip with her teeth. Sudden shyness
and uncertainty intruded on the wave of desire sweeping through her.
I know. It s all right, Sarah.
He bent his head to hers again, slanting his mouth to capture her lips. Boldly she ran
her tongue against the line of his mouth. He tasted wonderfully of mint toothpaste and the
smoky Merlot. When he slipped his tongue into her mouth she welcomed the taste of him,
reveling in the texture of his tongue and its demanding thrusts.
Reno willed himself not to let his own nervousness show. He needed to make Sarah
understand how special this was for him. Touching her almost reverently, he skimmed her
with his fingertips, running his hands over her breasts, her waist, her flat stomach, and the
curve of her buttocks.
Tracing the line of her legs, down and up, desire flared through him with such shocking
intensity he thought his heart would stop. No other woman had ever affected him like this,
reaching into his very soul. He wanted her, every bit of her, every way he could have her, and
he never wanted to stop.
Sarah reached out for his erection, but he grabbed her hand.
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