The American Earl by Kathryn Jensen

shiver vibrated through his own body. “I will probably lose the most effective hostess I’ve ever had, and that’s no small thing to me.”
    â€œYour offer…” She ran the tip of her tongue nervously over her upper lip. “I want to take you up on your offer. I do. ” Her eyes shone eagerly, but something was holding her back. He listened hard to her next words. “I can’t afford to be without a job if this suddenly turns sour and we find it impossible to work together.”
    He let out a long, held breath. If that was all that was bothering her… “Already taken care of,” he said with a smile.
    â€œOh?”
    â€œYour contract. It states that you are guaranteed at least a full year’s work, or severance pay to cover the same.”
    â€œYou mean, you can’t fire me for a whole year?”
    â€œYou get paid even if you quit tomorrow. Enough security for you, Abby?”
    She nodded. “That’s more than fair.” He noticed a subtle trembling in her hands as they lay on the table.
    â€œOne night, if that’s all you want. I won’t press you for more.”
    She gave a grim little smirk. “No strings. Isn’t that the perfect sexual encounter from the male perspective?”
    â€œNot always,” he said softly. “I want you to be sure. Really sure that this is what you want.” He touched her cheek gently. “This isn’t about me, foronce. It’s whatever is right for you. Take some time to think about it.”
    She smiled gratefully up at him. “Yes…yes, I will.”
    That night, as Abby lay in bed, she felt a restlessness she’d never known before. At one time she’d been proud of the control she had over her life. The freedom to reject sex had been liberating. She would decide when and where it would happen for her—and with whom. No man could take that away from her.
    Yes, young men had tempted her. Particularly Richard. But not so much that she had trouble telling them no. In her heart, she knew she could never tell Matt that she didn’t want him to touch her. Fate, destiny, something more powerful than human will had taken over, and she felt helpless to change what must be.
    Abby pulled the sheets up to her chin and stared wide-eyed at the white ceiling and the slowly turning fan. As if he were in the room with her, she could feel Matt’s hands gliding over her body, soothing and exciting her all in the same moment. Her heart was racing, although she lay absolutely still. She wanted him desperately.

Six
    B ristol Cove was an intimate pink-sand beach on the south shore of Paget Parish. Unlike the famous Elbow Beach or Horseshoe Bay, which attracted large numbers of tourists in season, the secluded cove was visited mostly by locals and often remained completely deserted. “I discovered this place a few years ago,” Matt explained the next day as he helped Abby down the steps cut into the limestone cliff.
    The path was narrow, edged in blooming shrubs. The arms of the cove closed in an embrace, sheltering the beach, keeping the water calm, offering a haven for the colorful little fish that darted in and out of the submerged coral reef.
    Abby wished she were one of those little fish, hiding in among the lovely branches of coral. The simple fact that she and Matt had discussed sleeping together had set her on pins and needles. Could she actuallydo what Matt proposed and she had assured him she wanted to do? Could she simply have sex with him as an educational experience, then return to business as usual?
    He had made no promise of a future for them; he’d implied much the opposite. But she’d approached this same point in her life once before, with Richard, and later wondered if she’d done the right thing by turning him away. She cared more about Matt, surprisingly, than she had ever cared about the man she had promised to marry. Now she wondered if she ever