hotter and beginning to spin around them. Not when she was staring back up at him with eyes he longed to lose himself in.
“Three.”
“Three?”
“Three kisses.” He dipped his head to brush his lips against hers.
She made a soft sound of surprise at the back of her throat that quickly dissolved into a moan of pleasure. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss, teasing him with her darting tongue until he crushed her against his chest. He filled his senses with the way she felt, tasted, smelled, intent on imprinting her impression on him.
“I think,” she gasped, breathless as he moved his lips from her mouth to the curve of her jaw and then the delicate skin of her throat. “You were jealous of Jean.”
He lifted his eyes with a smile. “Jealous?” he repeated. “Perhaps a little.”
Moving her toward the bed until her back came in contact with the wooden bedpost, he continued his assault on her mouth while he allowed his hands to explore. Starting with her shoulders, he slid trembling fingers down her sides, just grazing the curve of her breasts.
Ignoring her gasp of surprise, he trailed them down her waist to her hips. Once there, he grasped the smooth curve and pulled her up closer against him so she would be certain how much he wanted her.
A second gasp was Audrey’s response as her thigh came in contact with something hard beneath Griffin’s breeches. She knew from her conversations with Hannah that this was the proof of a man’s desire. The feel of it startled, but also intrigued her.
Though her mother hadn’t had ‘the wedding night talk’ with her, Audrey did have an idea about how the joining between a man and woman worked. She’d always considered the sex act to be a bit strange, but the way Griffin made her feel… If making love to him would leave her even a fraction as breathless and hot as she felt at the moment, perhaps it wasn’t something she’d mind experiencing.
Griffin’s hands came up to wrap around the bedpost behind her, trapping her in his embrace, though she felt no need to escape. In fact, she welcomed his touch. It was like living a dream.
With his arms up, she could see every line and contour of his chest straining against his white cotton shirt. He was broad, proportioned just right for his muscular shoulders and long legs. With trembling hands, she unlaced her fingers from behind his head and slowly repeated his earlier action, dragging the digits down his chest. The muscles bunched beneath her touch, tightening as his pupils dilated with desire.
“Oh, Griffin,” she sighed, leaning up to kiss him again. But instead of returning her kiss, he suddenly stiffened, backing away from her a step as he shook his head.
“I’m going to stop now.” His voice was gentle as he released the bedpost to take her hands in his.
“Why?” Confused tears stung her eyes as she realized she was to be rejected yet again.
“Because if I don’t now, I won’t be able to.” He touched her cheek with the back of his hand.
She closed her eyes at the gentle caress, her desire flaming once more. “What if I don’t want you to stop?”
His jagged breath made her eyes fly open and she watched as he took another step away.
“You think you don’t now, but later you’d hate me. And I would hate myself.”
She turned her head as the heat of desire turned to humiliation. “I understand.”
Yes, she understood perfectly. All this kissing and desire was some kind of reaction to six months of loneliness. He didn’t want her, he wanted a warm body in his bed. And when he thought of the consequences to that body being hers, he backed away.
“I don’t think you do understand.”
An awkward silence slammed between them like a steel door. Audrey fidgeted in her spot for a moment, trying to regain some of the confidence the past five years had given her. If only she could change the subject, perhaps she would remember how strong that time had made her.
“How
“Three.”
“Three?”
“Three kisses.” He dipped his head to brush his lips against hers.
She made a soft sound of surprise at the back of her throat that quickly dissolved into a moan of pleasure. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss, teasing him with her darting tongue until he crushed her against his chest. He filled his senses with the way she felt, tasted, smelled, intent on imprinting her impression on him.
“I think,” she gasped, breathless as he moved his lips from her mouth to the curve of her jaw and then the delicate skin of her throat. “You were jealous of Jean.”
He lifted his eyes with a smile. “Jealous?” he repeated. “Perhaps a little.”
Moving her toward the bed until her back came in contact with the wooden bedpost, he continued his assault on her mouth while he allowed his hands to explore. Starting with her shoulders, he slid trembling fingers down her sides, just grazing the curve of her breasts.
Ignoring her gasp of surprise, he trailed them down her waist to her hips. Once there, he grasped the smooth curve and pulled her up closer against him so she would be certain how much he wanted her.
A second gasp was Audrey’s response as her thigh came in contact with something hard beneath Griffin’s breeches. She knew from her conversations with Hannah that this was the proof of a man’s desire. The feel of it startled, but also intrigued her.
Though her mother hadn’t had ‘the wedding night talk’ with her, Audrey did have an idea about how the joining between a man and woman worked. She’d always considered the sex act to be a bit strange, but the way Griffin made her feel… If making love to him would leave her even a fraction as breathless and hot as she felt at the moment, perhaps it wasn’t something she’d mind experiencing.
Griffin’s hands came up to wrap around the bedpost behind her, trapping her in his embrace, though she felt no need to escape. In fact, she welcomed his touch. It was like living a dream.
With his arms up, she could see every line and contour of his chest straining against his white cotton shirt. He was broad, proportioned just right for his muscular shoulders and long legs. With trembling hands, she unlaced her fingers from behind his head and slowly repeated his earlier action, dragging the digits down his chest. The muscles bunched beneath her touch, tightening as his pupils dilated with desire.
“Oh, Griffin,” she sighed, leaning up to kiss him again. But instead of returning her kiss, he suddenly stiffened, backing away from her a step as he shook his head.
“I’m going to stop now.” His voice was gentle as he released the bedpost to take her hands in his.
“Why?” Confused tears stung her eyes as she realized she was to be rejected yet again.
“Because if I don’t now, I won’t be able to.” He touched her cheek with the back of his hand.
She closed her eyes at the gentle caress, her desire flaming once more. “What if I don’t want you to stop?”
His jagged breath made her eyes fly open and she watched as he took another step away.
“You think you don’t now, but later you’d hate me. And I would hate myself.”
She turned her head as the heat of desire turned to humiliation. “I understand.”
Yes, she understood perfectly. All this kissing and desire was some kind of reaction to six months of loneliness. He didn’t want her, he wanted a warm body in his bed. And when he thought of the consequences to that body being hers, he backed away.
“I don’t think you do understand.”
An awkward silence slammed between them like a steel door. Audrey fidgeted in her spot for a moment, trying to regain some of the confidence the past five years had given her. If only she could change the subject, perhaps she would remember how strong that time had made her.
“How
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