If Ever I Fall (Rhode Island Romance #1) (20 page)

“Y-yes.”

His eyes narrowed
at the telltale quiver in her voice. Several seconds that seemed like eons went
by during which he seemed to be locked in some inner debate. He inhaled
sharply, closed his eyes for a moment before he lightly touched her waist and
gave her a gentle nudge backwards. The brief flicker of indecision—or had it
been nervousness?—in his expression had vanished. “Let’s continue this in private.”

She released her
grip on the doorjamb and her hand drifted down to his shoulder—his broad,
strong, firm shoulder concealed under the fine, clearly expensive fabric of his
black suit jacket. It was almost like a slow dance as he continued guiding her farther
into the room until the door clicked shut behind them. He turned slightly to
flip the safety latch, quirking one eyebrow at her as he did so. “Okay?”

She nodded.

They stood close
together in the narrow hallway, his hand still at her waist, both of hers now
resting lightly on his shoulders. Her unsteady breathing seemed to echo his.
She’d never, willingly, been this close to a man before. She lost herself for a
giddy moment in the vibrant male warmth that radiated from his body.

His fingers
tightened against her waist, tugging her forward until her chest brushed
against his. He set the knuckles of his other hand under her chin, tilting her
face up and capturing her eyes. “What’s your name?” he rasped.

“You can call
me…Joan,” she whispered.

His mouth twitched
as his eyes took in her red hair and vintage attire. “Well hello…Joan. Call
me…Don.”

She almost laughed,
but it came out as an anxious gasp. “Tell me that this isn’t something you do
all the time.”

She hadn’t intended
to ask that. She’d planned to trust that the man who accepted her offer would
be decent, not the type of guy who had the proverbial girl in every port. She
hadn’t wanted to reveal just how nervous and unsophisticated she was. In fact,
she hadn’t even intended to speak more than a few words. She’d practiced
saying, “Please, let’s not talk,” in front of her bedroom mirror at least a
dozen times until she had the desired sultry tone just right.

Her anxiety must
have been clear in her eyes because he moved his hand up to her cheek, cupping it
with his palm in a soothing gesture. “No,” he said, his tone almost angry in
its insistence, though she sensed he was irritated with himself, not with her
question. “This isn’t something I do all the time. Never, in fact.”

At once she knew he
spoke the truth. Yet, she was startled. “Never?”

“Never.”

“And you’re not
married or seeing anyone?”

 Something dark
briefly shadowed his expression, something akin to sadness, before he shook his
head firmly. “No. Are you?”

“No.”

“I believe that
takes care of the wooing portion of this evening then…Joan. Rest assured I’m
not a cheating bastard. Your note found me in the right place and at the right
time.” His other hand slid up her body, brushed fleetingly against the side of
her breast before touching her other cheek. “Of course, I also took into
account that you’re a very attractive woman. A woman I want to be inside of
very soon.” He brushed his thumbs leisurely across her flushed cheeks. “Do my
assurances satisfy you?”

She was shaking so
hard she had to dig her fingers into his shoulders to keep from collapsing.
Suddenly, his arms were around her, one at her shoulder and the other at her
waist, holding her close in an embrace that was at once gentle and urgent.

She fell against
him with a peculiar sense of relief, her cheek resting against his warm, solid
chest, just over his heart. He rubbed one hand slowly up and down her back, his
fingertips lightly grazing the bare skin above the neckline of her dress. He
lowered his head, his mouth hovering just above her ear. “Hey,” he whispered.
“You sure you’re okay with this?”

The hint of
tenderness in his voice gave her the last bit of reassurance she needed. She
slid her hands down from his shoulders, delving under his suit jacket to wrap
them around his lean waist. She pressed her upper body closer to his. She
nodded her head.

His lips grazed her
ear, his warm, damp breath spiking every nerve in her body. “How do you want
this to go? Fast or slow?”

She felt a
delicious tightening in her lower abdomen, a gathering pool of liquid heat
between her legs. “Slow,” she murmured. “The first time.”

He smiled against
her temple. “So, you really do want me to spend the night with you.”

Her arms tightened
around him, signaling, already, her reluctance to let him go. He felt so solid,
so dynamic and strong, just as she’d always hoped this man would feel. “Can
you?”

“My flight isn’t
until ten o’clock tomorrow morning.” The hand at her waist drifted down, his
palm lightly rubbing over the curve of her hips and buttocks, before he
suddenly grasped her firmly, bringing her against his lower body. “I’m ready
and willing,” he added, his sudden brief laugh laced with sex and desire.

Oh
.

So, that’s what it
felt like.

She wriggled
closer.

He danced her
farther into the room, his fingers finding and undoing the clasp at the back of
her dress before slowly pulling down the zipper. When the back of her legs
touched the edge of the bed, he stood back slightly, his hands gliding up to
her shoulders. With the zipper undone, her dress hung loosely from her upper
body.

She concealed her
shyness beneath half-closed eyes, watching him as, with deliberate ease, he
tugged the dress sleeves down her arms, gradually revealing her collarbone, the
curve of her upper breasts. His hands clasped her arms just above the elbows,
gently pushing them down to her sides so he could continue removing the dress.
With one last tug, it floated to the floor, leaving her wearing just her
panties, bra and heels, a cloud of chiffon at her feet.

“Beautiful,” he
said softly, a slight catch in his voice. He took a step backwards, his heated
gaze igniting tiny bonfires everywhere it touched her bare skin. “Your skin is
like cream. So white and smooth.”

He reached out his
hand, tracing a scattering of freckles at the base of her throat, one finger
slowly following the trail down to where it disappeared beneath her white lace
bra. He swallowed thickly. “Take it off.”

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