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.He’d never done anything beyond vanilla with a woman as self-controlled as she seemed to be, not until they’d known each other much better.Her personality type—strong and self-assured—had always appealed to him, but it was the first time he’d seen it layered over someone as pained and vulnerable as she seemed to be.With only a couple of days to learn the truth, he’d accelerated things a bit.And now she was in turmoil.He had to fix it.It was his job to be the responsible one, and although he might have given her what she needed, even what she wanted, now he had to help her deal with it and understand that it shouldn’t cause her shame.He knew he needed to act quickly with Vicki.She was as clueless as she could be about the world to which he’d just exposed her.Having the towel to cover their nakedness seemed to calm her, although part of him believed she was still debating whether to leave the safety of the towel to grab her clothes and run, rather than risk what she might do if she remained, naked and cradled in his arms.“Do you really have someplace to go? Or are you confused about what we just did? About why you liked it so much?” There was no question she’d enjoyed it.He needed her to remember that, even if it was at the root of her embarrassment.Her head turned into his neck, hiding her face but finding comfort in him.That was a start.“We both enjoyed it.You know that.If you’re ashamed, we should talk about it.There’s nothing shameful about two people pleasing each other.” He continued to drop kisses on her hair, rubbing her arm gently through the towel.“Haven’t you ever done anything just a little bit kinky?” His tone was slightly playful.He was trying to draw her back out.She exhaled heavily against his neck in frustration.“Aren’t guys supposed to be the ones who don’t like to talk? Why can’t we just chalk it up to a good fuck and leave it at that?” As she said the word fuck, he felt her shiver in his arms.He could tell she was trying to convince herself that would be good enough for her too.She hasn’t let go of the urge to flee.Well, to hell with that.“Let’s see…for starters, I’m not quite interested in leaving it at one experience,” he said sternly.He pulled her away from his chest and ducked slightly to see her face.“I don’t think you are either.” Unable to avoid his stare, he could see her shields go up, her gaze turning into a glare.“Good.Get annoyed.Argue.Be pissed off if you want to.But don’t hide from me.” He took a deep breath, calming himself.He needed to encourage her anger and channel it, but he needed to control his own.It was a delicate balancing act.For a moment, he saw her retreat, ready to go back into hiding, but then the dam burst.“God, you’re a bossy son of a bitch.And you scare the shit out of me.So can you please just let me get up and get dressed? I’ll be out of your hair in a minute, and you can plan your next mind fuck.I’ve got to pack.” She pushed her hand against his chest, moving even farther from him, and tried to turn her body so she could put her feet on the ground.He clamped his free arm down over her legs, stopping her movement.“I never denied being bossy, as you call it.I certainly don’t want to scare you.” He smiled gently and tried to catch her eye again.“A little anxiety is always good, but not fear.” He winked, and she stared at him, puzzled.“But I really don’t want you to leave.If you give me five minutes to explain myself—just five minutes—I promise you I won’t stop you if you still want to go.I won’t call.I won’t knock on your door.I won’t follow you or watch you.I’ll let you go.”He’d begun to read her body so well that it surprised him when he couldn’t discern her reaction.He waited, nervous and unsure for the first time in a long time.She crossed her arms underneath the towel and blew her hair out of her face in what he thought was a decidedly delightful huff.“Fine.Five minutes.”Unable to fully contain his reaction, he quirked an eyebrow and smirked at her response.In spite of her resistance—hell, maybe even because of it—he found himself incredibly attracted to this woman who seemed full of contradictions.“The first time I saw you, it was at the airport.You had such a pained look on your face I wondered what could have happened to make you so sad.” He reached over to brush the hair from her face and let his finger trace her cheekbone.“When I saw you again, checking in here, I wanted to talk to you.I held back because you seemed to be searching for something, and I wanted you to find it.It seemed important to you.But I ran out of time, and I was afraid you’d never take a chance and speak to me.So I put myself in your path and hoped you’d come to me then.”Her eyes widened at the knowledge that he’d been paying very close attention to her since she’d arrived on the island.When his voice became gruff and tense, her mouth opened slightly, seemingly surprised at the intensity of emotion behind his words [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]