Page 37 of Emergency Engagement

‘Tell me.’

His voice was husky and seductive and didn’t give the impression that he was hanging onto her every word. It gave the impression that the only thing he wanted to do was tug off her swimsuit and make love to her.

Sammy shuddered because she wanted that badly herself. It was unsettling to realise how much of a hold her body had over her brain and how vulnerable that made her feel. She frowned, trying to connect disparate threads of thought, but her head seemed to be all over the place.

He just had to touch her or even look at her with those dark, sexy eyes and all of a sudden she couldn’t think straight. Thatwas a dangerous place to be and the feel of that danger was like a feathery touch against her skin.

‘I’ve been very careful when it comes to guys.’ She cleared her throat and propped her sunglasses back on because it felt safer. ‘I mean, I’ve gone through life not wanting to make any mistakes.’

‘But you had boyfriends...yet you’re not married. So doesn’t that imply that mistakes were made along the way?’ Thankfully he stopped the tactile exploration and looked at her with his head tilted to one side and his expression serious.

‘One serious boyfriend,’ Sammy admitted. ‘I thought it was going somewhere. We both did, but in the end it fizzled out. There were no hard feelings and we’re still friends on social media. I’ll always have a soft spot for him in my heart but he wasn’t the one for me.’

‘It all sounds very flat.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Two earnest people trying to make something work...holding hands, gazing into each other’s eyes and waiting for the spark and then nothing...but good friends still, like brother and sister.’

‘It was nothing like that!’ Sammy protested vehemently, thinking that that was exactly what it had been like.

‘Sure about that?’ He raised his eyebrows and grinned. ‘I’m guessing this is where I come in?’

‘As a matter of fact, it is. You showed me that I could have a fling without it meaning anything at all and enjoy myself.’ He was still grinning, which got on her nerves, but at least he’d stopped touching her so that she could get her thoughts in order. ‘You didn’t tick any of the boxes—you still don’t.’

‘The boxes being...? No, let me guess—is reliable one of them? Diligent, hard-working? If you say “considerate”, then you’d have to admit that I happen to tick at least one of those boxes...’

Sammy ignored that interjection. Those boxes were indeed the very ones she had but, said aloud, they seemed dull and boring.

‘You don’t tick any of the boxes,’ she returned, ignoring the grin as she’d ignored the interjection. ‘You’re pure fun that’s not going anywhere, and you’ve done me a favour by making me see that a situation without a future doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a situation I shouldn’t have.’

‘Glad to be of service.’

‘It’s good to be getting that out of my system.’

‘Having fun?’

‘Being reckless.’

‘Am I as reckless as it gets for you?’

‘You are, as a matter of fact.’

‘Good. I like that and, now that you’ve got that out of your system, shall we get down and dirty with the recklessness?’

‘It’s so hot. We could go swim, I suppose—not that I’m much of a swimmer.’

‘I swim like a fish. You just have to hang on to me. We need to get in the right mood for swimming, though. Maybe a little bit of that recklessness you were describing a minute ago? If I’m to be your teacher in all things rash and daring, then I think it’s only fair that I do a thorough job of it before you return to the safety of your comfort zone and Mr Dull waiting on the horizon.’

He tugged down the sensible strap of her swimsuit, traced where the strap had been, and the little indentation it had made in her shoulder, and then let his fingers drift down to circle the jut of her nipple against the stretchy material.

Sammy surrendered.

She opened herself up to him, arm flung over her face as he took his time disposing of the swimsuit. She had to do her fair share of wriggling out of it to help things along, but she did, because need was getting the better of her.

The way he touched her made her feel as though she were being touched for the first time, as though his clever fingers and his questing mouth had managed to access parts of her she’d never known existed. He nuzzled the softness between her small breasts before settling on an engorged nipple and tugging at it so that sighs turned to little cries and whimpers.

‘You’re beautiful; you really are,’ he murmured huskily.

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