Page 185 of Modern Romance Collection December 2024 Books 1-4

He burst out laughing and, when he looked at her next, his gaze was hot and the smile was still lingering there.

‘So are you. And you’re so refreshing...and sexy...and funny...’

‘You’re just saying that.’

‘Open your eyes and enjoy the way I touch you...like this.’

Alice kept her eyes locked to his as he slipped his hand underneath the crotch of her underwear and wriggled his finger into her wet crease until he found the pulsing bud of her clitoris. She gasped, squirmed and then gripped his shoulders. The thick sweater was an impediment and her breasts felt heavy and sensitive underneath it.

‘See how much better that is?’ he purred with silky assurance. ‘It’s even better when we talk...and I don’t mean make small talk about the weather; I mean something a little raunchier than that. Maybe we’ll leave that for the moment. For the moment...just keep your eyes open. Let me see the expression on your face when I touch you.’

Alice was in a world she’d never known existed. An explosion of desire burst inside her like a firecracker and she fumbled, tugged and unclasped until not only the cloying sweater had been removed, but the vest and bra underneath. Her eyes were very much wide open as she took in his rampant, masculine appreciation at the sight of her breasts.

It was an out-of-body experience, something she had never imagined possible. She was no longer Alice Reynolds who had always stuck to the straight and narrow, and in whom principles of what was and wasn’t expected had been embedded. She’d burst through those barriers into a whole different world and was, just for now, just in this instant, a reckless, wanton woman with needs that shocked her.

She groaned, writhed and kept looking as he straddled her and sank to explore her breasts with his hands, mouth and tongue. He took an engorged nipple into his mouth and tugged the straining bud until she was on the point of coming even though his fingers were no longer teasing her down there.

It was so erotic, so exquisite. There was no room for inhibitions of any kind as he suckled on her nipples and then explored further, licking a delicate trail down her stomach and finding the place he had found with his finger but this time with his tongue. The intimacy of it made her want to squeeze her legs shut but he parted her thighs and, when he began to lick her, she had to stifle the guttural cries of pleasure that wanted to find a way out of her.

The rise of passion bursting its banks was unstoppable and she spasmed against his exploring mouth, her whole body shuddering and arching. Her mind went completely blank and, when the final quivers subsided, their eyes met and he gave a satisfied smile. He fumbled to find his wallet and produced a condom, which made her think vaguely that this was a guy who took no chances.

Her body was still throbbing, gearing up for that final, deep satisfaction that would come from feeling him inside her, and she parted her legs and opened up to him with eagerness and rising desire.

He thrust into her and a reservoir of pleasure she hadn’t even known she’d been holding back raced through her and she came again, her rhythm matching his, their bodies perfectly tuned, reaching orgasm at the same time.

It was joyful...earth-shattering and glorious. If she’d thought that the reckless, wanton woman would go back into hiding when the sex was over, then she’d been wrong. The door he’d unlocked was still wide open as he settled next to her, his arm shielding his face as his body began to unwind. She curved against him and gently rested her hand on his chest.

‘How was that?’ he murmured.

‘Very nice, thank you.’

‘And to think that I was looking for a more exuberant response.’

But there was laughter in his voice and she smiled against him. ‘Is it always like that for you?’ Alice murmured drowsily.

‘It’s been known. Want to have a shower? Head down with me so that something can be done about dinner?’

‘I’d completely forgotten about that.’

‘Sex does that to a person. Makes you forget what’s happening out there in the big, bad world.’

That made Alice think of the big, bad world he referred to, otherwise known asreality. She would be back in school in a matter of days. She hadn’t phoned her parents, but she would, just as soon as she returned home. Their gentle questioning and eager interest in how her holiday had gone would be a timely reminder that what she was enjoying now was very far removed from her day-to-day life. This flare of attraction had hit them both like a ton of bricks but it wouldn’t do to forget that it had only happened because they were stuck here in his lodge, snowbound.

Would their paths ever have crossed otherwise? Not in a month of Sundays. Forget about how different their backgrounds were—they just weren’t compatible on any level. She might have taken time-out here from the person she really was but that person would be back in just over a week: cheerful, dependable, easy going...and still looking for the guy of her dreams, who might not be Simon, but certainly could never be someone like this man who had made her body sing.

She would still want a guy who was dependable and steady, the sort of guy that Mateo might find boring, but who would be the guy who would stand by her through the years until they were old and surrounded by kids and grandchildren. She would still wantnormalbut with a guy she adored rather than a guy she was fond of.Normalwould still be the desired goal.

There was a reason people made such a big deal about the differences between love and lust: one was for ever and the other was for five minutes.

‘Want to shower with me?’ He broke through her thoughts, his voice low, husky and sexy.

‘Really?’

‘Never done that before?’

‘Not as such.’

Mateo laughed. ‘What doesnot as suchmean? You took your clothes off, tested the water and then told that guy you dumped that it wasn’t the right temperature, maybe another time?’

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