he tossed off his jacket she reached for his belt, but it defied her efforts. “I guess you don’t make a habit of this sort of thing, either,” Will murmured as he guided her hands to his bulge. Together, they undid the belt and zipper.
Leah didn’t care to admit her relative inexperience. He probably wouldn’t stop, but it might make him careful. And she preferred to strip away his inhibitions the way he’d removed hers. She wanted to dissolve whatever had made him frown when he’d come into the bar. She wanted to make him happy.
Being with Will was fun—helping him remove her skirt, kicking off her shoes, finding herself half lifted and half tossed onto the bed. He poised over her, pants sliding down as Leah removed her pantyhose. Will shifted her panties out of the way and pressed against her, bare flesh to bare flesh. Surprised as he parted her, she caught her breath.
“Sorry,” Will said. “I can’t wait, honey.”
“It’s all right. More than all right.”
He was inside her, big and fierce and gentle. Curving over her, sucking her nipples as he moved in and out. Ecstasy radiated through her.
Abruptly, she remembered. “Will! The protection!”
He stopped. “Oh. Damn.” A cool emptiness replaced him, and then he was back. Leah felt his movements as he unrolled the condom.
She liked observing him from below as he sheathed his erection. His dark-blond hair sprang every which way, and his eyes had an unfocused air, as if he’d lost track of time and place.
He glanced up and smiled. The worry lines had vanished. “I can’t tell you how fabulous you look.”
“Not half as fabulous as I feel,” she admitted.
Leah had always been awkward around men. First, she’d been a tomboy with buckteeth, and then, transformed into what passed for a swan in her small town, she’d intimidated her classmates. Since college, she hadn’t met a man who stirred more than a flicker of interest.
Until now.
How right she felt with Will amazed her. Completely natural, as if they were partners in this venture. When his palm stroked her soft mound, she opened to him without hesitation.
He moved inside her slowly, but after a few thrusts, control escaped him. Pushing harder and harder, he drove into her until Leah thought she might burst with desire. She wanted to savor this rainbow of sensations, but there was no time. Instead, she clutched Will’s shoulders, anchoring herself as she lost track of everything except the joy of dissolving into him and the ragged moan of satisfaction tearing from his throat.
His breathing echoed against her, mingling with her own. Off came the rest of their clothing as he pulled the covers over them and kissed her for a long time.
Leah loved this moment of closeness. She liked everything about Will—his abandon, his tenderness, the frankness with which he regarded her.
When he got up, she wanted to call him back. A minute later, he returned, and she realized he’d gone for more protection.
“Now let’s do this the right way,” he said.
Leah hadn’t imagined her body capable of responding again so quickly. Will proved her wrong. This time, he tantalized her until she begged for more and then he filled her. They rocked together, completely in tune.
It was much more than she’d fantasized. More than she’d believed possible.
The intensity built gradually, floating them onto a higher plane. Leah could have stayed there forever, or so she thought, until without warning she soared even higher as rapture seized them both.
The embers lingered long after the flames faded. They’d been meant for this, she thought as she curled blissfully against Will.
And he felt the same way. “That was wonderful.” He spoke as if he could hardly trust his own perception.
“Wonderful,” she repeated, and drifted into sleep.
WHEN LEAH AWOKE in the morning, he was gone. She thought he might be taking a shower, but she found the bathroom empty.
Wrapped in her robe, she pushed aside the front curtains and peered across the lot. The space where Will had parked sat empty.
Perhaps he’d gone to work, although it was Saturday. She searched all over the room for a note. Nothing.
Stunned, Leah sank onto the edge of the bed, trying to make sense of what had happened. Surely, she hadn’t mistaken the depth of passion between them. That hadn’t been merely a one-night stand. It had meant something.
To her, anyway.
It dawned on her that she had no idea how Will actually felt. He might do this kind of thing all the time. He’d known exactly the right words to lead her along and, as he’d said, he’d been prepared.
Oh, come on, she argued silently. You’re jumping to conclusions.
Feeling uneasy, Leah went to shower. Maybe Will expected to run into her tonight at the same bar. But if so, why hadn’t he made arrangements?
Probably because he wasn’t going to be there.
With a rush of shame, she registered that she’d invented a relationship that existed only in her mind. She’d given something special, and by leaving without a word, the man had thrown it in her face.
He hadn’t lied—at least, as far as she knew. But she had. She’d lied to herself, Leah scolded as she scrubbed every inch of her skin. She’d thought it would be fine if she never heard from him again. Now, too late, she saw the truth.
She was a rube who believed in fairy tales. Last night, she’d tasted paradise—a fool’s paradise. She’d expected happily-ever-after from a man who never wanted to see her again.
Leah wrapped her arms around her chest and held on tight, trying to subdue the pain. She couldn’t comprehend why he’d left that way, when they’d shared so much, but it hurt.
She should have known better. Should have listened to her better judgment, should have realized what an easy target she’d been. Will had played her every step of the way, and she couldn’t even blame him. This disappointment was her own fault.
Thank goodness for the water splashing over her. It washed away the tears, though not the sense of loss. Because at last—not the first time she’d made love, back in college, but only now—she had lost her innocence.
LEAH GAVE THE ROOM a final inspection to ensure she’d left nothing behind, other than her pride and her delusions. Except for the rumpled sheets and the maid’s tip on the nightstand, no trace remained of her visit.
She probably wouldn’t take a job in Austin even if one were offered. Too many bad associations. She never wanted to risk running into that louse again.
There was still Seattle, though, where she planned to stay with a college friend who ran a day care center. Thinking about the future, Leah squared her shoulders. She didn’t intend to quit seeking adventure just because her first one had turned out miserably.
From
