Born Innocent by Christine Rimmer Read Free Book Online Page B

with them, parting them, and pushing the shirt away to the floor to join his own.
    He sighed and clasped her bare waist, as if learning the slim shape of it. She moaned in pleasure as his hand traveled up to cup the fullness of her breast, which was still bound by her bra.
    He stood back from her, just a little, so he could work the front clasp. It came undone and fell away. He caressed her naked breasts, groaning a little, as she was, in discovery and delight. He held them, lifted them, and looked into her eyes. Then, slowly, he lowered his head.
    She clutched him close as his mouth found her nipple and he sucked on it, bringing it to a peak of sweet sensitivity, then moving to the other one.
    Claire let her head fall back, and felt his arm behind her waist, supporting her. She was glad for the support. If he hadn’t provided it, she would have slid in boneless delight to the bare floor at their feet. He went on kissing her breasts for the sweetest eternity, and as he did, he worked at the fastening of her jeans, unsnapping and unzipping and then sliding the jeans down, along with her panties, to the floor at her feet. She kicked off her sneakers to aid him.
    Then, feeling the cool air of the room touching her everywhere he wasn’t, Claire realized she was naked. Naked in Joe Tally’s arms. It was her oldest, most forbidden fantasy.
    And for this one night of all nights, it was real.
    She gasped as he slid his arm beneath her knees and lifted her up against his chest. But then she realized what he was doing, because he sat down with her across his lap in the big brown easy chair.
    He kissed her mouth again for a long, sweet time. She reveled in it, feeling his desire for her, hard and ready, through the rough fabric of his jeans. He guided her head to his uninjured shoulder and his hand slid lower, to stroke down her belly to the place that was already wet and waiting for him.
    Claire gasped and moaned. His fingers played gently at her entrance.
    He whispered low and hoarse against her ear, “You have been with a man before, haven’t you?”
    She bit her lip, trying not to cry out at the pleasure his teasing fingers were giving. “There was a man. In college.” She didn’t tell him the rest—that it had been after the first time Joe had sent her away. She’d tried loving someone else. But it had been doomed from the beginning. Eventually, the man had realized her heart belonged to someone else. He’d been hurt, and Claire had been ashamed of herself.
    “ And it was... all right?” Joe asked as his fingers, light as butterfly wings, continued their sweet, teasing play.
    It took her pleasured mind a moment to make sense of his question; he was asking if she had any problems with sex. “It was... fine, Joe.”
    “ Good.” His finger slid into her then. She gasped.
    He began stroking her in earnest, and she felt her body instantly rising, readying itself for the high climb to the edge of ecstasy. “Oh, Joe,” she sighed, and then moaned out loud.
    He murmured yes, stroking faster. Her body responded, lost to anything but the command of his hand upon her.
    She soared up and over the edge, crying out in blissful triumph. And then she went slack, cradled there in his lap.
    For a time she just lay there, naked across him in the big brown chair. She rubbed her head against his chest, and sighed a little, and he lazily stroked her sweat-dampened hair back from her forehead. She gave a low chuckle.
    “ What’s so funny?”
    She sighed. “I was just thinking. I came here to comfort you, and it turns out you’re the one who’s giving the.. .strokes.”.
    He laughed then, a rumbling sound against her ear. “You’ll get your chance. Very soon.”
    “ Good.” She cuddled against him some more. “Joe?”
    “ Um?”
    She sat up a little, smiling knowingly when he winced; he was still very ready to go on with their loving. “I know you probably won’t believe this, given the way I’ve always chased after