Sinful by Carolyn Faulkner Read Free Book Online Page B

and panties to two new pairs of shorts – which she had never worn in her life – as well as a somewhat modest one piece swimsuit, shirts, and even comfortable sneakers and socks as well as a pair of strappy sandals.
    “Marielle must’ve helped you with this,” she guessed, hanging up her beautiful new clothes.
    “I will never divulge my sources, no matter how much you torture me,” he challenged valiantly, his hand on his heart as if making a serious vow, pulling a face that made her laugh.
    Despite her laughter, he could tell she was on edge, alone in a room where the bed seemed to be no more than fifteen feet away at any given time, but she seemed to be willing to push through it, and he was selfish enough to want her to. So he kept things light and very carefully didn’t come close to pouncing on her when they first entered the room. They unpacked the things that he’d brought, and then he opened the French doors that lead to the two-person hot tub, which was adjacent to a small in-ground pool that was completely private. There was no one else in sight – indeed, the hotel was surprisingly deserted, considering the price he’d gotten for the room, but then, perhaps that was the reason why it had been so cheap.
    Although he wanted nothing more than to throw her onto the bed and ravish her in every sense of the word, Brandt recognized that that was the fastest method to get her to ask him to take her home immediately. So, instead, he turned on the lights in the pool and spa, and announced, “I’m ready for a soak. How about you?”
    In seconds, he’d peeled down to his underwear – he had absolutely no modesty hang-ups at all, unlike Lita. As soon as she saw that he was undressing, she’d turned her back to him, but he hadn’t let that deter him in the least.
    Desperate for something – anything – to do, Lita grabbed the swimsuit he’d thrown at her and escaped to the bathroom, where she had to give herself a pep talk just to strip enough to get it on – what there was of it.
    She was certain that it was practically matronly as far as he was concerned, but it accented the fullness of her breasts, dipping far too low there, and rising much too high at her hip, which showed off her bare legs.
    She had never even considered being this exposed in front of a man who wasn’t her husband – and her husband had never expected it of her. He had only touched her at night, when they were both in bed, and the lights were out, under her nightgown, like decent people did it.
    That thought exploded into her head and she frowned at it and herself in the mirror. She knew she had to jettison her old taboos if she was going to make it outside the confines of a place where she’d felt terribly stifled. But now, in the outside world, she felt exposed and vulnerable, even with Brandt, who was just about as attentive and caring as she’d let him be.
    So she straightened her back and opened the door, expecting to see him waiting for her, but instead all she saw was his jockey shorts lying on the floor near the end of the bed, and his head just above the rim of the hot tub.
    Lita took her courage in her hand and marched out onto the private, nicely landscaped patio to join him, trying to do so while not looking at him, although it was proving to be harder than she’d thought. Eventually, she did, finally, manage to splash down into the tub next to him. His naked arm came around her shoulders, holding her tight to his side. “Thank you for joining me. I know it couldn’t have been an easy thing to do.”
    At least he always tried to acknowledge her efforts in doing things that any woman of her age had probably done a thousand times, and she did her best to relax and enjoy it – and with the hot, bubbling water swirling all around her, she found it almost entirely too easy to do.
    Brandt handed her a fluted goblet, saying, “Sparkling cider for my lady,” then raised one of his own that she had a feeling was not filled