The Panty Raid by Pamela Morsi Read Free Book Online

here.”
    He reached over and caught a strand of the long brunette length and twirled it gently around his finger.
    “I’m not sure either of us is safe up here,” he said.
    Dot might have asked him what he meant by that, but his faint touch and the huskiness of his words somehow had her trembling.
    She became peculiarly aware of how alone they were and how closely they were seated on the small square of woven fabric. He continued to twist her hair, slowly inching her nearer.
    He began leaning forward, urging her toward him. Dot knew he was going to kiss her. She wanted him to kiss her. She ached for him to kiss her. She’d been waiting since the day they’d met for him to kiss her. But was it fair? She didn’t know what she wanted yet; she wasn’t sure if romance could be included in her life.
    In the last instant before their lips met, the final second before she would taste him, the ultimate last chance before it couldn’t be stopped, she could feel his breath on her skin, their faces only inches apart, she hesitated.
    “There’s something I have to tell you,” she said.
    “Tell me later,” he answered, and pulled her into his arms. Hank’s mouth came down on hers and all thoughts of qualifiers and explanations vanished.
    His lips were warm and welcoming. There was tenderness but also passion, power. She had kissed before, but never like this. He moved his mouth on hers, tugging ever so gently, as if he would pull her soul into his own. It was more than just a gesture of affection or even desire. There was an instant of wholeness of finding home and recognizing it as exactly that. Dot gave herself up to it.
    She wrapped her arms around his neck, urging him closer. He moaned against her lips and she felt the vibration of it in his chest. Momentarily she felt exuberant, in control. That was followed, almost immediately, by a sense of being swept into a tide of longing.
    Dot wasn’t sure who called a halt, but as they separated, the loss was too much for her. She nestled her face in the crook of his neck. He tightened his grip around her as if he never wanted to let her go.
    “I knew it would be like this,” he whispered. “Somehow I just knew that you had to be the one.”
    He began to feather little kisses along her temple and down to her jaw. Dot’s heart was pounding, her senses finely alert and her brain inexplicably foggy. She raised her head, offering access to the length of her throat. Hank explored the territory eagerly.
    The feel of his mouth so distracted her she didn’t realize that she was leaning until her back touched the blanket. He was above her, his expression lazy but with the hint of a satisfied smile.
    “Dot,” he told her, “I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”
    A like declaration sprang to her own lips, but inexplicably the image of Dr. Falk, in his superior, judgmental voice, flashed through her brain, silencing her words and sobering her inclinations.
    “Wait!”
    “It’s okay,” Hank assured her. “I’m not going to push you. I know when to stop.”
    “No, it’s not that,” she said. “Well, yes, it is that, but it’s more.”
    Hank ceased placing kisses on her eyebrows and regarded her more seriously.
    “What?” he asked.
    “Let me get up.”
    He released her and moved away. Dot sat up, primly straightened her blouse and smoothed her hair. She pulled it back tightly and reattached the rubber band. She glanced over at Hank. He was eyeing her curiously. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked. “Did I speak too soon?”
    Dot nodded.
    “I can’t have a boyfriend,” she said.
    Hank’s brow furrowed momentarily and then he laughed. “Of course you can,” he said. “I’m sure that’s within the rules and regulations, even at Compton Hall.”
    “No, I don’t mean I can’t can’t. I mean I can’t shouldn’t.”
    “Why not? You’re not worried about your grades— you’re tops in all your classes.”
    “It’s not grades.”
    “Then what is