Winter Hopes (Seasons of Love) by Jennifer Gracen Read Free Book Online Page A

by choice. She was married to her career. Being a successful, high-powered corporate attorney was all the fulfillment she sought. Intelligence and a slight hardness emanated from her, even as she smiled at him.
    Hailey was gorgeous, savvy, and whip smart. But she was determined to remain single, and so aloof, sometimes she bordered on cold. For him, those two factors ensured that he’d never have deep feelings for her.
    It did, however, make her a perfect… regular encounter. Once or twice a month, they met up to have some good old no-strings- attached sex. And they liked each other enough that they could actually hang out and talk afterwards, if they felt like it. It worked for them. They had no illusions about one another, and had genuinely become friends, in an at-arm's-length kind of way. The short, sporadic meetings fulfilled a basic human need for both of them, and had since they’d met at a Christmas party almost two years before. They’d realized, after many drinks and an extraordinarily bold conversation, that they could be mutually beneficial to one another. Their arrangement worked well.
    “Did you already get a room?” Hailey asked, low enough that no one would hear.
    Sam nodded and grinned serenely. “Of course.”
    “Good. I have to be in court in two hours. Shall we?”
    They walked together to the elevator in electric silence.
    The second their hotel room door closed, Sam pushed her back against the wall and kissed her fiercely. Hailey immediately sensed his need, that he was slightly frantic, and let him take the lead. He kissed her hungrily, without restraint, devouring her mouth, her neck, her throat. His hands were everywhere. He handled her more intensely than usual, and although she loved it, it surprised her. She’d never seen him this possessed by lust in all the time she’d known him. Yes, it had been about a month since their last “date”, but still. He was feverish with need.
    And his raging fire had her right there with him. Her body responded instantly, matching his fervor. She felt the urgency in his caresses, how ready he was. There was no mistaking the feel of his erection pressing against her thigh. She unknotted his tie, pulled it out of the collar, and threw it aside. Smiling, he opened the top two buttons of his shirt, then simply pulled it up over his head and tossed it away before undressing her quickly. Sparked by his greed, she undid his belt buckle and yanked his pants down. They kissed, grabbed, bit, stroked—no holding back.
    Still up against the wall, he hooked his arm under her knee to hitch her leg up, groaning as he drove into her with one smooth thrust. She gripped his shoulders with a low moan and held on for the ride. Her body filled with sensation and her mind went blank. It was powerful, intense, and quick, leaving them both gasping and shuddering after their explosive release. They leaned up against the wall for support, still locked in their embrace for a minute, clinging onto one another as they tried to catch their breath.
    Still panting, Sam gently lowered her leg and stepped back. He kissed her with a sweet, almost sheepish grin, and discreetly removed the condom as he made his way to the bathroom.
    Hailey blinked at him and, between gasps, let out a short laugh of disbelief. "I never even saw you get that on," she said to his retreating back. "You had my head spinning, I wasn't thinking… I'm sure as hell glad you thought of it. Thank you for that."
    "No problem," he called from the bathroom, a smile in his tone.
    She felt her thighs quivering as she made her way to the bed in a daze, collapsing onto it. She was still steadying herself when Sam emerged from the bathroom and lay down next to her. He dropped a kiss on her lips, her shoulder, then stretched out and closed his eyes.
    “Well.” She laughed dryly. “That was new. What the hell was that?”
    Sam couldn’t help but snort and grin.
    “You were a beast,” she quipped. “In a good way, of