“It was amazing,” she corrected.
He smiled again, his eyes filling with desire and darkening to a sensual tint.
“Definitely.”
“Want to do it again?”
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Elle Kennedy
Oh boy—where had that come from? She immediately slammed her mouth closed, her cheeks heating with embarrassment.
Carson slanted his head, looking both intrigued and baffled, but he didn’t respond, just stared at her for a moment as if trying to figure out if she was serious. She took his silence as an opportunity to stare at him, and she liked everything she saw. He was so unbelievably attractive in that Navy uniform. The white shirt molded to his broad, rippled chest, and the pants clung to his trim hips and long muscular legs, hugging his crotch in a way that revealed he was very much aroused.
She couldn’t help it—she fixated on that long, thick ridge. She remembered how perfectly he’d fit inside her, how well they’d moved together, and the craziest urge overtook her. She wanted to touch him and stroke him and—
Her hand clearly had a mind of its own.
“Whoa,” Carson murmured, his gaze instantly dropping south.
Holly ran her fingers over his tantalizing erection, lightly applying pressure with her palm and rubbing.
“You do realize that—” he sucked in a breath, “—you’re, uh, you know, you’re doing that.”
She blinked, suddenly snapping out of whatever sexual trance she’d gone into and realizing what she was doing. She quickly withdrew her hand, her face scorching. “Oh gosh, I’m sorry. I just…” There were no words. No matter what she said, this man was going to think she was a sex-crazed psycho.
He released a choked laugh. “Is this a habit, touching men you hardly know?”
She turned away, so mortified she could barely breathe. What was the matter with her? She didn’t normally behave this way with guys. Truth be told, she didn’t have much experience with initiating sexual encounters. She didn’t have much experience, period.
Her life was too chaotic, and since she was always in control when it came to work and family, she’d always been happy letting the men in her life take control in the bedroom.
“I’m sorry,” she said again, keeping her gaze on the waves lapping against the shore.
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Heat of Passion
She heard his pants rustle as he moved closer, and then his fingers were touching her chin, turning it so she had no choice but to look at him. He studied her carefully, assessed her, as if he were trying to peer right into her soul. “Who are you?” he finally asked, his voice laced with intrigue. “What’s your real name?”
She swallowed. “Holly. Holly Lawson.”
Carson’s mouth quirked. “Holly. Suits you better than Jessica.” He stroked her jaw, his fingers so warm and gentle she almost purred in pleasure. “Why did you sleep with me the night at the club?”
“I already told you, I was upset. I wanted to forget.”
“Forget what?”
“My ex.” She let out a shaky breath. “Myself.”
“Why on earth would you want to forget yourself?”
“Because…because…sometimes I get tired of myself,” she blurted out. “I’ve been such a good girl all my life, Carson. I’m the perfect, obedient daughter, the perfect sister.
I take care of everyone in my family—my brothers and sister, my dad, who can’t even go grocery shopping on his own. My mom…she used to do everything, but…” She blinked back the tears stinging her eyelids. “She died two years ago.”
“I’m sorry,” Carson said softly, running his fingers along her cheek.
“Me too. I miss her. And after she died, I got cast into the Mom role. I’m the youngest, for God’s sake, and yet somehow I have to take care of everyone else. So that’s what I wanted to forget, okay? I just wanted one night where I didn’t have to think about my family, or work, or being responsible and good. I wanted to be selfish and wild and bad.”
Holly shook her head in irritation. “I still want that. And you being here makes me want it even more. The night with you was the best time I’ve had in so long.”
She couldn’t believe she was spilling her guts to him, but it felt good letting it all out.
For two years she’d focused on making sure everyone in her family was happy, and she was tired of it. Why couldn’t she think about her own happiness for once? What she wanted?
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Elle Kennedy
And perplexing as it was, what she wanted at the moment was Carson. She didn’t know anything about him, only that he was in the Navy, that he was drop-dead gorgeous, and that he had the power to set her body on fire. Did she really need to know anything more?