Worlds Apart (3 page)

“That's a very kind thing to
do.”

“It's a small-town thing. Which is
a big part of the reason I like living here. That, and the fact
that it's far enough from my mother that she rarely
visits.”

That made him laugh. “Oh, come on.
I bet your mother adores you.”

She grinned and took a moment to
look him over. The first couple of buttons on his flannel shirt
were undone and dark hair peeked out above them. Her gaze dropped
to his belt and she licked her lips. He probably
would
be
good at it. She felt sure she could trust him with it.

He shifted in his seat, and her
smile widened as she brought her eyes back to his face. Was he
blushing
?

“My mother loves me,” she
admitted. “But I embarrass her with my wanton ways. Mom's Bible
Belt, through and through.” She glanced at the rumpled bed, then
hiked a shoulder as she sent Clive a teasing look. “I actually like
the belt part
.
”

Interest lit his face as he looked
at the bed and at the clock beyond it. “Not enough time to put that
to the test, is there?”

Her own face flushed hot and she
licked her lips again.
Maybe
…
But
she looked at the clock and shook her head. “I don’t think so. I
need to get going.”

He looked so disappointed she
stood up and went around the table. He watched her come, pushing
his chair back as she squeezed between him and the table. She sat,
straddling his lap, her hands resting on his shoulders. Dare she
suggest he stay for the weekend? How would he respond?

He cupped her breasts, sliding the
material of the sweater over her nipples. Heat flowed over her as
she bent her head to kiss him.

He gave a sudden twist to her
nipples, making her gasp. “A few minutes.” He whispered against her
lips. “You want it. I can give it to you. I’ll make you feel it all
day.”

Her whole body buzzed at his
words. She deepened the kiss while her hands moved to his buttons.
He let go of her tits to unbuckle his belt, pulling it off in one
quick sweep. She watched him, anticipation surging through her. He
snapped the belt once, bringing its end cracking against her. She
hardly felt it, though, and sat straight, staring at him in
challenge.

“Jeans,” she said.

“So take them off.”

I have to go to work
. She
hesitated at the thought, and he suddenly took charge, his jaw
tense with demand. In a few quick seconds, he brought the belt to
her chest and wrapped it around her. He closed the buckle on a
nipple. Pressure mounted within her, pushing her close to a climax.
She bit her lip, but didn’t move.

His expression was fierce and he
tightened the buckle another notch. “Take them off.”

To hell with the time.
She
moved to obey, her hands scrambling to unbutton the jeans. There
were four buttons holding the jeans closed, and he kept the belt
tight until she got the last one undone. She gasped with pain and
desire, watching his eyes the whole time. She saw approval in them,
then he pushed her to her feet. The belt was tight on her chest,
but she wriggled the jeans down. Before she got her feet out of
them, he turned her around and pushed her onto the bed on her
stomach.

Her heart pounded in anxious
desire and she pressed into the bed with a moan.

He pulled the belt away from her
chest and stretched it out in front of her. He slipped her sweater
over her head, but left it on so that her arms were trapped above
her shoulders. She shivered as his hands brushed over her
back.

“What beautiful skin,” he murmured
into her ear. His breath was warm and she could sense him
straddling her. He reached under her to squeeze her breasts. “So
smooth. Flawless.” He kissed a shoulder blade, then bit the other
one, making her jerk in shock. He swatted her bottom with a
powerful crack. She moaned, rising closer to a climax. He was going
to drive her mad.

He stood and pulled her panties
down to join the jeans around her ankles. Waves of desire nearly
drowned her as she lay exposed to him, trapped and
helpless.

He rubbed her bottom where he’d
hit her, his touch gentle. “So beautiful. Ah, Tina. Such a
beautiful ass.”

She couldn’t raise her head much
but she saw the belt move as he picked it up. He snapped it against
her. She muffled her cry into the bed and raised her hips. He
snapped the belt again, then higher, this time on her
back.

He cursed and dropped the belt
next to her. She heard him stripping quickly, heard his sigh as he
finished. He picked up the belt and rolled her over, still trapped
in her clothes. She wiped a tear on her arm as she looked him over.
His cock was swollen and huge. She licked her lips.

Again, he slipped the belt under
her back and pulled it up to close the buckle on her tits. Without
the sweater, the naked nipple poked through and he lowered his head
to suck it, pulling hard. She arched against him, crazy with pain
and the nearness of her climax. When her groans turned into a
whimper, he stopped and moved his mouth to hers.

He surprised her with the
tenderness of his kiss. It let her move back from the steep cliff
of desire, and after a moment she responded in kind. His lips were
so soft. He cradled her head in gentle hands and she let herself
swoon in his care.

But she was falling too far from
the cliff. Anxious to not lose her pending climax, she grabbed his
tongue with her teeth, just shy of a real bite. She felt his
surprise, then he reached for the belt. She let him go, certain he
would punish her. She soared back up the cliff as he tore the belt
away and flipped her back to her stomach. He took her jeans
completely off, freeing her legs. Before she could move, the belt
slashed across her bottom once more.

She buried her head in the
blankets, nearly at the top of the cliff. He mounted her, probing
her with his dick. She spread her legs, bucking against him. He
pushed into her with a deep groan and she fell into an eternity of
throbbing heat. His climax was right behind hers, filling her
completely with vast, hard thrusts.

When he collapsed beside her, she
turned to him. Scrambling free of the sweater, she wrapped her arms
and legs around him, and buried her tear-stained face in his
chest.

She’d never felt this good. It was
like he could
see
what she needed to have. Even his
tenderness had been exactly the right amount, at the right
time.

He held her now, as he caught his
breath, touching her constantly. She concentrated on the feel of
his hands as he stroked her hair and back and arms with long,
gentle caresses.

Had it meant the same to him? Will
he ask to see me again? Would he stay if I asked?

She certainly wanted to see
him
again.

She sniffed, using the sheet to
wipe her face before smiling up at him. He put a finger under her
chin and rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “Are you all right?” he
asked. “I'm afraid I hurt you.”

“I'm wonderful,” she said, rubbing
his back. “You were amazing. Just amazing.”

He laughed a little. “Inspired is
more like it.” He kissed her again, a light touch on her lips. When
he pulled away to look at her, she ran a finger over his lips,
wishing he could hold her all morning. That brought a reminder of
the time.

“Now I'm really late,” she
said.

“I refuse to
apologize.”

She laughed and propped herself on
an elbow. “I wonder
…
.” She stroked his
chest with a finger. She wished that he would ask
her
.

He touched her face, his eyes
showing his puzzlement at her hesitation.

“I know I'm just supposed to say
'thanks' and 'good-bye,'” she continued. “But I
…
this was wonderful, Clive. I mean that. I've never
felt like this before.” She bit her lip, looking to his chest
again, this time in embarrassment. “I'm really messing this up.
But… will you be around longer? Maybe we
…
.”

He shook his head. “I can't,
Tina,” he said. “I'd give anything if I could.”

She stiffened with humiliation.
Unable to look at him, she just nodded and slipped off the bed. Her
sweater seemed to jump to her hands and she pulled it over her
head.

“I know,” she said, grabbing her
pants. “I shouldn't have asked, I'm sorry.” She buttoned the
jeans.

He stood and touched her back, but
she moved away to search for her socks.

“Tina, please,” he said. “Let me
explain.”

“You don't have to explain.” She
knew her laugh sounded false as she looked at him without meeting
his eyes. “Just forget it, okay? We had a good time. A great time.
But I really have to get to work.”

He reached for her, turned her to
face him. She tightened her lips, but forced herself to look at
him.
Damn him. He’s going to give me a line. As if it
mattered.

He held both her hands, looking
into her eyes. “If I could stay with anyone, it would be you. I
know that sounds like a line, but it's true. You're such a giving
person.”

Bastard.
She tried to pull
away but he squeezed her hands. “I noticed it all night,” he went
on. “Downstairs with your friends. While we were dancing, and
especially while we were making love. All night, you gave and gave.
Not love. You don't even know me. But you gave a part of
yourself.”

His hands tightened on hers again.
She thought he looked desperate. “I would give anything to stay.
But I can't, Tina. I don't dare.”

She stared at him, uncertain. Then
her humiliation returned, along with a resolve to escape with
whatever dignity she could muster.

She reclaimed her hands. “Okay. I
understand.” She turned to pick up her boots and sat on the bed to
put them on. He stood in the middle of the room, naked and probably
cold, but he didn’t move. He just watched her.

She threw on her coat and grabbed
her purse before looking back. He looked so vulnerable that her
uncertainty returned.
Had he meant what he said?

“I had a good time, Clive,” she
said. “You take care.”

She left, and he never tried to
stop her.

Chapter 4

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” Tina
chanted under her breath as she clambered down the stairs and past
the inn's front desk. She managed to toss a wave and shaky smile to
the clerk. She didn't cry until she reached her car.

Even then, she didn't cry long.
She rested her head and arms on the steering wheel as a spate of
hot tears fell from her eyes. But it
was
stupid, and after a
moment she sat up, wiped her face, and started the car.
I knew
better. He was like no other man I've ever been with, but he's
still just a man. There was no reason to think he wanted anything
more than sex. No matter how good it was.

Not that she'd asked very many
men. Tina's radar was always out for that possible Special Man, but
most of the men she dated didn't send any pings her way. She
enjoyed her night with them, and went on her way in the morning. Or
even right afterward. It was unusual for her to spend the night
with a guy.

She guided the car down the
tavern's steep hill and turned onto the road toward her house. The
rain had stopped. Occasional splats of water from the laden trees
hit her windshield. There was even a patch of sunlight breaking
through the clouds to light the treetops. It was a gorgeous
morning.

She was late. Two cars were parked
in front of the clinic, Sharon's old green clunker, and Mrs.
Reynold’s new blue Ford.
Great.
Her first patient was
waiting for her. Sharon would be having conniptions. Tina's house
was across from the clinic, and she pulled into her garage just as
her cell phone rang. She pulled it out as she climbed out of the
car, knowing it was Sharon.

“I'm coming. Give me ten minutes.”
Sharon’s answer was a sigh. Tina sputtered a laugh as she raced to
her bedroom, tearing off last night's clothes as she went. It
wasn't as if she did this all the time.

The clinic's porch light was still
on against the winter morning gloom, and the light in the reception
room showed through the window, although Sharon had not yet opened
the blinds. Tina let herself in the back door of the clinic and
slipped into her office. She poked the intercom to Sharon's phone.
“I'm here,” she announced.

“Mrs. Reynolds is in room two,”
Sharon replied, still miffed. “I turned the heat up so she wouldn't
freeze in that gown while she waited.”

Her attitude went a long way
toward cheering Tina up. She turned to open her own blinds and gaze
at the forest a few feet away, letting Sharon hear her laugh over
the open line. “You're an angel to all who enter, Sharon. It's the
only reason I have patients.”

“Long as you don't forget it,”
Sharon shot back, sounding a little mollified.

Tina closed the connection and
reached for her lab coat, pausing once more to gaze out the window.
The memory of Clive's touch still sent tingles along her back,
making her twitch. She stung in all the places where the belt had
landed. She'd been lucky. Not all men knew how to use a belt with a
light touch. It was too bad Clive didn't stay. She shrugged,
turning for the door.
Take the good, Tina,
she told herself.
And don't let the bad get to you.