Free Falling for You by Julie Ortolon Page A

fidgeted with the scarf about her waist.
    “However.” He took a deep breath and met her gaze directly. “I want to help you.”
    “What?” She stared back, not quite sure what he was offering, but sensing it was something big.
    “I want to help you write your business plan. Not just point you in the right direction, but help you with the actual plan. It’s going to take a great deal of work, but I know the kinds of things the bank will be looking for. If there is a way for you to have your dream, I want to help you succeed.”
    “Oh, my God,” she breathed, pressing her hands to her cheeks. “Are you serious?”
    “We’ll need to meet pretty regularly, go over hotel codes, get some bids on the renovations, come up with projected costs for furnishings and fixtures. We’ll also need to look into promotional options and operating expenses.”
    She stared at him, afraid she’d do something silly like cry.
    “That is”—he hesitated—“if you want my help.”
    “If I want your help? Are you kidding!” She flung herself against him and hugged his neck. “You’re wonderful! Thank you!” With her arms still around him, she pulled back to smile up at him. His expression caught her off guard and made her heart skip a beat. At this close range, he didn’t look scholarly, or cute. He just looked very male.
    A flare of heat in his eyes made her aware of her body pressed full-length against his. It didn’t feel like the thin body of a geek. It felt lean and hard.
    She started to step away, but his arms went about her. “Aurora,” he groaned an instant before his mouth descended. He stole her breath as his lips brushed hers, stole her thoughts as his hands spread over her back. A second brush had her pulse humming. He didn’t take as some men would, just lightly teased, shaping her lips with his until they tingled.
    The tingles spread outward, turning to tremors. She moaned and strained into him, needing more. Finally, his mouth settled more firmly and she tasted wet, hot desire. His tongue nudged her lips, and when she opened her mouth, he carried her away on a wave of sensations.
    He kissed her again and again, making her greedy, ravenous. Never in her life had desire swelled within her so beautifully, or with such stunning force. She wanted to crawl right out of her skin and into his.
    Her arms tightened around his neck and she returned his kiss with rising abandon. Their heads tilted for better angles as she pressed her body more snugly against his. Breast to chest. Hip to hip. His arousal rose strong and hard against her soft belly, and she moaned with a sweet rush of need.
    The sound seemed to jar him.
    His lips and hands stopped moving.
    She opened her eyes and found him staring at her, their mouths still touching. For one heartbeat, neither of them moved. Then he sprang away.
    “Aurora, I—I don’t know what happened—I mean...” He ran his hands through his hair to straighten it. “When I offered to help you, I didn’t mean to imply—What I mean to say is, it would be strictly business.”
    “Yes, of course. I knew that,” she responded quickly, too rattled to know what else to say.
    “It’s not that I’m not attracted to you, I mean, obviously I am.” He pushed his glasses into place. “It’s just that I’m almost engaged to someone else. Well, sort of. Never mind, it’s difficult to explain.”
    “You’re engaged?” The air left her lungs.
    “Not officially,” he rushed on. “It’s just always been understood that Paige and I would get married. Eventually.”
    Paige? He was “almost engaged” to someone named Paige? Did he kiss his “sort-of fiancée” the way he’d just kissed her?
    “I see,” she said, staggered by an unexpected stab of jealousy. She managed a casual wave of her hand. “This doesn’t have to be a big deal. I was just carried away, you know, by the moment.”
    “Same here.” He sighed in relief.
    “Okay, then.” She forced a smile. “It didn’t