Free Sweet Child of Mine by Jean Brashear Page A

didn’t help his mood, but he refused to consider risking shaming Suzanne by seeking another outlet for the hungers she so easily aroused in him. He was a grown man who had shown much discipline in his life. He would deal with this.
    So he worked hard on keeping his tone reasonable, despite how his teeth were on edge, his body craving hers. “We can pull this off. You need my help and I need yours. We’re two reasonable people. It’s simply a matter of taking each step as it comes.”
    The gratitude that swept over her face made him resolve to keep her at arm’s length until they could get out of this place and get back to the safety of their normal lives, where there was no reason to see each other but in passing. But even as that thought comforted him, he felt a small pang of regret for what they could never share.
    Maybe one day, when this was all over—
    Forget it, Longstreet. She’s not a woman to haveaffairs. She’ll have her life and you’ll be free to resume yours. Women included.
    Right now he needed to get away from her, clear his head. “Look, why don’t you take a bath and a nap? I’ve got some calls to make. I’ll make them downstairs.”
    She started to shake her head, but he overrode her. “Shouldn’t you call Jim and tell him that it’s done? You can start making plans about when we can pick up your son.”
    Her protests died. Her lips curved at the thought. “Sure. I—” She frowned faintly and looked up. “I’ll use my calling card.”
    The temper he’d thought long ago conquered flared as though she’d lit a fuse. “Suzanne, just bill the damn call to the room. Talk for two hours, I don’t care.” He heard his voice rise but couldn’t seem to stop it. “I can afford it, all right? So sue me if you don’t like it that I can afford this room and this trip and—” He threw up his hands in disgust. “I’ll be back. I’ll leave the key with you so you don’t have to worry that I’ll intrude.”
    He tossed the key on the bed and left before he could add any more sins to his list.
     
    Suzanne hung up the phone, still smiling broadly after hearing Bobby talk about the new puppy Jim had gotten him. A black Lab named Maverick, the pup had already taken a firm hold on Bobby’s heart.
    She wondered what Michael would think about inheriting a dog. Jim admitted that it probably wasn’t his right to introduce a dog he’d never raise, but he’d wanted Bobby to have something to bridge the gap once he was gone, a piece of his life with Bobby that would still be there for comfort when he could no longer do so himself. Edna Waters, his late wife’s cousin, didn’t mind dogs as long as they were kept outside, he said.
    Jim had had no way to know Michael even existed when he’d gotten the dog.
    But they’d cross that bridge when they came to it.
    There was a shower in the bathroom, but she eyed the huge whirlpool tub with longing, wondering if she had time to take a quick bath before Michael returned.
    A few minutes later, blissfully ensconced in bubbling waters, Suzanne leaned back against the bath pillow and heaved a huge sigh. Over her body, the water swirled, soothing away the nerves of this unique and trying day. Drifting on a tide of relaxation so complete it was almost sinful, she felt her mind begin to wander, too. Eyes closed, she relived the kiss in the elevator, the press of his big muscular body against hers, and longing suffused her. Her body floated with the currents of the whirlpool, and she felt the brush of bubbles over skin that now felt too sensitive, too tight to contain all the heat that Michael could generate with little effort.
    She let herself imagine the two of them in thissuite, free of other ties. If it were only them with no other responsibilities, nothing but the long night ahead, so sheltered from the storm…
    What did Michael look like beneath his clothes? She’d felt the power of those muscles, knew that he had never used his full strength with her,