Free The Airman's E-Mail Order Bride (Heroes of Chance Creek Book 5) by Cora Seton Page A

was if they were going to live in the same town. Bad enough she’d have to watch him carry out his married life in front of her while Richard shuttled back and forth between them. She needed him to be full of guilt and longing for her each time they met, and she needed to be able to play the innocent, too—even if it was clear to both of them she wasn’t.
    Her throat was tight and her hands shaking by the time she found Colt’s room and knocked on the door. She tugged her hood further forward and angled her back to the door when she heard someone turn the handle.
    A man’s voice sounded behind her, so familiar and yet so different. “Helena?”
    She nodded. Good, he meant to keep to the pretense.
    “Come on in. The lights are out, just like you wanted.” He chuckled. “I improvised with duct tape and a sleeping bag. It’s dark as hell in here.”
    “Thank you,” she whispered and hurried past him, aware of the trace of perfume she left in her wake. That had been Camila’s idea too. She’d told Heather to dab it on a little heavier than usual to be sure Colt noticed. Then when they met in Chance Creek, her scent would trigger the memory of their night of passionate lovemaking, even if they never discussed it again.
    As soon as the door shut behind him she found he was right—it was inky black inside. The unzipped sleeping bag covering the motel room’s single wide window was far more substantial than normal drapes.
    “I took you at your word,” he said behind her. “I figure if you’re willing to come here to be with me, the least I can do is make you comfortable.”
    “Thanks,” she muttered again. She turned to face him, unable to see more than his outline in the darkened room. She hadn’t realized how easy it would be to recognize his voice—and that he’d be able to recognize hers just as easily. She jumped when he took her hand.
    “The bed’s over here. We can sit and talk or we can…”
    She couldn’t talk. If she did, it would take all of thirty seconds for this farce to become unsustainable. Heather moved forward, using her hands to find his shoulders and then his neck and then his jaw as she reached up on tiptoes to press a kiss to his mouth.
    “Or we could do that,” Colt said when she pulled away, his voice low and husky with interest.
    She reached up and kissed him again, willing him to know that was all she had to offer him. She’d love nothing more than to sit and catch up and learn everything about him, but since that was out of the question she’d take what she could get. Would he go along with her plan? Or would he call her bluff right now?
    After a moment, Colt returned her kiss, gently at first and then with a hunger she recognized. It must have been a long time for him, too. She moved her hands to his shoulders and braced herself against him as he deepened the kiss and let his need for her show. As he pulled her closer, raw desire bubbled through her veins. It had been so long since she’d done this with anyone and even longer—far longer—since she’d been with Colt.
    “This was a good idea,” Colt murmured against her mouth.
    “I’m full of them,” she said in a breathy voice, doing her best not to sound like herself.
    “I’m glad to hear it.”
    Heather knew now Colt would play her game. They had all night together and she wanted to make it last, so she kissed him again and kept on kissing him, making out with Colt like they were teenagers. Colt followed her cues, kissing her back for a long time before he slid his hands up between them to undo the zipper of her coat. Heather opened her eyes to make sure he still couldn’t see her and was satisfied when she was unable to discern more than the shape of his face even this close. She let him pull the jacket off her shoulders and toss it aside, then braced herself in anticipation of the feel of his hands on her body. He didn’t disappoint her, sliding his hands down her back and sighing with what sounded like