Free Friends With Benefits by Anne Lange

but purposeful as he headed in her direction. He looked like a man with his target in sight.
    Gulping, she slipped beneath the water, swimming to the opposite end. When she came up for air, there he was, still on the move, his direction still toward her. Everywhere she went, he trailed along behind her, always keeping a respectable distance, but only the space between them created that safe zone. The heat in his eyes and the hungry look on his face gave away his intentions. His smirk put her at ease while making her skin tingle. She knew she could end the game simply by getting out of the pool. And yet, she couldn’t.
    She’d traveled the whole length twice. She didn’t have anywhere else to go without seeming obvious, so she stayed in place, keeping her shoulders below the water, her back to the wall searching for a topic of conversation.
    “So, how long have you been interested in carpentry?”
    Connor slowed his steps, his hands playing in the water, pushing back then pulling forward, creating ripples on either side of him, a delightful smile on his sensuous mouth.
    “Since I was a kid. My father was a carpenter. I guess he passed the bug onto me.”
    “Are you two close?”
    “He passed away a long time ago.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    He shrugged. “Nothing to be sorry about. It happened.”
    “What about your mother?” She watched his distant look disappear, to be replaced with soft warmth.
    “Alive and well. Probably tending her garden as we speak.”
    “So you see her often?”
    He shook his head. “Not as often as I should, or as I’d like. The job has kept me moving around, which she understands. We talk every week or two.”
    “What about siblings?”
    “You sure do have lots of questions.”
    A squirrel chattered in the tree overhead, and she turned her head, looking up as she responded. “I’m just making conver—”
    “Caught you,” he whispered, his voice deep, sexy.
    She swung her gaze forward to find him less than a foot away. Surprised, a nervous flutter took root in the pit of her stomach as she peeked up at him from under her lashes.
    “Umm…yes, it seems you have,” she replied a little breathless.
    “Tell me, do those stories you read include any handymen?” The husky quality of his voice dampened her already wet bottoms.
    All sound seemed to stop as she swallowed. “Sure, some…I’m sure, yes.” She managed to croak the words.
    “What about your fantasies, Angela? Do yours include being seduced and ravished by a virtual stranger? ”
    “Only if they look like you.”
    He laughed. She gasped in shock. Crap. That was supposed to be her inside voice.
    His laughter pitched lower, changing to a low, throaty rumble, while he grinned at her like he’d won a prize. He inched closer.
    “I have to admit, Angela, I find you very attractive.” One strong arm slipped around her waist, and then he yanked her close. The air left her lungs as he brought her up snug against his wall of a chest. His head dipped and his mouth moved next to her ear as he asked in that same throaty tone, “Would you like me to ravish you, Angela? Do you think your husband would mind?”
    His other arm slipped down to grasp her leg, bringing her entire body in contact with his.
    Another startled squeak escaped Angela’s lips. Connor had removed his shorts.
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
    Would her husband mind? She trembled. Connor held her close while he nibbled her flesh, sending shivers coursing through her body. She gasped when he sucked her sensitive earlobe between his lips and then released it to trace the curve of her ear with his tongue, his teeth scraping along the shell. How had he known her ears were one of her erogenous zones? That little manipulation left her pussy fluttering in need.
    Her hands moved of their own volition, and she gripped his biceps, slanting her head, presenting the hypersensitive area of her neck to him.
    A low moan reached her ears, but whether it was him or her who had made the