Free Baby, Hold On by Stephanie Bond Page A

Perfect fling material. His sex hardened into a persistent reminder of how long it had been since he’d desired a woman so much.
    But some part of him hung back—he was indebted to Lacey, and he didn’t want to offend her.
    At last, Sheridan was clean. He jumped out of the tub, and neither one of them moved fast enough to avoid the shower of him shaking himself off.
    They laughed and Lacey held up her arms, completed soaked now. “Ugh, I need a shower.”
    When Mike looked over, he couldn’t speak. The water had rendered her T-shirt almost transparent, molding to her firm breasts and peaked nipples. His gentlemanly resolve snapped. He stepped closer and tipped up Lacey’s chin.
    “We could save water. Wanna share?”

Chapter Eleven
    Lacey opened her mouth, but all that came out was a squeak. Mike Nichols had just told her he wanted to get naked and soapy with her, and all she could manage was a noise that sounded more like it came from a newborn puppy than a full-grown woman.
    “Pardon me?” he murmured, his lips so close to hers, she could feel his breath.
    Her wet, tired body was going haywire, screaming yes, yes, YES! But in the space of a few seconds, reasons to say no bombarded her—she was working for Mike, after all, and the man was only passing through town, so at most, it would be a quickie fling. And what if things went sideways? It had been so long since she’d had sex, what if she’d forgotten how?
    Lacey swallowed and tried again. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
    When the fire in his eyes dimmed, regret wrapped around her chest. He pulled back and gave her a rueful smile. “You’re probably right. I thought I’d head into town for dinner, if you’d like to tag along.”
    Tag along, not join him. The man was horny…he was probably hoping to run into Julie Whelk, or any number of eligible women who’d jump at the chance to take a shower with him. Far be it from her to get between the man and his…satisfaction.
    “You go ahead. I think I’ll relax with a book.” She winced inwardly—had she really said that?
    “Suit yourself,” he said, then emptied the tub of water and strode toward the cabin.
    Lacey watched his retreating back—the man had shoulders like the mountains surrounding Sweetness—and realized her body was still tingling from his nearness. A groan sounded deep in her throat. The fact that he could make her want him without even touching her…well, it made a girl wonder what Mike Nichols could do if she gave him permission to unleash his full arsenal.
    He disappeared into the cabin and she remembered Traci’s words, telling her to go for it. Everyone in town already thought she and Mike were friendly …it was pretty sad when she was alleged to be having more fun than she actually was.
    And Mike wanted her. Hadn’t she always wished for a movie moment when a man would look into her eyes and tell her, without the benefit of alcohol and “last call,” that he wanted to have sex with her? In her fantasy script, she didn’t respond by folding like an ingenue.
    Lacey screwed up her courage and marched into the cabin. Sheridan had retreated to his bed for a nap. She walked quietly to Mike’s closed bedroom door and pressed her ear against it. His shower was running.
    Before she could change her mind, she opened the door and stepped inside his bedroom. The bathroom door was ajar and she could hear him splashing. She began peeling off her clothes so by the time she reached the shower curtain surrounding the tub, she was completely naked. She opened the curtain and had a glimpse of his big nude body before climbing inside.
    The man had an arsenal, all right. He was built like a tank.
    Mike jumped in surprise, but recovered quickly. When he grunted with appreciation at her naked body, she felt her femininity unfold in the face of his hard, muscular planes and his growing erection.
    He pulled her against him and murmured, “I thought you said this was a bad