Free Love Redesigned by Sloane B. Collins Page B

his chest to give her some breathing room. “I don’t—”
    He cupped her head and leaned forward, kissing her into silence.
    She shuddered, torn between pulling him in and pushing him away.
    He nipped her lower lip in a silent demand for more. She opened, and his tongue swept in. She shuddered at the intrusion, but welcomed it at the same time. He tasted of wine, coffee, and the unique flavor all his own.
    She rubbed her tongue over his, eliciting a husky groan from him. Lightening rocketed through her body, from her head to her toes, and down her arms to her fingertips.
    He pressed her against the back of the couch. She sighed, welcoming his weight. She ran her hand down his cheek, the bristles of his beard prickling her palm. She arched against his hard body. He’d been lean so long ago, but had filled out with hard muscles over the years. Deliciously so.
    He tore his lips away from hers, kissing a path to her neck. He gently bit her skin, just below her ear, then soothed the spot with his delectable tongue.
    She tried to catch her breath. Flames licked a path along her skin, following his lips, his tongue, his fingers.
    She had to stop this insanity. But it feels so good. He feels so good. Needing to touch him, she untucked his shirt, slipped her fingers underneath to his back. His muscles bunched beneath her hands.
    He groaned. “You are more enticing than ever,” he muttered thickly. “I can’t help myself. You’re like the finest wine, one I have been too long denied.” He pulled the neckline of the thermal shirt down slightly to reveal her collar bone, and pressed a kiss there. His fingers slid beneath the hem.
    Tracing a path along her stomach, he brushed the scar.
    No! She froze. No way did she want him asking questions about the scar. Horrified he would find out, she pushed against him. “Roman, stop. Stop! We can’t do this.” She struggled out from beneath him, stood up and turned her back to him, wrapping her arms around her waist.
    “What’s wrong?” He turned her around, cupped her cheeks in his hands.
    Her eyes closed, and she stepped away from him, leaving him cold. “I just don’t think this is a good idea. We haven’t seen each other in fifteen years. We don’t know each other now.”
    She was right. It had been a long time. A very long time. The lies he had believed for fifteen years were not true. She hadn’t deserted him. Hadn’t led him on only to leave him for someone else.
    His body ached to take her to bed, and everything else be damned. But he didn’t want to scare her away. He pulled her into a hug, held her gently. “I would very much like to get to know you again. You are an incredibly beautiful and talented woman.”
    She pulled back and stared at him. “Why me?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You can have your pick of any woman in the world . . . and may I say you have, ” she said.
    She sounds jealous. Satisfaction bloomed inside him as he searched her face.
    “Why do you want to know me? I’m nobody.” Her voice caught, and she cleared her throat. Moisture shimmered in her eyes.
    “You are not nobody . You’ve always been someone special to me.”
    She tried to pull away from him. “Don’t make me laugh.”
    He held her tight, wouldn’t let her retreat now that they were finally talking. “You’re right, you’re nothing like the women I’ve been involved with over the years.”
    Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she shoved his hands away from her.
    “Listen to me. I’m glad you are not like those women. They are superficial, and you are real. Their only concern is being seen with me, dating me, for their reputations, and what I could do for them. You were a stunning young woman, and you brought happiness into my life. You’ve matured into an even more gorgeous and talented woman.”
    “You callin’ me old?”
    She was trying to be stern, but he could tell the compliment pleased her.
    If I rush her, I could lose her for good. She did not see in