Free Her First Vacation by Jennie Leigh Page B

to
scream in frustration.
    “Aw, Claire-” She jerked back, shaking her head when he
started to reach out and touch her.
    “Don’t!” He stopped as she took a couple of unnaturally
deep breaths in an effort to maintain her self-control. Somehow she managed
make her voice sound something close to normal as she spoke, though she
couldn’t bring herself to actually meet his gaze. “ It’s okay, Colin. You don’t need to explain it to me. I know how things are.”
    The pain in her voice ripped at his gut. “I very much doubt
that.”
    Her gaze jerked to his, and he saw a flash of defiance as
she lifted her chin. “I’m not a naïve little fool, Colin. I’ve always known
this friendship between us was transitory. I know very well that I’m not the
kind of woman a man like you makes a habit of spending time with. I knew that
sooner or later, you’d get bored with the aberration and put an end to it.
Frankly, I’m surprised it took you this long.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway,
there’s no reason to worry about me. I’ll be just fine. In fact, I’ve decided
that I’m going to go ashore today. You know I haven’t left the ship since we
left port and I figured I might as well go take in some of the local color
while I have the chance. I should get back to my room and grab my things. I’m
sure I’ll see you around later.”
    She started to turn away and he reached out and caught her
arm. When she turned to face him, he shook his head. “You don’t understand a
damn thing.”
    He jerked her forward and kissed her. Every rational bone
in his body was screaming at him that he was going way over the line here, but
he didn’t give a damn. The pain in her eyes was more than he could take. He
couldn’t make himself let her leave, believing that he found her boring and
undesirable. He had no doubt whatsoever that he’d regret his impulsiveness, but
he wasn’t able to do it while she was in his arms. When he pushed at her teeth
with his tongue she opened for him without hesitation. The tentative way she
returned his kiss only fired his blood more. He knew damn well that she was
thirty years old, and that was way too old for a woman to still be clinging to
her innocence in this day and age. But knowing Claire the way he did, he knew
it was entirely possible that she was still a virgin. He’d never considered
that a particularly seductive trait since he generally liked the women he took
to his bed to be experienced enough to know how to ask for what they liked and
how to give him what he wanted as well. As he felt the way Claire trembled
against him, though, he was forced to admit that her innocence aroused him to
painful extremes. When he finally ended the kiss she stared up at him with
wide, stunned eyes.
    “I’m not ending our relationship because I find you boring.
I’m ending it because I find you anything but boring. And believe me
when I tell you that there’s no way in hell that anything good could ever come
of it. You’re a woman who wants and deserves the kind of commitment I’m both
unwilling and unable to make.” He shook his head. “I’m a rambler, Claire. I
always have been, and I always will be. I don’t want either of us to make the
mistake of thinking we could ever be anything more than friends. It would only
lead to you getting hurt.”
    Claire was too stunned to say anything at all. He was
implying that he found her attractive. She nearly laughed out loud at the
absurdity of it. What in the world could he find attractive about her? The mousy hair and almost flat chest? It had to be some kind
of joke. Only he wasn’t laughing. He wasn’t even smiling. She shook her head.
    “This is insane.”
    His brows arched. “Why?”
    “Because there’s no way you could want me.”
    His mouth drew down into a frown. “I’d like to know who convinced
you that you’re so undesirable. There’s nothing wrong with you, Claire, except
your own self-image. You’re so obsessed with your