Free A Dangerous Leap by Sharon Calvin

not leaving are you?” Had she done something wrong? God, maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned Heather. For all she knew, he could be living with her. She widened her eyes. Holy bat poop, that would make her the “other woman.”
    “Hell no, I’m not leaving,” he said in a muffled voice.
    Squinting in the dim light, Kelly hummed when she saw his nicely muscled rear as he searched for something on the floor. “Then what are you doing out there?” She forced her arms and legs to obey and crawled to the edge of the bed on all fours. “Are we going to do something kinky?” she asked, her fingers crossed.
    Before Ian, her limited experience with sex consisted of a selfish husband and a clueless seaman recruit. The most they’d been able to generate in her had been a warm, “that’s nice,” feeling. Obviously that wouldn’t be the case with Ian. What the heck would her reaction be after they made love? She could only hum in anticipation.
    Ian stilled, then slowly turned, the box of condoms clutched in his fist. “Kelly, are you trying to kill me?” His full male salute implied it would be a fine way to go.
    Kelly grinned. “Not until I’ve had my fill of you,” she said with as much innocence as she could feign. A bolt of lightning seemed to arc between them. With a squeal, she scampered to the head of the bed, Ian right behind her. He caught her and she shrieked out loud. Thank God, with Ian she’d never have to fake her responses.
    * * *
    The unfamiliar sound of water slapping against the boat’s hull woke Ian at dawn. Kelly, her arms and legs flung in all directions, slept with a childlike abandon. Their lovemaking, her lighthearted laugh, and the way she embraced life, touched something deep inside him. Dear Lord, if he weren’t careful, he’d fall hard for her.
    Hell, hadn’t he always taken his father’s advice to heart and only slept with women he was serious about? No matter the birth control method, his father had preached, outside of abstinence, a baby was always a possibility. And while a marriage might not last, for Ian, a child would be a lifetime commitment.
    The rustle of sheets announced Kelly’s wakening. How would she react—embarrassed, awkward, or happy and excited? He watched her face scrunch up. One brow lifted, followed by an eyelid. Her gaze traveled down his sheet-covered length, then stopped.
    He flexed his morning erection. Then, like an adolescent boy, he tented the sheet. Kelly’s eyes rounded and she lifted her head, grown-up anticipation colored with wonder. God, he had no protection from the likes of her.
    “Hey, is that for me?” she asked, her voice still husky with sleep.
    “Well, only if you’re willing to share.”
    Her smile slid into a frown and she sat up, her bare breasts distracting him.
    “That’s just it. I don’t think I can share,” she said. Her fingers picked at the rumpled sheets and her gaze skipped away from his.
    What? Had he missed something? “It was a joke.” He reached for her hand, capturing it before she burrowed it out of sight under the covers.
    Her eyes looked large and troubled in the golden morning light. Her mouth tilted up on one side, but there was a definite wobble to it. “It’s not that I don’t want you,” she said and gave a small humorless laugh. “Well, duh. Guess that was pretty obvious last night.”
    Red tinged her cheeks and Ian squeezed her hand. He wanted to haul her into his arms, but sensed whatever was bothering her, she needed to get it out first.
    She took a deep breath, as if preparing to jump into rough water. “You see, I don’t know Heather, but she deserves better than this. I mean, heck I don’t even know if you two are living together. And last night I really didn’t care. Guess that makes me pretty shallow.”
    Ah shit, she thought he’d meant share him with another woman. “Honey, Heather and I broke up. The same day I took you out to dinner, like I promised. Man, you must think I’m some