Free Whisper by Tressie Lockwood Page B

word. No, she’d let him tear her dress off in the woods and bang her brains out upside a tree.
     
    “Goodness,” she moaned. Just thinking about it turned her on again, but no, she regretted it. They’d moved too fast, and there was no way he’d respect her sleeping with him on the second date. No way in the world! “Why, why, why?”
     
    “Are you okay?”
     
    She jumped at the sound of his voice but didn’t look up at him. “I’m fine. Thanks.”
     
    Sitting up, she discovered she was sore as hell between her legs. He had worn her out, but she’d had a million orgasms, or it seemed like it. No, don’t even think about it, Whisper. This is not going to happen again.
     
    Her sheet was across the room near the door. How the heck had it gotten that far? Great, she’d have to get up and show him her big, wide butt in the light of day. She debated just staying there and waiting for him to get up instead.
     
    “I think we both know last night shouldn’t have happened,” he said.
     
    She froze.
     
    “But we’re adults, and…”
     
    Whisper stopped listening. Now she knew he regretted what happened, too. Maybe he didn’t enjoy it as much as he seemed to last night. Or maybe he thought she was going to get all clingy. Well, he was dead wrong.
     
    “You got what you wanted. You can go.” She stood up, ignoring her nakedness and walked across the room to the bathroom. Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away. “You don’t have far to go, so I’m sure you can shower at your own place.”
     
    Wow, now that sounded cold. She hoped he’d think she was one of these modern women who thought nothing of sleeping with a guy when she chose to. Her previous denials and acting like she wanted to make him wait could be considered part of the game. He didn’t have to know here she was again, having given in to the charm with no love—the one thing she wanted more than any other.
     
    Rather than slam the door, she shut it quietly and turned on the shower. Only when she was under the spray did she let the tears fall. This time was the last she would let them go. Alec Macgregor wasn’t worth any more than that. Last night was great. Yes, she was an adult, and now it was done. She wouldn’t spare him another thought.
     
     
     
    * * * *
     
     
     
    Whisper didn’t want to tell Sheila what happened, but she was her only friend, the only close person in her life, and she needed to talk it out. Having an ear to listen might make her hurt feelings lessen, and then she could get on with her life. The problem was thoughts of Alec consumed her. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him behind her lids, stroking her, murmuring gentle words that would lead her to opening up to him. Even in her imagination, she felt the pull to be his. Her heart ached for his love. She just wanted to wave a magic wand and have all those emotions disappear.
     
    “I have something to tell you,” she said to Sheila a few nights after she’d slept with Alec. She stopped, hoping Sheila would do what she usually did—just keep chatting away about her latest lover. Her friend must have sensed something because she fell silent and turned to look at Whisper.
     
    She squinted and studied Whisper. “Something’s been up with you for the last couple of days.
     
    “Just figuring that out?” Whisper muttered.
     
    “What?”
     
    “Nothing.” She took a deep breath. “I slept with Alec.”
     
    “You did what ?” Sheila shouted.
     
    Whisper squirmed. She peered over her balcony where they were sitting and watched the people on the ground. A few had glanced up at Sheila’s voice. “Keep your voice down, will you? Damn, I don’t need the world in my business.”
     
    Her friend wasn’t listening. From the expression on her face, she was fuming, although Whisper didn’t see why. “I can’t believe you did that. To go whoring—”
     
    “Whoring? Excuse me? How is it whoring when I sleep with one guy, but it’s