Free Gypsy Love: A Gypsy Beach Novel by Jillian Neal Page B

been through a lot of shit lately, but the dominance that exuded from him and the fact that he knew precisely what he wanted made her longing to be with him grow exponentially with every ragged beat of her battered heart.
    “I thought you sucked at patience.” She huffed and tried to will away the embarrassment of all but begging him to take her to bed and being summarily turned down.
    “God, Arley, you have no idea how hard this is for me. I want you bad, baby, but I’m not taking you to bed until I know that it’s really what you want, too. Would it help you to know that I’m gonna be thinking about you in bed tonight, and I’m sure as hell not going to be sleeping?”
    Another flush of heat worked its way up from her chest and settled in her cheeks. She was somehow giggling again. How had he just turned her down and then made her laugh by being so thoroughly honest? How was anyone this real?
    “So, kissing is okay, but sex is off the table?” She sighed over his rules.
    Chuckling he touched their foreheads together. “Truthfully, no. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that just yet, but I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you. All I’d been able to think about was how good your lips were going to taste. I’m sure as hell not a fucking saint. I’m just trying to do right by you.”
    Relationships never lasted. It was ridiculous to think that they ever would. He saw evidence of their demise each and every day. He wanted to make certain that when they parted she never felt like he’d taken anything more from her than she was willing to give. It had to be equal so that when the lust dried up and their lives were easier apart than together they could walk away and still be friends. That was the only way relationships ever worked. She was beautiful, funny, brilliant, one hell of a conversationalist, but at some point, inevitably, life would get in the way. It always did.
    “We have two weeks here, sweetheart, and if that goes as well as I think it’s going to go, I definitely do not mind weekending in Birmingham or keeping you tucked up in my condo so I can indulge myself in you endlessly, but let’s make sure that’s what you want, too.”
    She gave him a sexy smirk and rolled those beautiful eyes. “Well, since you already broke your own stupid rules, can I have another kiss?”
    “Stupid, huh?” He leaned in and took her lips with decadent greed. He drew her tongue into his mouth and sucked away her ability to argue with him. He robbed her of breath and all rational thought completely. His teeth nipped her bottom lip before he proceeded to suck away the shiver of desire that accompanied the heady sensation. His hands rasped down the sides of her breasts. Her nipples throbbed in agony against the lace of her bra. He felt the tightened beads of her press against his thin shirt. “So fucking tempting, baby. You’re going to be my undoing. I want to strip you down and suck those sweet nips until they feel better. I want to know what you taste like, but tonight, please, I just need to know that I didn’t push anything on you.”
    She tried to protest. She didn’t need him to be a gentleman, but his worry over her wasn’t something she’d felt in so long her body drank in his care, just like she yearned for more of his devastating kisses.
    At some point they managed to break free of the haze of lust that had consumed them on the pier. He wrapped his right arm over her and led her back to his car.
    He refused to come into her room under the pretense that she was far too tempting. Arley highly doubted that, and she hated not understanding where he stood. Did he really think she was attractive? His straining erection while they’d made out did seem to be proof that he did. So, I had to meet the most perfect guy in the world, and his mother turned him into a gentleman.
    She told herself to stop complaining. What woman didn’t want that? He’d even talked about extending their whirlwind relationship