Free Sweet Escapes: Romance Story Boxed Set by Leighann Dobbs Page B

table at the side of the swing, he motioned her closer and she obeyed.
    Relaxing against his chest, she allowed him to kiss her again. His lips brushed softly against her temple, her nose, her chin, and then moved in a trail of short, quick kisses to the sensitive area beneath her earlobe, which he nipped gently before coming back to claim her mouth with his own.
    His tongue swept against hers, tasting, teasing, and Olivia moaned low. Her body, remembering how pleasant a reaction his kisses had aroused in her last time, responded accordingly.
    She could feel her breasts grow taut, feel her nipples pucker, hardening behind the thin, sheer lace of her bra. Warmth swept through her, heating her before pooling at the juncture of her thighs.
    A flash of long-denied need filled her, and her hands moved up to his shoulders, caressing him, enjoying the feel of his body heating her palms even through the material of his casual shirt.
    Olivia cautioned herself against moving too quickly. Jordan's deep kisses set up an ache inside of her that made her want to rush.
    Being held in his arms felt so good.
    He smelled of musk and male and hot summer nights, and she couldn't help but wonder how his bare skin would taste as he trailed his tongue across her bottom lip.
    "Good," he whispered against her mouth. "So damn good. Olivia..."
    The shrill ringing of the phone snapped her out of the passion induced daze she'd fallen into, and she jumped to her feet.
    Feeling rather like a guilty teen who'd just got caught necking on the sofa with her boyfriend, Olivia laughed. "I'm sorry, Jordan. I- I'll just be a minute."
    Gathering up the ice cream bowls as she went, Olivia disappeared inside the house.
    A few minutes later, she was at her front door, wishing him goodnight.

Chapter Five
     
    The next day, Olivia tried to catch Jordan before he left the gym. She caught up with him outside the juice bar. "Jordan, got a second?"
    He glanced down at his watch, and then back at her. "Yes, a few. What's up?"
    Olivia readjusted the strap of her black-trimmed, hot pink duffel on her shoulder. "Are you busy later?"
    "Yeah, actually I am. But..."
    Disappointed, Olivia looked away just as Vivian poked her head around the door.
    "Ready Jordan?"
    Her gaze snapped to the door where Vivian stood, looking put together as always with not a single hair out of place. She glanced at her watch, a tiny, delicate thing that Olivia knew she would have lost in a week.
    "We don't want to be late," she cautioned Jordan, and Olivia's stomach dropped.
    It didn't take a mathematician to figure out they were leaving together. She'd come here to ask Jordan if he'd like to go with her to pick up Danielle tomorrow, but if he were seeing Vivian...
    Vivian shot her a look of smug haughtiness mixed with underlying contempt, and Olivia felt her face heat with embarrassed shame.
    She guessed the rumors were true. Jordan Waycross was a playboy. Well, she refused to be another of his playthings. Turning on her heel, she hurried out of the room, ignoring Jordan's call for her to wait.
    Tears pricked the backs of her eyelids, tears she refused to shed in front of Jordan or Vivian. She should have known it would end like this, she thought minutes later, throwing her bag in the car. The odds of anything more than a physical attraction with Jordan Waycross had been against her from the start.
     
    * * *
     
    Olivia removed the cold-rag-gone-warm from her eyes, hoping the cool compress had helped take the redness and swelling from her eyelids from the night before. She didn't need Dani asking why her eyes were red and swollen.
    After barely sleeping the night before, she'd awakened at 5:00 A.M., showered, dressed, and fallen back in bed, completely disgusted with her track record with men and life in general.
    Now, it was almost noon. She sighed and checked her watch. Even though she'd prefer to hide here in her bed for the rest of the day, it was time to pick up Danielle.
    Rolling out of bed, she